By CHARLES IWUOHA

An industrialist and Chief Executive Officer of Mc Rich Group of Companies, Chief Collins Okorie Udu, has said that all policies of Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi state are people oriented’ and should be supported by all.

Udu stated this while interacting with Journalists in Abakaliki on Friday.

He Lauded governor Nwifuru’s move to have major political stakeholders meeting in the state under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Leader of Edda Progressives Union in Cross River State, noted that the sole aim of governance is to serve the people so the governor’s move which has resulted into the massive defection of these stakeholders from the opposition parties to the APC, was people oriented’.

“If there is no people, there will be no Ebonyi state whether it is the APC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or any other party.

“The governor’s ingenuity is to have these political bigwigs under one platform in order to bring peace and stability in the state which will ultimately be to the people’s service and interest”.

He however allayed fears that these stakeholders might scatter under the present political platform due to personal or other ambitions, noting that the people would be the ultimate judges.

“Human beings are unpredictable but since the move ab nitio is to serve the people, they would still be the ones to judge whoever decides to make any negative move.

“Whoever would out of personal or other remote reasons, decide to truncate this good action of the governor would be seen and judged by the people”.

Udu also noted that the present election of Local Government Area Chairmen in Ebonyi, attests to the state’s age-long adherence to the rule of law and practice of true democracy.

“It is hoped that the 13 new chairmen would serve people at the grassroots as the governor is doing in the state, especially with the new Supreme Court judgement on financial autonomy for LGAs.

“The new chairmen are thus expected to utilise the funds that would be made available to them now, to ensure service to the people and enhancement of their wellbeing.

“Ebonyi has long been known to practice LGA autonomy, so the supreme court judgement is just to formalise it”.

He urged the people to continue supporting the governor on his marvellous works in the state, noting that he had combined the infrastructural feats of his predecessor with human capital development.

“The infrastructural edifices sprouting across Abakaliki and beyond continues to beat imaginations so also, are the human empowerment strides of the governor.

“The governor has offset backlogs of gratuities and pensions of retirees, employed civil servants especially health personnel, revamped the state’s scholarship scheme among others,”.

Udu urges the governor to critically look into the issue of astronomical rise of house rents in Abakaliki and other parts of the state, noting that it was adding to the hardship being faced by the people.

“The governor in the spirit of his peoples charter of needs mantra, should arrest the situation by checking the increment from wherever it is emanating.

“He should also embark of mass housing schemes especially for low-income earners, to ameliorate the pains of this high house increments.”