–Written by Onuorah Ndubuisi Godwin and Ifeanyi Arthur Edeh .
The Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi Leadership Round-Table/Interactive Session with Critical Stakeholders of Udi and Ezeagu LGAs in Enugu State, towards the Sustenance of Peace in Enugu State, held on Thursday 12th of August 2021, at Udi LGA Secretariat.
The programme being organized by the prestigious Leadership Scorecard Media Company, brought together the traditional rulers, political leaders, the youths, the Clergy etc, to the main hall of Udi Local Government Area Secretariat, to discuss salient issues bordering on concept of peaceful co-existence among the inhabitants of the State.
Welcoming the guests and participants, in his address, the CEO of the Leadership Scorecard Magazine, Hon. Humphrey Onyima noted that the meeting became necessary for the commons purpose of reinstating and reiterating the endless benefits of peaceful behavior in the processes of our individual and collective development, by domesticating and entrenching the Gov. Ugwuanyi’s peace mantra across the length and breadth of the State and Nigeria at large.
Onyima added that, “The Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi Leadership Round-Table/ Interactive session with critical stakeholders is seeking to promote the factors responsible for the peace we enjoy in Enugu State”.
The Leadership Scorecard Magazine publisher, who is also the Senior Special Assistant to the Executive Governor of Enugu State on Media and Public Affairs, described the Governor as “an apostle of peace and emblem of leadership by example”. Adding that “where good men are scarce, strife and disorder rule”. You cannot have peace without someone placing his personal time, resources and comfort as burnt offering on the slab for what every other person eventually enjoys. “What we need is Gburugburu’ kind of peace! Peace grounded on the principle of tolerance, equity, fairness and justice”.
The peaceful behavior crusader, appealed to aggrieved Youths to drop the guns, stop the killings and embrace peaceful engagement for development.
“The sustenance of peace is cheaper than the maintenance of crisis. Peaceful engagement and dialogue brings even development. The factors responsible for the peace we have in Enugu State should be sustained and consolidated upon” he said.
He further used the opportunity to remind the participants that the day’s occasion coincided with the International Youth Day Celebration of the year 2021. He noted that the United Nations (UN) decides a theme that is relevant to all global communities and citizens. This year’s theme is tagged –“Transforming Food Systems: Youth innovations for Human and Planetary Health” stating that the central message of the 2021 International Youth Day Celebration is centered on food production, innovation and quality health. Insisting that the tripartite arrangement is only achievable globally with a peaceful atmosphere.
Onyima stated that Enugu State may have a long way to go in reaching the desired promise land; pointing out that it will not be easy. He stressed that it’s the reason why we must have to set priorities. “We have to make positive hard choices. Although government has to play crucial roles in bringing about the reforms needed”, noting that more money and more programmes alone cannot get us where we need to be without repositioning our mindset. “In our collective resolve, we must have to accept responsibilities, imbibe the culture of instilling the ethics of collective achievements and promoting innovations amongst our Youths, adopting a more competitive economy, strengthen our rural communities and make significant sacrifices.
The governor’s aid pleaded with the stakeholders to join his peaceful boss in the long walk towards socio-economic freedom together and transform Enugu State to the envy of all. Reminding them that people who love their land can make the 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 administration 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 numerous significant victories, and through his will, resilience and courage, he has set the State on the path of rendezvous with destiny”.
Speaking further, he told the audience that they all know what the challenges are today. Noting that the issue have been on the front burner for years, despite working so hard to overcome them. “What is stopping us from meeting these challenges– of course, is not the absence of sound policies and effective plans. “What have consistently and constantly stagnated us in the past is the lack of political will to embrace and instill the value of inclusive governance which we have today under Governor Ugwuanyi. That’s the reason for the peace and political stability we all enjoy today in Enugu State”.
He sited examples with the parochial culture of our politics in the past, the ease with which we have been often distracted and debased by petty and trivial matters; our preferences 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 our beloved 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 became stuck with the bills; they had the connections and we could only watch from down there, they thought and acted like as if they own the State alone, though it belonged to all of us”
With a smiling assurance, he told the stakeholders and and participants that today, “our courageous Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has with the help of the good people of Enugu State, taken the State back to the people”.
He finally assured them that the time for old-fashioned politics is over. “Now is the 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”.
Ending his remarks, Onyima specifically noted that Gov. Ugwuanyi’s good governance agenda have made huge progress already and, “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 our dear state”.
The Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi Leadership Round-Table/Interactive Session with Critical Stakeholders of Udi and Ezeagu LGAs featured professor Chike Anibueze— the Dean of Academic Planning, Enugu State University of Science & Technology as the Guest Speaker.
