GOVERNOR Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has inaugurated 458 community liaison officers to serve as link between government and communities.

Ugwuanyi said that the appointment was in fulfilment of his promise to promote participatory democracy at all levels of governance in the state.

He said that the officers were drawn each from the 458 autonomous communities in the state and would promote his administration’s policy of inclusiveness.

The governor said the move was to ensure that residents of the state were involved in making decisions that affected their lives.

He said that the measure would also serve as a boost to the aggressive rural development efforts of his administration.

Ugwuanyi said that part of their duties, among others; include “supplying timely and accurate information relating to government policies and collation of data from communities to relevant government agencies.

“We remain committed to the full realisation of our mission of giving a new lease of life to our people,” he said.

The governor said that the salaries of the liaison officers were tax-free and devoid of any form of deduction.

Ugwuanyi advised the officers to discharge their roles effectively as well as be submissive to their traditional rulers.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters, Mr Emeka Okeke, described the event as historic.Okeke said that the state government had by the act created 458 jobs.

“This is the first time we are witnessing this type of gesture in the state which is a community-driven approach in solving needs of the state,” Okeke said.

Also, the Chairman of Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Lawrence Agubuzo, said that the event marked the beginning of a special covenant between the governor and the traditional institution in the state.

Agubuzo said that the governor had by that move shown that the monarchs were integral parts of his administration.

“We have always been told that traditional rulers are part of governance and we are now seeing it in concrete terms.
“From now onward, we will all queue behind you. There is no fear. No other way,” Agubuzo said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the traditional rulers were given the privilege of nominating liaison officers from their respective communities. (NAN)

– Mar. 14, 2018 @ 17:20 GMT |