The events of the past 18 months in the Enugu State ministry of Lands and Urban Development have been as interesting as it was startling too. With the benefit of introspection, the events in the ministry as it were played out as in a typical movie world or a literary narrative. All the ingredients needed to cook up a movie script were infused leading to a gargantuan sleaze that has the potential of making the English dramatic impresario, Julius Caesar green with envy. It is important to recall Julius Caesar’s phrase in his famous letter to the Roman Senate around year 47 BC giving account of his sojourn and swift victory in his conquest against Pharnances II of Pontus at the battle of Zela. He said: “Veni, vidi, vinci” (I came I saw, I conquered). But the drama which is currently playing out in Enugu could not be well likened to the victory which Caesar espoused. At least, not for the main dramatis personae in the person of Dr. Surv. Victor Nnam who straddled the Enugu ministry of Lands and Urban development like the lord of the manor in the last 18 months.
The trending news in Enugu aside the PDP National Convention in Abuja is the purported resignation of Dr. Victor Nnam, as Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development on the 29th day of October, 2021 while his boss and employer is attending to a national assignment in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja. Not quite a few lurid comments have visited this seemingly faux since the news broke out and started trending.
It is on record that Tuesday September 27, 2019 marked another turning point for Ndi Enugu when His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in his determined avowal to rejig and infuse more energy into his government sent the list of 12 new commissioner nominees including that of Dr. Surveyor Nnam to Enugu State House of Assembly for screening and confirmation. The eventual confirmation of the Commissioner nominees by the Legislative arm of government was the needed impetus for the Governor to unleash these energetic young men and women at various ministries of government to help him realize his objectives.
Today, no discerning mind would be able to argue convincingly that governor Ugwuanyi has not done his bit in the appointment of these young technocrats and has always been on top of his game to monitor his appointees as a good leader that he is to ensure that they fall in line with his good intentions for Ndi Enugu. But alas, like the Biblical 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ, all remained in line with Jesus’ objectives but one. How painful to liken Dr. Nnam to the Judas of old. Today, the world over, that name Judas is detested even by pronounced atheists. Yet, we have continued to witness behaviors that took the shape and manner Judas Iscariot were recorded for in the Bible from contemporary characters as well. The reported sleazes that have become the character of the Enugu State Ministry of Lands and Urban development under the headship of Dr. Victor Nnam can be compared to how Judas stabbed his master, Jesus while they were at table together. How painful is it to discover that the one whom you have selected to run a dash race with you is the same person who put the dangerous stud to make you fall in the heat of the race!
Dr. Victor Nnam must have met the Enugu State ministry of Lands and Urban development in a state that the Governor had paid a lot of dues to keep politically stable and socially serene. And instead of working to improve the ambience or at least maintain status quo, he took undue advantage of the Enugu placidity and ran into so many quagmiric allegations of countless sharp practices. Within 12 hours of his purported resignation, Ndi Enugu have taken to both social and traditional media space to demand that he be subjected to the full weight of the law for his many ‘sins’ in office. Dr. Nnam’s missteps and impunity in the hallowed Land ministry.
Now this is the twist of the story. A commissioner who should be apologizing to Ndi Enugu for betraying their trust and failing in his stewardship is shifting blames and hiding under the subterfuge of what he called ‘high-handedness’ of Gov. Ugwuanyi as reason for his resignation. What impudence!
In his poorly crafted four paragraph letter that fall below standard of a surveyor, he claimed that he is resigning as a protest against the removal of some senior members of staff in his ministry who were fingered in his complicity. Dr. Nnam called them ‘innocent’ civil servants.
Dr. Nnam’s reasons for his purported resignation is both laughable as it beggers many questions.
First, if he is sincere, he should have advised them to sue the state government and prove their innocence. The industrial court is there for them, if truly in their conscience they are without guilt in the allegations against them.
Secondly, he is indirectly indicting himself by expressing solidarity with those who have questionable characters. A true man of integrity cannot be seen defending an accused who have refused to prove himself and evidently dismiss the charges against him.
Thirdly, he has unarguably played into the hands of few detractors of the governor and allowed himself be the fall guy. If not, then why would he not resign honourably and make himself available for scrutiny to the numerous petitions against him, some of which are with the EFCC? He could not even face his Boss eye ball to eye ball. Thank God, he didn’t accuse his Boss, the governor of being an accomplice to his allegations.
He is ostensibly acting a script hagardly written by his spin doctors who believed that since Governor Ugwuanyi, true to his name as a man of proven probity does not protect any shortfall from public stewards in his government, it is better he throw the first punch and then throw in the towel. But how ill-advised! He hit below the belt, and had ended up complicating his issues. Ndi Enugu know their governor and trusted him with their mandate. It is left for Dr. Nnam to explain himself to them by the time they come for him.
As stated earlier, unlike Caesar, Dr. Nnam came, he saw, but could not conquer positively. He was rather consumed. If his sojourn in office is to be a book, the storyline would have refused to hit the climax before denouement. And that is how he evolved an inglorious anticlimax scenario.
What is left to be seen in the coming days will be quite revealing. But until then, let him be advised that his attempt to rope the people’s governor into his mess was dead on arrival. He can’t stain the immaculate garment of a man who doesn’t tolerate the least dirt in the executive fabric of his regime.
Written by
*Hon. Mrs. Bibian Anekwe*
Senior Special Assistant on mobilization and empowerment to Enugu State Governor
ENUGU DI N’AKACHUKWU MOVEMENT ( DG)
