By Chidi Wilfred
It was the philosophical Soren Kokegarde who said “an individual is the substance in a human person”.
Suffice it to say that the term ‘personality’ can actually be defined as the characteristic sets of behaviours, cognitions and emotional patterns that evolve from biological and environmental factors.
Even psychology, as a discipline, has boldly attempted to explain the tendencies that underlie differences in behaviour.
The above can further be narrated from the role of an artist which is to reveal the intents of the soul. Every artist is a channel and every person is equally as good as an artist.
Some special individuals are simply more aware of this than others.
According to the Holy Bible, in Matthew 5 vs 9, in what is known as The Beatitudes, it reads “Blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be called sons of god”.
The Executive Governor of Enugu State and a progeny of the Ebean Dynasty, Rt. Hon. Lawrence Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has always unconsciously provoked nolstagic feelings through events in his daily routine as father of south-eastern Nigeria’s most peaceful state and as a peace-maker.
Metaphorically applying the concept of Ubuntu, the former governor of the state Sullivan Chime on September 18, 2020, paid a visit to his immediate predecessor and father of the Ebeano Family, Senator Dr Chimaroke Nnamani, at his country home of Ojiagu Agbani, Nkanu west local government, in what can be tagged “the return of the prodigal son” but, for obvious, important reasons, the tag “the return of the prodigal hero” will do just fine., because of the unusual celebration which that move has given birth to.
However, this can be understood when it is deeply considered that not all past governors of the state have explored peace and dialogue as a glue to hold things together, since the creation of the state 1991 to this day. To emphasise this, the people of Enugu have become more united than ever under Ugwuanyi’s uniting gaze. To wit, this has earned him a pass-mark with the electorate, as the people are far from interested in assessing him through the eyes of past administrations but via terms exclusive to his making and style of administration.
Clearly, Gburus, as he is fondly called, has done things differently and Ndi-Enugu love him for it.
This explains the reason for the wild jubilation which greeted the solidarity outing by Nnamani and members of his Ebeano political family to the Lion Building to see one of their own.
The Ebeano political empire, a massive and impactful machinery which the senator, while he was governor from 1999 to 2007, used to stamp his leadership personality in the minds of Ndi-Enugu and has remained evergreen.
By erecting highly visible structures and his unusual style of political patronage, raising uncountable youth leaders on the state’s political scene – most from the scratch – till this day, virtually all political observers in the state would easily recall that the Ebeano ideology has spawned not a few political mighty men in the state. Dr Ike Ekweremmadu, Senators Ayogu Eze and Gilbert Nnaji, as well as Sullivan Chime and many others who were set on a pedestal by Nnamani via his Ebeano movement proudly hold a flag for Ebeano till this day.
Ugwuanyi has won like always, another applause from the communities in Enugu and the Ebeano political dynasty, because at such a time when the products of the movement rose, he did not only rise to be counted, he outshone them all. If, perchance, there was any member of the movement absent from Lion Building on September 19, 2020, it was totally of their choosing.
Ugwuanyi has, once again, pointed the necessary way forward in the state’s political arithmetic.
The solidarity outing by the movement further redefined the permutations for 2023 governorship elections and echoed the thoughts of Ndi Enugu.
Finally, the Ebeano outing has cleared all doubts and re-affirmed the glaring truth that Governor Ugwuanyi remains the only lion in the Lion Building.
Chidi Wilbred is a member of Enugu West General Assembly, EWGA, Udi LGA Chapter
