For the amiable governor of the coal city state, Enugu at this very auspicious day of his 57th Birthday Anniversary, the peoples’-oriented governance in Enugu State under His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, indeed Enugu State is in the hands of God.
Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Governor of Enugu State, the Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party South East of Nigeria, rose through the business and political miles to attain lofty heights that today stand him out as the most popular governor in Nigeria. He was born in Enugu metropolis, the capital of present-day Enugu state, on March 20, 1964 to parents who hailed from Ohom-Orba in the present Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State. His exemplary leadership qualities which have continued to endear him to his people and beyond began to unfold early in his life when he attended the prestigious St Theresa’s College, Nsukka, from where he gained admission into the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). From the nation’s foremost university, he obtained a B.Sc. degree in Finance and M.Sc. degree in Marketing (Public Relations) . Governor Ugwuanyi equally holds MBA degree in Finance and another MBA degree in Accountancy from Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT).
Coursing through the proverbial career mills, he rose to become the Chief Executive Officer of Premier Brokers Limited which was the prime Insurance broking firm in the South East zone of the country and owned by the five states in the zone and ACB Bank. Rt. Hon. Ugwuanyi has been a team player, bridge builder and peace maker, qualities which have added up with his passion for philanthropy to build him up over the years for humanitarian services and his present political leadership in which he has been severally described as the best Enugu State could have at the moment. He had his foundation as a philanthropist laid as a Rotarian. In 2002, he became the 16th president of the Rotary Club of Emene in Enugu. His exploits as a philanthropist and humanist earned him a rare honour from the people of his native town, Orba, who conferred on him the title of Dunu Gburugburu 1 of Orba, long before he joined partisan politics.
He was first elected into the 5th Assembly of the Federal House of Representatives in 2003 and he served till 2015, representing Igboeze North/Udenu Federal Constituency. He was overwhelmingly re-elected to the 6th Assembly of the Federal House of Representatives in 2007 and he served for another four years, ending in 2011. Yet, he was once again reelected to the 7th Assembly to serve from 2011-2015. He thus became an outstanding serving National Assembly member in the Enugu North Senatorial District of Enugu state before he became governor in 2015. As a parliamentarian, he clearly made his mark at the National Assembly, holding leadership positions in vital committees. Between 2003 and 2007, he served as Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Public Service Matters and Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Pensions during which era the revolutionary Pension Act 2004 was enacted. In 2007, he was made Chairman of the House Committee on Marine Transport.
During his tenure as chairman of the House Committee on Marine Transport, the maritime sector underwent a revolution that gave birth to a regime of new legislations aimed at equipping the nation’s marine transport sector in line with what obtains internationally. In view of his diligent performance, he was re-appointed on re-election to the National Assembly in 2011 and thus became the first legislator to hold that position for two consecutive legislative sessions in the history of the National Assembly. While serving as a legislator, he further honed his well-cherished passion for taking care of the less-privileged.
His philanthropic reach spanned scholarships to needy students at all educational levels, infrastructure development in educational institutions and in churches, provision of boreholes to solve the water needs of some communities in his constituency as well as donation of electric transformers to many communities, among many others. He has thus been honored severally by social, religious, and traditional institutions alike.
Governor Ugwuanyi’s popularity rating powered by his disarming friendly mien and humanitarian activities over the years showed clearly in the 2015 governorship election in Enugu state when he won in a landslide, devoid of visible rancor in a manner never experienced before in the history of the state and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2019.
Meanwhile, his administration since May 29, 2015 has clearly achieved phenomenal landmarks, stunning mileages, set unparalleled records in the annals of governance of states in Nigeria. And indices of these abound, especially in the novel manner Governor Ugwuanyi has continued to warm himself into the hearts of the people by opening his doors at a level no other governor would across the country. In the management of the economy of the state, for instance, he has already earned uncommon commendations for his outstanding frugality, the latest of such coming from the hall of ambassadors of countries serving in Nigeria. They are right. Since assumption of office, Governor Ugwuanyi has traveled abroad only once. And that was when he led his state’s economic mission to Dublin, Ireland, a mission that is already yielding visible dividends, especially in the state’s education sector. Still along that line, this is a governor in the present day Nigeria who assumed office from his very comfortable background as a three-time member of the House of Representatives but would hardly travel to Abuja, the nation’s seat of power unless there is a compelling need of state function.
