Peace and Progress: Cornerstone of the Ugwuanyi Administration
drastic proactive measures were taken to ensure Enugu State remains safe for development to thrive
I consider the hallmark of true governance to be the achievement of peace and progress in society. A government that cannot provide relative peace and stability for society to thrive has failed on all counts.
This singular purpose has continued to elude most governments in not just Nigeria but around the world and inspires my question; how is peace and stability achieved in a polity within Nigeria?
I believe this question is being best answered by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.
Ugwuanyi runs perhaps, the most peaceful and stable state in Nigeria, and the secret behind this is not far-fetched. The Governor’s style of leadership, amongst many other indicators, is responsible.
The standard of society is truly determined by its leadership. When political leadership is egoistic and motivated by power and money, it constitutes a self-inhibiting organism that impedes true development.
The leadership style Enugu state has witnessed over the past five years is by many standards the most empathetic and inclusive than what has been obtainable in previous years.
Non-inclusive governance would always birth grievances from all corners within the state and attendant political instability will manifest. Ugwuanyi reinforces the truth that an inclusive and accountable government where the governed feel included in decisions of governance will lead to relative peace within the polity.
Enugu State has been under the leadership of the PDP since the inception of Nigeria’s fourth republic in 1999.
People have argued that one-party dominance does not give electoral democracy a chance to fly. However, because most political parties in Nigeria are bereft of ideology and exist only as a vehicle to capture state power, maybe this has become a good thing for the state.
Unnecessary party polarization and discontinuity in governance trajectory can make democracy vulnerable. Politicians and party members on both ends of the party spectrum begin to view each other as enemies and adversaries that must lose no matter the cost.
Consequently, bitter politics and attendant violent conflicts ensue. Coal City has developed as one family under the PDP’s umbrella and this has definitely entrenched peace and stability in Enugu State.
Peace and political stability is a basic requirement for development everywhere. Progress would always elude a society where political bitterness and acrimony is commonplace.
This philosophy is not just one which the PDP subscribes to, but also one which Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi exemplifies. In his words, my administration will “deploy government services to create fair and equal opportunity for every willing citizen to make a living and create wealth, educate our children, and enjoy life in a peaceful and secure environment”.
One might be tempted to see these as just the empty words of regular politicians, but the proactivity of this administration in creating a peaceful state for citizens to make a living is truly commendable. The administration has worked tirelessly to sustain the official ranking of Enugu State as the safest state in Nigeria.
April 2016 witnessed the attack of the Nimbo community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area by Fulani herdsmen. It was a very disheartening incidence as lives were lost and properties destroyed. At a point during the insecurity conflicts, the trend moved to the kidnapping and killing of clergymen and traditional rulers within the state.
This was the opposite of the peace and prosperity Governor Ugwuanyi had promised to deliver. However, the hoodlums perpetrating these vices reached the attention of the Governor who rose to the occasion swiftly to nip the nascent security issues in the bud.
The Ugwuanyi administration holds at its very core the security and safety of the Enugu people. Therefore, drastic proactive measures were taken to ensure Enugu State remains safe for development to thrive.
To sustain Enugu’s record as the safest state in Nigeria, the state security architecture has continued to be rejigged and rebuffed regularly.
The government adopted community policing strategies and began to strengthen local vigilante groups to further identify and prevent crimes in the state.
A 5200-capacity neighborhood watch was engaged to fight insecurity at the grassroots.
A Neighborhood Endowment Fund was launched and security equipment was presented to all registered Neighborhood Watch groups within the State.
The government procured 100 units of Innoson 5-seater-double-cabin pickup trucks with siren system and mobile Radio Communication Gadgets. 260 units of Bajaj boxer motorcycle and 300 units of bicycles were also procured to support security patrols at different levels.
Also, a novel state security outfit, the Enugu State Forest Guard was commissioned and 100 vibrant individuals from all 17 local governments within the state, making 1,700 guards were vetted, hired and trained, through Enugu State Command of the Department of State Services.
They are furnished with top-notch security equipment to further enhance the security of the state.
The pragmatism and foresight that Ugwuanyi displayed in the constitution of the Enugu State Forest Guard is unprecedented in the entire Eastern region.
This shows that he has not only adopted a grassroots leaning to infrastructural developments, but also in tackling the issues of insecurity.
The Enugu State Executive Council equally approved the purchase of 18 automated drones for air surveillance within and outside the state to enhance security.
According to Governor Ugwuanyi, “Enugu will remain the safest state in the country. No stone will be left unturned until the criminals are flushed out completely”.
“We will continue to support and encourage the security agencies by providing them with the required logistics. More vehicles will be purchased and motorcycles fitted with communication gadgets will be provided for the Forest Guards.”
These are words of a governor who is ready to remain restless until criminality is sent out of his state.
To further see to the proper implementation of community policing, the governor also recently inaugurated a 17-man State Community Policing Advisory Committee (SCPAC), which is to be presided over by the State Commissioner of Police, CP Ahmad Abdurrahman, and co-chaired by the Chairman of the State Traditional Rulers Council, HRH, Igwe Lawrence Agubuzu.
This initiative, according to the Inspector General of Police is “saddled with the responsibility of deepening community approach as well as confidence, trust and mutual respect between the Police and the people, in the management of crimes and criminalities”.
Ugwuanyi has refused to play politics with the security of his people. His continued collaboration with all security agencies within the state has particularly seen to the implementation of all security strategies that are drafted.
When the administration donated 65 patrol vans to the state police command, the state Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Abdulrahman, described the Governor as “an unassuming personality; a symbol of peaceful co-existence and the architecture of modern security in Enugu State.”
On the peace that now reigns in Enugu State, the former Governor of Old Anambra State during the second republic and Senator who represented Enugu East Senatorial District, Senator Jim Nwobodo, also commented thus; “Since 1999, I have never been to Enugu and stayed more than two weeks. But since this governor came, I have been in Enugu for the past six months because of the peace he has entrenched.” This is a good testimony.
Indeed, peace and stability are necessary for every the economy to thrive as trade, sustained economic growth and prosperity are hinged herein. On the other hand, also, economic growth will lead to relative peace in the polity. They both complement each other.
A government serious about attracting foreign investors must take security seriously because investors are geared towards putting their money where the safety of their investment is guaranteed.
This constitutes a big motivation for Ugwuanyi, to see that the state remains peaceful for wealth creation to remain possible. And indeed, his efforts have not gone without positive and verifiable results.
Enugu State was in 2014 ranked according to the World Bank Ease of Doing Business as 27th out of 37 states, FCT inclusive. However, with the entrenchment of peace in the state, the state now ranks as the 2nd State in Ease of Starting Business and 3rd State in Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria in the 2018 World Bank Ease of Doing Business subnational ranking.
With the peace and stability Enugu State enjoys today and the sound infrastructural developments the governor is undertaking, Enugu State will morph into the focal point of both local and foreign investments in the South East region.
This feat must be maintained. The Ugwuanyi administration must endeavor to uphold the governance of inclusiveness and accountability that has brought it thus far.
More reforms in governance should be carried out to enhance more inclusiveness.
The government’s focus on infrastructural projects in every community should be intensified as this plays a role in keeping the peace between communities and the government.
Much more, to sustain the community policing measures, the various neighborhood watch groups must continue to undergo training and capacity building to keep them skilled to fight crime locally.
As the security of lives and property of the Enugu people remains the priority of the government, truly, there would be no limit to the economic growth and progress that would be obtainable in Enugu State.
Written by Ifeanyi Chukwudi
Edited by Ese Okereka
Originally published at http://discoverenugu042.wordpress.com on August 18, 2020.
