Gov. Ugwuanyi’s belief in patriotism, private sector background saw to my emergence – Mbah

The Governor-elect of Enugu State, Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah on Thursday expressed profound gratitude to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for standing firm in his belief in patriotism, and for successfully leading the campaign for the emergence of someone with public and private sector background as his successor in spite of blackmail, discord and vilification, to accelerate development in the state.

Mbah said that the decision of Governor Ugwuanyi with the members and leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in support of his emergence as the party’s governorship candidate was driven by patriotism.

The Governor-elect made the disclosure when he led a delegation of members of his Transition Committee to pay a courtesy visit to Governor Ugwuanyi at the Government House, Enugu, shortly before the inauguration of the committee at the remodelled Old Government Lodge, GRA, Enugu.

Mbah told the governor that “you recognised that the line of the land is shifting rapidly and you took a view that if we must accelerate development in Enugu State, the people who will be leading or championing that development must also have the necessary public and private sector background.

“In the light of that, you fixed your eyes on the fight despite the blackmail, discord and vilification you received during the campaigns and electioneering processes.”

The Enugu State Governor-elect stated that in constituting the committee which is chaired by Ike Chioke “we searched for the very best in virtually all views of development,” adding that “here gathered are the products of that scrutiny.

“We have experts from virtually all fields of development, these are technocrats, these are private sector giants both men and women that have distinguished themselves in their various professional endeavours.”

Mbah, who was also accompanied by his deputy, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai, expressed confidence in the value the Transition Committee members will add to the development of the state, adding: “The commitment they have are consistent with your (Ugwuanyi’s) values, our values, our shared values for Enugu State.

“As Your Excellency know, we have proposed a humongous vision for Ndi Enugu, and we believe that these campaign promises must be reduced into an actionable plan and must be integrated into policy framework. And we have searched for the best people in different fields of endeavour that can help us formulate this document.”

Acknowledging the fact that “there are thousand others who are equally as capable and whose skills, knowledge and insight could be useful” the Chairman of the Transition Committee, Chioke, on behalf of other members, thanked Governor Ugwuanyi, Dr. Mbah and Barr. Ossai for the privilege given to them to serve and assured them that they will do their best to deliver on their mandate.

Chioke revealed that the members of the committee “will have to leverage the rich relationships of everyone plus many others in coming up with actionable plan to transform what I considered to be bold vision of the manifesto of the Governor-elect: Tomorrow is here.”

Welcoming Mbah, Ossai and a delegation of the Transition Committee to the Government House, Enugu, Governor Ugwuanyi said that the momentous occasion underscores the commencement of the process of systematic transfer of governance responsibility from his administration to the incoming one.

The governor acknowledged the quality of the membership of the Transition Committee, describing them as men and women with intimidating credentials of accomplishment and leadership in different sectors of the economy; “men and women who are preceded by their track record, competency, character and capacity. I salute the wisdom and insight of our Governor-elect in putting together this crack team.

“I have no doubt that this committee of subject matter experts will inspire the development of transformative policies and programmes that will engender exponential growth in various sectors of our state’s economy, improve the lives and livelihood of Ndi Enugu as well as the competitiveness of our state in the committee of Nigerian states.”

Governor Ugwuanyi, therefore, assured the committee of his administration’s maximum support and cooperation especially in availing it the foundational institutional memory which will be key to its success, saying: “It is my expectation that you will leverage our modest achievements to chart a desirable course for the incoming administration in your engagements.

“I congratulate you on your selection for this historic assignment while extending to you, the best wishes of the government and good people of Enugu State as well as the assurances of the strong sentiments of our support and solidarity for the onerous task ahead.”

The Enugu State Governor-elect had ahead of his May 29 inauguration announced members of his Transition Committee comprising internationally recognised technocrats, good governance, transparency and accountability advocates, financial and management experts, entrepreneurs, as well as tech and innovation specialists.

The committee, according to the Governor-elect, would help articulate and fine-tune the incoming administration’s “implementable and impactful development plan” when it assumes office in May.

Members of the committee’s delegation to the Government House, Enugu, on Thursday include Monsignor Prof. Obiora Ike, Frank Edozie, Engr. Mike Ogbuekwe, Kingsley Eze, George Agu, Dr. Kingsley Udeh and Chief Ikeje Asogwa.

Top Government functionaries at the event were the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, former Chief of Staff, Government House, Enugu, Rt. Hon. Festus Uzor, Head of Service, Mr. Ken Chukwuegbo, Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Greg Nnaji, his Lands and Urban Development counterpart, Nnanyelugo Chidi Aroh, the Vice Chancellor of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Prof. Aloy Okolie and the Chairman, Enugu State Board of Internal Revenue, Mr. Emeka Odo.