The Enugu State House of Assembly has screened and cleared the 15 Commissioner nominees by Governor Peter Mbah.
On July 28th, 2023, the Governor had transmitted the list (which is the first batch) to the Lawmakers for screening and clearance as members of the state executive Council.
During their plenary on Thursday, the Lawmakers under the Chairmanship of the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Uche Ugwu, subjected the Nominees to thorough screening devoid of the cultural “bow and go.”
However, three former Commissioners; Deacon Okey Ogbodo, Prof. Emmanuel Obi and Dr. Kingsley Udeh didn’t go through the fire of baptism by the lawmakers
Prominent among those that were screened are Lyon Ekweremadu and Adaora Chukwu, son of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and daughter of former Governor Sullivan Chime respectively.
Fielding questions from the lawmakers, Engr. Lawrence Eze said if named Commissioner for works, he would make sure that contractors build quality roads that can stand the test of time.
According to Eze, most roads wear off shortly after commissioning because they do not have a solid foundation.
On his part, Ekweremadu, a lawyer, said he would embark on programmes to decongest correctional facilities in the state, which he said were heavily congested.
According to him, most of the inmates were in the faculties on trumped-up charges while many others on awaiting trial had overstayed the number of years they were supposed to serve if found guilty.
Fielding questions from the Lawmakers, a Commissioner nominee, Emmanuel Obi, stressed the need to ensure that the Primary Health Centres are strengthened in order to cater for the health needs of the rural dwellers.
Obi, who was the immediate past Commissioner for Health, said the health centres should be made to operate for 24 hours, saying it has become imperative to implement a planning strategy to ensure improved health system in Enugu State.
Another nominee, Ngozi Enih, pledged to assist the state government implement its policies and programmes, especially ones that relates to youth and women empowerment.
Enih expressed worry at the number of unemployed and unskilled in the state, particularly those who have taken to criminality, stressing that she will initiate profitable ways to address the ugly trend.
Nathaniel Urama in his own submission advocated the need to de-risk the economic sector by using federal allocation accounts funds as sinking funds.
Also, Engr. Gerrald Otiji said he will bring his several years of experience to bare in transforming the infrastructure of the state should the Governor find him worthy to serve in that capacity.
He further stated that the opportunities that abound in renewable energy will be explored as he has the technical expertise to harness these opportunities and help the state save a lot of money spent on energy.