Yet, his administration has within so short a time become a lesson in massive infrastructural development that is gradually taking parts of the state by storm and graduating semi-urban areas to new urban areas while effecting a growing mass movement for opening up of rural areas of the state. Just recently, an impartial assessor, internationally acclaimed as an organization with integrity- a data simplifying civic organization known as BudgiT- named Enugu, Lagos and River states as the only three states in Nigeria meeting their recurrent obligations, especially by paying workers’ salaries promptly. For Enugu to attain this Herculeen status, the chief driver of her administration certainly must be a rare human with a magical wisdom in economic management. The state has neither oil nor the advantage of hosting industrial clusters, a twin advantage that places the other two states in clear comfort zones. Hence, in its rarest verdict in recent times on the stewardship of an elected governor in the country, the Nigerian Labour Congress described Ugwuanyi as a governor clearly with a magic wand, singling him out among all the 36 state governors in the country as the best in that wise is an uncommon height.
For the amiable governor of the coal city state, Enugu at this very auspicious day for the celebration of the people’s governor, indeed Enugu State is in the hands of God.
THE NIGERIAN LEADERSHIP MODEL OF OUR DREAM – GOVERNOR IFEANYI UGWUANYI’S IDEOLOGY AND METHOD IN PERSPECTIVE
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. But, he is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” – Ronald Reagan
ABSTRACT:
As our socio-political system continues to evolve, the principles of political leadership, human capital, infrastructural development, internal security, justice, peace, progress and economic growth become necessary and must inter-twine, mingle and romance as parts of a whole, in order to bring about massive development in all facets. While leadership has succeeded by playing tremendous roles in the socio-economic and political developments of most nations, we have failed to get ourselves out of a quagmire of our own doing. We failed to extricate ourselves from a long, dissatisfying military rule and, even upon attaining our brand of democracy in 1999, have refused to make it a world-acclaimed version or an exemplary one at that. One of the reasons Nigerians opted for democracy was the many promises it held; its proclivity towards integral and sustainable nation-building and development through astute leadership and integration of ideas being one of its bright lights. But as the state’s Craft of the Nigerian statehood entangles with her 60th Birthday, mixed feelings were rife on the part of various schools of thoughts with the deep concerns and reminiscences which include arguments, that for over 60 years of post-independence, the nation had stuck in a precarious state due to her colonial circumstances; while others would contrarily and more discernibly put it cynically, bluntly that the nation is simply what and where she is democratically due to her own delinquent or diligent making of the fortune or misfortune of her Self-Rule; insisting that Mother-Land ought to have fared exceedingly better on the socio-economic and political clime. Though on a further contrary opinion the structure inherited by our founding fathers from the colonialists has thus far created and promoted a demon, a demon late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu once described as Dichotomy. We live in a country in search of a common character; and the absence of the common character is at the base of our problems as a nation. Today when we look at Nigeria – from whatever direction, no matter the focus of our perspective, everything bears the frightful aspect of the differences. It is either North/South dichotomy or East/West Dichotomy. If it is not Majority/Minority Dichotomy; it will be Christian/Muslim Dichotomy or Socialist/Capitalist Dichotomy, if you look further you will notice an alarming Rich/Poor Dichotomy, Educated/Non Educated Dichotomy, Tribal/Cultural Dichotomy, Male/Female Dichotomy, Youth/Old Dichotomy, Rural/Urban Dichotomy, etc. But I have a good news for you, in Enugu State, such dichotomies does not exist, it was evacuated, exterminated, eliminated, eradicated and decimated by the peace loving, gentle, humble, calm and youth friendly Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. This paper examines our position on a precipice, the last bastion of a litany of hopes dashed and considers the role of leadership in nation-building, then climaxes by dwelling on the leadership model of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and how best it serves the man on the street.
INTRODUCTION:
Nigeria as an independent state was a child of 1960. That is sixty (60) years ago, but still in search befitting leadership that is promising to the growth and development of its citizens. It may interest you to note that at the time British relinquished political power to Nigerians for self-rule, there was not clear focus and direction on the part of Nigerians who handed that power from the British because they were just in a haste to acquire the power from the aliens and forget to marshaled out policies and programs that would drive the state at that time. This expensive mistake has continued to linger in Nigeria till now.
Leadership is a constant ingredient in bringing about development or in other word effective change. If a society moves forward, stagnates, retrogresses or sinks back into a state which others have gone through to be in a better place, it is tied to its leadership. Little wonder leadership has become an issue around the world and the states of societies are blamed on the actions or inaction of their leaders. Our agitation and emphasis on the quality of leaders we need during elections is a practical example of how much perception of leadership means in the 21st century. The desire of the African society to become better through great leadership is reflected in its constant agitation for serious and deepening political, economic and social leadership overhaul.
