DEVELOPMENT AND LEADERSHIP IMPACTS OF GOVERNOR IFEANYI UGWUANYI OF ENUGU STATE.
~The Worthy Chronicle Of A Glorious Era.
…. By Onuorah Ndubuisi Godwin.
The Rt Hon Dr Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwuanyi’s political popularity rests Solely on his reputation as a listening, peace loving, straight-talking and focused reformer.
Governor Ugwuanyi’s administration came on board when Nigeria’s Socio-political economy is facing the reality of a transition between a past it has rejected and a future that it has not yet attained.
It is the furtherance of this transition into the expected better future for the people of Enugu State that have gloriously reformed the politics of the State and presented the original disposition of governance as a necessity, enabling an enlarged partnership mechanism between the led and their Leadership.
A retrospective look in his 2015 acceptance speech when he unveiled the four-point agenda of his administration have guided and made the bold achievements of Government a promise kept, fulfilled and delivered.
The four-point agenda was coincidentally obviously inspired by the National Economic Empowerment And Development Strategy (NEEDS) Document of the Federal Government Development plan. A development Strategy which the policy thrusts included: Employment Generation, Social Services, Good Governance, Rural Development, Security and Social Justice.
Through the Development strides of this administration, our Governor have continually shown enormous commitment in seeing through the legacies of the agenda and have sincerely commited to all his campaign promises the 17 Local Government Areas of the state.
The core vital moral tools applied by Governor Ugwuanyi remains accountability to the people, transparency, good governance, equity and fiscal discipline.
The art and business of governance in Enugu State under the Governor took a new direction geared towards value re orientation, peaceful coexistence, total integration and even development across the lengths and breathes of the State. With women and Youths Empowerment taking the lead within the first term of office.
Governor Ugwuanyi’s purposeful administration registered it’s presence as well as footprints in virtually all the 450 autonomous communities scattered across the 17 Local Government Councils spread within the three Senatorial Zones in Enugu State.
All sectors of the state economy have witnessed precise and surgical interventions like never before, starting with Rural Development, Education, Healthcare, Infrastructure, Security, Workers welfare, Agriculture,Youth inclusion etc. Were all meticulously captured.
Across the State, roads like Opi-Nsukka dual carriage way,Obechara road junction, Umuakashi Mechanic village,Ikenga Hotels junction, Enugu Road Nsukka junction and umuezebi-Nru junction have all been completed. Others are the extension of Agbani -Afor Amuri road, the extension of Ituku road, the construction of the 42 metre span Bailey Bridge and road works across the Nyama River to Amaechi, linking Umuogo and Umuogba Amaechi- uno and Obinagu Communities all in Nkanu west local government area.
Worthy of note have been that of Agbani-Amuri road which was newly constructed for the community which has never witnessed any form of development or Government presence on it’s soil in the past 100 years plus.
The Ogonogoeji-Ndiagu Akpugo road from Atavu Bailey Bridge to Afor Onovo is the first ever State Government’s road project the entire Akpugo land since creation of Enugu State, Thanks to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
The other one is the popular and historic milliken hill road,Ngwo. Constructed first in the year 1909, but have deteriorated for several decades before the arrival of Governor Ugwuanyi Administration. The Government of Ugwuanyi reconstructed it and adorned it with street lights.
Since the reconstruction of the said milliken hill road,it have served as an alternative route for commuters and motorists plying the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.
Within the State Capital (Enugu Metropolis), the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi have executed numerous road projects including Holy Trinity street and Bishop Michael Eneja Street, Nawfia Street,Ibuza Street, Isi-uzo Street all in Independence layout. In the GRA axis, you have Mount Cresent. Dental- School, Tipper Garage Road, Trans-Ekulu. Loma linda, Timber Shade Roads and numerous others.
Governor Ugwuanyi’s administration have spent huge budgets in Rural and Urban Roads Construction across the State during these glorious years of impactful leadership as Governor of Enugu State.
These are not inclusive of the numerous road projects which his administration is still awarding till this date as well as on going ones.
In the Education Sector, through the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB) and Post Primary Schools Management Board (PPSMB), Enugu State is among the States which have constantly paid their counterpart fund, making it possible for them to access the federal government Universal Basic Education Fund.
With this, ENSUBEB has built and renovated more than 1355 School projects across the 17 Local Government Areas and have captured more schools for interventions in the continuous phase.
The above statistics represents the comprehensive imprints of the Governor Ugwuanyi Administration through the ENSUBEB and the PPSMB in line with the Governor’s vision to improve the learning experience of Enugu State Students.
Apart from recruiting over 7000+ primary and secondary school teachers, there was a detailed interventions of procurement and distribution of over 48,000 class room furniture and other learning tools for the school children and their teachers across Enugu State.
Furthermore, The Government Supplied and installed Computers to 490 primary and secondary schools, Constructed and renovated class room blocks, offices and hostels. And to cap the efforts of this administration in the Education Sector, the State Government sponsored a team of experts on a tour of different schools in Enugu State on a fact finding mission for enhanced teaching and learning output. Of which it’s findings shall be vigorously implemented.
The extent of ingenuity which have been deployed by the Governor Ugwuanyi Administration to impact on the rest of the sectors of the state economy have massively unleashed sensory images that captures the beauty which has to do with the experience of the Glorious Era on which the states economy is already witnessing.
To perfectly describe the leadership ingenuity of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and his worthy team. Two things happen when you look at something beautiful;(1) your eyes captures the image (2) instant later, your creative mind is outrightly stimulated by the beauty you are seeing.
And these are part Governor Ugwuanyi’s Models from which aspiring Leadership Engineers can draw Inspirations.
Through the Gburuscare Health Care initiative recently introduced by the Governor, aside from the giant leaps already attained in the Healthcare sector of the state economy. This Government have succeeded in setting up a viable framework that gives adequate focus to the health needs of the elderly flock of the Enugu State Society in terms of minimisation of risks and hazards in the real cost of adjustments.
Again, anchoring on the social welfare agenda of the administrations policy thrust, this health policy initiative Suffices a brilliant accomplishment. This is because, the programme is most beneficial and quite favourable to the most vulnerable aged members of the Society in the State.
Governor Ugwuanyi have through his peculiar visionary Methods of leadership, established numerous vital concepts of governance strategies which have changed perspectives in an astonishing manner, especially with an international Scope.
*Onuorah Ndubuisi Godwin is a Technical Assistant to The Executive Governor of Enugu State On Media and Strategic Communications, Media Director, Enugu West General Assembly, EWGA.*