Ugwuanyi: Advancing peace, development @ 57

By Louis Amoke

Seven key attributes define his life story: faith in God, peacefulness, humility, compassion, discipline, vision and forbearance. Attaining 57 years of age on March 20, His Excellency, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, has carved an enviable niche for himself as an outstanding leader with a unique governance philosophy.

Ugwuanyi, fondly known as ‘Gburugburu’, habitually appreciates and acknowledges his beloved ‘God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob and the awesome God of David’, for the bold statement the Almighty has decreed in his life odyssey. His peers readily acknowledge this strikingly humble trait.

A leader who stresses consensus, widely recognised by all for his commitment to peace, development and wellbeing of the people, especially the lowly and less privileged, Gov. Ugwuanyi has gone down in history as a phenomenon that stands tall among his contemporaries and tells the story that life is better enjoyed on side of the above attributes.

Assuming office in 2015, at a time the state’s resources were growing leaner because of the nation’s adverse economic realities, Ugwuanyi was undaunted and resolute in his steadfastness to build Enugu State of the founding fathers’ dreams, where peace, harmony, inclusive governance and rapid development hold sway.

The governor’s sheer determination to alleviate the sufferings of the people and make life more meaningful for them, against all odds, gave birth to his administration’s rural development policy aimed at taking democracy dividends to the doorsteps of the rural dwellers.

His driving focus remains remembering the long-neglected, reconnecting the rural dwellers with the realities of governance and addressing the hydra-headed imbalance between urban and rural populace in terms of distribution of infrastructure and other basic amenities.

Besides the nation’s economic meltdown, the governor when he assumed office, also inherited a huge debt profile and other wage bills to be serviced. At that time, 27 states, excluding Enugu, could not pay workers’ salaries, let alone embark on capital projects.

Governors resorted to bailout funds to meet up with high demands of governance.  What was more challenging was their inability to access the nation’s excess crude oil funds, which enabled their predecessors to execute capital projects and address other sundry public needs.

In spite of all these, Ugwuanyi was able to lead Enugu State out of the woods and attain enviable heights as one of the most peaceful and safest sates in Nigeria as well as being among the six economically viable states in the country that can survive without federal allocations.

Enugu State, with no oil, under Gov. Ugwuanyi’s watch, was also rated as the second most advanced state in Nigeria, on the Ease of Doing Business by the World Bank Group; one of the only three states out of the 36 states of the federation that have fulfilled obligations to their workers (BudgIT) and among the seven states that are solvent with impressive over 30 percent Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to fund additional economic activities (Economic Confidential magazine verdict).

It is on record that Enugu is in the list of the few states that commenced payment of N30, 000 new minimum wage to their workers without any form of rancour, in January 2020. It is also on record that Ugwuanyi’s administration has invested huge resources in road infrastructure, covering about 680km, largely concentrated in the rural areas.

Looking at history, Ugwuanyi is the only governor of Enugu State to witness two economic recessions in five years of his administration, the recent #EndSars protests and a pandemic (COVID-19) that has brought a major setback to the entire world in terms of growth and development, coupled with other challenges.

The construction of the state’s first flyover bridge, a landmark project, has commenced at the intractable Abakpa Nike/T-Junction road, to ease the traffic gridlock in the area. His administration has also made huge investments in other sectors of development, such as health, education, security, investment promotion, agriculture, workers’ welfare and empowerment, etc.

For instance, the Ugwuanyi administration has constructed and renovated district hospitals and health centres in the state, especially in the rural areas under the primary healthcare programme.

It has massively rehabilitated and transformed the former Colliery Hospital Enugu, with the construction of new structures, which is now designated as the Enugu State Infectious Disease Hospital, for isolation and treatment of patients with infectious diseases.

In Education, besides recruiting over 5000 primary and secondary school teachers, Ugwuanyi’s administration has constructed, renovated and equipped 1,205 classroom blocks and other school projects under ENSUBEB. It procured and distributed over 50,000 classroom furniture and other learning tools for primary school children and their teachers.

On workers’ welfare, Ugwuanyi, who has been widely adjudged as one of the most labour-friendly governors in Nigeria, is known for his administration’s prompt and regular payment of workers’ salaries and retirees’ pensions, among other incentives.

In his peacefulness, despite the nation’s avalanche of challenges, Ugwuanyi has continued to spearhead and advance peace in Enugu State in a rare, dignified manner.

In actualising this peace, Ugwuanyi has invested and sacrificed a lot. The governor has no enemy and has continued to pay the ultimate price for peace to reign in the state, and history will forever remember him for spearheading and institutionalising such campaign that is extremely critical to the progress of the state.

His simplicity, goodwill, open-door policy, tolerance, compassion in uplifting the downtrodden and direct contact with everyone, irrespective of class or status, are eloquent testimonies to his sophisticated background as a humble leader.

As a man of conscience, Gov. Ugwuanyi, through his life’s journey experience and encounter with the people, has proved to be someone who does not forget the past or where he is coming from. He appreciates friendship, brotherhood and any deed of goodwill from people.

A case study in mind is the governor’s rare leadership role in reinvigorating the political expedition of the former Governor of Enugu State, Senator Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani. The senator, after he left office as governor, was confronted with stern challenges that almost retired him from active politics. But Ugwuanyi ensured that he returned to the senate in 2019.

Nnamani as governor of Enugu State in 2003 and leader of Ebeano political family was instrumental to Ugwuanyi venturing into active politics as the member representing Igbo-Eze North/Udenu Federal Constituency in the National Assembly.

Speaking when he visited Ugwuanyi at the Government House Enugu, for the first time after 12 years he left office, Nnamani thanked the governor for his benevolence, display of conscience, and for “giving me a second chance”, saying: “Ugwuanyi has wiped my tears”.

Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, who described Gov. Ugwuanyi as “a symbol of peace” and frowned at the handiwork of political jobbers, when he led stakeholders of Enugu West Senatorial District to pay a solidarity visit to the governor, pronounced that they will continue to stand by Ugwuanyi to ensure that he advances and actualises his peace and development initiatives for the state.

Besides, virtually all leaders of political, religious, traditional and socio-economic institutions in Enugu State and beyond are unanimous in their positive stance on Gov. Ugwuanyi’s peace and good governance initiatives.

As Gov. Ugwuanyi clocks 57 years, it is worth noting that despite the avalanche of economic, security and public health challenges, he has kept faith with his core vision to “deploy government services to create fair and equal opportunity for every willing citizen to make a living and create wealth, educate our children, and enjoy life in a peaceful and secure environment”. Happy Birthday, Your Excellency!

• Amoke writes from Enugu