Diaspora, Mr. Valentine Okike Uzor has said that the payment of gratuity to retirees by the governor, Francis Nwifuru, reduced the spate of deaths and poverty in the state.
Okike, a former deputy speaker of the State House of Assembly, EBSHA, made this known while speaking with newsmen at his office, located at the old government house Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi State.
"A lot of things have been done for Ebonyi people. The governor, Francis Nwifuru understood the areas of the needs of the people and that is what formed his campaign mantra "People's Charter of Needs" That means that he is not going to do anything outside what the charter provides.
"Most importantly, his ability to withstand the payment of pensions and gratuities to retirees from 1996 to 2021, such that he has paid over 3 billion naira. Left for other governors, they would have used the money for other infrastructures.
"I know that Nigeria has a constitution that protects human rights, but you know that those in governance take people's lives subconsciously when you do not provide basic amenities that make life beautiful. The people's lives have been taken away from them as a result of that.
"And people who have worked all these years without being paid their pensions and gratuity have died out of poverty, these are their entitlements, but the government has come and gone and these people were not paid, so if he could do this, it is the best service to humanity.
The commissioner, Okike noted further that the governor Francis Nwifuru, has through his office embarked on harnessing the talents of Ebonyians that are in the diaspora, such that they can support the good policies and programs of the government for the development of Ebonyi state.
"There are two basic things, to connect with the people in the diaspora, to intimate them in the activities of the government and another is to see how we can harness their potential towards the development of the state. Harnessing their potential may not mean raw cash but can transfer the expertise they have garnered over the years, which can be in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world".
"I know that in other governments they handsome areas of disagreement but this is the first time that those in the diaspora have come together to give a memo to support what the government is doing because, for them, governor Nwifuru is open and means for Ebonyi people" he stated.
