The Executive Secretary/ Permanent Secretary, Abia State Planning Commission, Ugoeze Adanma Iheuwa has said that the Commission remains a medium, donor agencies use in reaching to vast majority of people to feel the impact of governance in the state.
Speaking when she received in audience, the management staff of Abia Newspapers and Publishing Corporation (ANPC), Publishers of the National Ambassador Group of Newspapers, Ugoeze said that the Commission manages funds from donor agencies in carrying out projects and programmes that have direct positive bearings on the people.
She restated their support and loyalty to the government of Dr Okezie Ikpeazu in his developmental drive stating that Commission would continue to compliment the government efforts in meeting the needs of the people.
The State Planning Chief executive used the occasion to shield light on Sustainable Development Goal ( SDG ) stating that it was not a programmes but an Ideology, conceived based on the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (DMGs) .
Ugoeze Iheuwa called for adequate media attention in areas of editorial, columns and other reportage to enlighten the people about the SDGs and challenged Ministries, Department and Agencies in the state to prepare their 2019 budget in line with the SDGs template assuring that their Desk officers are on head to assist them achieve this.
The executive Secretary described Abia Newspapers as very dear to the Commission being a medium of communication which would be used in reaching a large segment of the people and extolled the hoisting of the Newspapers on the internet, the regularity of its publication and urged the Acting General Manager not to relent in his lofty ideals of repositioning the Newspaper and ensuring that the publication compete favourably in the comity of tabloids in the country come 2019.
On their request for increase budgetary allocation, consideration as a first charge in advert placement, donation of computers sets among others, the Permanent Secretary assured the Corporation of support in their demand and urged them to liaise with Commission’s budget officers to capture some of their needs and promised to donate some computer sets to meet their operations requirement.
Earlier the leader of the delegation and the acting General Manager of the Corporation, Brother Kingsley Ugorji said that they came to appreciate the Commission for their partnership and support to the Corporation in areas of advert placement.
Brother Ugorji called on the Commission and other MDAs in the state to always consider the National Ambassador as their first charge in placement of advert and tender notices stating that these would help the Corporation in discharge of its primary functions of informing and educating the populace about government activities.
He called on Federal government to give serious funding to SDGs in the same manner MDG was prosecuted as well ensure that every segment of the country benefited from it.
