Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has pledged to pursue integrated policies of economic development and transformation in his second term in office.
According to the News Agency Nigeria (NAN), Umahi made the pledge on Wednesday in Abakaliki after he was sworn-in for a second term.
He also promised to consolidate on the foundations he laid in the past four years, adding that his administration would exploit the rich mineral deposits in the state for rapid industrialisation.
The Governor said, “We will pursue enhanced internally generated revenue policy and generate sustainable employment, particularly in the private sector.
“We will ensure financial empowerment of citizens leading to higher quality of life, making the state a choice destination for cultural, eco-tourism and a global leisure resort”
“A haven for investors will be created through a balanced and vibrant economy and providing effective leadership and political governance to improve people’s lives.”
He added that the strategy to accomplish the goals of his administration would be hinged on three critical planks – people, infrastructure and economy.
Umahi said, “We will create an Ebonyi economy that will be self-propelled, self-sustaining and reliant within 10 years, thereby reducing risks of dependence on the Federal Government’s statutory allocations.
“We will create jobs for citizens, most especially in the private sector, thereby addressing the current huge dependence on civil employment and its adverse implications for over-head costs,” he said.
The governor listed his achievements in his first tenure to include: upgrading of 13 general hospitals (completion of hospital buildings, landscaping and perimeter fencing of hospital premises).
“We have spent N11billion primarily into rice cultivation and tangentially into cassava and poultry farming, as well as the construction, procurement and installation of fertiliser blending plants, among others.
“We have constructed several roads, bridges among others and have massively developed our rural areas because majority of our people are domiciled there,” he said.
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