Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has, in recent months, shown that governing is beyond rhetorics, blowing the commonwealth, making empty promises and jumping from one country to another to “look for investors”. Leadership SCORECARD looks at how.
Coronavirus is here amongst us and it is something we have all had to deal with. It is in such times that the saying “uneasy lies the head that wears the crown” truly comes into play.
It is proven that there is no right or wrong way of responding to the virus beyond staying safe by maintaining strict personal hygiene regiment, respecting/keeping social distance. It has become important for leaders to show that they care for theirs and can do something (if any) to contain the spread and ensure that the states they govern are not brought to their feet.
Leadership SCORECARD has followed the governor’s response from when Enugu State recorded her first case. This prompt response and handling of the 70-year-old woman’s case by the Parklane Hospital Enugu – after she had been rejected by the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Ituku Ozalla – was a fine indication of the Ugwuanyi administration’s proactiveness, commitment and readiness to control and contain the spread of the virus.
As the virus continued its dreadful march around the world, the State Executive Council approved the immediate release of N330 million for proactive, preventive and management measures against the spread of the virus. In the same vein, the government ordered the closure of schools, markets, banned all social gatherings, provided dedicated phone numbers to report suspected cases and other measures to stem the spread of the pandemic.
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, on Tuesday 5th of May, designated and repurposed the facility at its state-of-the-art medical diagnostic center in Enugu to enhance the state’s preparedness and capacity for isolation and treatment of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) patients, should the state experience a proliferation of the disease.
He moved on to insure the lives of the ones who take care of those who are ill, by approving immediate provision of Group Life/GroupPersonal Accident Assurance Policy for all medical doctors in the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Teaching Hospital, Parklane, Enugu; fire fighters, doctors in the state ministry of health, health workers and staff of the State Emergency Management Agency (ESEMA).
On March 26, the governor directed all chairmen and presidents-general of all town unions in the state to mobilise volunteers and town criers in their respective communities to enlighten residents to adhere to the protocol for prevention of the pandemic. This has galvanised community-based machinery to help with the measures at the health centres, homes, churches, communities, markets, villages and others at the grassroots level. Another group that has pitched in include; 17 local government chairmen, 260 councilors, supervisory councillors, local government health personnel, community leaders and others (dedicated to the distribution of buckets, soaps, hand gloves, facial masks and some food items to the people with the emphasis that Coronavirus is real and prevention is better than cure).
Following this feat, the Ugwuanyi’s administration upped the ante by distributing one million free face masks to residents spread across 17 local governments of the state. More importantly, the masks were sewn by over 30,000 youths. For them, it is a huge source of empowerment and an opportunity to show that, contrary to popular opinion, young people in the state are not idle; they just lack opportunity.
On April 1, 2020, the Enugu State Government approved the use of the ultra-modern Enugu State Medical Diagnostics Centre as additional Covid-19 Isolation and Treatment Centre. Hot on the heels of that move followed the activation of a fully functional Coronavirus Disease Isolation and treatment centre equipped with modern facilities at Enugu State University Teaching Hospital Parklane, Enugu.
Ugwuanyi’s administration, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), donated some food items to the major church groups in Enugu State, for onward distribution to their vulnerable and poor members. The benefiting church groups were the Catholic Dioceses of Enugu, Nsukka and Awgu; the Anglican Dioceses of Enugu and Nsukka Communions, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and the Internal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim.
Chairman of the Enugu State Emergency/Palliatives Committee and Deputy Governor of the State, Hon. Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, said that the relief materials were to cushion the effects of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) lockdown on the people of the state, especially the lowly, vulnerable groups and the poorest of the poor.
Ezeilo pointed out that the state government is not unmindful of the untold hardship the people of the state are passing through as a result of the lockdown, stressing that the food items will go a long way to mitigate their plight and enable them stay safe. The Emergency/Palliatives Committee has also distributed part of the food items to security agencies in the state.
“His Excellency, our dear governor is passionate and concerned about the safety, health and wellbeing of the people of this state. Since this COVID-19 lockdown started, he has ensured that the spread of the disease is contained and that the people, most especially, the vulnerable groups, the poorest of the poor in our society are assisted with food items and other palliatives.
“Today, we are distributing these food items to poor and vulnerable members in our churches through their women associations to cushion the effects of this pandemic in their lives,” she said.
Also present were the Commissioner for Information, Nnanyelugo Chidi Aroh; Commissioner for Gender Affairs & Social Development, Rt. Hon. Princess Peace Nnaji; Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon. Matthew Idu; Commissioner for Finance, Mrs. Adaonah Kene-Uyanwune; Commissioner for Special Duties, Mrs. Mabel Agbo; Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Engr. Mike Ogbuekwe and the Executive Secretary of Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Nkechi Eneh, amongst others.
The food items presented include rice, oil, tomato paste, ‘semo’ and noodles, among others.
The beneficiaries laughed, danced and showed others what they got. They will never forget the governor’s gesture, as long as they live, because it could not have come at a better time.
In a bid to ensure that it covers the welfare of everyone offering essential services and fulfill its promises to all journalists in the state, the state government reached out to the Radio Television Theatre Art Workers Union (RATTAWU) in the state.
At this point, even the governor’s ardent critics were awed and wondering what he and his cabinet were up to.
