From Emmanuel Uzor, Abakaliki
Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru is the Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly. He bared his mind on various issues including the synergy between the legislature and Executive in moving the state forward.
You were a member of the fourth Assembly which was characterized by crises, suspensions and impeachments, but this current Assembly appears to be stable, what is the magic?
The peace we are enjoying in this current Assembly is from God. And that is why we are one and united in the pursuit of our legislative duties for the well-being of our people. And I thank all my colleagues for their support.
This 5th Assembly under your speakership is yet to oppose any bill or request from the executive arm of the government making some people to regard this House as rubber stamp; what is your take on that?
This honourable House has no good reason to oppose any request of a man God carefully sent to people of Ebonyi State to help us at this critical time. He has proven over time of his honesty, sincerity, commitment and passion to develop the state. This is a governor for the first time since the creation of the state who openly told Ebonyians that he has made for the state over a billion naira from fixed deposit accounts. We have seen that he has nothing to hide and that he is thoroughly committed to the development and growth of the state. So, our constituents will not be happy with us if we oppose him. We will continue to support him to develop our state for us.
What are the expectations of Ebonyi people in 2017 legislative year?
First of all, we will ensure a speedy passage of the 2017 appropriation bill and monitor its implementation to ensure that our people get the best from this government. Again, we will make good laws that will better the lives of our people. Ebonyians have been calling for the establishment of industries to complement farming and to absorb the teeming youths in the state; we are going to ensure that all these are put into action through our robust legislation. I was privileged to be part of the state delegation to China. That trip was part of the series of government efforts to attract investors and build indigenous industries to help our people. In China, we saw a lot of things .In China we saw a lot of facilities that were not presently necessary but they were built for the purpose of tomorrow. I assure you that before the end of Umahi’s second tenure, all the three senatorial zones must have at least one formidable industry. Ebonyians should be patient with the government because this is a government that has plans to improve their lives. Already, a department has been put in place by the governor to assemble talented
Ebonyians and train them for our own indigenous industries. Just a matter of time, you will begin to see results.
The APC recently took a swipe at this government over what he described as poor performance in the face of huge allocations accruing to the state; what is your position?
The so called factional chairman was either misinformed or merely being economical with the truth. Even a cursory look at the performances of this government would reveal to you a leader who is in a hurry to uplift the living standard of his people. I challenge him to do a ministry by ministry study of this government and he would discover a government in a holistic developmental stride. Within one year and few months in office, this government under the leadership of Governor David Umahi has offered more services and democracy dividends beyond the expectations of Ebonyi people; that is why everywhere you go within the state, people are already endorsing him for a second term.
The appointment of some APC, APGA and other opposition chieftains into the government by Umahi is said to be causing ripples among the ranks of PDP, what is your take on that?
I don’t think there is any problem within our party because of the kind gesture of our kind governor to opposition members in the state. The true position is that politics is over. It is time for governance. And as the governor of Ebonyi, our governor is not restricted to a particular party. He is both the governor and father of the whole state and therefore is obligated to carry everybody along. What the governor set out to do in the appointment of over 200 young Ebonyians into the government is to empower them as he promised during his campaign.
We are aware of some persons that worked for our party during the election who have not been given appointment. So, when such people see some other persons who worked against our party being appointed into government, they would naturally feel bad. But that is the dynamics of politics. My advice to those who have not been given anything is that they should be patient with the government even as the governor is doing everything possible to provide enabling environment for every Ebonyian to actualize his or her potentials.