By Uwakwe Abugu
Since the inception of his administration on May 29, 2015, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has left no one in Enugu State in doubt that it is time for democracy for the people, especially the common man in the state. By his pronouncements which have been firmed up correspondingly by concrete actions, he has continued to drive the goals of his administration to uncommon terrains which his predecessors dreaded to venture into. For instance, his action in going to open up a very difficult Amechi Idodo- Amagunze Road requiring multiple mini-bridges is one unprecedented move that has created the most celebrated pleasant surprise for the hitherto disillusioned people of the Nkanu East council area of the state designated as the most “infrastructurally” underdeveloped local government area in the state by his administration after a survey.
Today, in spite of the harrowing experience of most state governments across the country which find it difficult to pay workers’ salaries, work has been in steady progress on the said four mini-bridges whose eventual completion would offer a monumental new lease of life for the people of the area. This gesture, like the recent landmark presentation of keys of 100 housing units to 100 junior civil servants from across the 17 local council areas of the state by the governor made him clearly blaze the trail in exemplary combination of philanthropy, humaneness and rigid adherence to tenets of democracy in governance in the country.
Through Governor Ugwuanyi’s own initiative within his first 100 days in office, the beneficiaries of the housing gesture had taken part in a raffle draw personally supervised by the state chief executive to ensure a transparent process. That day, September 1, 2015, was remarkable in the lives of the lucky 100 winners of the 100 housing units for which the state government has paid 54 per cent equity contribution, making it possible for them to take possession of the facilities from the developers on Friday, July 8, 2016. The presentation of the keys was done by the governor amidst profuse celebration and outpouring of encomiums by the critical stakeholders.
It would be necessary to offer readers here excerpts from their words of commendation:
As it affected the beneficiaries, one of them, a driver working in the Press Unit of the Government House, Enugu, Mr. Peter Odo, who is on grade level 3, simply enthused, “to the glory of God, I am now a proud owner of a house in Enugu metropolis. Only this kind of God-fearing governor could make it possible. We thank him from the bottom of our hearts”.
On his part, the chairman of Copen Group of companies, that is, the developers of the facility, Rev. Ugochukwu Chime, was equally elated as he spoke on the occasion: “Today is a remarkable day in more ways than one. History is being made here today, and the enormity of it is not lost on those of us who are global players in the housing industry”.
He reeled out the firsts the governor has scored in the singular act of giving junior civil servants houses in the metropolis: “It is the first time in decades, that a state government is paying over 50 per cent equity contribution for its citizenry to enable them to become home owners/landlords via a mortgage scheme; it is the first time that such a process is being transparently done in the full glare of everybody; it is the first time that the very first Executive Council meeting of a State will embark on such heart-warming venture; it is the first time that such a Committee set up by the state government will discharge its assignment without asking for kickbacks and escalating the cost of the houses. l am very proud to be an indigene of Enugu State”.
He further addressed the governor emotionally and gave a comparative hint of his administration’s milk of kindness as against others before it, saying,”Your love and support was a mighty instrument in GOD’s hand, in annulling the hatred and wickedness of some others before you”.
The state commissioner for Housing Development, Charles Ogboo Asogwa, an engineer, was no less overjoyed as he spoke: “Your Excellency, I stand before you today with a deep sense of honour and joy on this occasion of the handover of keys to the beneficiaries of the one bedroom apartment, acquired by the state government for civil servants on grade level 1 – 10 from the seventeen (17) local government areas of the state at Elim Estate, lbagwa-Nike Enugu”. According to him, the government’s gesture was unique because “it is, indeed, the first time the state government is acquiring housing units for the lowest cadre of civil servants in the state. I make bold to state that winners emerged from civil servants across the l7 local government areas of the state, thanks to His Excellency’s insistence on fair play, equity and transparency which ensured that beneficiaries emerged through an open balloting system”.
He spoke of the sterling qualities of Governor Ugwuanyi as ideal for Enugu state today, saying that: “We are grateful to God Almighty for giving us a leader blessed with wisdom, humility and compassion. It takes a leader that feels the pulse of his subjects to embark on projects that impact positively on the lives of the common people”.