Science has revealed that the unique difference that evidently appears in our genetic makeups generally affect how we think, reason, act and approach things in this planet earth. I learnt that even identical twins still have thin lines of differences in their genetic polymorphism.
No doubt, external forces, environment, peer groups and friends do affect our behaviors anyways, but the individual natural instinct cum temperament manifest and tend to prevail in control of oneself.
It’s said that when one gets angry, he speaks his dialet by force. If you want to know the actual behaviour of a person, you could achieve that by either making him so happy or making him so angry.
In a nutshell, we approach things differently in life. These different life styles of individuals however have affected the style of governance in our dear State Enugu of our forefathers dream.
Since Nigeria returned to this interrupted democracy in 1999, the government of Enugu State have seen two successfully concluded administrations started by Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani (1999 – 2007) and Barrister Sullivan Iheanacho Chime (2007 – 2015), and then the incumbent administration being driven by our own, Rt. Hon Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (2015 – date).
My analysis today is simply to compare and contrast the magnitude of lives of good people of Enugu State the three administrations have touched.
No doubt, the past two administrations did enthrone some calculated number of development in Enugu State but the coverage of lives their administrations touched can not be compared to this present administration led by Rt. Hon. Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Apart from the former Governor Dr Chimaroke Nnamani”s relocations of most giant parastatals to his Zone, Nkanu, which many described as the however, the two previous administrations concentrated more in Enugu metropolis. Their dividend of democracy didn’t circulate well down to the grass roots as being experienced in this present administration.
For Chimaroke, his eight years tenure saw the construction and relocation of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) to Agbani, the relocation of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) to ItukuOzalla, the construction of Enugu State University Teaching Hospital and College of Medicine at Parklane, Enugu, the Enugu Campus of the Nigerian Law School, the Ebeano Tunnel, dualization of Rangers Avenue and Chime Avenue, opening of a new route linking Nza Street and Chime Avenue in Enugu, the new State Judiciary headquarters, commencement of the construction of International Conference Centre project, the Enugu State Building in Abuja, Ebeano tunnel amongst others. The former Governor
Sullivan Chime’s administration saw a number of physical infrastructural revolution focused more in Enugu metropolis. He initiated and supervised the building of twenty-four housing estates with good roads and water reticulation in the state. Some of the estates include Coal City Gardens, Liberty Estates (Phases 1 and 2), Greenland Estate, Maryland Estate, Palm Beach Estate, Sunrise Estate, Ekulu East and the Centenary City. His administration also started and completed the state-of-the art State Secretariat with thirteen complex structures housing all the ministries. He constructed a new Governor’s Office (The Lion Building) in Enugu and also constructed a Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja. Chime’s administration also built many roads in Enugu but those road networks didn’t spread across communities in Enugu State. Also, remarkable to note in Sulivan’s administration was the the purchase of Coal City Shuttle buses and many taxi cars that run inside the metropolis; and some pockets of other projects executed mostly in Enugu town.
But the administration of Governor Ugwuanyi amidst economic crunch orchestrated by fall in global oil price, severe recession, pandemic and numerous acts of violent cum ENDSARS Protest Youth restiveness has both giant urban and uncommon rural development strides. Governor Ugwuanyi concentration of more infrastructure in the rural and long-neglected communities made his name rings like bell in every community in Enugu State. Many lives were and are touched tremendously. Souls are constantly revived on daily basis.
After Gov. Ugwuanyi’s inauguration on May 29th, 2015, Ugwuanyi swung into selfless rural development journey. He ensured that every soul in Enugu State is touched positively in one way or the other by his administration. Permit me to focused only on our Governor’s giant rural strides I saw and other people can also bear witness to them:
1) The immediate execution of 35 grassroots development projects across the 17 LGAs
2) The N5 million “one community, one project” scheme across the 450 autonomous communities in the State.
3) Construction and renovation of District hospitals and health centres in the State, especially in the rural areas under the Primary Healthcare Programme.
4) Upgraded Udi District Hospital and Polly Clinic, Asata to General Hospitals, after their rehabilitation.
