Governor Peter Obi has presented a cheque for five billion naira for implementation of Millennium Development Goals projects. He presented the cheque yesterday at the flag-off of the 2012 and 2013 millennium Development Goals Conditional Grants Scheme to State and Local Governments at the Women Development Centre, Awka. The programme is a collaboration between the state and federal governments.

Fourteen local government areas selected from the three senatorial zones are benefiting in this phase of the scheme, with each receiving at least N200 million and over 3,000 projects are to be executed. Schools of Nursing, Midwifery and Laboratory Technology as well as Hospital will also receive various forms of interventions.

Governor Obi in his speech said 15 32-seater buses would be distributed to the schools of Nursing, Midwifery and Laboratory within the next two weeks while hospitals would be equipped.

He directed all the local government councils to discuss with stakeholders in the various communities to choose their areas of need for the interventions.

The governor expressed gratitude to President Goodluck Jonathan for increasing federal government presence in the state and South-East, as well as encouraging indigenous entrepreneurs, including Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company, Nnewi.

In her address, the Senior Special Assistant to the president on MDGs, Dr. Precious Gbeneol, said the MDGs Office decided to scale up intervention from six to 14 LGAs because of the outstanding performance in the previous round as well as the timely provision of counterpart funds by the governor.

Dr. Gbeneol commended Obi for adopting the MDGs framework as the developmental policy thrust of his administration, noting that his commitment stood the state out as one of the States with the best rate of project implementation nationwide. She noted that projects would impact positive on many families on completion.

The Chairman MDGs implementation Committee and Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Prof. Chinyere Okunna said the State was ahead of others in the implementation of MDGs.

•Photo shows Gov. Peter Obi (2nd left), with the Senior Special Asst. to the President on MDGs, Dr. Precious Gbeneol (3rd left), Vivian Nwandu (1st left), Vivian Okadigbo (1st right), Berverly Nkemdiche Ikpeazu (2nd right), presenting a cheque of N5B to Prof. Chinyere Okunna for MDGs development Projects in Anambra State.