Eze: Onyia deserves national honour for transforming Enugu governance

Federal Commissioner representing Enugu State in the Federal Character Commission, Peter Eze, has congratulated the Secretary to the Enugu State Government (SSG), Prof Chidiebere Onyia, on his recognition by The Guardian newspaper as one of the best-performing SSGs in Nigeria.

Eze described the recognition as a well-deserved affirmation of Onyia’s leadership, strategic public service, institutional innovation and contribution to the development of Enugu State.

In a congratulatory message on Monday, Eze said the honour was not merely a recognition of an individual, but an acknowledgement of the systems and structures Onyia had helped build in the state’s governance process.

He said: “It is with immense pride and heartfelt joy that I extend my warmest congratulations to Professor Chidiebere Onyia, the distinguished Secretary to the Enugu State Government, on the prestigious honour conferred upon him by The Guardian newspaper.

“To be recognised as one of the best-performing Secretaries to the State Government in Nigeria is no ordinary achievement. It is a powerful affirmation of distinguished leadership, strategic public service, institutional innovation, and an outstanding contribution to the development of our beloved Enugu State.

“Professor Onyia embodies the rare blend of intellectual depth and practical excellence that our nation so urgently needs.”

Eze noted that Onyia’s academic background and over 25 years of strategic leadership, innovation and institutional reform had prepared him for the complex demands of governance.

He said Onyia had also distinguished himself nationally and internationally before joining Governor Peter Mbah’s administration, including his role as Managing Director of the United Kingdom Nigeria Infrastructure Facility and Lead Strategy Adviser on the Federal Government’s Power Sector Recovery Programme in partnership with the World Bank Group.

According to Eze, Onyia has, since joining the Mbah administration, transformed the SSG’s office from a conventional administrative office into a “true coordinating nerve centre of governance”.

He cited implementation tracking, inter-MDA coordination, performance management and institutional accountability as some of the areas where the office had made significant impact.

He also linked the growth in the state’s internally generated revenue, the establishment and operationalisation of the Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission and the administration’s focus on project execution to Onyia’s systems-thinking approach.

Eze said: “What makes this honour particularly fitting is that it celebrates not a single project or statistic, but the architecture of delivery that Professor Onyia has helped build – the coordination mechanisms, the revenue systems, the institutional reforms, and the human capital development that will sustain Enugu’s progress long into the future.

“He has shown that the office of the Secretary to the Government can serve as a powerful instrument for translating vision into measurable outcomes while remaining firmly rooted in the principles of accountability and public service.”

The commissioner described Onyia as “a shining example” of the calibre of leadership produced by Enugu State, saying his recognition was an honour for the entire state.

“His honour is Enugu’s honour. It is a testament to the quiet, determined work of building institutions that work, systems that deliver, and a government that remains focused on the people,” Eze said.

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