Unfazed by Defection
Despite the defection of some prominent members of his party to the All Progressives Congress, Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, continues to impress with his performance, Davidson Iriekpen writes
The question, which governor in the South-east enjoys the widest support of his people is likely to yield a unanimous verdict - the governor of Enugu State. A testimony to his soaring popularity emerged last week when traders in the state under the auspices of the Enugu State Amalgamated Traders Association (ESAMATA) shut down markets for a solidarity rally in support of the good works of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is doing in transforming the state despite the severe economic challenges in the country.
The traders said they organised the rally to appreciate the governor’s empowerment programmes “carefully designed to assist the traders in Enugu State grow their businesses, improve their fortunes and stimulate the economy of the state. In unison, the traders endorsed the governor for re-election in 2019. They said that he had performed well in just two years in office despite the daunting economic challenges in the country and therefore, deserved another term of four years.
A week earlier, ESAMATA had advised residents to store food stuffs and other needed items ahead of the plan to shut-down the markets to celebrate Ugwuanyi, a decision, they said said, was unanimously taken among them. On the day of the rally, (last Thursday), just as they promised, the traders did not disappoint. Not only were all their shops shut, they practically shut down the state capital to express how happy and pleased they were with Ugwuanyi for his visionary leadership and the empowerment programme initiated by his administration, where 100 lucky traders win N50,000 each every month. The President-General of the traders’ union, Hon. Temple Ude, noted at the rally, that his policies “are most favourable to traders doing business in Enugu State.”
Ude added that the cordial relationship existing between the governor and traders in the state “is equal to none” when compared with what obtained in other states in Nigeria, especially in the south-east..
“Your excellency, no government in the past has ever attempted to establish the existing relationship between traders and government. Traders in Enugu State have resolved that if tenure elongation were democratic, they will sponsor a bill that Ugwuanyi should be cleared for a third term in office. We are happy that even with the current economic hardship you still positively navigate the affairs of the state for the betterment of the people of Enugu State. We have unanimously endorsed your re-election come 2019,” the president-general said to a huge applause.
Responding, the governor thanked the jubilant traders for the gesture of goodwill and solidarity and support, adding that he felt highly honoured that they shut down markets in the state to gather in their numbers “to show appreciation for the empowerment scheme that we launched for traders in Enugu State last February.” He explained that the Traders’ Empowerment Scheme designed to boost economic activities in the state and improve the lives of the ordinary members of the society, was consistent with his promise to deploy government resources and services to create fair and equal opportunity for everyone.
“We have indeed resolved to do all that is necessary to better the lot of traders in Enugu State. In this regard, I promise that we will never allow anyone to harass, oppress or exploit you as you go about your legitimate businesses. We are discussing with financial institutions, international corporations and other relevant organisations on the ways and means of extending easier and more convenient lines of credit and other facilities to traders in Enugu State,” Ugwuanyi stated.
While the common refrain for most governors is that the country’s economic downturn has hampered their capacity to fulfill their statutory obligations and campaign promises, Ugwuanyi continues to record remarkable achievements in all strata of human development especially in infrastructural and socio-economic development. The policy thrust of his administration remains focused on the grassroots and towards developing the rural areas to give the dwellers a sense of belonging and opening up such areas to create more urban centres for socio-economic expansion. Indeed, this commitment has informed the concentration of massive infrastructural projects in the most remote and hitherto neglected areas across the state’s 17 local government areas of the state. But apart from infrastructural development such as the over 35 capital projects being implemented simultaneously across the 17 council areas of the state, Ugwuanyi’s administration has recorded similar progress in other spheres of development. These are in education, where his government recently recruited additional 2,000 teachers and renovated over 200 schools; in agriculture, where output in rice production has grown to a remarkable level; mass housing, with a 100 units of one-bedroom apartment for civil servants below grade level 10. Equally significant is the fact that the government paid over 50 per cent equity contribution for the beneficiaries. Of course, employment generation, enhancing social services and good governance, are other areas the governor ranks high.
The strengthening of Neighbourhood Watch across the 17 local government areas with additional vehicles and security gadgets has also earned him generous applause. And so has the regular and prompt payment of salaries and pensions despite the economic challenges facing the country and some states of the federation.
