’I am Dr. Nnnena Chikezie, the Permanent Secretary and the Executive Secretary of Abia State Planning Commission. Our collaboration with PIND in developing the Abia State long term plan was very demanding. It was equally a learning process and it gave us confidence that we were dealing with an organization that has strong technical strength to deliver. Even with the COVID-19, PIND kept pushing on, encouraging the State to go with the project. PIND gave us a project manager that would not stop until he got the target achieved. We had to adapt to the new normal and because there was every need to deliver the project on PIND’s part, they supported us in every way.
We were having physical meetings, and we had town hall meetings. But during the COVID, we started doing more of virtual and online meetings and less of physical meetings and that was what helped us to get through. And PIND was always there to give us the support. I remember there was a time we needed to do physical valuation but because of COVID we couldn’t. Then PIND set up virtual meetings, and the meeting held.
Right now, we have a 30-year development plan which means we now have a sense of direction in our administration that will run through this government and the ones to come. The plan is there to guide us in our policy decision in the years to come and that’s the only way you can sustain development. Incoming government in Abia State would have to use the document to drive the development of the state. They will have a road map in taking policy decision in resource allocation to the different sectors and a guideline also to achieve result that will lead to economic growth and sustainable development.
Everybody that was part of the project is to be appreciated, from the secretariat to the planning officers, the permanent secretary and to the Exco and then to the legislative arm and judiciary and above all the Governor was always there to give listening ears at any time. I want to especially thank PIND for bringing in the civil servants and knowing that for us to have institutional memory of what we did, civil servants were the ones to use and they made sure that the civil servants were in the business’.’
