It was Socrates, that inimitable ancient Greece philosopher who admonished men of good conscience to always attempt to discover the truth in every matter before hastening a position. This admonition holds true till today. The consequences of buzzing with tales that has potentials for harming rather healing the polity can be overwhelming and devastating. Admittedly, critical issues around governance are not without some underpinnings. But it is incumbent on the people whose interests are largely being served by the government to always use their tongue to count their teeth even after listening to the government position. In other words, objective analysis of the issues presented is desirable to build a consensus and a harmonious society which Ugwuanyi led administration embodies. Taking hasty steps to condemn every actions of the government simply because one does not agree with such action is not only unhealthy but retards participatory democracy.
Admittedly again, democracy means that the power of government derives from the mandate of the people. And so, while the people would demand good governance from it’s elected representatives, the people must also exhibit meaningful understanding and patience to listen to their leaders to explain perceived missteps. In the era of citizenship journalism, government can no longer afford to misstep, but as co-builders of the socio-political space, both citizens and government must always demonstrate high level of understanding of issues rather than engage in destructive tactics especially from the citizens.
This writer is actually mindful that the government of Enugu State led by a people oriented personae have always demonstrated candor and tact when determining issues that will impact positively on the people. The recent #EndSARS protests around the country Enugu metropolis inclusive might be regarded as a blessing in disguise. While the people expressed their frustration on the unfortunate issues of police brutality, they attempted to connect the issues of police missteps with bad governance. While the protests seemed germain, the misguided elements among the protesting youths saw it as an avenue to vent their spleen as it were on critical public infrastructures. Bus shelters around the Enugu metropolis was one such infrastructures that was uprooted and destroyed by the misguided protesters. In a rare share of courage and understanding of the importance of these shelters to the commuting public, governor Ugwuanyi led administration moved swiftly to replace the damaged shelters and went further to reconstruct the unaffected to even a better and standardized structure befitting of a Mega city which Enugu has blossomed into since the emergence of Gov. Ugwuanyi on the saddle. It could not be gain said that governor Ugwuanyi is an understanding leader.
Now to the issues surrounding the demolition of the bus shelter around Meniru axis, there was a reported incident of a Road Traffic Accident (RTA) involving a bus that rammed into the identified shelter and destroyed a section of the structure. Now, would the people desire to be taking shelter in a destroyed facility?. No responsible government will sit to watch a critical infrastructure destroyed by the acts of man without doing something about it. It must be understood that the government of Ugwuanyi had already expended reasonable funds constructing such shelters in the first place after the effects of #EndSars including the recently destroyed one in Meniru. So, why would the people through social media buzzing attack a genuine government approach to remove the destroyed shelter completely while it plans to erect another one in it’s stead? When has misperception of government policies overtaken our sense of good reasons? When has it become part of our culture to stand logic on it’s head, simply because we do not like the face of a leader or so it seems.
Governor Ugwuanyi knows his onions in government. He has demonstrated this overtime and would never relent until he bequeaths Ndi Enugu with a society every individual no matter his or her political or religious bent would be proud of. Certainly Enugu State is in the hands of God.
Bibian Anekwe News..added..Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results
Written by
Emma Chukwu
A Political analyst
Media Team Member: Enugu di n’akachukwu movement
