IFEANYI UGWUANYI: SEVEN YEARS ON

The Enugu State governor has done well in spite of scarce resources, reckons Samson Ezea

It is indeed another year of stock taking of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s seven years of governance and people-oriented programmes in Enugu State. These seven years which include four years of his first term and three years of his four years second term have been eventful, challenging, developmental, peaceful and inclusive. 

  Within this period, Enugu people have witnessed massive infrastructural development, peace, security, social justice, social services, good governance and employment generation which were among Ugwuanyi administration’s four-point agenda unveiled to Ndi Enugu during his first term swearing-in at Okpara Square, Independence Layout Enugu in 2015.

    No doubt, Ugwuanyi’s administration has recorded remarkable achievements, despite the fact that on assumption of office, he was confronted with myriad of daunting challenges that included recessed economy, paucity of funds, backlog of unpaid workers’ salaries, arrears of pensioners, infrastructural deficits especially in rural areas, unemployment and others.

    Apart from these challenges, Ugwuanyi’s party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that has been in power at the centre and state with enormous goodwill and ample opportunities, for the first time since 1999 lost power to the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the centre in 2015. 

   Not deterred by these obvious discouraging and enormous challenges, Ugwuanyi in his inaugural speech, committed the affairs of the state to God Almighty with the slogan “Enugu State is in The Hands of God.”

   Without hesitation, Ugwuanyi’s administration hit the ground running, by bringing to bear the governor’s financial prowess and prudence in reforming, rejigging and repositioning the state’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS) system for better performance and improved revenue generation.

    This singular action improved significantly the states’ Internally Generated Revenue from N14billion in 2016 to N18.4billion in the first 10 months of 2017 and now 31billion, thereby placing the state in a good financial stead, even without the monthly federation allocation as revealed by The Economic Confidential in its 2018 Annual States Viability Index (ASVI).

   Also introduced in the day-to-day running of the government by Ugwuanyi were good governance, equity, fiscal discipline, accountability and transparency. Since then, governance in the state took a new direction geared towards peaceful co-existence, integration, and even development across the state. Ugwuanyi’s leadership style has decidedly remained inclusive, progressive, eclectic and unprecedented in the state’s leadership history.

    Within his first term in office, Ugwuanyi administration’s presence and footprints prefaced virtually all the 450 autonomous communities, 17 local councils and three senatorial zones in the state.

     All the sectors of the state economy witnessed his government’s interventions with rural development, education, health, infrastructure, security, workers’ welfare, youth empowerment, taking the lead.

    Across the state, roads like Opi-Nsukka dual carriage way, Obechara Road Junction-Umuakashi Mechanic village-Ikenga Hotels Junction-Enugu Road Nsukka Junction and Umuezebi-Nru Junction have been completed. Others include extension of Agbani-AforAmurri Road, the extension of Ituku Road, the construction of Ogonogoeji- Ndi Akpugo Road (Atavu Bailey Bridge-AforOnovo) the construction of the 42-metre span Bailey Bridge and road works across River Nyama to Amichi, linking Umuogo and Umuagba Amaechi Uno/ Obinagu community, all in Nkanu West LGA.

Of note is that the Agbani-Amurri Road was constructed for a community that has never witnessed any form of development or government presence on its land in the past 100 years plus. In the same vein, the Ogonogoeji-Ndiagu-Akpugo Road from Atavu Bailey Bridge to Afor Onovo is the first state government road in the entire Akpugo land since the creation of the Enugu State.

   Not left out is the popular and historic Milliken Hill Road, Ngwo, constructed in 1909, but was abandoned for several decades before Ugwuanyi’s administration reconstructed it with streetlight. The three-kilometre road is part of the 12-kilometre 9th Mile-Ekochin-Ngwo- Miliken Hill-New Market federal road which state government rehabilitated to serve as alternative route for commuters and motorists plying Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.

   Also within the state capital, Ugwuanyi’s administration has executed numerous road projects at Holy Trinity Street and Bishop Michael Eneje Street, Nawfia Street, Ibuza Street, Isi-Uzo Street all in Independence Layout Enugu. Also asphalted are Mount Crescent, GRA Enugu, Dental School-Tipper Garage Road, Trans Ekulu, Enugu; Loma Linda-Timber Shed Road and many others. In his first four years Ugwuanyi’s administration spent not less than N45b in road construction and reconstruction across the state. These are not inclusive of the numerous road projects awarded by Ugwuanyi’s administration close to his reelection that have been completed and are in use now.

   In the education sector, through the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB), Enugu is among the states that have consistently paid their counterpart fund making it possible for them to access the federal government Universal Basic Education fund.

    With this, ENSUBEB has built and renovated more than 480 primary school classrooms, provided learning and teaching facilities and recruited more than 3500 teachers. Also recruited through the Post Primary Schools Management Board (PPSMB) were more than 1200 secondary teachers in addition to the 857 volunteer teachers (engaged during the past administration) but were not regularised as permanent staff.

   Of great emphasis is the fact that Ugwuanyi’s administration has equitably distributed developmental projects and appointments across the state in spirit of unity, equity and fairness to the admiration and happiness of all in the state. This is a clear departure from the winner takes all practice of the past that created bad blood among political stakeholders in three senatorial zones of the state. Ugwuanyi has not only continued to maintain the infrastructure he met on ground, he has built new ones, completed and still completing the abandoned ones across the state.

   Notwithstanding that his administration inherited backlog of salary of workers and arrears of pensioners, Ugwuanyi never engaged in buck passing or blame game for one day. His government boldly took the bull by the horns by clearing the outstanding salaries, promotion and introduced prompt payment of workers. 

    Since then, workers in the state receive their salaries every 21st of the month and 13 month in December as bonus until recently that financial constraints hit government at all levels. The gesture to workers is the first of its kind in any state in Southeast zone. This is despite the fact that Enugu State is not an oil producing state and is almost at the bottom in the cadre of monthly Federation allocation. 

   The gesture made the national leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and workers in the state to confer on Ugwuanyi the award of Most Workers’ Friendly Governor in Nigeria.

     Despite paucity of funds, Ugwuanyi’s administration is gradually attending to arrears of pensioners that have piled up for years due to inability of the past governments to clear it.

    Under Ugwuanyi’s administration, Enugu State has recorded the lowest crime rate, even in the face of the resurgence of criminal activities across the country. This milestone which brought about the peacefulness of the state was once attested to by the leadership of Police Service Commission. 

    This was responsible for the prevailing peace in the state, till date and the award of the most peaceful Governor in Nigeria to Gov. Ugwuanyi by Nigerian Peace Ambassadors International. 

    Even when there was some security lapses across the country after the 2019 elections of which some parts of Enugu were affected, Ugwuanyi quickly rose to the occasion by rejigging the security architecture of the state, established and equipped Forest Guard in the state. The Enugu Forest Guard is first of its kind in the country. Ugwuanyi’s administration also appointed former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ogbonnia Onovo as the State Security Consultant.

   The overwhelming support Ugwuanyi’s administration enjoyed during his first term and his resounding victory in his reelection was a clear testimony of his outstanding performance in office and style of leadership that gives everyone, irrespective of religion, tribe, status and party affiliation sense of belonging in the affairs of the state.

Ezea writes from Independence Layout Enugu