Ebonyi State government on Friday berated the People’s Democratic Party PDP Guber Candidate Ifeanyi Odii, over his comments that Ebonyi State is the poorest state in the country, describing his comment as false, laughable, and unbelievable.

The PDP Guber Candidate in his recent remarks on Channels Television, said that the state remained among the poorest in the country and that the present administration had failed in job creation and agriculture.

But the state government, in quick reaction, asked Odii for the parameters and economic indices he used before arriving at the conclusion that Ebonyi State remains one of the poorest states in the federation.

Faulting Odii’s claims, the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Barrister Ikeuwa Omebeh, said that the administration of Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru has recorded measurable interventions in employment, infrastructure, agriculture, education, healthcare and youth empowerment.

Omebeh, in a statement issued in Abakaliki, said that the Nwifuru administration had created 2,879 jobs in the education and healthcare sectors, while its wider empowerment programmes had also supported young entrepreneurs and other categories of residents.

He explained that 1,936 teachers were recruited into primary and secondary schools, comprising 1,000 teachers for senior secondary schools and 936 recruited through the Ebonyi State Universal Basic Education Board.

Omebeh added that another 943 health workers, including doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists, pharmacists and health attendants, had been integrated into the state’s healthcare workforce.

The commissioner further said the government had invested in skills acquisition and youth enterprise development through periodic vocational training programmes, including a three-month intensive training programme in agriculture and related enterprises.

He cited the Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru Empowerment Programme, under which 100 selected youths reportedly received N3 million each as start-up capital after undergoing training in poultry, piggery and fishery.

On infrastructure, Omebeh said the administration had undertaken an extensive road construction and rehabilitation programme across the 13 local government areas, with more than 600 kilometres of roads completed and several others ongoing.

The latest briefing by the state’s Works Commissioner put the completed road network at more than 627 kilometres, covering urban and rural areas, while additional bridge and road projects remain under construction.

Omebeh said the administration’s infrastructure drive was not limited to Abakaliki, stressing that rural connectivity had been prioritised to facilitate the movement of agricultural produce, stimulate commerce and improve access to schools, healthcare facilities and markets.

Among the flagship projects associated with the administration are the Vanco Flyover and Underground Tunnel, Nwofe-Agbaja Flyover, rural concrete roads, bridges and other urban renewal projects.

Recent project inspections have also highlighted the ongoing ICT University at Oferekpe-Agbaja, industrial clusters and other major infrastructure initiatives.

The commissioner also defended the administration’s policy of reviving abandoned projects inherited from previous governments rather than discarding them and commencing entirely new ones.

He said projects initiated by administrations dating back to former Governor Sam Egwu were receiving attention, describing continuity in public infrastructure as a responsibility to taxpayers.

The state government had earlier specifically announced plans to revive the long-abandoned International Trade Centre at Presco Junction after an integrity assessment found the structure suitable for reconstruction and completion.

The project, initiated during the administration of former Governor Sam Egwu, had remained incomplete for years.

Similarly, the administration has been pursuing the rehabilitation of the Oferekpe Water Scheme, alongside the Ezillo and Old Abakaliki water schemes.

The State Government has said the Oferekpe facility, which had remained moribund for years, is being revived as part of efforts to address water shortages and expand reticulation across the state.
“Government is a continuum”.

“We cannot continue to abandon critical infrastructure simply because it was initiated by a previous administration,” Omebeh said, stressing that the Nwifuru administration was committed to completing projects capable of delivering value to the people”.

“In agriculture, the commissioner said the government had sustained the distribution of farm inputs and other interventions designed to increase production, strengthen food security and improve the income of farmers”.

“He also pointed to the revival of the Nkaliki hatchery and related agricultural infrastructure as part of the administration’s efforts to reposition the sector and expand opportunities in poultry, livestock and agro-processing and reports on the administration’s agricultural interventions have also highlighted mechanised farming, fertiliser distribution and the development of feed-production facilities.

Another major intervention, according to the commissioner, is the revival of the abandoned veterinary centre at Izhianmbo under the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project.

The project, the government said, covers about 295 hectares and is projected to generate up to 2,000 jobs when fully operational.

In education, Omebeh listed the Smart School initiative, new and renovated classroom blocks, increased support to tertiary institutions and investments in technology-driven education among the administration’s interventions.

He also cited the development of the Ebonyi State ICT University at Oferekpe-Agbaja and the Aeronautical University at Onueke as evidence of the administration’s attempt to expand the state’s human-capital base and position education around emerging economic sectors.

The commissioner further highlighted investments in healthcare infrastructure, housing, industrial development and urban renewal, arguing that the projects formed part of Governor Nwifuru’s broader People’s Charter of Needs agenda.

He therefore challenged Odii to substantiate his assessment of the state with clearly defined economic indicators and comparable data rather than broad political assertions.

Omebeh said: “What are the parameters and economic indices used before arriving at the conclusion that Ebonyi State remains one of the poorest states in the federation?

“Ebonyi people deserve to know the basis of such a conclusion, particularly when there are measurable interventions in roads, education, healthcare, agriculture, skills development and youth empowerment.”

He urged the people of the state to assess the administration through verifiable projects and programmes across the 13 local government areas.

The commissioner maintained that the government remained focused on completing ongoing projects, reviving moribund infrastructure and implementing programmes aimed at expanding economic opportunities for residents.

He said the administration would continue to pursue the People’s Charter of Needs while ensuring that inherited projects capable of serving public purposes were not abandoned.

The state government’s position comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 governorship election, with Odii expected to continue challenging the performance record of the incumbent administration.

Omebeh, however, maintained that the government would continue to respond to what it described as inaccurate representations of its record with what it called verifiable facts and project data..