Apparently rattled by the increasing cases of kidnapping in the South East geopolitical zone, Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, has asked the newly appointed coordinators of Development Centres in the state to evolve measures to combat the menace and other violent crimes in their areas. Umahi addressed the 64 coordinators, including a physically challenged woman at the Akanu Ibiam International Conference Centre in Abakaliki, the state capital on Monday, warning that any of them who failed to check the menace risked trouble with his administration.

“If    you allow kidnapping to take place in your development centre, either they take somebody from your development centre and go to another development centre both development centres Coordinators are in trouble. You have to do so because you ought to know the bad people in your areas,” he said. The governor advised the Coordinators to eschew violence, and close ranks with the stakeholders to sustain peace and development in their localities.

He also, warned them against all forms of discriminatory tendencies and directed that efforts should be made to bring back all the strayed members of the People’s Democratic Party to their original family which is the PDP. Umahi also ordered the Coordinators to within one month, recover all stolen funds and properties in your development centres from politicians and from civil servants.

“It is a must and after one month you have not recovered it, we will review our relationship with you,” he said, stressing that his administration has no room for corruption. He further urged them to acquire land and engage in agriculture, adding that the quantity of agricultural produce from their areas would be among the parametres for assessing    their performances.

The governor directed that “all Coordinators are to ensure that every child of ours that is supposed to be in school must be in school,” adding that “no child of school age in the state is expected to be seen loitering during school hours.” Umahi then challenged parents to make out time to attend to the academic needs of their children, even as he promised that at least 20 percent of the total earnings of the Development Centres must be dedicated to project execution, which should be jointly carried out with the caretaker committee chairmen of the local government areas.

In her reaction, the physically challenged person, who is the Coordinator of Afikpo North Development Centre, Mrs. Ugochukwu Okoh, expressed gratitude to the governor for appointing her and assured that she would accord priority to agriculture in her Development Centre.