Chike Anibueze PhD (Nig),FECAN, FRSB (Lond)
Is a professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology.
Excerpts are from his total presentation:
Oganiru Obodo– Paradigms of Leadership through Collective involvement
As a Guest lecturer at the Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi Leadership Round-table/Interactive session with critical stakeholders of Udi and Ezeagu LGAs commemorating the International Youth Day_12 August,2021 at Udi LGA Secretariat
Protocols and Preambles
. It gives me great pleasure to address this august gathering of the great sons and daughters of Agbaja people in the confines of Udi and Ezeagu local government areas of Enugu State.
. I bow in humility as I throw salutations and felicitations to His Royal Highnesses, technocrats, Captains of industries, business moguls, political juggernauts and all distinguished ladies and gentlemen present at this gathering.
. As I take a cursory look at the socio-political tremors of the Nigerian political landscape, I feel that events such as this forum on leadership discussion have come at a most auspicious time to begin to redirect the focal direction of our state’s political entity under the dictates of a trusted leadership.
. The iconic writer and celebrated thinker,Chinua Achebe wrote in his seminar book, The trouble with Nigeria (1983) that ‘the trouble with Nigeria is simply a failure of leadership’.
Leadership defined
Who is a leader? The verb ‘to lead’ means to be in front. But it also has the implication of knowing knowing where the group which one is leads, is headed to.
Perhaps, the definition of leadership will follow the diverse lines to which individuals follow to achieve success. However, what is not in doubt is the goal of true leadership. Hence, true leadership must of necessity:
— Create the driving forces that stimulate the citizens to action.
— Create enabling environments that stimulate growth in all sectors.
— Create necessary motives so that people could take advantage their environment (human resources development)
— Create the conditions of collective system involvement which enables people to see themselves as creators rather than captives of their destiny ( citizens participation and patriotic followership)
— Accept the challenges of personal example.
Political leadership
Political leadership is so important in modern day humanity because it shapes the entire gamut of the human life in the different countries or political entities of the world. Different shades of political structure have seen the transformation of countries to the height of enviable nationhood.
Sound political leadership brings about Oganiru Obodo(development of nationstate)
— The archetypal America
— The conservative British
— The Singaporean challenge of personal example
— The Indian autochthonous example
— The Chinese Industry
The Nigerian political leadership has been tales of woes since the inception of self rule. The reasons are not Farfetched:
— Poor leadership
— Ethnic bigotry
— Corruption
These have combined to ensure that Nigeria have retrogressed since independence. With loss of confidence in the Centre, the entire populace is looking up to regional and State leadership entities to champion the cause for sound development.
Enugu State Example
In general, Enugu State has been saddled with leaders of conscience since the creation of the State in 1991. However, the followership has consistently pushed our leaders to embrace to the extreme, the dictates of sectional interests. A leader’s ability to transcend the petty sectional interests will properly shape the path for Oganiru Obodo
Ugwuanyi’s leadership legacies
In posing these legacies, permit me to start by paraphrasing Mark Anthony’s emotionally charged rhetoric in Julius Caesar, Shakespeare’s work. “I have come to discuss leadership in Enugu State and not to praise Gov Ugwuanyi”. However, in whatever manner one may want to look at the present Administration, there are some incontrovertible facts about this administration that will remain as clear nuggets of Democratic foundation.
1 Political harmony : The nature of politics begets rancorous situations amongst and between parties. Enugu State has had its fair share of such rancorous situations in the past. Governor Ugwuanyi, more than anyone before him has tried to quench completely, the burning fury amongst politicians. He has brought back and politically rehabilitated some politicians who may have been forced to retire from the game. Hitherto, the provision of good governance has been sacrificed on the alter of bitter squabbles and petty desires and this has made governors to concentrate more on quenching the fire of opposition.
2 Peace In Enugu State
Nigeria has been bedeviled recently by terrible security issues bothering on rising clashes of ethnic nationalities and the activities of herdsmen. Enugu has remained comparatively the safest state in Nigeria. Even in the face of spiral cost of Agricultural produce, subsistence existence has been adjudged to be better in Enugu than her sorrounding counterparts.
3 Governance Under Social Contract
Governor Ugwuanyi has fostered the tenets of good followership the state. This has been done through engendering patriotic zeal in the citizens participation in governance. In this Situation, welfare of all the people rather than the advantage of a few, has formed the bedrock of his public policy.
4 Development of Infrastructure
His developmental policies in infrastructure will never be enough in a country bedeviled by extreme level of corruption threatening to stifle any proper motive for development.
5 Youth Development Programme
Empowering the Youth is an area successive governments in Nigeria have often neglected. Governor Ugwuanyi have done very well to bring in a lot of the Youth into positions of leadership. However,there is still need for improvement in the area of programme-centred development of the Youths.
