“When the righteous is in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn” Proverb 29: 2.
It is now six years on our Governor, Rt. Hon. Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi took oath of office to serve Enugu State to the best of his ability having committed Enugu State into the Hands of God. How has the Governor fared? Some people would like to ask? I am writing this for the public to know what our governor has achieved within this six years after his inauguration in 2015. And being mindful of the common tendency of the readers and the general public, I have taken time to assess all the information presented here below. In any case, the opinion, assumptions and conclusions expressed here are entirely mine. Therefore, any constructive criticisms are welcome.
SECURITY OF LIVES AND PROPERTY: This is one of the core responsibilities of every state governor as the Chief Security Officer of the State. But this not absolute because the constitution of Nigeria and other States establishing the relevant security agencies do not empower state governors to be the boss in the security matters. These are reasons for the State Police as well as the desirability and practicality but it does not come to mind within the preview of this features. However, the best any adjudged best governor can do within the legal and statutory framework of his office is the provision of the material support to Police and other security agencies. Governor Ugwuanyi has since the unfortunate incidents that happened in Nimbo in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area and other communities in the state before the ongoing insecurity across the country and has taken a proactive measures to curtail and forestall further invasion of the rural communities in the state by herdsmen or unknown gunmen. The state government immediately approved #100 million Naira and distributed to the registered vigilante group across the rural communities for the procurement of security apparatus as well as their remunerations. There is in place a monitoring committee that gives security briefings to the Governor on the regular basis. The government has also brought patrol vans equipped with modern security gadgets and distributed to security agencies.
CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE: This is also one of the easiest yardsticks for assessing a working governor in Nigeria, is in area of provision of roads and infrastructures. This is an area where our governor, Rt. Hon. Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has done very well and deserves to be appreciated considering the down turn in the amount of funds and revenue accruing to the state’s treasury in the wake of economic recessions, global pandemic, Covid-19 and Endsars Protest. Many road constructions and rehabilitations have been completed while some are ongoing. A few shining example of works will serve better for the purpose of this article.
In Enugu East Senatorial Zone, Gov. Ugwuanyi has constructed Amuri road in Nkanu West Local Government Area and gave it a good face lift at moment, likewise, the strategic new market Milliken hill, Ngwo-Ninth mile corner road. The construction of Maryland-Ndemede bridge connecting Maryland axis to Achara layout in Enugu South Local Government Area is another big relief to the residents of that area of the Zone. The construction of Inyama bridge in Nkanu East Local Government Area to their headquarters in Amagunze. Governor Ugwuanyi has also built Ebonyi bridge and asphalted the road to Eha-Amufu to Ikem, and Nkalagu-Neke-Mbu-Ogbodu Aba road.
In Enugu East Local Government Area, Governor Ugwuanyi immediately he was sworn in constructed the airport roundabout-Oyie-Emene, St. Patrick’s College-Eke Obinagu road and also constructed the 13Km Nike lake junction-Harmony Estate-Amorji Nike with Emene Satellite town in Enugu East Local Government Area. Presently, Governor Ugwuanyi is constructing the state of the art administrative building of the first degree awarding institution in Education in the South-East Zone, Enugu State University of Education in Ihe-Awgu to serve as a centre for training of teachers for primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. He has also constructed the 8.2Km road of Inyi-Akpugoeze in Oji-River LGA. He has also constructed the Amaeke-Ngwo-Nsude-9th Mile and Amaeke-Ama brewery junction 9th Mili by Udi Local Government Area. All these in Enugu West Senatorial Zone. In Enugu North Zone, accessing the University of Nigeria town, Nsukka and other nearby towns has been completed with the dualization of Opi-Nsukka road with state of art drainage system, street lights and traffic lights respectively. The massive earthworks done from Ugwuoye junction to the total roundabout that leads to the main gate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka remained a permanent solution to the perennial erosion problem that has plagued commuters and road users in Nsukka for many years ago.
For a truth, all the Local Government Area in the three Senatorial Zone, Enugu East, Enugu West and Enugu North, the story is the same, steady, sustained the delivery of roads and other social services to the good people of Enugu state of our forefathers dream. Another giant stride of our Governor worthy of note is the Enugu State Government intervention on federal roads in spite of the lean resources and the fact that the federal government owns Enugu state government over #24 billion naira spent previously on federal roads.