Poor leadership has been blamed for failure of constructive policies and programs, increase in rate of crime, lawlessness and administrative coordination. While Nigeria has suffered a dearth of great leadership at the state level, are there instances of admirable or exciting leadership potential down under? Yes, there are. Have these glowing examples approached issues with responsiveness and accountability, while emphasizing on political stability and economic development.
Paradoxically, the independent African states consolidates power at the political center and extracts considerable economic resources from its society, yet it spends much of what it obtains on itself but still lacks the capacity to spur the country’s development as a whole. In spite of this, leaders have emerged and have given the people a taste of what is missing centrally. It was John C. Maxwell who said: “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way”; a quote which defines a minute percentage of the continent’s leaders who have a desire to do what is right, as opposed to many others who oversee a steady dwindling of economic fortunes and living standards, without respite for any of succour.
While the continent has made herself available to Western influence and aid to reform her systems, her leaders have constantly drawn the anger of these other countries, due to their inability to set up structures which ensure that society is run reasonably and the rule of law respected. Simply put, many leaders on the continent lack accountability.
It takes a fearless and committed leader to be in the forests searching for criminal hideouts while his people were busy celebrating Christmas and New Year at our various communities between December 2019 and January 2020 just to ensure that Ndi Enugu sleep with their two eyes closed, that person is Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. It takes a compassionate leader to defy the rain to enforce the presidential directive on lockdown across the country, to ensure that motorists coming from outside do not enter Enugu, just to preserve you from Covid-19 ailment. Despite the devastating effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the world’s economy with its multiplier consequences on countries like Nigeria that depend on the sales of crude oil in the international market, some states in Nigeria couldn’t afford to pay salaries of workers due to the fall in the oil price which affected their monthly allocations, but in all these Gov. Ugwuanyi pays salaries and allowances of all workers and public servants in the state.
It is no wonder that we cannot access the little joys of life, long after independence – 60 years, in Nigeria’s case – and, rather than these, our disrespect for systems, processes and accountability has given rise to poor economies, drug abuse, crime rate, unnerving poverty, low standards, mediocrity, the sit-tight syndrome, dissatisfaction, social instability, disrespect for the law, insensitivity for the suffering of the masses etc. These are borne of a lack of accountability.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM:
Despite over 60 years of political independence, Nigeria’s aspirations and hopes remain largely unfulfilled. It is not surprising that the leadership we have in our political space is centred on bad energy, rather than building systems and respecting processes. Since gaining political independence in 1960, Nigeria like other developing Countries of the world has virtually become poorer and under-developed while nations in the developed World have become richer and more developed in all ramifications. Implicated in the Under-development of these Countries now described as ‘third world countries’ is ineffective leadership that has also lead to ‘bad governance’, lack of ‘best practices’, a myriad of intimidating problems and a differing forms of conflicts that borders on a variety of factors and magnitudes.
Most Nigerian leaders often come to their position with limited experience. Though most of them trek on and confront the dynamic challenges of development and nation-building grossly unprepared, their efforts have been, at best, akin to scratching the surface. But people who love their land can make a change in order for it to be better for all even in the face of adversity; this is what His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s led government is doing in Enugu State and he is determined to make things work; he may have his challenges, he may have some delays that could be occasioned by the inevitable but his administration has witnessed a significant victory and, through his will and courage, he has set the state on the path of rendezvous with destiny.
LEADERSHIP: CONCEPTUAL AND THEORETHICAL COMMENTARIES:
In an intellectual discourse of this magnitude, it is imperative to operationalise the concept of ‘Leadership’ in order to put the records straight. Scholars and practitioners have defined term leadership differently as determined by their experiences. Some looked at it in terms of personality and physical traits, while others believe that leadership is represented by a set of prescribed behaviours.
According to Graig (2005) leadership is defined as “a process of social influence in which the leader seeks the voluntary participation of subordinates in the effort to reach organisational goals, while Robert et al (2004) affirmed that Leadership involves a complex interaction between the leader, the followers and the situation. Leadership refers to the process of influencing the behaviour of people in a manner that they strive willingly and enthusiastically towards the achievement of group objectives. Leaders and their leadership skills play an important role in the growth of the state. A leader should have the ability to maintain good interpersonal relations with the followers or subordinates and motivate them to help in achieving the organizational objectives.
