THE Task Team Leader of World Bank/Community and Social Development Project (WB/CSDP), Professor Folusho Okunmadewa has lauded Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state for keying into the World Bank assisted projects, urging him not to relent in his oars.
Professor Okunmadewa who paid a courtesy visit to Governor Ugwuanyi at Government House, Enugu, yesterday, described him as a God-fearing leader who had shown deep interest in the improvement of lives of the people particularly the rural dwellers in the state.
According to him, Ugwuanyi‘s achievements in office, in the face of daunting economic challenges in the country, have been outstanding and need to be well celebrated.
The leader of the delegation who told the governor that their visit was principal to intimate on the progress so far made by the CSDP in the state, explained that the focal point World Bank assisted project was anchored on the principles of Community-Driven Development (CDD), where community members take control of their developmental needs.
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Professor Okunmadewa who was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary for Rural Development Barrister Chuka Ezike, representative of the Enugu State Commissioner for Rural Development, Hon. Emeka Mamah, General Manager of ENCSDA, Dr Maximum Asogwa, recalled that the state keyed into the CSDP programme with the enactment of the Enugu State House of Assembly Law No. 3 of 2009, stressing that there is a youth empowerment programme which he hoped the state would key into with a view to reducing unemployment in the state.
He told the governor that they had earlier visited Anambra and Abia states before reaching Enugu, adding that they were on supervision of their offices in the Southeast region.
“We are here to see you, talk to you face to face, review the activities of CSDP in the state and appreciate you for all the good things we heard you have been doing especially in the area of human and infrastructural development. Your Excellency, your achievements in office have caught the attention of all strata in the society and we are happy about the development,” he added.
Earlier, Governor Ugwuanyi thanked the visitors for coming to Enugu to see things for themselves, reiterating that the state had 4-point agenda of which rural development is one of the focal points of his administration.
Ugwuanyi who spoke in the presence of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Professor Simon Ortuanya, Chief of Staff, Dr Festus Uzor, promised to continue to partner with the World Bank to change positively the lives of the rural communities in the country, adding that the state would also continue to meet its financial obligations in terms of counterpart funds.
He urged the visiting team to liaise with his principal officers with a view to solving some of the challenges facing the World Bank assisted projects in the state.
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