It was a harvest of plaudits for Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state at the weekend as a Lagos-based group- Ezike Diamond Club- honoured him for excellence in service just as workers in the state rounded off their civil service week commending the governor for attending to their welfare promptly.
The grand finale of the civil service week in the state provided an ample opportunity for the workers and the labour leaders to express appreciation of the governor’s friendly disposition to the workers and their welfare, especially the on-going exercise in which local government pensioners who retired between 2002 and 2005 are now receiving their gratuities while workers are receiving arrears of leave allowances.
Also, during its 20th anniversary and annual lecture held at the Princess Alexandria Auditorium of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, on Saturday, the club conferred the Diamond Special Excellence award on Service on Ugwuanyi while other eminent indigenes of the state, including former presidential economic adviser, Prof. Osita Ogbu, were also honoured.
Beside the club’s commendation because the governor “is already redefining governance standards in Enugu state despite the obvious economic situation in the country”, dignitaries on the occasion were quick to point out that the present administration in the state has continued to spring pleasant surprises, even creating thousands of jobs when some better endowed states find it very difficult to meet up their recurrent responsibilities.
Chief press secretary to the governor, Mr. Uwakwe Abugu, who represented him on the occasion had told the elite gathering that while many state governors continue to sweat it under the present economic season of anomie, “our governor here has continued to create thousands of jobs”.
He had pointed the approval by the State Executive Council last Wednesday of the engagement of 857 post-primary school teachers who had in the past five years worked as volunteer teachers and a proposal to engage a fresh batch of 1000 graduate-teachers also for the post-primary schools in the state.
Ugwuanyi had earlier employed 2000 primary school teachers while over 200 traffic marshals had been trained and employed to help ease traffic congestions in Enugu metropolis.
Among those who spoke in commendation of the rare giant strides of the governor in these hard times included Prof. Ogbu who wanted him to continued to explore avenues for better delivery of service to the people, deputy vice chancellor(Academic) of the University of Nigeria, Prof. James Ogbonna, House of Representatives member from the state, Hon. Dennis Agbo, astute politician and lawyer from the state, Chief Charles Ugwu, among others