FEATURES OF LEADERSHIP:
- Influence the behaviour of others: Leadership is an ability of an individual to influence the behaviour of other employees in the organization to achieve a common purpose or goal so that they are willingly co-operating with each other for the fulfillment of the same.
- Inter-personal process: It is an interpersonal process between the leader and the followers. The relationship between the leader and the followers decides how efficiently and effectively the targets of the organization or state would be met.
- Attainment of common organizational goals: The purpose of leadership is to guide the people in an organization or state to work towards the attainment of common goals. The leader brings the people and their efforts together to achieve common goals.
- Continuous process: Leadership is a continuous process. A leader has to guide his employees every time and also monitor them in order to make sure that their efforts are going in the same direction and that they are not deviating from their goals.
- Group process: It is a group process that involves two or more people together interacting with each other. A leader cannot lead without the followers.
- Dependent on the situation: It is situation bound as it all depends upon tackling the situations present. Thus, there is no single best style of leadership.
IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP:
- Initiating Action: Leadership starts from the very beginning, even before the work actually starts. A leader is a person who communicates the policies and plans to the subordinates to start the work.
- Providing Motivation: A leader motivates the employees by giving them financial and non-financial incentives and gets the work done efficiently. Motivation is the driving force in an individual’s life.
- Providing guidance: A leader not only supervises the employees but also guides them in their work. He instructs the subordinates on how to perform their work effectively so that their efforts don’t get wasted.
- Creating confidence: A leader acknowledges the efforts of the subjects, explains to them their role clearly and guides them to achieve their goals. He also resolves the complaints and problems of the employees, thereby building confidence in them regarding the organization.
- Building work environment: A good leader should maintain personal contacts with the subjects and should hear their problems and solve them. He always listens to the point of view of the subjects and in case of disagreement persuades them to agree with him by giving suitable clarifications. In case of conflicts, he handles them carefully and does not allow it to adversely affect the entity.
- Co-ordination: A leader reconciles the personal interests of the employees with the organizational or state goals and achieves co-ordination in the entity.
- Creating Successors: A leader trains his subordinates in such a manner that they can succeed him in future easily in his absence. He creates more leaders.
- Induces change: A leader persuades, clarifies and inspires employees to accept any change in the organization without much resistance and discontentment. He makes sure that employees don’t feel insecure about the changes.
Often, the success of an organization or state is attributed to its leaders. But, one must not forget that it’s the followers who make a leader successful by accepting his leadership. Thus, leaders and followers collectively play a key role to make leadership successful. This is aptly demonstrated in Enugu State under Governor, Ugwuanyi led administration.
UGWUANYI’S IDEOLOGY AND METHOD OF LEADERSHIP IN PERSPECTIVE:
Having looked at what leadership is all about, let us consider the approach adopted and exhibited by the Executive Governor of Enugu State, Rt. Honourable Lawrence Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as a rare example at the state level and the need for his experience and approach beyond his present settings.
Going by Gov. Ugwuanyi’s leadership model, Leadership can be seen as the tactical process of building consensus and ensuring sustainable development through constructive and viable policies and programs that are all-encompassing. He sees peace as the ultimate currency for socio-political interaction, and as veritable means to an end. His approach to governance is such that has created essential links between the civil society and the government and fostering decision-making for public interests. In an age when impunity has married itself to governance in the country, Ugwuanyi has ensured that his administration remains accountable to the people and audits his performance via the principle of vox popli.
While it is almost a wonder to watch how he has galvanised the state in his time, it is commendable to watch how he has catalyzed development in the state – using all the indices of development as parameters. On this note, the Man (Gov. Ugwuanyi) has enjoyed a number of goodwill. The likes of Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunlusi, Ojaja II, extolled the leadership qualities of the Governor or how he has prudently managed public resources. His health interventions or the increasing internally generated revenue which enables the state to pay salaries of workers uninterruptedly, with or without the federal allocation.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan once expressed delight at the uncommon leadership style of Ugwuanyi in fostering peace and unity among the political class in the state, irrespective of party differences. Just as the former Abia State Governor Dr Orji Uzor Kalu expressed delight at the level of friendship which Governor Ugwuanyi have maintained with political leaders across board, stressing that such uncommon leadership style have brought peace and development to Enugu State.
