Enugu State, the capital of the Southeast Nigeria, is a conglomeration of multi-dimensional municipalities, conurbation of millions of people from 472 indigenous communities.
Enugu’s impressive road network stretching for miles and connecting urban areas to rural communities is one of the state’s most impressive legacy which the current administration, led by His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, is leaving no stone unturned towards consolidating its road networks.
Enugu State may have a long way to go in reaching the desirable Promised Land and it would not be easy; that is why we have to set priorities. We have to make positive, hard choices. Although government has to play a crucial role in bringing about the reforms we need, more money and more programmes alone will not get us where we need to go. In our collective resolve, we will have to accept responsibility, imbibe a culture of instilling ethics of achievement via innovations among our youths, adapt to a more competitive economy, strengthen our communities and make significant sacrifices. So, today, let us begin this long walk to socio-economic freedom together and let us transform our state and to the envy of all.
People who love their land can change it, even in the face of adversity; this is what the Ugwuanyi-led government is doing in Enugu State and he is determined to make things work; he may have his challenges, he may have his delays, but his regime has witnessed a significant victory and, through his will and courage, he has set the state on the path to have a rendezvous with destiny.
All of us know what the challenges are today. We have talked about these for years, despite working hard to overcome them. What is stopping us from meeting these challenges – of course, it is not the absence of sound policies and effective plans. What has consistently and constantly stopped us in the past is the lack of political will to embrace and instill the value of inclusive governance which we have today under Gov. Ugwuanyi. That is the reason for the peace and political stability we all enjoy today in Enugu State.
For instance, the parochial culture of our politics in the past– the ease with which we are often distracted and debased by petty and trivial matters; our preference for scoring cheap political points instead of rolling up our sleeves to build a working alliance and consensus in tackling problems caused many to look away in disillusionment and frustration. We all know the crisis and calamities that befall our state in the past (yes, when the cynics, the lobbyists, extremists and other ‘special interests’ turned our state into a game only them can afford to play). Back then, they wrote pay-notes and we were stuck with the bills; they had the connections and we could only watch from down there, they thought they owned the state but it was ours as well. Today, the courageous Gov. Ugwuanyi with the help of good people of Enugu State, is taking it back. The time for old-fashioned politics is over. It is time to turn a new page to the future. ‘Gburugburu’ is a movement of the people, by the people and for the people.
Gov. Ugwuanyi’s good governance agenda has made some progress already. I am proud to be part of the crusade in the court of public opinion that led to the most sweeping ethical reforms in the new order of politics without bitterness in the state, led by the governor.
As it is, 2019 is a good starting point. Let us be the generation that reshaped our state’s economy to compete in the digital age. Let us set high standards for our prospective leaders and give them the needed support to succeed. Let us recruit a new army of workforce and avail them better pay and more motivation. Let us make the processes relating to the call to serve more affordable to avoid proliferation of commercial mandates. Let us be the generation that ends poverty in Nigeria, beginning with Enugu State. Let us be the generation that ensures that our workforce is sharing in our prosperity. Let us make it possible for hardworking ‘Ndi Enugu’ to save for retirement. Let us be the generation that finally frees our people from the tyranny of ignorance, poverty and illiteracy. Let us tackle our healthcare crisis. We can control costs by focusing on prevention. Politics doesn’t have to divide us anymore. We can work together to keep our state safe.
Too many times, after the elections and the manifestos are swept away, all those promises fade and the lobbyists and the special interests move in, while the people are relegated, turned down, miserable, disappointed and left to their devices in the struggle for survival. But, we all know – the second coming of Gov. Ugwuanyi is the occasion, the vehicle to our hopes and dreams. It will take our time, energy and advice to push him forward when he is right and to let him know when and where to apply the brakes.
Ugwuanyi’s second tenure is about reclaiming the true meaning of stewardship and nation-building. We know his government will centre on restoring our sense of common purpose and realise that few obstacles can withstand the power of the voices calling for rebirth. Surely, the light shall be at the end of the tunnel in confirmation of the fact that what binds us together is greater than what drives us apart.
These are the reasons for the second coming of Ugwuanyi as governor of Enugu State; not just to hold office, but to work with us to transform our state.
Ugwuanyi won the 2019 guber election in Enugu to win a bigger victory for justice and opportunity, better schools, better job opportunities and better healthcare services for all.
I want him to take up the unfinished business of perfecting our unity and restoring our peace.
At particular intervals in history, a generation rises up to do what is right, in order to rescue society from the ravages of the enemies of its freedom, peace and prosperity. Today, we are called upon and it is time for our generation to answer that call. I know I may not have spent a lot of time learning the ways of Enugu politics, but I have learnt and realised that Enugu socio-political philosophy needs some adjustment for us to forge ahead as a people.
If you will join me in this unequivocal quest, if you feel destiny calling and see what I see – a future of endless possibility and uncommon transformation stretching before us, if you sense what I sensed, that the time is now to wake up from our self-created comfort zones, shake off your slumber, challenge your fear and make good on the debt we owe past and future generations, then Ugwuanyi is ready to take up the course, march with us and work with us. Together, let’s start today, finish the task at hand and usher in freedom, peace and justice in the new Enugu State of our collective dream. Together, we can make it.
