A foremost traditional ruler in Enugu State, Igwe Uche Anikwe, has urged Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to focus on entrepreneurship and empowerment, especially in the rural areas, in his second term in office.

Anikwe, who is the traditional ruler of Diogbe Community in Igbo Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Enugu.

He said that the victory of Ugwuanyi in the March 9 Governorship Election was well deserved, going by his performance and antecedent in the past three years.

“I will not fail to congratulate Gov. Ugwuanyi for his well-deserved victory, since he has performed creditably well in the past three and half years he took over the administration of Enugu State.

“Ugwuanyi has shown commitment in building peace and security; he has shown commitment in infrastructure development of the state, especially in the rural areas, as well as human capital development.

“These are indices of good governance in action, which is impacting positively on the residents’ life and wellbeing.

“However, the reward for hard work is more work; so I will want him to focus more on rural entrepreneurship and empowerment in his second term in office.

“There is great need to engage and empower rural youths, and by so doing, make the rural areas viable and livable by youths, who are the sole agents of modern development driven by technology and innovation.

“I sincerely believe in agriculture-focused job creation; more jobs will be created for the rural dwellers, especially youths, through agriculture,’’ he said.

The monarch also lauded the governor for providing tangible development projects in each of the 475 communities in the state during his first term.

He said that the state government’s N10 million for each community development project had brought government presence closer and evident in each community in the state.

“For me, this is the way to go in sustaining the development at the rural or community levels.

“The governor should do more direct development projects in the 475 communities,’’ he said. (NAN)

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