Over the weekend, I read with utter dismay, disgusting diatribe against Gov. Ugwuanyi. As fallacious as it sounded and as demonic as the intent behind the malicious rant against Ugwuanyi was, it all turned out to be a hog-wash, utter nonsense which gladly, many did not stand or condone and I had to wade in, to make it clear that nothing of the sort alleged by the 2023 political jobbers holds any water, given that Gov. Ugwuanyi’s giant strides in Enugu State is very visible to the blind and audible to the deaf as well.
In the write-up flying in the social media by certain individual in the guise of “Open” Letter to the Governor bothering on the ‘Guber Pension Bill’, he did raise many ‘salient’ issues which lacked salience, but since it was clearly a hack-job, I decided not to give it any credence.
However, having slept over it, I decided that folly needs correction after all – especially, if its aim is to diminish, twist and tarnish.
One thing which struck me as odd is the fact that the guber pension reform bill before the Enugu State House of Assembly is a private member Bill.
There has been an existing Guber Pension Law as far back as 2007 before Gov. Ugwuanyi came into office 2015.
So, there is no basis for the outburst against the Governor. There is absolute separation of powers within the Three Arms of Government in Enugu State. Gov. Ugwuanyi is a true democrat, an elected Executive Governor and not a sole administrator.
The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, empowers State House of Assembly in section 124 subsection 5 to make laws “for the grant of a pension or gratuity to or in respect of a person who had held office as Governor or Deputy Governor…which shall be a charge upon the consolidated Revenue Fund of the State.
So, if the sponsor of the ‘2023 political jobbers’ has any contention with the constitutional provision or the mandate bestowed upon the State House of Assembly to welcome such bill let him seek for redress through the appropriate channel or wait for the house when it will call for public hearing in order to vent his grievances .
The sponsor of ‘2023 political jobbers’, would not like anyone to rip into him so maliciously, without reason and without basis.
Another thing which jumped out at me was this: the so called ‘political jobbers’ should be grateful for the distance which the incumbent governor of Enugu State has gone with the development of the state and see how they can appreciate the evidence of good governance in Enugu State. Sadly, they think they could come in handy as the hacking machete of someone else. Who needs such a brute as governor?
Not me. Ask the next native of Enugu State.
If not share wickedness and despondency, how on earth should act of the parliament becomes an executive fiat whereby the gullible ones under the tutelage of the political jobbers have received a matching order to call our peace loving governor out.
Besides politics, the sponsor of ‘political jobbers’ must understand that the gale of endorsements enjoyed by Ugwuanyi is as a result of his work in the state in the last couple of years and not due to any form of undue loyalty. Everyone has seen the colour of Ugwuanyi’s heart and, clearly, it is the colour of the people.
This is why they accept him all the way. This is no gimmick whatsoever.
Perhaps, the ‘jobbers’ – who, clearly, has no idea of how things are done at this level – must think that his emergence as a guber candidate has suddenly bestowed him with the gift of garb and the power of the pen with which to ascend into the office of the governor.
I hereby advise the paymaster of the ‘political jobbers’, as an elder-statesman in the arena of politics to observe more and say very little (is this not why we have just one organ for speaking and other for observing?) for the good of his party and the state, he hopes to govern someday – definitely, not in 2023, for his lesson for that year will be in the number of votes garnered at the box and not on the basis of mischief making.
He must not, for any reason, betray his party as being so bereft of a better choice that he had to be saddled with so great a burden that he is now at breaking point and must be call out in the most bizarre fashion.
It is on record that Ugwuanyi’s administration has constructed and renovated over 1000 primary and secondary schools in Enugu State. It is also on record that Ugwuanyi’s administration has recruited over 7000 primary and secondary school teachers – the highest in the history of Enugu State. So, what is the ‘political jobbers’ saying?
At various opportunities, the organised labour has attested to this unequivocally.
The ring leader of the ‘political jobbers’ should have ‘googled’ all that (but, of course, he would call it ‘political strategy’; a catchphrase for those who feel they cannot be ‘hyped’ in the media).
I need to inform the ‘political jobbers’ that what they thought would be welcomed as constructive criticism has become a badly botched hack-job.
Each of the 480 autonomous communities in Enugu State (including the communities of the ‘political jobbers) currently has a priority development project which was commissioned by the governor’s “One Community, One Project” drive, not excluding over 200 rural/urban roads constructed under Ugwanyi’s administration. Of course, it does not mean anything to ‘political jobbers’ and their backers.
The content of the malicious open letter to Gov. Ugwuanyi on the guber pension bill before the State House of Assembly which is yet to scale through the second reading clearly shows that the author is an agent of mischief.
Another ‘revelation’ by the faceless author of the open letter which reflected and alleged that His Excellency, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi goes home with over two million naira monthly pay shows the author knew little or nothing of what he was writing of as his view concerning the subject matter.
Well, exposing the brain behind the baseless open letter and other malicious articles on guber pension bill flying in the social media currently against Gov. Ugwuanyi would not be difficult, for he would soon come crawling out of the woodwork; but it would be difficult for him, especially, when finding political relevance after he has played all his cards too early (the party can always find someone else who knows how to comport himself when he holds a powerful office).
But, what do I know? This is only an advice from one young man to an elder-statesman.
Enugu State is in the hands of God.