Sadly, the palliatives meant for the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists was suspended. The union could not provide a unified, authentic list.
“Our principal objective of this government is to ensure the security and welfare of the people, as well as our policy of keeping in touch with the people. It was not a political promise; it was one borne out of concern and the need to do what is right, just and socially acceptable,” Ezeilo said, during the presentation.
Ezeilo eulogized the journalists for their ardent coverage and publication of the government’s activities all day, week, month and year, giving them kudos for letting the people in the state, home and abroad, know that the government is doing. She called the relationship between the government and the media a “relationship”.
She said: “this partnership is working and we believe it will continue to work. If you do not disseminate what the government is doing, the masses will not know what we are doing. This is especially so at this moment we need to enlighten our people on the precautionary measures and protocol for containment of the spread of COVID-19, as directed and advised by the Federal Government, state government, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Enugu State Ministry of Health”.
Responding on behalf of members of RATTAWU, the chairman of the association, Comrade Ndudi Chude, thanked Gov. Ugwuanyi “for this gesture at this auspicious time”, commended the governor and his team for “their dogged fight against this pandemic” and urged them “not to relax on their oars”, further pointing out that the food items “will go a very long way to fight another pandemic, the hunger virus”.
Also present were other members of the Emergency/Palliatives Committee; Chairman, House Committee on Health, Hon. Sam Ngene, Chairman, House Committee on Information, Hon. Jeff Mbah; the Commissioner for Information, Nnanyelugo Chidi Aroh; Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Engr. Mike Ogbuekwe and the State Director, Code of Conduct Bureau, Mrs. Ifeoma Ijetta.
Having began with giving the state’s most vulnerable a sense of belonging and a cushion for the hard times, the state government continued.
This time, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Services and the Tertiary Education Trust (TET) Fund, it spread the love to ‘Keke’ and ‘okada’ riders, as well as members of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state.
Next stop was Enugu East, North and West Senatorial Districts.
The teams to make the distribution were led by the Chairman, House of Assembly Committee on Health, Hon. Sam Ngene and a chairman, House of Assembly Committee on Information, Hon. Jeff Mbah led the state government’s team to Enugu East and West Senatorial Districts, respectively, for the separate events which were witnessed by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Uche Ugwu; the Chief Whip, Hon. Jane Eneh; Rt. Hon. Chuka Eneh (Udi South), Hon. Chinedu Otaka (Aninri), Udi LGA Chairman, Hon. Ifeanyi Agu, the Executive Secretary of SEMA Nkechi Eneh, among others.
The Keke riders in Enugu metropolis also received free 1000 face masks produced by the state government, using fabrics supplied and sewed by indigenous traders and trained tailors respectively as a means of socio-economic empowerment.
Similar palliatives were recently distributed to Keke riders at the three Senatorial Districts of Enugu State alongside the Okada Riders and National Union of Road Transport Workers, as part of the state government’s measures to cushion the effect of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) lockdown on its residents.
Receiving the items on behalf of his members, the State Chairman of the Tricycle (keke) Riders Association, Comrade Benjamin Ikah, expressed delight at Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s benevolence and passionate interest in the welfare of the people, especially the less privileged.
Comrade Ikah, who disclosed that “today is not the first day His Excellency, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is remembering us”, stressed that the governor has been consistent in assisting the Keke riders to thrive in their business.
“We are always happy with this present administration in Enugu State. It seems we are always the first when it comes to what goes to the less privileged, especially those of us who are struggling to make ends meet. We cannot thank His Excellency enough for remembering us in this difficult time,” he said.
Seeing as the number of cases increased, the governor made a final, clinical move. On March 31, 2020, at 6pm, he ordered the commencement of a strict implementation of the closure of boundaries, markets and inter-state transportation, with the exemption of those on medical emergency services, those dealing on food items, water, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and other basic items of daily domestic needs.
God so kind, at this point, the Federal Government had issued a directive that all land boundaries be closed and inter-state transportation be banned.
Ugwuanyi’s administration moved to ensure that the directives were followed and occasionally, visits the Enugu-Benue, Enugu-Abia, Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, Enugu-Ebonyi boundaries.
As news of more people trying to violate the lockdown and breach the state’s boundaries continued to emerge, the governor decided to increase the number of visits and, once, upon visiting Awgu Local Government, he charged its chairman, Hon. Pedro Okwudili Nwankwo and the security apparatus on duty to enforce total restrictions, in the overall public interest.
To make the boundaries water-tight, he called for joint effort from security agencies, council chairmen, youths and neighborhood watch groups in Udenu, Igbo-Eze North and Nsukka local government areas to pitch and, with that, many vehicles have been intercepted before they get to the state.
It is safe to say that Gov. Ugwuanyi has shown great leadership tinted with humanness. Once, we were talking about his love for peace and how he went around the state calling on all to shun violence. Having achieved that, he dedicated himself to ensuring the state is safe and the virus does not assume dimensions which will put the state in confusion and wreak untold havoc.
It would have been easy for naysayers to say the governor is a public apologist aiming for window-dress, heading into an election. Happily, that is not so. The people of Enugu are mighty glad that is not the issue.
As a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BOT), Amb. Mrs. Justina Eze, put it aptly, the governor has “demonstrated the highest level of sensitivity and commitment to the safety and wellbeing of the people of our dear state”.
