Every responsible leader has a mental picture of how he or she intends to improve the society he or she finds himself/herself. It is one thing to aspire a leadership position, another to have a clear picture of true values to governance and yet another the will to transform every idea or vision into reality. Not quite a few have been enamored by Rt. Honorable Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s vision to transform the entire landscape of Enugu State via his conscious interventions in rural – urban development.
Perhaps, Gov. Ugwuanyi remains arguably the most important leader Enugu state has been fortunate to have to pay serious attention to the issues of rural development. By initiating and following through in his rural development agenda, many rural communities which felt forgotten and abandoned in the past by successive governments. Road construction vis-a-vis social amenities have been considered very important factors in stemming rural urban migration. Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has not left any in doubt that his government is determined to make life worthwhile in the hinterlands. It is important to note, that traveling to most rural communities in the time past was a herculean adventure many would rather not wish for. A journey of few kilometers from the cities have always had their tolls on poor commuters, drivers and their vehicles. One would usually weep on the state of most rural roads, the state of rickety vehicles that ply it and the many man hours and lives wasted due to poor state of these roads.
Governor Ugwuanyi while taking his oath of office during his first term of office declared before the mammoth crowd which gathered to witness his inauguration and I quote,… “I will take the issues of rural development in Enugu state very seriously. While I traversed the length and breath of this state during my electioneering campaign, I was greatly perturbed by the poor state of the rural communities I visited. It is little wonder, why the city centers are brimming with people leaving the vast rural areas with economic want and neglect. Now dear people of Enugu State, hear it now – my government is ever determined to change all that for good. The rural communities are part of us too. We must do all in our powers to salvage the situation and halt the rural urban migration”, our amiable governor concluded.
Ever since that heart warming declaration, Governor Ugwuanyi has fired from all cylinders to realize this singular noble objective. And so, it was the turn of the Neke-Mbu-Ogbodu Abba-Obollo Etiti community corridors as governor Ugwuanyi inaugurates the newly asphalted 22.443km linking these communities and which was awarded under the Phase one roads of the Rural Access and Mobility Project (#RAMP-2) in the state.
Inaugurating this strategic rural road which connects Isi-Uzo and Udenu Local Government Areas of the state, Mr. Fulfillment maintained that the project was in line with his administration’s rural development agenda and stressed that the road will lessen the burden experienced by the people inhabiting communities along this axis, stimulate economic growth and would help to ease the movement of goods and persons commuting therefrom while “advancing our administration’s rural connectivity and integrated development strategy”.
It is important to remark that all these strides do not come on a platter. Enugu state is fortunate to have a leader whose second nature is service. Despite the global economic downturn, Governor Ugwuanyi has ensured fiscal discipline and has deployed scarce resources to the most critical areas for maximum impact on the people. By partnering with global developmental agencies like the World Bank and the French Development Agency (AFD), Enugu State has remained on course to turn the fortunes of Ndi Enugu around. Interestingly, it has been commendation galore for Governor Ugwuanyi and his administration.
The National Coordinator for Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAMP) and Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), Federal Project Management Unit (FPMU), Abuja, Engr. Aminu Bodinga Mohammed, lauded Gov. Ugwuanyi for his administration’s performance of Enugu RAMP-2 which successfully constructed a total of 417.682km rural roads against the set target of 370km.
Engr. Mohammed also noted that the administration of Gov. Ugwuanyi has always paid its counterpart funds and has been able to construct a total of 23 River Crossings against the set target of 16. Not done, Engr. Mohammed praised the government of Ugwuanyi for completing about 270km of roads within 11 months.
Enugu State remains in the hands of God. Enugu is working! QED!
BIBIAN ANEKWE NEWS…ADDED…Development is about transforming the lives of people, not just transforming economies
Written by
Austin Okechukwu Chijioke
Public Affairs Commentator
Member, Enugu di n’aka Chukwu movement
