By Ozioma Ubabukoh
Moved by the bold efforts of the Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, to give urban infrastructure in the state a facelift, some notable stakeholders decided to undertake a review of the preceding eight years.
Since 1999, the Peoples Democratic Party has been enjoying political dominance in the state. But known as the Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi era, most residents of Enugu described the immediate past administration as a stop-gap in the attempt to sustain the Coal City’s master plan, which is largely credited to the colonial masters.
While many still commend the climate of peace that pervaded that era, the consensus of opinion is that it was hard to remember specific infrastructure signatures of Ugwuanyi’s two terms in office.
But virtually everybody in Enugu metropolis claims that they remember that Ugwuanyi put the state in the hand of God, stressing, “Because, we are very prayerful and believe in God, we did not bother to ask how far the government was doing.”
As Nigeria celebrates 25 years’ unbroken cycle of civil rule, it is pertinent to look back on various aspirations of the electorate, especially the unmet expectations in the bygone years. It is this concerted effort by the stakeholders to x-ray the immediate past docket of development in Enugu that prompted this series.
Nigerians seem to be more interested in the now, and this mindset does not support institutional growth. The inability to compare notes, sift the wheat from the chaff and itemise what should be the fundamental indices of democratic process, is responsible for the stunted growth of democratic practices in the country.
Just as it happened after the exit of Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State, people feel freer to use the golden opportunity to comment on their feelings about the departed era.
The crucial areas of review include the style of leadership (governance schemes), policy options, projects (conception, funding and implementation), gender inclusivity as well as economic empowerment interventions in the state.
Without going into the nitty-gritty of policy outcomes, it is mind-boggling that the present administration in Enugu should see room to embark on the scale of infrastructure uplift it has contemplated.
Just 200 metres away from the Government House lies the proposed International Conference Centre, which was abandoned midway into its construction when former Governor Sullivan Chime took over from Chimaroke Nnamani, who conceived the idea of the centre to host high class events.
Just like the ICC, the iconic Hotel Presidential remained comatose for the greater part of the successive administrations after Nnamani had left the scene.
Governor Mbah has, apart from commencing work on the abandoned ICC project, decided to raise the stake. Contract has been awarded to China Civil Engineering and Construction Company Limited for the completion of the centre, in addition to erecting a brand new multi-storey five star hotel within the precincts of the ICC. These two landmark projects could be why some respondents opined that Ugwuanyi was more preoccupied with land matters that he could not think of any legacy project in the state capital.
Residents recalled with pain the level of squalor in Enugu metropolis due to uncontrolled waste management, which led to mountain of refuse that dotted the corners of every street.
That Governor Mbah found it expedient to devote his first days in office as Ugwuanyi’s successor to clear the heaps of rubbish lays credence to the claim by residents that Enugu has never known such level of filth in its recent history.
But instead of blaming the environmental decay on lack of attention, some residents believed that Ugwuanyi was too trusting and appointed aides who merely took advantage of his good heart through negligence and sheer misdirection of funds.
In his determination to weld the state together and ensure social harmony and peace, the former governor was said to have pursued the policy of appeasement to the extent of even throwing money at problems.
The issue of the legendary descent of the Coal City, which was known for its urban beauty, serenity and cleanliness, to massive dirt, was made a campaign topic during the 2023 governorship election in the state. While supporters of Ugwuanyi tried to pin the responsibility of the uncleared heaps of rubbish on Chijioke Edeoga the gubernatorial candidate of Labour Party, Edeoga came out to explain that clearing rubbish was not his responsibility as former Commissioner for Environment.
The LP candidate was said to have quelled the claims that he misappropriated funds and abandoned waste disposal for which the monies were budgeted. Edeoga challenged the Ugwuanyi-led PDP to publish any official memo or financial voucher through which he was saddled with the responsibility of waste disposal or collected the said misappropriated funds.
It was from Edeoga’s media interviews that the people of Enugu learned that the persons appointed into the Enugu State Waste Management Authority were non-indigenes, who allegedly awarded contracts to cronies.
Was Ugwuanyi negligent or patronising during his tenure? How far did the administration embark on self-audit? What were the administration’s cardinal programmes? Answers to those posers showed that the people were actually conscious of governance systems. Most importantly, the stakeholders, who commissioned the study, believe that this will give insight to the progress of democracy in Enugu.
Further, as the incumbent administration of Mbah has embarked on changing old water pipes and massive reticulation of pipe-borne water, the report of the preceding eight years would provide the needed backcloth to gauge the progress or otherwise being achieved.
With the mileage covered by politicians within 25 years of democracy in Nigeria, it is beginning to sink deep in the people’s consciousness that holding leaders to account paves the right path to good governance and real democracy dividends.
Needless to say that the current move by President Bola Tinubu to open up the third tier of government at the grassroots, through the devolution of power to local government councils, donates more impetus to the ongoing push for accountable leadership.
• To be Continued
• Ubabukoh, principal consultant at Plexus Media Interlinks, writes from Lagos.