In the area of security, on which Brigadier General Lasisi Adegboye, the General Officer Commanding (G O C) 82 Division of the Nigerian Army in Enugu, specifically stated that Governor Ugwuanyi has invested heavily in the security architecture of the State. The GOC further said that he will not say more but could only implore the Governor to continue with the love he has for his people and Nigeria as a Nation.
Governor Ugwuanyi’s commitment to rule of law has necessitated his show of concern for the welfare of women and children by domesticating the child rights and responsibility act in the State and further established family courts and rehabilitation home for vulnerable women.
Gov. Ugwuanyi’s outstanding building blocks in education are quite indisputable, as it is very visible to even the blind. Ugwuanyi’s administration constructed, renovated and equipped over 1000 classroom blocks and other school facilities across the 17 LGAs in Enugu State under the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB), an agency with a deluge of leadership experience and unconventional achievements under Ugwuanyi’s watch. It is unprecedented that in the 2020 fiscal year, the board has paid counterpart funds for two different projects phases.
In addition to this, secondary schools across the six education zones of the Post Primary Schools Management Board (PPSMB) have benefited from construction and reconstruction of hundreds of classroom blocks, offices and hostels, as well as provision of key social infrastructures. Furthermore, in line with the global trend of educational digitization operationalized via the infusion and integration of technology into teaching and learning, the PPSMB procured and supplied ICT tools and accessories to over 215 public secondary schools, offices and zones in the state to underline the unyielding resolve of the administration to rewrite the declining credentials of the sector.
Ugwuanyi’s administration procured and distributed over 50,000 sets of teachers’ and pupils’ classroom tables, desks, chairs, books, instructional materials and sporting equipment etc to both the 226 Primary Schools, 296 Secondary and 38 technical, science and vocational schools in the 17 Local Government Areas of the state. Science equipments and computers have been supplied to over 200 Secondary Schools in the State to complement the reconstruction of science laboratories, as part of the STEM-promotion strategy which the Ministry of Education in the state has deployed.
Just before the resumption of all schools in the state after the almost a year-long lock-down, all 1, 230 public primary schools in the state have been fumigated. Also procured and distributed over 1000 buckets, bowls and sanitizers, in compliance with all relevant COVID-19 protocols.
In spite of the steadily declining allocation to the state, the Ugwuanyi’s administration has reached out to help indigent scholars at all levels to finance their education. So far, 38 students of Imilike Inland Primary School and Ozoduru Esther Uchenna in Ikolo Community School; 340 indigent students of Iwollo Polytechnic and 340 indigent students of IMT, 300 indigent Enugu students spread across the country (in their second or final year), have all benefitted from the state’s scholarship bursary award, while 22 others were sponsored by the state to study medical courses in India and another 246 students of the law school receiving N100,000 each to ease the financial pressure on them and their sponsors.
Also, the Ugwuanyi’s administration has devised strategies that initiated and triggered extensive infrastructural development and upgrade of facilities in the entire tertiary institutions across the state, namely, IMT, ESUT, Federal Poly Iwolo, etc, have all benefitted from various forms of interventions from the administration. Gov. Ugwuanyi is currently building a state-of-the-art Enugu State University of Education in Ihe, Awgu LGA – the first degree-awarding institution in education in the south-eastern Nigeria and a generational legacy whose impact will be felt across sectors of human endeavour and constitute the content of our proud history for posterity.
To Ugwuanyi’s critics, especially the cynics, there is something about voices in the wind; it can never be heard. This is because no sane person shouts in the wind. The result is all too familiar; the wind carries the sound of the voice to and fro, without carrying it to its destination. You only shout in the wind to fulfill all righteousness, satisfy one’s paymasters and not in a bid to be heard. When I read voices in the wind against His Excellency, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, by some cynics, wailers and rabble-rousers, this was the sinking feeling I usually have. First of all, the names are usually faceless, fictitious, in the sense that they are not known and mostly unpopular, but all the same, I have decided to respond to whosoever that is hiding under the voices in the wind.
It behoves on one to reason that in a bid to intone the thoughts of some wailers-sponsors to blatantly refer to the governor as ‘not performing’. This is insulting as it is false, I make bold to say that Governor Ugwuanyi has earned every accolade, credit, goodwill and vote he garnered in the last four years and more. He does not need the meaningless stamp of pessimists and their ilk. It is not a sign of approval, for they do not speak for the people of Enugu. For some ridiculous reason, the Covenant-Breaker thinks it is governor-like and classy for Gov. Ugwuanyi to hug the kleiglights and always parade himself, in order to show that he is with the people and feel their pain. A leader is not known by his public speeches, and what-not; he is known for his action and body language.
