Governor Ugwuanyi stated this at the 2015 Award Night and Reception held in his honour by the Correspondents’ Chapel, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Enugu State on Friday.
Represented by the Commission for the Enugu Capital Territory, Chidi Aroh, the governor said the contracts for the roads were unprecedented considering the level of economic meltdown in Nigeria.
He said:
“All the processes for the award have been completed and in a very short time, the flag-off of these roads will go on simultaneously.”
He also said that the state government has begun the rehabilitation of the 9th Mile Corner, which is a federal road, to ease traffic for motorists in the state.
Task force
Governor Ugwuanyi said the removal of fines collected by the task force on traffic in the state was in response to the complaints by the people of the state who decried the excesses of the task force and commended the people for obeying traffic rules.
“The ultimate aim of government is to provide good for the people that are being governed,” he said.
Aroh said the decision was similar to that of the task force which would continue to the interest of the people with utmost importance.
Tell the truth always
Governor Ugwuanyi appealed to the media to support him in his programmes in Enugu, advising journalists tell the truth always.
“As journalists, you must realise that your responsibility is akin to the responsibility God gave to judges. You know in the performance of judicial functions, sometimes judges have some of the powers of God donated to them. That’s why they can pass sentences of life and death.”
Fact-finding visits
On the report of the fact-finding visits of the correspondents to the 17 local government areas in Enugu State, Ugwuanyi commended journalists for the courage they exhibited in presenting the report.
“If we have this level of courage, the state will move forward,” he said and asked that a copy of the full report be made available to guide him in ensuring that all tiers of government in the state do what is right.
Earlier in his speech, the Chairman, Correspondents’ Chapel, Enugu, Mr. Petrus Obi, said the chapel had embarked on fact-finding visits to the 17 councils in the state for the Correspondents’ Week.
According to him, the chairmen of some councils, including the chairman of the Association for Local Governments in the state, were opposed to the idea of the visits and even warned correspondents not to step their feet into their councils.
He said correspondents in the state were not deterred by their threats, but went on the visits where they discovered that some of the councils were in sorry state.
“From Enugu East to Aninri; Udenu to Igbo Etiti; Udi to Nsukka, the story is completely unacceptable,” Obi said, adding that there was no evidence of government in most of the council.
Remedy the situation
He said the claim by the Igbo Etiti Council of establishing a poultry with millions of naira was false as the structure shown to journalist who visited the council did not reflect that there was any.
He called on the governor to do something urgent to remedy the situation in the local governments.
Six performing council chairmen, including those of Ezeagu, Emeka Ozoagu; Nkanu East, Sam Iyiogwe; Nkanu West, Afam Okereke, Enugu North, Emeka Ede, Igboeze South, Festus Ozioko and Awgu were recognised for outstanding performances.
Others recognised were former speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Mr. Eugene Odoh, and the Founder, Bina Foundation, Ifeoma Atuegwu.
Best dressed journalist
Some members of the Correspondents’ Chapel were also given awards for outstanding performances.
They were Jude Ossai of the Nigerian Tribune, who won received the Ugwuanyi Reporter of the Year; Law Njoku of The Guardian, political reporter of the year, Tony Adibe of Daily Trust, Feartures Writer of the year and Michael Agada of the News Agency of Nigeria.
The awards for the best behaved journalist and best dressed journalist went to Voice of Nigeria’s Cyril Okonkwo of and Chibota Edozie of National Light respectively.
Other events that took place as part of the Correspondents’ Week were a lecture delivered by Senator Obinna Ogba, visit to motherless babies’ homes and novelty football match.
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