From Boniface Nwankwo.
Since assuming office on May 29, 2023, Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has anchored his administration on the People’s Charter of Needs, a governance framework designed to ensure that government priorities reflect citizens’ most pressing concerns: social welfare, infrastructure, education, healthcare, and transparency.
Guided by this philosophy, the administration’s budgeting, service delivery, and project selection have been driven by community needs rather than politics or patronage.
Within its first year, the government signed several executive bills into law, introducing reforms that affect the justice system, prison administration, and the structure of the public service.
To strengthen justice delivery, the administration also recruited about 150 additional judiciary staff to address longstanding manpower gaps.
New institutions have been created while existing ones were reinforced, including a Multi-Door Courthouse, a Citizens’ Mediation Centre, an Office of the Public Defender, and a Sexual Assault Referral Centre, each aimed at expanding access to justice and protecting citizens’ rights.
Infrastructure development has been another major priority. The state has invested heavily in roads, with more than 1,000 km of urban and rural routes constructed or rehabilitated to improve connectivity.
A flagship project, the VANCO Tunnel and Flyover in the state capital, is touted as a new icon of modern urban infrastructure, designed to ease traffic and enhance the city’s profile.
The administration has also delivered 140 housing units for displaced communities in Izzo and Amaezze, Ishielu LGA, and is nearing completion of another 143 duplexes for public and civil servants.
Additionally, 26 bungalows have been built for widows across the 13 LGAs through the Office of the First Lady, Chief Mrs. Maudline Nwifuru.
Education remains central to the administration’s development agenda. Two new universities—an ICT University at Opherekpe Agbaja and an Aerospace Engineering University in Ezza are underway.
Meanwhile, 1,000 Ebonyians are currently on local and international scholarships up to the PhD level in leading global institutions.
Existing tertiary institutions including Ebonyi State University, the State College of Education, the School of Nursing and Midwifery Uburu, and the School of Health Technology Ngbo have received increased funding, new hostels and faculty buildings, improved staff remuneration, and revised fee policies to expand access.
Across public secondary schools, 43 blocks of 22 classrooms are under construction, with another set of 12-classroom blocks being developed in various communities.
The health sector has benefited from renewed investment through the hiring of more medical professionals, enhanced allowances for doctors, the provision of ambulances and consumables, and the rehabilitation of general hospitals.
In the civil service, the government cleared pension and gratuity arrears dating back to 1996—an unprecedented move that restored confidence among retirees. The newly gazetted national minimum wage has also been fully implemented.
Human capacity development and social empowerment initiatives including vocational training, support for vulnerable groups such as widows and displaced persons, and mass transit schemes continue to receive significant attention.
Rather than prioritizing patronage, the Nwifuru administration has focused on service delivery, institutional strengthening, and the protection of citizens’ welfare. Its development model is multi-sectoral, tying together roads, education, health, and social services.
By sanctioning non-performing officials, revitalizing media institutions, expanding judicial capacity, and investing in human development, the administration has signaled its commitment to genuine, people-centred governance.
Dr. Boniface Nwankwo is the
Special Assistant to the Governor of Ebonyi State on Documentation
