Senator Kenneth Eze represents Ebonyi Central Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview with CHUKWU DAVID, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation speaks on governance in Ebonyi State and the 2027 governorship election in the state
Recently, you said there is no vacancy in Ebonyi State government house come 2027. Why do you hold this view?
I’ll start by saying that Governor Francis Nwifuru is the prayer of Ebonyi people that God answered, and he is a man that is ordained for leadership. I will start by saying he came with a manifesto that is called People’s Charter of Need, and that manifesto captured the real need of Ebonyians.
He’s an Abakaliki man, a true Abakaliki man, and he knows the need of his people. He came bearing his people at heart, and I will tell you that the governor is a young man, who is so organised, very articulate, very intelligent, and he knows the need of each and every person.
He is a man of few words, but huge actions. If you come across him, you may mistake him to be blunt, or maybe, he didn’t want to talk to you or probably an introvert, but he’s already thinking about what he would do for you. He’s always being disturbed if he’s not meeting up with the people’s need.
You see somebody, who is in a haste to achieve much for Ebonyians, and that will reflect in the array of signature projects scattered around the length and breadth of Ebonyi State. I think by the time those projects are completed; his name is going to be written in history as one of the best governors that ever passed through this state.
I want to commend him for much he has achieved within this period he’s been in the office. He started with human empowerment, paying the backlog of all arrears of salaries and pensions. He did it both at state and local government levels. He started with youth empowerment, taking our youths out of the streets. Those who are hawking on the streets of Lagos and Abuja, he brought them home and empowered them with N2 billion.
He also trained these individuals in skills, so that they can have marketable skills. These youths were also given tools to start their businesses. That’s why Ebonyi is being noted as the most peaceful state in the country. You will agree with me that we don’t hear about kidnapping, we don’t hear about armed robbery and other vices that are ravaging other states because there is no youth that is available to be used.
Besides youth empowerment, what has the governor done in the area of infrastructure development?
When you come to infrastructure, he has so many signature projects. He started by going to the hinterland. Every ward and every community in Ebonyi State has two kilometre concrete rigid pavement roads, ongoing or completed. He wants to give our people name. He wants to take us to another level.
So much has been heard about the scholarship programme in the state; what actually has Governor Nwifuru done in this area?
He started this scholarship scheme, sending our graduates and undergraduates abroad. Most of them are in United Kingdom. He knows the importance of quality education, and I can tell you that about 400 Ebonyians are different universities in the United Kingdom. He believes that these people will acquire knowledge and come back to the state so that they can train others. He has touched all sectors of governance.
People who are naturally known to be opposition are coming to support the government because of the leadership style of the governor
Our health system is one of the best in the country because he knew the importance of good health, so he invested in the health sector by empowering doctors. I believe that our state pays the highest to doctors to avert the brain-drain syndrome. You know that most of our doctors are moving to other countries for greener pasture, but that is not the case in Ebonyi because of the effort of the governor.
When you talk about agriculture, he provides support that our farmers need. Like I said earlier, he’s ordained to lead. So, that is the man I know as the governor of Ebonyi State today. He’s a gift to Ebonyi, and I believe the shoe he’s going to leave after his eight years will be very difficult for another person to step into it except that person has the anointing of God like him.
You are talking about when he completes eight years in office, when he’s just less than three years in office. What makes you believe that he will be elected for a second term?
Like I told you, he’s a unique being. He came with a magic wand given the way he was able to bring Ebonyians together under one umbrella. It’s only in Ebonyi State that we do not have any opposition.
He brought all the stakeholders together, and the amazing thing is his ability to manage each and everyone. Everybody is at peace with his leadership style. So, he has already done the mobilization for himself because people are already clamouring for his second term. And I want it to be on record that nobody will even have the audacity to come out to contest with the present governor.
What will the person tell the people that he’s coming to do that the present governor is not doing already? Of course, he has collapsed the opposition. People who are naturally known to be opposition are coming to support the government because of the leadership style of the governor. They will tell you that they are supporting the government of Governor Nwifuru because of his leadership style.
What is your take on communal clashes across different communities in the state, and how would you describe the governor’s handling of these conflicts?
I would say that this is one area he deserves a medal. Because of the love he has for the state, he’s so pragmatic in his style of settlement of crises. I will give you one example, the Effium crisis that defied all efforts by previous administration to settle. He constituted a committee led by Bishop Emeritus Okoro, and they came out with a blueprint and that blueprint was implemented. Today, there is peace and stability in Effium community but that does not mean that there won’t be pockets of small issues.
That is natural. Even in families, there is bound to be problems from time to time but what is important is the ability to settle that issues as the come. If you go to Isinkwo and Abaomege, the crises that have been there for ages, have been settled and peace has returned there. On the most recent ones if not for the approach he used in handling that case, by today the two communities of Amasiri and Edda would have been boiling. Many lives would have been lost; property would have been destroyed if not that he nipped it in the bud.
You can see the urgency and the effort he put to stop that crisis and nip it in the bud. He is a man, who does not want blood to be shed blood in the state. He detests that, and that’s why he took such action to make sure that he nipped that crisis in the bud. And I’ll tell you, there won’t be any more killing. If he didn’t take that action, there would have been a reprisal attack, and that would have snowballed into a full-blown war between the two communities.
That’s why I told you that he’s gifted to become the leader who he is today. And it’s not just in Ebonyi; his leadership spans across the whole country. I’m proud to have him as my governor because whenever I introduce myself as an Ebonyi, they will say we know your governor, he is a good man. And they must tell you one unique thing he has done in their presence. Even when they go for meetings at the federal level, his voice is always noted because he speaks with wisdom. So, Governor Nwifuru is a man we are proud of.
