2027: Ebonyi not in ‘Auto Reverse Gear’ — Commissioner
— Tackles Nwifuru’s critics, challenges them to produce evidence
By Jeff Agbodo, Abakaliki
ABAKALIKI — Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information and Communication Technology, ICT, Toochukwu Machiavelli Uzoh, has dismissed claims by critics of Governor Francis Nwifuru that the state is on “auto reverse gear” under the present administration.
Uzoh challenged the critics to produce empirical evidence to substantiate their claims, insisting that developments in key sectors showed that the state was making progress.
The commissioner, in a statement, said political criticism was legitimate in a democracy but should be based on verifiable facts, policies and measurable outcomes rather than personal attacks and unsubstantiated assertions.
He also vowed to mobilise support for the re-election of Nwifuru and President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
Uzoh said the criticism of the Nwifuru administration was contradicted by developments in education, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture, digital technology, workers’ welfare, youth empowerment and industrialisation.
According to him, the administration has pursued its “People’s Charter of Needs” through programmes aimed at improving the welfare and living conditions of workers, pensioners, youths, women and vulnerable residents.
He cited the payment of pension and gratuity arrears dating back to 1996, overseas scholarships for more than 1,000 Ebonyians pursuing master’s and PhD programmes, construction of Smart Model Schools and establishment of the ICT University as evidence of investment in human capital.
On healthcare, Uzoh listed the upgrading and equipping of medical facilities, recruitment of health workers, improved remuneration and welfare packages for resident doctors, as well as the enrolment of civil servants and about 200,000 residents in the state health insurance scheme.
He said the government had also embarked on road construction across the state, including at least two-kilometre roads in autonomous communities, while more than 800 kilometres of rural and community roads had either been initiated or completed.
Among the projects he listed were the 23-kilometre Stadium-Nwofe Road, 19-kilometre Obvudechi-Iziogo Road with a two-span bridge, Ebonyi Ring Road, New Mile 50 Road, Court Area-Okposi-Isinkwo-Ojigwe Road, Okebigwe-Nworie Road, Akanu Ibiam Road and Ndibe-Nkpoghoro Road.
Uzoh also said the administration had invested in housing and resettlement programmes, including houses for widows and indigent residents, 140 housing units and more than 400 housing units for people displaced by communal conflicts.
On digital development, the commissioner said the state had deployed fibre-optic infrastructure across the capital and other areas, provided free internet services for students and public offices, and trained and certified more than 2,000 Ebonyians in advanced ICT skills.
He added that the government had intensified its industrialisation programme through the revitalisation of pipe production, hatchery and fertiliser factories, while construction of the Ebonyi State Industrial City at Ezzangbo, Ohaukwu Local Government Area, was intended to provide a hub for manufacturing, technology, logistics and export activities.
On agriculture and youth empowerment, Uzoh said 200 young Ebonyians trained at CSS Farms in Gora, Nasarawa State, received N5 million each as start-up capital, representing a N1 billion intervention.
He added that 300 other youths trained in rice production, fishery, poultry, piggery and other agro-based enterprises received N3 million each, while 500 Ebonyians received N2 million business grants and another 1,500 youths were given N1 million each to support their businesses and livelihoods.
The commissioner said the programmes were designed to combine skills, capital and opportunities to create sustainable livelihoods.
Uzoh also attributed the state’s development partly to what he described as the peace and security sustained under the present administration, saying investors, businesses and farmers could not operate effectively in an atmosphere of insecurity.
He therefore challenged critics alleging that Ebonyi was on “auto reverse gear” to identify the sectors they believed had collapsed, projects they claimed had been abandoned, policies they considered failures and measurable development indicators they believed had regressed.
“Criticism is healthy in a democracy, but it should be constructive. You can disagree with Governor Nwifuru’s policies, question his priorities and challenge his figures, but serious criticism must be supported by evidence,” he said.
Uzoh maintained that the interventions in infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture, ICT, industrialisation and human capital development did not support claims that Ebonyi was moving backwards.
He urged political actors and commentators ahead of the 2027 elections to shift the conversation from personal attacks to issues, policies and verifiable records.
“Facts do not become false because they are inconvenient,” he said.
The commissioner said the Nwifuru administration would remain focused on its development agenda and urged Ebonyians to assess the government based on its programmes, projects and impact on citizens.
The post 2027: Ebonyi not in ‘Auto Reverse Gear’ — Commissioner appeared first on Vanguard News.