Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has declared that the state remains one of the safest in Nigeria, stating that no kidnapping incident has been recorded since he assumed office in May 2023.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Governor made the remark on Saturday in Abakaliki while receiving over 50 editors and journalists participating in the second phase of the Presidential Media Tour of projects across the South-East region. The tour, organised by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHA) in collaboration with the Presidential Media Team, is designed to showcase key federal and state government projects being executed under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Addressing the visiting journalists, Nwifuru said they would have the opportunity to inspect development projects spread across all parts of Ebonyi State and urged them to assess his administration based on facts observed on the ground.
“Judge us fairly. What you are going to see may not be what you expected. You may even be shocked by the level of development,” the governor said.
He noted that every local government area and community in the state has benefited from multiple projects, particularly road construction and other infrastructure initiatives.
“There is no place you will go to that you will not see more than five projects. The minimum project you can see is roads of between 10 and 22 kilometres, while there are others extending well beyond that,” he added.
Nwifuru described Ebonyi as “the salt of the nation,” saying the state has witnessed rapid transformation through investments in roads, healthcare, education and urban renewal. He stressed that security remains a major priority of his administration.
“This is the safest place in this country. Since I became governor, we have never recorded any kidnapping case. You can make your search and find out. Even at midnight, you can move anywhere,” he said.
The governor attributed the peaceful atmosphere in the state to sustained investment in security infrastructure and strong collaboration between security agencies, traditional rulers and local communities. In recent months, the state government has expanded support for security outfits and strengthened surveillance measures aimed at preventing criminal activities.
Speaking at the event, Bayo Onanuga said the media tour was created to give journalists firsthand access to projects being implemented by both the federal and state governments.
Onanuga, who described Ebonyi as a place familiar to him, commended the pace of development in the state and encouraged journalists to see the projects for themselves.
“I have seen what you have done. I am telling people to come and see something they may not have seen in another part of Nigeria,” he said.
He explained that the initiative is being carried out on behalf of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, a platform led by Hope Uzodimma, to highlight the achievements of President Bola Tinubu and showcase development efforts by state governments.
“The journalists here will see many things and they will be proud of what this government has achieved,” Onanuga added.
The nationwide media tour began earlier this year, with the first phase covering the North-West. Participants inspected major infrastructure projects, including sections of Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Highway, Kaduna-Kano-Maradi rail corridor and several irrigation schemes in Jigawa and Kebbi states.
The current South-East leg will take the journalists through Ebonyi, Enugu, Anambra, Abia and Imo states over five days.
