*GOVERNOR IFEANYI UGWUANYI OF ENUGU STATE – A 21st Century Leader & Political Engineer!
“Human relations is the art of dealing with people in such a way that everyone wins”….. Walter Doyle Stople.
“Every Community (Society) has the type of Government it deserves”….. Joseph de Maitre (1811)
The ascension into the Enugu State Lion Building in the year 2015 by the Rt Hon Dr Lawrence Ifeanyichukwu Ugwuanyi brought along with it many promises of which looking back now, a lot have been achieved.
Those promises included greater freedom and inclusiveness of women and Youths in the leadership process, better Health Care Delivery Services, Quality and more Educational opportunities, Improved Rural Development, Increased involvement of the Rural populace in the Decision making process and in a nutshell, “Assurance” of life more abundant for all and sundry.
Indeed, the problems of Enugu state were quite numerous, but Governor Ugwuanyi came on board along with the Solutions, and now all the problems that Confronted Enugu State prior to his ascendancy is nearly almost relevant only in regards to the historical past.
With two years of Ifeanyichukwu’s tenure of office remaining, and almost Six years already spent. It is quite in the interest of History to note how those challenges were surmounted. Since History according to Tarkh’s Historical Method, Concerns itself with the stories of the lives of great Men.
When the lives of such men is continuous and unified, all his aspects overlapping, and it becomes the reality for which the artist-historian must try to convey,by reassembling the material ingredients on which maybe idiographic; seeking to understand unique events and situations in which case,he is unlikely to resist making a few summarizing generalisations.
Looking at the Education Sector: Before the advent of Ugwuanyi,it seemed as though there is imminent slide towards intellectual atrophy.
It was quite a bit difficult to access the performance of Government in that Sector, until the Governor Ugwuanyi Administration recruited over five thousand (5000+) teachers and revived the state primary Schools.
A policy action which restored confidence in the Enugu State primary Schools management system.
He took a similar action in the Post Primary Schools Management Board, (PPSMB) by Mass employment of Science teachers and other staff to ensure adequate implementation of the Curriculum for the secondary schools in Enugu State.
He Built and renovated over eight hundred (800+) Schools. Some of which he equipped with modern facilities (Trans-Ekulu primary School and numerous others).
He also introduced robust reforms in the Technical and Vocational Schools Management System in Enugu State.
The above policies and reforms in the Education Sector took off a good number of unemployed Army of Youth graduates population of Enugu State off the streets and had them gainfully employed.
In Security Sector: Apart from being a global phenomenon, the spate of terrorism, brigandage and banditry in the entire Country was quite alarming, with a continuous spread in all the States in Nigeria. It became almost very impossible for rural dwellers in the State to go to their farms and harvest their crops and plant again, due to the harassment and outrageous menace of the Fulani Herdsmen across all the farmlands.
The Governor’s timeless response to the challenges was immediate, He expanded the size of the Men of the Enugu State Neighborhood Watch Group with a Subsequent recruitment of able bodied Youths as Forest Guards ( The first of its kind in the entire South East), He procured the latest modern patrol vehicles from the innoson brand for the various members of the Armed forces in the State to enhance their operations.
Through the security interventions in the State, the Governor again took off another Army of above two thousand (2000+) unemployed Youths of Enugu State from the street and had them gainfully employed.
Health Care Sector: Despite the continuous adequate funding of the standing policy of the Enugu State Government on maternal and child health care, Governor came on board and revived all the government Hospitals across the 17 Local Government Areas some of them with complete New structures Where His Administration have designated as isolation centres in use right now for the management of the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. He entered into partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and global health agencies for statewide immunisations against such ailments as polio, measles, meningitis and other sundry infant diseases. The performance records of the Enugu State Health Care Sector was rated high by notable global experts and institutions.
During the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the leader and Father in Governor Ugwuanyi was moved when he would always go out to work in the nights with relevant bodies and agents leaving behind, the luxury and comfort of his Executive powers to go and ensure strict compliance of the guidelines issued the Nigerian Center For Disease Control (NCDC) across the Enugu State boarders.
He followed these up with establishment of Isolation centres with adequate equipments, recruited more doctors and nurses, increased their welfare packages to boost their morale.
He inuaguarated monitoring teams to ensure that the chain of spread of disease virus is broken.
He was the first Governor in Nigeria to issue palliative care support to His subjects, and thus inspired many others to replicate the same gesture in their respective domains.
Economy: Ugwuanyi’s efficient managerial and Leadership ingenuity became responsible for the high ratings of the Enugu State economy by both local and international ivy league bodies, including the World Bank, the Economic Confidential, Budgit, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) etc.
The Enugu State economy was rated as:
(1) the sixth Most viable economy among the whole States in Nigeria which can survive without federal government allocation. Listed along Lagos State,Ogun State, Rivers State,Kwara State and Kaduna States… Economic Confidential (EC) 26th July 2019.
(2) Ugwuanyi’s Enugu State recorded the 9th best performing State in Nigeria in terms of internally generated revenue (IGR)… National Bureau of Statistics. 22nd may 2020. On States rankings in IGR
(3) Before these remarkable rankings, Enugu State had already been rated by the world Bank as the most advanced in the whole Nigerian business space on the ease of doing business
(4) Among the Seven(7) best states that are solvent with impressive over 30% internally Generated Revenue to fund additional Economic activities… Economic Confidential (EC).
NOTHING Short of Governor Ifeanyichukwu Lawrence Ugwuanyi’s purposeful ruthlessness in terms of human and material resources Management would have placed Enugu State on such a high global pedestal where it is as of today.
Human beings cum naysayers May deny him the honour, but history will surely give him his dues.
The Rt Hon Dr Lawrence Ifeanyichukwu Ugwuanyi should be in the know that people such as himself, sets the mark for posterity to judge, ignoring all other encumbrances which is obviously likely to come from unrepentant cynics.
Besides, Ugwuanyi is God fearing and self-baked, fears no man, shows respect.
But stubbornly believes in hardwork with no messing around.
A sincere disposition which surely will earn him More plaudits than his predessors.
*ONUORAH NDUBUISI GODWIN Writes From The Den Of ENUGU WEST GENERAL ASSEMBLY (EWGA)*
