From Mba Nnenna- Abakaliki
Ebonyi State government under Rt. Hon. Francis Nwifuru’s administration has reacted to the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) criticism in the state over the inauguration of Chuba Okadigbo Airport runway last week by wife of President Bola Tinubu, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu after it’s upgrade.
PDP, through a statement signed by Moses Idika, head of media of the 2023 governorship candidate of the party, Chief Chukwuma Odii, accused the government of wasting about N20bn of Ebonyi resources on rehabilitation of its Airport runway.
However, state government in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Engr. Jude Okpor, stated that the opposition party wanted the state government not to upgrade the Airport runway when the Airport costs the past administration in the state multi-billion naira to construct.
“The State Government wishes to place on record once again that as a state that is blessed with enormous natural resources, the idea of beating whatever structural impediments that hindered the commencement of flight operations in the said Airport prior to the inauguration of the present administration is a far better and progressive option than abandoning same.
“His Excellency had in several fora assured Ebonyi people that his administration will not only perfect the project from the stage he met it but finally put it to use in other to open up the state to the outside/global community towards welcoming already waiting business opportunities and other numerous global investments, hence the need for the administration of His Excellency to sustain the project to fruition.
“The Commissioning of the runway by Her Excellency, the wife of the President, Her Excellency Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, CFR, which is queried by the author is therefore, not only befitting, but a right step in the right direction. We are aware that the writer is one of the enemies of the state who had expected the enormous investment of the state on the Airport to lay waste, but we will continue to disappoint them. In no distant time, when the State Government unveils their plan in the aviation sector, their nightmare will surely nosedive”, Okpor said.
The Commissioner described the data of the PDP on the debt profile of the state as unverifiable and urged the public to disregard it.
He argued that Governor Francis Nwifuru has refused to borrow any loan facility since he came on board and has been criticized for refusing to bow to all forms of enticing loan offers.
“Without giving credence to the author’s “unverified” data and source, particularly as it relates to the debt profile of the state, it is pertinent to state that the present Administration since inauguration, had kept aloof of all forms of borrowing, and is rather criticized for refusing to bow to all forms of enticing loan offers.
“It therefore smacks of bitter incoherence on the side of the author for attributing the state’s current debt status to the Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru’s Administration.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the business of governance is fundamentally anchored on effective and transparent budget implementation. As we had severally made Ebonyi people to know, the unbroken and encouraging statistical reports in favour of Ebonyi State which was released by BudgiT, a globally recognised budget tracking organisation, in 2023, few months after the inauguration of His Excellency”, Okpor added.
