Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has said his administration would fulfill all its campaign promises to the people of the state within three years in office.

He gave the assurance during the flag-off campaign against female genital mutilation by his wife Rachael in Abakaliki.

Umahi, who added that he would continue to work hard to meet the target, assured continued payment of workers’ salaries every 15^th day of the month despite economic challenges.

He announced also that the government would give N500, 000 each to 500 women and youths who have good business plans especially in the area of farming as a means of empowering them economically.

He added that once any of them was able to show evidence of N1 million in his account at the end of the first year, such a person would receive additional N1 million to boost his or her business.

According to the governor, the next batch of 2,100 beneficiaries would be selected and empowered within a very short period in his administration's drive to produce successful farmers and millionaires during his tenure in office.

He said: “Within three years of our administration, we will fulfill all our campaign promises made to Ebonyi people. In the next two days, we will assemble about 2,600 of our youths and women for empowerment and half of them will be our women. We are going to launch operation one hectare per person.

“We will assemble 500 of our women and it is going to be an ongoing process. There will be three women in each ward. What we want to do is to give empowerment of minimum of N500,000 each to farmers but we won’t give it to somebody who has no plan.”

On female genital mutilation, Umahi condemned it, saying the law against it will be looked into to provide severe sanction for offenders.

Governor Umahi added: “Our women are gifts to us, our women are important to us. We must support them and whatever that pains them, we must fight against it.

“I challenge all the women especially those in positions of authority to rise up and fight this female genital mutilation because we want to have complete eradication of that.

“The wife of the President is the great friend of my wife. Why I like her most is that she has adopted herself as a mother of all, she is not into partisan politics, she’s travelling round the country and even wives of PDP Governors usually follow her.

“She doesn’t discriminate; she carries everybody along. And I think that is the kind of love we need. I continue to emphasize unity irrespective of political affiliation; when we have faced election and done with election, let us fear God and continue to live in unity. So, I have tremendous respect for this woman. She has taken my wife as her very dear daughter in the envy and jealous of men.

“I must thank my wife so much. One of the qualities she has is her humility and passion for the down trodden, she has a large heart.”

•Photo shows Governor of Ebonyi State David Umahi (3rd right); his wife, Rachel (2nd right); United Nations Population Agency Country Representative, Ratidzai Ndhlovu (left); Deputy Speaker, Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Obasi Odefa (left); Nollywood screen godess, Stephanie Okereke-Linus; Speaker of the House, Francis Nwifuru and his wife, Uzoamaka, at the kick off of the campaign against Female Genital Mutilation by the Family Succour and Upliftment Foundation in Abakaliki on Tuesday.