By Nkechinyere Ewa
The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Uzoh Toochukwu Machiavelli, has challenged opposition critics alleging that the state has been placed on “auto reverse gear” under Governor Francis Nwifuru to produce empirical evidence to support their claims.
Uzoh also vowed to mobilise massive support for the re-election of Governor Nwifuru and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections, saying the achievements of both administrations would speak for them at the polls.
The commissioner spoke in a statement on Tuesday while reacting to comments attributed to opposition figures, including Awuzie Frankline and Pascal Chibuike Okechukwu, who criticised the Nwifuru administration and alleged that Ebonyi was regressing under the governor.
Uzoh said political criticism was legitimate in a democracy but insisted that such criticism must be anchored on verifiable facts, policies and measurable outcomes rather than personal attacks and unsubstantiated assertions.
He argued that developments across education, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture, digital technology, workers’ welfare, youth empowerment and industrialisation contradicted the claim that the state was moving backwards.
According to him, the Nwifuru administration has continued to implement its “People’s Charter of Needs” through programmes targeted at improving the welfare and living conditions of workers, pensioners, youths, women and vulnerable residents.
He cited the payment of pension and gratuity arrears dating back to 1996, overseas scholarships for more than 1,000 Ebonyians pursuing Master’s and PhD programmes, construction of Smart Model Schools across communities and the establishment of the ICT University as evidence of the government’s investment in human capital development.
The commissioner also listed the upgrading and equipping of healthcare facilities, recruitment of health workers, improved remuneration and welfare packages for resident doctors, as well as the enrolment of civil servants and about 200,000 residents in the state health insurance scheme.
On infrastructure, Uzoh said the administration had embarked on road construction across the state, including at least two-kilometre roads in autonomous communities, while more than 800 kilometres of rural and community roads had either been initiated or completed.
He listed some of the major projects as the 23-kilometre Stadium-Nwofe Road, 19-kilometre Obvudechi-Iziogo Road with a two-span bridge, Ebonyi Ring Road, New Mile 50 Road, Court Area-Okposi-Isinkwo-Ojigwe Road, Okebigwe-Nworie Road, Akanu Ibiam Road and Ndibe-Nkpoghoro Road, among other inter-community and feeder roads.
Uzoh said the government had also invested in housing and resettlement programmes, including houses for widows and vulnerable residents, 140 housing units for civil servants and more than 400 housing units for people displaced by communal conflicts.
He said the state’s digital transformation drive had resulted in the deployment of fibre-optic infrastructure across the capital and other areas, provision of free internet services for students and public offices, and the training and certification of more than 2,000 Ebonyians in advanced ICT skills.
On industrialisation, the commissioner said the government had intensified efforts to revitalise the pipe production, hatchery and fertiliser factories, while the Ebonyi State Industrial City at Izhiangbo, Ohaukwu Local Government Area, was designed to serve as a hub for manufacturing, technology, logistics and export activities.
He said agriculture and youth empowerment had also received attention, disclosing that 200 young Ebonyians trained at CSS Farms in Gora, Nasarawa State, received N5 million each as start-up capital, representing a N1 billion intervention.
He added that 300 other youths trained in rice production, fishery, poultry, piggery and other agro-based enterprises received N3 million each, while 500 Ebonyians were given N2 million business grants and another 1,500 youths received N1 million each to support their businesses and livelihoods.
Uzoh said the interventions demonstrated a deliberate effort by the government to combine skills, capital and opportunities to create sustainable livelihoods rather than merely announce empowerment programmes.
He also attributed the state’s development strides partly to the peace and security sustained under the present administration, stressing that investors, businesses and farmers could not operate effectively in an atmosphere of insecurity.
The commissioner therefore challenged those alleging that Ebonyi was on “auto reverse gear” to identify the sector they believed had collapsed, the major projects they claimed had been abandoned, the policies they considered failures and the measurable development indicators that had regressed.
“Criticism is healthy in a democracy, but it should be constructive. You can disagree with Governor Nwifuru’s policies, question his priorities and challenge his figures, but serious criticism must be supported by evidence,” he said.
Uzoh maintained that the scale of interventions in infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture, ICT, industrialisation and human capital development did not support the claim that Ebonyi was moving backwards.
He urged political actors and commentators ahead of the 2027 elections to shift the conversation from personal attacks to issues, policies and verifiable records, insisting that “facts do not become false because they are inconvenient.”
He said the Nwifuru administration would remain focused on its development agenda, urging Ebonyians to judge the government by its programmes, projects and their impact on the lives of citizens.