By Wisdom Nwedene, Abakaliki
Governor Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has banned people from celebrating his birthday until he is out of office.
Governor Nwifuru made this known on Thursday when groups paid him Christmas homage.
According to him, “as a Governor, I have put a ban on celebrating my birthday, because I am yet to satisfy the mandate you gave to me as your Governor. When I am out of office, you can celebrate me. By then I will have something to show, something to celebrate me for. It is not now that I am still managing your resources that I will spend your money to celebrate my birthday. ”
His full speech during the Christmas homage reads in full;
I do not find myself worthy to receive all of you, coming to my home for Christmas homage. But having been sanctioned by God Almighty and you to be your Governor, I am constrained. I see myself as your servant and that is what I am to you, Ebonyi people.
It is shocking to me, seeing many of my commissioners bringing expensive gifts to me for Christmas. I know the level of resources some of them are exposed to and I ask whether what they have will be enough for their families let alone myself? I thank them very sincerely. But let us bear in mind that it is not my own birth that is being celebrated. It is the birth of Jesus Christ.
As Governor, I have put a ban on celebrating my birthday, because I am yet to satisfy the mandate you gave to me as your Governor. When I am out of office, you can celebrate me. By then I will have something to show, something to celebrate me for. It is not now that I am still managing your resources that I will spend your money to celebrate my birthday.
I have actually looked at all these praises from various quarters, about the N100,000 bonus for civil servants, gratuities we paid and all of that, and I say this is nothing compared to what a Governor can squander. If you look at it comprehensively, it is nothing compared to what Governors spend. An ordinary trip of a Governor in a month is bigger than that. So, I said, why can’t we sit down here and serve our people? It is not at all times that the Governor should travel. What is the essence of having a Deputy Governor? That is why you see my Deputy Governor traversing so many places, because hers is less costly and we came under a joint ticket.
If the Government is my company, will I manage it lavishly? The answer is NO. Even those working in my private company, nobody is taking a salary less than N50,000, even a gate man. I know some that earn N600,000 as salary. IF I AM PAYING MY PERSONAL STAFF WELL, WHAT IS WRONG IN LOOKING AFTER THOSE WHO GENERATE THIS WEALTH FOR THE STATE? (THE CIVIL SERVANTS).
HEALTH
We are taking our development according to sectors. By the first week of January, we will go into health sector fully. It will be a comprehensive overhaul. Comprehensive in the sense that everyone in the sector and the people of Ebonyi State will be satisfied. The staff will be happy, the management will be happy and our hospitals will work. And what are those exceptional things we want to do in the health sector?
By the Special Grace of God, Mr. President has agreed to demerge the Federal Teaching Hospital and we will have our own State teaching hospital. Mr. President also agreed to give us 100 consultants from the Federal Government. This was after I explained to him how to get the health sector working and how we intend to step it down in Ebonyi.
Before the end of June, we will have not less than 5 consultants and 3 medical Doctors in each of our general hospitals. Why do we say June? WE HAVE PAID AROUND N11.2Bn TO EQUIP ALL OUR GENERAL HOSPITALS AND IN DOING THAT, WE WILL HAVE FOUR SPECIALIST HOSPITALS, ONE PER ZONE. SPECIALIST IN THE SENSE THAT EVERY ZONE WILL HAVE 2 MRI MACHINES, 2 COMPUTER TEMOGRAPHY (CT) SCAN MACHINES AND OTHER INTENSIVE MACHINES. These machines will be functional 24 hours. WE HAVE AT LEAST PAID FOR 11 NUMBER OF 1000KVA GENERATORS FOR THESE SPECIALIST HOSPITALS.
The idea is that if you visit the general hospital in your zone, and your case is one for referral to the specialist hospital at your zone, then you will go there. OUR INTENTION IS THAT WHAT YOU CANNOT GET IN THESE SPECIALIST HOSPITALS, YOU CANNOT GET IT ANYWHERE IN THIS COUNTRY. We recalled our ambulances because they are dilapidated. We have embarked on purchasing brand new ambulances for our hospitals. AS I SPEAK TO YOU, OUT OF THE 52 AMBULANCES WE PAID FOR, 20 ARE ALREADY WITH US.
We employed 36 doctors when we came into office. We wanted to make them 39 but we did not have the manpower, and 3 out of the 36 we employed were already working. So, we have 33, in addition to those who were at the general hospitals before now, making them a little over 40. WE HAVE RESOLVED THAT EVERY MEDICAL DOCTOR WORKING IN ANY OF OUR GENERAL HOSPITALS, MUST GET A BRAND NEW SUV FROM US. BY THE SPECIAL GRACE OF GOD, THE BRAND NEW SUVs, ALL ARE ALREADY PARKED IN THE GOVERNOR’S LODGE, PAID FOR AND DELIVERED TO US. This is to ensure the doctors do not convert the ambulances into their private cars.
So, we are getting ready to do something exceptional in the health sector.
EDUCATION
Recently, we approved that all schools formerly owned by the mission should be returned to them. Going forward, WE ARE STARTING OUR MODEL SCHOOLS, 2 PRIMARY SCHOOLS AND 2 SECONDARY SCHOOLS PER LOCAL GOVERNMENT. We want to build them and employ our teachers.
WE NOW HAVE A PROGRAM. EVERY YEAR, 500 GRADUATES WILL BE SPONSORED BY GOVERNMENT TO GET THEIR MASTERS DEGREE. 100 OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY AND 400 WITHIN NIGERIA. When our verification committee came back, they reported that we have many unqualified teachers in our primary schools. Many of them cannot even write simple essays. So, we are challenged. We will work with them. Take them up and train them because we learn everyday.
I HAVE GIVEN APPROVAL FOR UBEB TO START THIS TRAINING. I don’t know whether it has started or they are still in the bidding process. I am not interested in who gets the bidding. What I am interested in, is that the teachers are trained qualitatively. If we start training them, we need to expose them. Some have first class but not exposed and cannot speak in public. So, we will expose them to be confident.
I want you to be confident in us and work together with us, because we MUST get it right. Not just me because I do not have the strength to do it alone. I thank my commissioners because they work day and night, tirelessly to get it right. I thank them specially because it was God that selected them for me. Left for me alone, I would not have got it so well.
Sincerely I am delighted and indebted to all of you.
His Excellency
Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru
Governor, Ebonyi State.
