By Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki
Governor David Umahi has received the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, following his arrival at the Ebonyi State International Airport, Onueke.
Osinbajo arrived on Friday in the state at 11:55 am aboard a helicopter with registration number 5N-FGI at the Ebonyi International Airport at Onueke in Ezza North local government area of the state.
He was received by Governor Umahi and other high-level government officials and the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains in the state.
The Vice President is expected to address the closing session of the 21st Joint Planning Board (JPB) and National Council on Development Planning (NCDP) holding in Abakaliki, Ebonyi capital.
The meeting was organised by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning in collaboration with the Ebonyi government with the theme, ‘Good Governance and Institutional Capacity: Pathways to Sustainable National Development.
Recall that Governor Umahi had on last Sunday during a church Thanksgiving at the new Government House Chapel, Centenary City, Abakaliki, said that Ebonyi State would play host to the financial year program of Nigeria from the 5th to the 8th of April 2022,
He said that the Vice President of the country, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, 36 Commissioners of Finance from different states of the country, with their permanent secretaries, Chairman Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Chaplain Aso Rock, among others, would be in the state for the program.
He further revealed that the Vice President would inaugurate not less than seven projects already completed by his administration.
His words: "We are doing everything to complete all the ongoing projects before we leave office.
"I’m confident that the airport will be completed before the end of May to the extent that it will become functional and the next level of work is to perfect the airport to make it the best in the country.
“This week is going to be very busy, the financial year of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is holding in Ebonyi state this week from 5th to 8th. It is a very big program.
“The 36 states' financial commissioners will be here. 36 permanent Secretaries of Finance will be here, the Minister of Finance will be here, the Vice President, CAN chairman of Nigeria and the Chaplain of Aso Rock. So, we lined up 7 projects for the Vice President to commission.
“On the issue of employment, the Labour Congress will have to decide because I won’t make a promise that I will never fulfil. Allocations are going down on monthly basis, they will have to decide; in the spirit of love, do we employ more people or take money to improve your welfare?
“We have started the journey of transition. I will be begging the zoning Committee to please do everything to take one local government every day and not jump because very soon our party will come up with their timetable. So, let’s finish very quickly. I will be calling on certain groups to prepare their minds. This seat is only one person that will sit on it and God has anointed the person.
“And what I tell people that came to consult me was that in the past from 2015 I have done anointing by myself and I have seen the anointing didn’t work, it produced betrayal. So I want God and the people to do the anointing this time. And whomever God through the people brings forward I will throw all my weight behind the person.
“I am not unmindful of people challenging the governor but they must know that this Governor has never been defeated and so I have gone ahead of them. This crisis that came was because of the challenges that I will have where God has anointed me.
“So we need prayers for God’s anointing the Councilors, Chairmen of the local government, House of Assembly members, the senators, Reps and the Governor and of course our collective prayers in the President of this country."
