From Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu
Enugu State House of Assembly has passed into law a bill to establish the Enugu International Conference Centre (ICC) Management Corporation.
Speaking during the plenary session at the legislative complex, on Tuesday, the Minority Leader and also lawmaker representing Nkanu West constituency, Hon. Iloabuchi Aniagu, in his speech, emphasized that the bill is not contentious, noting that with the establishment of the management corporation, the ICC as an institution will stand the test of time.
Citing the functions of the corporation in Section 4, Hon. Aniagu stated that the job of the corporation is to improve the structure, stressing that Enugu ICC needs rehabilitation in future.
To him, if the structure is put under the management of a Ministry, it will take a long time to get approval for maintenance, due to bureaucratic redtape, with the structure most likely deteriorating with time.
The member representing Oji River constituency, Hon. Osita Eze, supporting the bill, said that establishing the ICC management corporation will help to employ qualified personnel and technocrats that will manage the edifice built by the state government.
Also contributing, the member representing Igboetiti West constituency, Hon. Williams Amuka, supporting the bill, said the State government has invested a lot of money in erecting the edifice and its life span depends on the management of a corporation so that the ICC and the money invested do not amount to a waste of public funds.
Hon. Gabriel Eze, representing Isiuzor constituency, who also supported the bill, said that the establishment of Enugu ICC management corporation, will reduce insecurity, bring in more businesses to Enugu State in particular and the South-East in general, as well as reduce unemployment.
The Member representing Nkanu East constituency, Hon. Osita Okoh, in his speech during the plenary, promised Enugu people that with the establishment of the ICC management corporation, lawmakers will not overlook their function but will still carry out their oversight duties to ensure it runs properly.
The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Uche Ugwu, in his contribution, thanked the lawmakers for doing justice to the bill.
He pointed out that with the hefty sum of money invested in erecting the ICC, it requires the management of a corporation so that it will not go moribund like other government agencies in the past.
