Once again, Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has demonstrated that he is a leader who cares for the welfare of his subjects. How else can one describe his more than breezy response as soon as news filtered in to him that some uncountable state citizens from Igbo-Etiti and Nsukka Local Government Areas have been affected by a fire disaster which emanated from using what has been confirmed as adulterated petroleum products which found its way in the aforementioned area of the state. Governor Ugwuanyi who was on official assignment outside Enugu State promptly directed the state Commissioner for health as well as the Permanent Secretary in the same ministry, Dr. Ikechukwu Obi and Dr. Ifeanyi Agujiobi respectively to visit with despatch the victims of the unfortunate fire incident with a view to ascertaining the level of damage to lives and properties of the affected victims. It galled the state Chief Executive to no end that at a time, the global community is yet to dispense with the effects of COVID-19 pandemic and other health challenges, his subjects could be subjected to such an unfortunate and uncommon misfortune via the handiwork of some unscrupulous citizens.
Ugwuanyi did not just stop at dishing out directives to the aforementioned officials of the state ministry of health, he seemed like a man in a state of unrest even as he navigated his official assignment outside the state quickly, just so that he could see things for himself as a capacity leader. Going by his antecedents in previous incidences that affected Enugu State citizens, not quite a few were surprised by his sincere interest in the lives of his subjects as well as his platinum interventions in each case to ameliorate the sufferings of the victims of any disaster. Ugwuanyi is a caring leader par excellence!
Now to the basics. Ugwuanyi is an example of a leader who wears humility like a garb. The manner he visited the surviving victims in the hospital bed to bed, ward to ward, you can almost cut his palpable concerns he had for the victims of the unfortunate incident with a knife. Feeling thoroughly agitated, he had earlier directed full scale investigations into the circumstances surrounding the arrival and distribution of the deadly substance that wallowed lives and properties of the citizens to such degree while tasking the health Commissioner to provide the best medical services to the victims no matter the cost.
How else does one show care and love for his people?. Gov Ugwuanyi is the people’s governor and he feels his people’s pains no matter how small the pain is. He is the governor of the small and the mighty and feels their pain equally.
Not long ago, he visited the families of the slain police officers in the hands of the unknown gun men. He not fully empathized with them, he showed them support and affection in a tangible manner. Gov Ugwuanyi have never ran short of empathy and care and that is why we call him Mr Empathy. Truly, Enugu State is in the hand of God.
Bibian Anekwe News added – “Leaders must display their Humanness. Those under their Authority must be empowered and have the courage to engage in honest dialogue”.
Written by
Leonard Ugwu
A Political Analyst
Media Team Member of ENUGU DI N’AKACHUKWU MOVEMENT