The administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has taken a bold initiative towards repositioning the State Ministry of Chieftaincy Matters to play a leading role in enhancing rural participation in governance, peaceful co-existence and access to information concerning various communities in the state with regards to their constitutions and chieftaincy titles, among others.
Consequently, Gov. Ugwuanyi over the weekend inaugurated a website of gazetted Chieftaincy constitutions of communities in the state. The address of the website is www.mocm.en.gov.ng .
Inaugurating the website, Gov. Ugwuanyi represented by his deputy, Hon. Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, stated that the vision of the present administration in establishing the platform was to afford the people of the state including those in the Diaspora the ample opportunity to access all information concerning various communities.
The governor explained that the innovation will promote transparency and accountability as well as assist in reducing to the barest minimum all disputes and tussles that characterize election of traditional rulers in some communities of the state.
He added that the project is a cloud-based collection of gazetted Chieftaincy constitutions which makes it possible for gazetted Chieftaincy constitutions and other important documents of autonomous communities in Enugu State to be available in the internet and be accessed by the general public such as the government, researchers, citizens, investors, non-governmental organizations and multinational institutions.
“This project will no doubt give the communities a verified and authentic online presence; promote transparency in community leadership; provide guidance in allocation of resources; serve as a tool for peaceful resolutions in the communities and promote human rights community development and community tradition.
“It will also allow internet research engines such as google and yahoo, among others, to easily index these constitutions, thereby making them easily accessible on the internet”, he said.
Earlier in his remarks, the State Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters, Dr. Charles Egumgbe expressed gratitude to Gov. Ugwuanyi for the time-honoured innovation in the state which he said will go a long way in strengthening his administration’s rural development policy for the greater interest of the rural dwellers.
Dr. Egumgbe who pointed out that communities that are not gazetted are not included in the website, enjoined those not yet gazetted to do so as the website has provision for them.
In his speech, the Chairman of Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council, HRH Igwe Amb. Lawrence Agubuzu extolled Gov. Ugwuanyi for the epoch-making project, and thanked the governor for approving and funding the website to promote peace, efficiency and transparency in the administration of communities in the state.
Dignitaries at the event include the Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Chijioke Edeoga, the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Dr. David Ugwunta, Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, Hon. Uchechukwu Ogbonna, and their Culture and Tourism counterpart, Hon. Ugonna Ibe, among others.