5) Ongoing construction of 200-bed Specialist Hospital, Igbo Ano, Enugu North Senatorial District, to serve as facilities for the ESUT College of Medicine that has been relocated to Nsukka.
6) Launch of the Universal Health Coverage.
7) Intervened and integrated faith-based rural health facilities into the Free Maternal and Child Health Programme.
8) Completion of 7 units of Type 3 Primary Health Care Centre in 7 LGAs and upgrade and rehabilitation of the General Hospital Ogrute, Enugu Ezike and Nsukka District Hospital.
9) Construction of 34 modern Customary Courts across the State, two (2) per LGA.
10) Empowered 3,600 traders with N50,000 each under the Enugu State Traders Empowerment Scheme.
11) Empowered 750 youths in skills acquisition under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) programme.
12) Offered scholarship to 680 indigent engineering students of Enugu State Polytechnic, Iwollo, Ezeagu L.G.A. and the IMT, Enugu.
13) Awarded scholarship to 22 post-secondary school indigent students presently studying at Mewar University, India.
14) Engaged 1000 youths to clean up the state, under Enugu Clean Team Project, with additional 1000 workers underway.
15) Recruited over 5000 primary and secondary school teachers.
16) Constructed, renovated and equipped 897 classroom blocks and other school projects under Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB).
17) Procured and distributed 22,150 lockers and 22,150 chairs for primary school children, 1,228 tables, 1,228 arm chairs and 2,456 armless chairs for the teachers, as well as 1130 marker boards for teaching and 1,960 ceiling fans, for conducive learning environment (under ENSUBEB).
18) Procured and distributed 12, 480 writing desks and chairs for primary school pupils in the State and 868 tables and chairs for teachers to improve the standard of learning (ENSUBEB).
19) Massive construction and reconstruction of classroom blocks, offices and hostels in the secondary schools across the six education zones of the Post Primary Schools Management Board (PPSMB).
20) Supplied Science equipment to 135 secondary schools (under PPSMB).
21) Supplied and installed computers to 200 secondary schools (under PPSMB).
22) Converted 1000 volunteer teachers to permanent staff and release of all outstanding arrears of promotion to date (under PPSMB).
23) Initiated and conversion of the Ministry of Transport Traffic workers to the Traffic Management Authority as Civil Servants. 24) Also initiated the process for the construction and renovation of more classroom blocks
25) Ongoing construction of the state-of-the-art administrative building of the first degree-awarding institution in Education in the South East zone, the Enugu State University of Education in Ihe, Awgu LGA, established by Gov. Ugwuanyi’s administration to serve as a centre for training of teachers for primary, secondary and tertiary education.
26) Infrastructural development and numerous education transformational interventions at Iwollo Polytechnic.
27) Rehabilitated and remodeled the ancient, historic and undulating 11km Milliken Hill-Ngwo-9th Mile road.
28) Constructed the 12km Opi-Nsukka dual carriageway up to University of Nigeria (UNN) gate.
29) Constructed the Ebonyi River Bridge, Ikem.
30) Constructed the 31km Udenu Ring road with two high-tech bridges.
31) Iva Valley roads in Enugu North LGA.
32) Constructed the 8.8km Nkalagu-Eha Amufu road in Isi-Uzo LGA, neglected for over 35 years.
33) The construction of the 26.66km Ukpabi-Nimbo-Ugbene Ajima-Eziani road in Uzo-Uwani LGA (RAMP-2).
34) The construction of the 22.443km Neke-Mbu-Ogbodu Aba-Obollo Etiti inter-community road linking Isi-Uzo and Udenu LGAs (RAMP-2).
35) Constructed the 13km Nike Lake junction-Harmony Estate-Amorji Nike-Adoration Pilgrimage Centre-Orie Emene road linking the ever-busy Abakpa Nike with Emene satellite town in Enugu East LGA.
36) Constructed the Amaeke-Ngwo-Nsude-9th Mile and Amankwo-Amaeke-Amah Brewery Junction-9th Mile bypasses in Udi LGA.
37) Reconstructed the Airport Roundabout/Orie-Emene/St. Patrick’s College/Eke-Obinagu Road in Enugu East LGA.
