The essentials of every government is to provide good governance to the people it is elected to govern. I am an advocate of good governance. The ethos of democratic principles presupposes a mutually exclusive contract between the government on one hand and the people it is governing. A leader worth his or her onion should therefore strive to do all it takes to justify the confidence of the people who elected him or her to serve. A good leader should also see his or her position as a call to serve and not to be served. Unfortunately, the reverse is the case about this assertion. Those who strove to the corridors of power have always felt that they owe the people a favor to rule over them and so could not stomach being criticized or protested to. Although, one public commentator rightly remarked that in Enugu, we have no genuine critics but rather mischief makers. It stands to reason also that what makes democracy thick is the ability of the governed to make their leaders accountable and perpetually put them on their toes to make them accountable for their deeds and misdeeds and for their actions and inactions. Instructively, the governed are not just expected to lay back while criticizing their leaders, they should do so with the highest sense of responsibility to gain the understanding of the government in power. It is still important to point out that the essentials of every government is to gain mutual understanding between it and the extant stakeholders and the general public by listening and underlining the various feedbacks from the citizens.
This article appears to be necessitated by the recent criticism of Ugwuanyi’s administration where the critic, one Mr. Chijioke Ngobili labored to draw comparisons about the policies and programs of Ugwuanyi’s administration and the previous ones before him. Mr. Ngobili would rev on to decry the declined state of cleanliness in the state capital and the adjoining towns and concluded that dirt rather than clean environment has taken a major toll since Ugwuanyi took over the mantle of leadership about seven years ago. For the discerning folks though, we know that this is not entirely true. We know that the administration of Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi have engaged more than a handful of refuse clearers who worked round the clock to ensure that Enugu is the league of most cleanest state in the country. Even then, the Enugu State Waste Management Board on whose shoulders the onus of keeping Enugu and environs clean have not been abandoned or left to cater for itself by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Just like other agencies of government with the mandate to make the citizens feel the impact of good governance, governor Ugwuanyi retooled the Enugu State Waste Management Board for optimal service delivery. With the unfortunate and perpetual economic downturn, it appears that the fortunes of the Agency is not looking up leading to the noticeable gap in it’s service delivery.
As a listening government however, the administration of Ugwuanyi is not only perturbed by the rising concerns of the citizens to the deteriorating environmental and sanitary conditions of Enugu metropolis, but took its time to find out where the water appears to be passing under the bridge. It is gratifying to note therefore that Ugwuanyi’s administration is not only a listening government anchored on peace and freedom for all, but one which is prepared to accept criticism howbeit vile. After all, it is the right of the people to be served in the most responsible manner. It is already in the news that the government have identified the prohibitive hike in the price of Automotive Gas Oil otherwise known as Diesel as the ingredient enabler why Waste Evacuation Contractors have derailed in their assignments. To address this, the government took the bull by the horn by increasing the waste evacuation contract’s budget to change the narrative to the best once more.
This is a piece of cheery news. Knowing Ugwuanyi for who he is, this can never be an empty interventionist propaganda. Governor Ugwuanyi is a God fearing leader who believes in the principles of democracy and good governance. It is hoped that this upward review of the terms of waste evacuation contracts to reflect the current economic reality will not only propel the Waste Disposal Contractors to put in their best to ensure optimum hygienic condition of the city as conceptualized but will go on to confirm Ugwuanyi as a humane and a caring leader who brooks criticisms that is not only objective but factual.
Surely, Enugu State is in the hands of God.
Bibian Anekwe News added: “There are three essentials to leadership: humility, clarity and courage”.
Written by
Austin Okechukwu Chijioke.
Public Affairs Commentator.
Media Team Lead for Enugu Di N’akachukwu Movement.
www.bibiananekwe.com
