“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, opined the inimitable Nelson Mandela. Victor Hugo asserted, “He who opens a school door, closes a prison.” Andy McIntyre in his on way of highlighting the importance of education sarcastically argued, “if you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” Rt Hon Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwuanyi, the Executive Governor of Enugu state, the human capital development bulldozer has proven to agree with Nelson Mandela, Victor Hugo and Andy McIntyre on the incontrovertible importance of education to a state that must sustain its development.
One of my readers once said that the achievement of Governor Ugwuanyi seem to have been one sided towards Enugu SME because of the activities of Hon Arinze Chilo-offiah, the SPA to the Governor on SME whose team has painstakingly ensured that many an Enugu youth gets either up-skilled in technological fields such as programming, web design, graphics design, product design, etc or gets technically up-skilled in such fields as auto-mobile revamp, and other innumerable life saving skills.
But, the truth remains that all the socio-political sectors in the present dispensation have received equal attention for the good of Ndi Enugu. Few days ago, I went on a fact finding mission to Etudo Street, Achara layout where I was dumb founded at the swift rehabilitation of the road that had been in a terrible state for a long time. The paintings on the houses in Etudo street have been defaced. No thanks to the brownish dust in that axis that has remained like a signature mark.
Like they say, the rest is history following the intervention of the workaholic governor on that stretch of the street. If I dive into what other commissioners and SPAs are doing in their sectors, I might digress more than necessary, so, let’s agree that governor Ugwuanyi’s accomplishments are under-reported, probably because, the Enugu Governor doesn’t like making noise about his works.
The human capital development ambassador of a Governor, Mr. Fulfilment through the office of the Executive Secretary of Enugu State Scholarships and Loans Board under the headship of Hon (Barr.) Levis Uche Abonyi sent seven (7) Enugu youths to United States of America for 5 years course on a fully sponsored scholarship despite the prevailing economic challenges. But, governor Ugwuanyi led administration fully conscious of the Educational capital in a fledgling economy could not care more but embark on this resource tasking venture.
It is important to seize this medium to congratulate our brothers whom the beautiful ray of luck has shone on their beautiful faces. Our prayers are with you. I don’t want to extol Barr. Levis Uchenna Abonyi, the Scholarship and Loans board boss for always doing a great job in representing the youth constituency where he rightfully belongs to, qualitatively.
For those who will want to argue why Ochenwari Izuchukwu Udenwaeze would laud a Government for sending just 7 persons out of millions to study abroad or what happens to many others? Good. Mark Twain would answer you thus: “the secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” Enugu State government by sending these 7 to experience education outside Nigeria, has indirectly empowered more than thousands of others. The seven can decide to establish the kind of system they learned overseas in Enugu, and empower other Enugu residents through it. If you educate a single youth, you have educated a nation.
In summary, Helen Keller narrated a story on the importance of education to humanity: “have you ever been at sea in a dense fog, when it seemed as if a tangible white darkness shut you in and the great ship, tense and anxious, groped her way toward the shore with plummet and sounding-line, and you waited with beating heart for something to happen? I was like that ship before my education began, only I was without compass or sounding line, and no way of knowing how near the harbor was. ‘Light! Give me light!’ was the wordless cry of my soul, and the light of love shone on me in that very hour”. Education, according to Helen Keller is the light through which one or a nation sees clearly.
God bless Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and his team for building Enugu State youths. For those who will argue why they should be sent to study abroad, if not that we already have a failed educational system. No. That will be a daft way of discrediting an honest gesture. There are Europeans who visit Nigeria for further studies too. Comparative education allows a nation to see better and build up on areas of deficiency in its educational system. Those who have degree in education will understand the impact of comparative education better. Maya Angelou nailed it on its head when she opined, “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better”. Sending our brothers to study in US will help us know how better to solve problems in Enugu.
Thank you and God bless you.
Bibian Anekwe News…added…Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No Excuses.
WRITTEN BY:
Izuchukwu Ochenwari Udenwaeze
(A Social and Political Analyst)
Member, Enugu Di N’Akachukwu Media Team