Conclusion
In conclusion, permit me to re-state what I wrote in my article, “Beyond Ugwuanyi’s Re-election”, published in the vanguard Newspaper of 23rd March 2019, midway into declaration of results for Governor’s re-election, I clearly defined leadership and hazarded a guess on the expectations of Ugwuanyi’s second tenure.
In that article, I stated inter-alia, “Great leaders are those who rose beyond the threshold of persons-centered thinking, to community-empowerment thinking. Truth be told, some radical development government strategies that will benefit all may often come in conflict with individual interests. If the Governor ignores these and decides on a macabre dance of individual drummers which may seek to undermine the collective good, then he will certainly receive severe bashing from history”.
We have seen that since that since then, the Governor has adroitly managed both ends with the masterful dexterity.
I also stated in that article that “Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has the credentials to lift the State to enviable levels….. Despite the utterances of political acolytes and sycophants. In truth, Ugwuanyi has been described by many in varied bizarre forms. Some say he is cunning and shrewd, that he is introversive with his policies and actions, while others believe his character cannot easily discernible. A man of mercurial temperament and multifaceted personality, Ugwuanyi creates contradictory impressions. However, one common consensus appears to be his love for his people and his realization that he is governing a people with a greater percentage of the poor who are shielded from the gains of power”
“History of some great leaders have shown some similarities. Franklin Delano Roosevelt is a leader who had the greater impact on twentieth century America and the world than any other leader. Perhaps, the only quality attributed to his success of FDR which is uncommon among statesmen is his genuine affection for the people and an intuitive Sense of their feelings and ideas. His complexity of character baffled observers. His speech writer described him as….. ‘A man of infinite subtlety and obscurity, an artful dodger who could not be pinned down on specific points’ .Certainly this appears to be a bizarre description for a towering personality who dominated the world of his time. Rollover Roosevelt, enter Ugwuanyi”.
I had said that close confidants of this Governor can only hazard a guess, the second tenure may fraught with a lot of surprises. My take is that these surprises will still come.
When they come, it will be for the general good rather than the pacification of individual personalities. In whatever way these surprises may begin to unfold, in whatever direction they will go, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi certainly has a date with history.
Other dignitaries who spoke at the event included the Chairman of Ezeagu Local Government Area Traditional Rulers Council, HRH Igwe Augustine Otiji. He thanked the organizers for what he described the quality content of the interactive session ‘peace sustainance’. Pointed out that he didn’t come to the occasion as a politician, but “I will give you the opinion of all the Ezeagu traditional rulers, what we know about the peace in Enugu State brought about by Governor Ugwuanyi. I have worked with many Governors in the past, I am not here to give political assessment. In 2019 July, there was a group of people made up of professors who came, I was invited, after our deliberations we decided to assess Ugwuanyi using his performance at the local government level and the traditional rulers council as parameters.”
“Our comments then, is as follows; Enugu State under Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi Leadership is peaceful, secured and stable, the assessment was done in 2019 and today again in August 2021. We are repeating the same verdict”
The Royal Father ended his speech by saying “Governor Ugwuanyi have done almost all that he is supposed to do and the rest is up to us”.
Another Speaker in the person of Professor Akubuilo of the Enugu State Polytechnic Iwolo Ezeagu, praised the organizers for bringing up such a wonderful topic for deliberation among critical stakeholders. He praised the Governor highly on the giant strides of his administration in the Enugu State Polytechnic, stressing that “Our Governor has entrenched an atmosphere of peace in Enugu State Polytechnic, the backlog of students who have graduated but have not yet gone for the compulsory National Youth Service have been cleared, all thanks to the Workaholic Governor”. “there have been numerous uncountable projects in institution completed and furnished to give the citadel of learning in Ezeagu a befitting status”
In their goodwill messages, the House of Assembly Members representing the good people of Udi South and North, Hon. Chukwuka Eneh and Rt. Hon. Uche Ugwu who is also the Deputy Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly gave the organizers a pass mark and used the opportunity to thank the Governor and highlight on what they described as the Governor Ugwuanyi’s tireless efforts to keep the peace in Enugu State.
The Chairman of the occasion Hon. Chukwudi Marius Ani, Executive Chairman of Ezeagu Local Government Area and his Udi counterpart and the Host of the occasion, Hon. Ifeanyi Agu both spoke in a like manner. They urged every participant in the august event to take peace back home, so as to consolidate on the already established peace in Enugu State by His Excellency Dr Lawrence Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
The Occasion was well attended by stakeholders from the two local government areas both in person and by proxy.
The closing remarks was said by the Chief Host of the occasion, the Deputy Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Engr. Uche Ugwu.