38) Reconstructed the Enugu Road (Nsukka) Junction-Umuezebi-Nru Junction-University Gate road, the Post Office Roundabout-Odenigbo Roundabout-Ogurugu Road-Ikenga road and the Obechara Road Junction-Umakashi-Mechanic Village-Ikenga Hotels Junction road, all in the formost indigenous University town, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
39) Constructed the 8.2km Inyi-Akpugoeze road in Oji River LGA.
40) Constructed the Ituku Road in Awgu LGA and the Amurri road in Nkanu West LGA
41) Rehabilitation of many internal roads in the University town of Nsukka.
42) Construction of the first phase of the Enugu State Secretariat annex in Nsukka satellite town.
43) Construction of the Nsukka Township Stadium
44) Released N350 million to the state’s COVID-19 Multi-Sectoral Rapid Response Team.
45) Establishment of Isolation and Treatment Centres for COVID-19 in Nsukka.
46) Executed rehabilitation of facilities and provision of essential supplies in 34 health facilities across the 17 LGAs, to scale up delivery of linked services and preparedness against community spread of COVID-19 pandemic by the Enugu State Save One Million Lives (SOML) Project.
47) Among the first to implement the new Minimum Wage in Nigeria.
48) Regular payment of workers’ salaries on the 23rd of every month and retirees’ pensions.
49) Payment of 54 percent equity contribution for 100 lucky civil servants who won the 100 units one bedroom apartments at Elim Estate, Enugu through open lottery.
50) Procured and donated 100 units of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM) patrol vans with communication gadgets to the security agencies to aid their operations.
51) Employed 1,700 Forest Guards, first in the South East geo-political zone.
52) Repositioned the Vigilante/Neighbourhood Watch groups and purchased 260 security vehicles for their Community Policing operations.
53) Procured and distributed 260 motorcycles and 300 bicycles to the 260 electoral wards in the state, to complement and facilitate the operations of the Forest Guards
54) Construction of the 76 Police Mobile Force Squadron Facility at Ekwegbe, Igbo-Etiti LGA
55) Procured five (5) IVM fire-fighting trucks for the five ultra modern fire service stations across the three senatorial districts of the state, newly constructed by Gov. Ugwuanyi’s administration, after 56 years.
56) Recruited 66 firefighters to the workforce of the state fire service and provided them with Personal Protecting Equipment (PPE) for safety, etc.
The count on his rural achievement where lives are touched can go on ad infinitum. Upon all these multitudinous rural strides, his development capacity in Enugu metropolis are still too many to mention.
Governor Ugwuanyi’s development strategies have brought Enugu State to the limelight of economic rating by many local and international bodies.
a) Rated as the second most advanced State in Nigeria on the Ease of Doing Business by the World Bank Group.
b) 9th best performing State in terms of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the year 2019.
c) Best State in the judicious utilization of the bailout funds (Senate Verdict).
d) Enugu listed alongside Lagos and Rivers as the only three states out of the 36 states of the federation that have fulfilled obligations to their workers (BudgIT).
e) Listed among the seven states that are solvent with impressive over 30 per cent Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to fund additional economic activities (Economic Confidential magazine verdict).
f) The fifth most competitive State in Nigeria, according to the National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria.
g) The third most debt sustainable State in Nigeria.
h) The first state in Nigeria to publish its Audited State Final Account for consecutive three years.
i) First in the South East geo-political zone and ninth in the country based on IGR as against Federal Allocation.
j) One of the twelve states in Nigeria that can survive without federal allocations.
Kindly note that, while Gov. Ugwuanyi has not been blowing his own trumpet, Ugwuanyi has subtly built the biggest network of political juggernauts that combines the strength of former governors Jim Nwobodo, Okwy Nwodo, Sullivan Chime and Nnamani. Without imposing himself on anyone, Ugwuanyi has deployed deft manoveures that has left opponents in awe of how he manages to win more friends without resorting to arm-twisting and violence, which appears to be the language of many governors, with security details and arms at their disposal.
To all these and many more he will do, we firmly believe that Enugu State is truly in the hands of God. Because it can only be God that can do these.
