Assessing Governor Ugwuanyi’s Leadership in Enugu
Enyi Idike
The success and failure of a people largely depend on the quality and philosophy of their leadership. Little wonder why the Bible says in Proverbs 29:2 that when good people are in power, the people rejoice but when the wicked are in power, the people groan. In Enugu State today, a good man is in power. Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s first tenure as governor of Enugu has been very beneficial to the good people of the state and marked by extraordinary feats in the midst of the prevailing harsh economic conditions bedevilling the country. It takes extraordinary intellect, keen vision, passion, hard work and great leadership to engender such good governance. Looking at the prevailing state of governance in Enugu State today, one can safely say that the people are blessed.
When the immediate past governor of the state, Sullivan Chime, anointed Governor Ugwuanyi as his successor, majority of the people of Enugu State hailed Governor Chime’s decision not because they were convinced of the leadership qualities of Governor Ugwuanyi at the state governance level, but largely due to his achievements while serving as an Honourable member representing a federal constituency in Enugu State at the National Assembly and for the fact that Governor Ugwuanyi was seen as having a good and caring heart and also was perceived as a man of the people. It was apparently due to the latter that he was politically christened “Gburugburu” which epitomises a person who is great and whose kindness radiates “everywhere” and on “everyone”. As his reign indicates, Governor Ugwuanyi is a great and intelligent leader who is interested in results and whose leadership qualities have triggered socio-economic development and impacted positively on the people of Enugu State. In this regard, the immediate past governor, Chime, deserves commendation for his imaginative presentation of Governor Ugwuanyi. Enugu State is not new to such successful presentations. In fact, Governor Sullivan Chime was also a great success in Enugu State and was a dark horse when he was presented as governor by his predecessor, but posted an impressive performance in Enugu State.
The performance of Governor Ugwuanyi is quite interesting and peculiar because he was the first from Enugu North (Nsukka senatorial zone) under the current rotational arrangement in Enugu State, to take up the mantle of leadership in recent times. The question has been whether an Nsukka man can perform but this question has been put to rest with the incredible performance and disciplined governance style of Governor Ugwuanyi. He has made Nsukka people proud and created an indelible record for himself in the sands of time. I have visited Enugu regularly since Governor Ugwuanyi became the governor of Enugu State and had waited to be sure that the governor had a sustainable economic plan and strategies to generate the desired developmental changes in Enugu State before I can express my thoughts about his government.
Governor Ugwuanyi has delivered a great performance on poverty alleviation generally in Enugu State but the most remarkable is the regular payment of workers’ salaries and clearance of pension arrears. My investigations show that workers in Enugu State receive their salaries on the 23rd day of each month. In the current dispensation in Nigeria, several states are owing several months in workers’ salaries. It is interesting that while Enugu State is amongst the states with low federal allocations, Governor Ugwuanyi has managed the resources very well and maintained a regular payment of workers’ salaries. This is a clear demonstration of exceptional leadership, discipline, efficiency and humanity to the suffering masses. The governor also approved the payment of the prestigious but rare 13th month to workers in Enugu State in order to further alleviate human suffering and motivate the workforce for superior performance.
In the area of development of critical infrastructure, Governor Ugwuanyi equally posted an outstanding performance across the state. In Nsukka, his construction of the Opi-Nsukka Road is legendary and shows his large heart. Governor Ugwuanyi clearly demonstrated with the Opi-Nsukka Road that charity begins at home. Enugu State Government has now deepened its existence and impact on Nsukka people. If their son did not remember them, who would? Governor Ugwuanyi has demonstrated that rotational governance is good in Enugu State as it ensures widespread development and, arguably, key to Nigeria’s even development. Previously, the Opi-Nsukka Road was not given great attention despite its sensitive position as harbouring the prestigious University of Nigeria and the residence of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria’s first president. This has now been addressed by Governor Ugwuanyi for posterity in the form of a dual carriageway that starts from Opi and terminates at the entrance of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Critics might argue that he is giving Nsukka more attention but Nsukka has suffered neglect over the years in the area of infrastructural development. The reality is that Governor Ugwuanyi has replicated such efforts in other parts of Enugu State.
Governor Ugwuanyi developed an admirable economic blueprint in Enugu State, a strategy that is targeted at making Enugu State an investment hub in Nigeria. The hosting of ‘Oganiru Enugu’ was quite remarkable and commendable and became the first Enugu State investment summit ever. Governor Ugwuanyi’s investment drives have yielded good dividends in the number of foreign direct investments he has attracted to Enugu State. The governor has maintained a good security network that provides a buffer for investments and business activities.
Governor Ugwuanyi enthroned an unprecedented traffic management system in Enugu State by instituting a traffic control in Enugu. While I drove around in Enugu recently, I decided to test the character of the traffic wardens by driving on a side lane to beat the traffic. The traffic wardens accosted me and I stopped. They gently directed me to join the lane. Ordinarily, I had expected them to arrest me and tow away my vehicle. I was surprised that none of such things happened. That was a culture of service engineered by quality leadership.
For his great performance in Enugu State, the governor mainly attributes his successes to God. He declares all the time that Enugu State is in the hands of God. I agree! Enugu is actually in the hands of God and God has used Governor Ugwuanyi, a great leader, to bless the people of Enugu State. I urge the governor to remain focused especially in his upcoming second term which the majority agrees he has worked very hard to merit.