The stream of eulogies continued last month as the governor commemorated his second year anniversary, the highlight of which was the inauguration of 26 development projects executed by his administration. The projects sited mostly in the rural areas were among the 35 flagged off simultaneously late last year across the local government areas, in line with the administration’s vision to open up the rural areas and create more urban centres for socioeconomic growth. Inaugurating the projects which comprised construction of twenty roads, two rural electrification scheme, four boreholes, Ugwuanyi, who was represented at the various sites by members of the state executive council, stated that the events were another practical demonstration of his administration’s determination and capacity to fulfill its promises to the people of the state, despite the severe economic constraints facing the country.
According to him, “on October 15, 2016 and in fulfillment of the promise of the state government to execute a development project worth at least N100 million in each of the 17 local government areas of the state, we simultaneously flagged off the execution of vital projects such as roads, water, electricity and others, in all the 17 local government areas of the state.”
It’s no surprise then that such impressive scorecard has resulted in a smooth working relationship between the executive and both the legislature and judiciary. This was evident recently as the state’s chief judge, Justice Ngozi Emehelu, commended the governor for his swift resolution of the recent strike action embarked upon by the state’s Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).
Speaking at the premises of the state high court complex during the inauguration of 250kva and 150kva sound-proof generators approved by the state government to boost steady power supply to the courts, Justice Emehelu noted that the governor’s approval of 50 per cent payment of the Consolidated Judiciary Salary Structure (CONJUSS) to workers in the judiciary union has restored industrial harmony in the state. She also remarked that the prevailing harmonious working relationship between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary is testament to the governor’s “able leadership,” adding that this has engendered mutual respect, peace and unity.
Instructively, Ugwuanyi has won acclaim even from across party lines as was the case recently when the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria, Chief Osita Okechukwu, a chieftain of the APC praised the governor for what he described as his “bipartisan approach to governance.”
Okechukwu, often a staunch critic of the opposition PDP, the governor’s political platform, stated this during a courtesy visit to the Government House, Enugu, by members of the Implementation Committee for the proposed ICT University to be sited in Enugu. “We’ are happy because whatever comes to Enugu State you always show your support and have demonstrated a bipartisan approach to governance. That shows that you take everyone in Enugu as yours and do not discriminate,” he said.
A similar sentiment was shared by the chairman and chief executive officer of Air Peace Limited, Chief Allen Onyema, who described Ugwuanyi as a visionary and forward-thinking governor who has assembled technocrats to help him in making the right choices for his people. Onyema made the statement at the Government House, Enugu when he paid a courtesy visit to the governor over his company’s plan to use the Enugu International Airport as its operational hub in Nigeria and Africa.
“We have in Ugwuanyi the best governor in the South-east. He is very visionary, he has brought many technocrats together to think about what he will do for his people. So, we want to align ourselves with his dreams and that is why we decided to choose Enugu Airport among all the airports in Nigeria for our business investment,” Onyema said.
Indeed, the governor’s favourite line that “Enugu is open for business” is by no means a mere campaign rhetoric. It is driven by the conviction that given the right policies, Enugu will attract ample foreign investments. This zeal has been yielding some dividends lately, the most recent emerging during the visit of the United States Commercial Counselor, Brent Omadahl, who led a delegation from his country to the state. He applauded the friendly business environment in the state under the governor, saying that the state had become a destination for investment. The envoy said that the US was ready to invest in Enugu State particularly in the area of solar energy under Public Private Partnership (PPP), adding that one of the aims of the visit was to follow up discussion on a solar energy factory which a US firm, Dusable Investment, planned to build in Nachi and which, when completed, would generate electricity and provide employment.
In view of Ugwuanyi’s impressive two years, what then could be the basis for some of the high profile defections seen lately from his party to the APC? The plausible answer lies in politics. To the politically-ambitious, the governor’s rising profile and endorsements can only imply one thing: their plan to take over power from him will simply not materialize.
Indeed, the governor’s favourite line that “Enugu is open for business”is by no means a mere campaign rhetoric. It is driven by the conviction that given the right policies, Enugu will attract ample foreign investments