On May 29, 2015, the popular Okpara Square played host to a tumultuous crowd that had come to witness the change of guard in the stewardship of Enugu State. Former Governor Sullivan Chime officially completed his eight-year tenure and ultimately handed over to Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the newly-elected governor.
Ugwuanyi’s ascension to the number one seat of Enugu State, no doubt, marked an end to the 16 years of the politics of attrition that bedevilled the state.
Interestingly the choice of Ugwuanyi as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the governorship election did not come as a surprise in view of his position in the days of deep-seated internal party wrangling.
Standing in between two parallel PDP factions, one led by Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and the other Chime, Ugwuanyi severally turned down overtures from both camps and sought to play the bridge-builder while the logjam lasted.
To Ugwuanyi, the politics of PDP tin gods should not be a platform to jeopardise the dreams of the entire Enugu people in benefiting bountifully from the democratic process, hence he choose to remain with the masses.
It is, however, not in contention that Ugwuanyi’s victory in the election had already been foreseen by political watchers who have always seen him as a prince that choose to dine with the plebeians.
Similarly, being a member of the House of Representatives who had always been re-elected by his constituency since 2003 is a good testimony and excellent commentary of the quality of governance that Enugu State would certainly behold in the next four years.
Since 2003, Ugwuanyi has continued to interface with his people and has remained connected with their needs and expectations. Little wonder when Chime announced his desire to move the governorship position to the Nsukka zone, most gladiators in the powerplay did not need to search further for his successor.
Though Senator Ayogu Eze had tried to battle the PDP ticket with him, the Abuja Federal High Court presided over by Justice Evoh Stephen Chukwu ultimately dismissed the petition and upheld Ugwuanyi as the candidate of the party.
Against the backdrop of Ugwuanyi’s ascension to the saddle of leadership, the much-touted spread in the socio-economic development of Enugu would surely be actualised. This has even been brought to the fore by the governor himself during his speech on the day of inauguration.
His words: “Enugu State under us will pay a special attention to rural development because the bulk of our people live in the rural areas. We will create more urban areas to boost economic growth. In line with this, we must equip and modernise Nsukka – a university town – in attracting technology and knowledge-based business and other industrial support ventures, bearing in mind that Nsukka is the second largest town in Enugu State.
“In the same vein, the Ninth Mile Corner is a long overlooked economic hub that we need to harness to enjoy the full benefits of our newly-acquired status as a Free Trade Zone. We will give attention to these places to speed up urban development, create fresh economic opportunities and reduce pressure on Enugu metropolis.”
Ugwuanyi further expressed his administration’s desire to continue with the development strides of his predecessor, noting that no part of the state would be left out.
“Likewise, we will boost the Enugu city by opening up the Independence Layout Phase Two, Abakpa Nike, Emene and other satellite towns, to complement the proposed Industrial Park. We will partner with the private sector, not only in housing development but also in agricultural development and industrialisation. We want people who are ready to enter into strategic partnership with us to develop Enugu State. We will provide the necessary legal and policy framework to make investment thrive,” he added.
However, the new development plan for Enugu was also made public by the governor, which is anchored on trade and commerce, on the day of the swearing-in.
“A political associate recently told me that this is not the best of times to be the governor of Enugu State. But I replied that this is indeed the best time to lead Enugu. If former President Franklin Roosevelt could lead America out of the great depression; and if President Barack Obama could lead the Americans out of the economic melt-down, I believe that we too can turn the present economic challenges into huge blessings. Since it is knowledge driven economies and not oil driven economies that rule the world, I believe that this is another great opportunity for Enugu State, and indeed Nigeria to look inwards and harness those potentials which free oil money has blinded us from exploiting. It is an opportunity to live to our full potential and discard the feeding bottle federalism syndrome.
“Importantly, I believe in the miracle of five loaves and two fish. I believe that God will give us the wisdom and courage to successfully navigate the state through the current economic crunch.
“Yet, while I have no doubt that we will get to the promised land while expectations are high, and rightly so, it is also important to state that the times we are in require some patience. With patience, faith and your full involvement in governance, we will surely get there,” the governor enthused.
Ugwuanyi did not fail to express the fate of the state economically, explaining that though the administration’s blueprint would certainly be ecstatic at the end of the day, the electorate must be prepared to make genuine sacrifice for the dreams to be actualised.
Being the bridge-builder that he is known as, Ugwuanyi did not fail to recognise the contributions of successive governors to the growth of Enugu, urging them to put all manner of political rancour into the dustbin of history and join him in charting a new course for the state.
In the foregoing, the expectations are high on the part of the new helmsman in Enugu, and make no mistake about it, Ugwuanyi would certainly hit the ground running.
However, he has this task of harmonising all political blocs in the state and also ensuring that the sectional politics that has always been the bane of past administrations in Enugu would not truncate the upward mobility of his government.