Moreover, we are not sure if there is any state in the country where there is no political conflict of attrition between political godfathers and their godsons, especially between incumbent successors and their immediate predecessors, but Enugu State is the only State where the incumbent is not fighting with his predecessor, because of the level of political maturity exhibited by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Gov. Ugwuanyi, a staunch supporter of the not-too-young to run ideology has given a percentage of his cabinet and other opportunities in governance to young people in the state.
Besides allocating over 75 per cent of the Enugu State Council chairmen seats to the youths through the instrumentality of his political party, young and vibrant candidates were fielded to contest the State Assembly elections and that of the local government councils in which the majority of them won. His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is still giving out political appointments to the youths into his cabinet, a feat we consider second to none and first of its kind in Nigeria. Gov. Ugwuanyi’s leadership style of nurturing and building the youths in the realm of politics via appointments and guidance has no doubt demonstrated his passion for a great Nigeria. This further buttresses the obvious reality that the youths are not the leaders of tomorrow but leaders of today. They only need proper inclusion and nurturing”.
Governor Ugwuanyi’s rural development drive has been able to unite the people of Enugu around the common need to develop the entire State through rural access roads, revamping the infrastructure and providing relief to the poor, those who experienced natural disaster, and most especially to those who have shown commitment to entrepreneurship for an enhanced job creation. This, by every matrix, is a masterstroke and rare, if not totally absent, in other parts of the country.
Everyone in Enugu State knows that the Ngwo Milliken Hill road, a tourist site on its own, is one of the legacy projects of Gov. Ugwuanyi’s administration, which today enables the inhabitants of Ngwo to come down and do business in the city and return back smoothly without bothering themselves with the high cost of living within the metropolis. Everyone in Enugu knows the economic importance of the Opi-Nsukka Dual Carriage way, connecting the premier University of Nigeria, Nsukka town with the city centre, which is also one of the legacy projects of Gov. Ugwuanyi’s administration.To mention but a few.
At the hit of COVID-19, Governor Ugwuanyis’s proactive health emergency measures in combating the virus inspires confidence in his administration. 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 ensure the lives of the ones who take care of those who are ill, by approving immediate provision of Group Life/Group Personal 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 safety protocol. 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 gamble 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 lockdown necessitated by (COVID-19) on the people of the state, especially the vulnerable groups. To make the boundaries water-tight, he called for joint efforts 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.
CONCLUSION
When we talk about leadership, it must be understood purely in the context of its capacity to solve problems, reduce tensions and lead the people to their desired goals, dreams and foundational objectives, John Gardner once noted. Ugwuanyi has shown capacity to do these and more. Always, every society makes the decision to move forward, retrogress or stagnate when it chooses its leaders. The time for Nigeria to make her decision about what kind of leadership bedrock it wishes to lay down now and in the future is hinged on the kind of leader she opts for in the next couple of years. As youths now, the ball is in our court; we can spike our troubles away or spike the ball into the surrounding woods; the call is ours to make.
From all that the above notions which had been cumulatively gathered, Ugwuanyi’s medicinal attributes will permanently address the sordid character traits that are better branded as CORRUPTION to have derived from the said Socio-Political-Toxins as harvests of ALL that formed the background to the Civil War and the incidental Take-over of POWER by the Military arrogant. For instance, the parochial culture of our politics in Enugu State 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 in tackling problems, caused many to look away in disillusionment and frustration. We all know the crisis and calamities that befell Enugu 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). Today, the courageous Gov. Ugwuanyi with the help of the good people of Enugu State has taken the state back to the people.
Fellow Nigerians, Ndi Enugu, the time for old-fashioned politics is over. It is time to turn a new page to the future. And ‘Gburugburu’ is the future, a movement of the people, by the people and for the people. Together, let’s start today, finish the task at hand and usher in freedom, peace and justice in the new Nigeria of our collective dream. It is possible with Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s leadership model.
RECOMMENDATION
At this juncture, I just want to recommend to Nigeria and Nigerians the person of Rt. Hon. Dr. Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwuanyi to be at helm of affairs at the national level come 2023.
Written By Hon. Prince Humphrey Onyima
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Enugu State
Secretary General Forum of Senior Special Assistants to the Governor of Enugu State
Director General, Enugu West General Assembly, EWGA
Publisher/CEO, Leadership Scorecard Magazine
