Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has restated his administration’s commitment to tackling illiteracy during the next phase of his administration.
Nwifuru made this assertion in Abakaliki on Wednesday in an address he presented during the 65th Independence Day of Nigeria and the 29th anniversary of the creation of Ebonyi State.
He said that from the very beginning of his administration, he promised that education would be the compass by which to steer the State.
“We are fighting illiteracy and ignorance by de-merging the education ministry, we created a new ministry charged solely with tertiary education administration and the education ministry for primary and secondary schools”
“We believed then, and we believe now, that investing in the minds of our children is the surest path to lasting development.”
The Governor paid glowing tribute to the founding fathers who sacrificed their comfort to champion the cause of the creation of Ebonyi State.
“Today, I stand before you to report honestly and proudly on what we have achieved together. We have expanded opportunities for higher learning through a bold scholarship programme that has sent hundreds of Ebonyi sons and daughters to pursue advanced degrees both at home and abroad”
He said that he embarked on a statewide project inspection tour to know the progress of work in the 22 classroom block for the 39 model secondary schools and 12 classroom blocks for primary schools.
“We have laid the groundwork for specialised academic institutions focused on cutting-edge sectors. This is why we established the University of ICT at Oferekpe Agbaja to promote ICT and digital literacy, and also the University of Aviation and Aeronautical Engineering”
Speaking against the backdrop of infrastructural development, Nwifuru said that within the 29 years of statehood and the past two years, his administration has embarked on an aggressive programme of road rehabilitation and construction of 2 2-kilometre roads in all the 13 local government areas.
“The VANCO Flyover, which is one of our infrastructural flagship projects, was inspected last week. We completed and flagged off several strategic urban roads within Abakaliki metropolis, easing traffic flow and improving city aesthetics.”
On the issue of Human Capital development, the government launched the Hawkers’ Fund Initiative, empowering over 700 street traders to transition into shop owners and small business operators.