Governor Ugwuanyi’s administration is rehabilitating Agu-Abor interchange ship road leading to the new market roundabout. Similarly, the entrance and exit roads to the state capital through Enugu-Onitsha express way is now wearing a new look as a result of the state government interventions. The story is the same from Opi-Nsukka junction to Obollo-Afor. The list of roads already completed, undergoing completion and reconstructed in both urban and rural communities of Enugu State under Governor Ugwuanyi’s six years in office is too many and cannot be fully captured in this features for want of space and reader’s time. The ones identified and mentioned above are by any means exhaustive.
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT: It is heartwarming and remarkable that in a society whose culture, traditions and politics are still largely patriarchal and chauvinist in nature, Governor Ugwuanyi has no problem in choosing to work with a female as his deputy, Hon. Lolo Cecilia Ezeilo and the same liberal thinking informed the Governor’s appointment of the first female Chief Judge ever since the creation of Enugu State in 1991in the person of Hon. Justice N.P. Emehelu.
WORKERS RELATIONSHIP: Since inception, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s administration has had a good working relationship with the workers as and when due. It was lately in his first term that the third tier system of government got a major reprieve with Governor Ugwuanyi’s directive that the Local Government share of the Paris Club fund disbursement from the federal account be applied 100% percent to the payment of the backlog of unpaid salaries of workers in the 17 Local Government Areas in the state. Unarguably, that singular Executive Directive borne out of the governor’s humanness has brought so many success to the disillusioned Local Government Area workers, some of whom had been owned for 12 months or more. It is based on the above that the organized labour, civil servants and civil society groups in May, 1st 2017 on the occasion of workers day celebration rolled out the sterling achievements of the amiable governor and bestowed on him with an award of the most labour friendly Governor in the history of the state urging him to recontest in 2019 general elections. That they would re-elect him to continue with his good works. This the organized in Enugu said was in acknowledgement of the harmonious industrial relationship with the Governor for his commitment to workers welfare.
YOUTH AND SPORTS DEVELOPMENT: In football, it is now firmly a broken record books on how the Rangers International FC Enugu broke the 32 years jinx of trophyless outing Nigeria tips in the last season’s league table. That feat recorded by Rangers, otherwise known as the flying Antelopes, was achievable with the financial and moral supports of the Governor, Rt. Hon. Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. In the Youths empowerment, Governor Ugwuanyi has also made history in Enugu state by appointing about 2000 youths working with him in this administration which has never happened since the inception of this current democratic dispensation in 1999.
Finally, throughout the period of his electioneering campaign in 2015, the name Gburugburu rented the entire air space. It is no doubt a political coinage cum slogan concerned and meant to give some political leverage to the Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and his political movement. But apart from the benefit of hindsight and the even spread of Governor Ugwuanyi’s modest achievements in the last six years on in the 17 Local Government Areas of Enugu State. I strongly make bold to say that our Governor’s name “Gburugburu” is beyond a name. It is a concluded arrangements in heaven. It is indeed a political movement with God at the front founded on the principles of equity, fairness and justice for all. Today, Governor Ugwuanyi is the author of the rural development, leaving legacies for Enugu State.
Gov Ugwuanyi’s starting performance with in six years on has greatly endured him to the good people of Enugu State and they are yearning for his successor to be like him come 2023. Recently there were three solidarity rally in support of the rotational formula of Enugu State, Odinma Nsukka, Oganiru Enugu and Ifemelunma Unity Rally which they agreed to maintained the rotational principles of Enugu State of our forefathers dream. It is because of our Governor’s score card has clearly exceeded the expectations of Enugu people and that was the reason he was elected unopposed for the Enugu State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP gubernatorial primaries. As the Governor is about rounding off and the general elections is drawing nearer, the option open to Ndi-Enugu State are not many. It is a narrow one between the Governor they know and that his successor not yet known. It may not really be a battle between the political parties on paper as some pundits are already posting. It will be a true test of the resolved, if the teaming supporters of the good governance that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is our own party now and beyond. And not really a political party because Enugu State is the Hands of God. Truly, Truly, it will soon ended in Praise.
Written by
SIR SIMON MARTINS OKECHUKWU, KSJ.
Special Assistant on Media, Information and Communication.
