Ugwuanyi at 58: Fostering inclusiveness, leaving indelible imprints

There is at present an ongoing infrastructure project at a major intersection at Abakpa-Nike, a populous suburban community on the fringe of the Enugu metropolis. This unmissable project straddling the community like a behemoth is a four-lane flyover bridge being built by the Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi administration. When completed and open for use, the flyover will eliminate the perennial traffic gridlock which had always been experienced at that route.

The project is another bold illustration of the defining ethos of the Governor Ugwuanyi administration – rural and suburban communities are just as deserving of the government’s attention as the upscale neighbourhoods in cities. The governor regards the transformation of rural and suburban communities as an imperative; a point underlined in his inaugural speech: “Enugu state under us will pay special attention to rural development because a majority of our people live in the rural areas”.

This commitment to transform communities that are, more or less, cynically seen as places politicians visit only during election campaigns is driven by his vision to enthrone an inclusive society. For him, everyone has a right to a decent living. That basically underpins the inclusive philosophy adopted by his administration from the outset, and which has been so scrupulously implemented.

As he celebrates his 58th birthday on March 20, his commitment to edifying ideals has not waned. The word “celebrate” is actually a misnomer because he would typically spend the day on a sobering note in the company of persons whose lives make only a fleeting presence in the public mind; persons whose welfare has decidedly been left to the benevolence of religious bodies, non-governmental organisations or individuals with a heart for charity.

Such visits are hardly ever a one-off affair for him like it often is with the limelight-obsessed celebrities of the social media age. They have, over time, become an overarching moral obligation nurtured before his foray into politics. So even long before celebrating birthdays with children in orphanages became a fad among preening celebrities, Governor Ugwuanyi had been doing so quietly away from the cameras.

His acts of charity are by no means, exhibitionist. Neither are they carried out in ways that diminish nor further dehumanize the beneficiaries. And while it helps to directly assist charitable causes, he is convinced that addressing the social and economic conditions which fuel social exclusion and breeds abject want and utter dejection through policies are just as important. The substantial resources the administration has invested in social regeneration clearly underlines that.

It is gratifying that even when governments were compelled to carry out a downward review of their budgets in response to the COVID-19-induced economic slowdown in the last two years, the capital expenditure for sectors such as health and education was not pruned down in Enugu state. The state’s 2022 budget reflected a similar trend, with budgetary allocation for health projects taking a substantial share, like the new ESUT Teaching Hospital complex, Igbo Eno, scheduled for completion in the current budget cycle.

Sitting on hectares of land away from the unsettling bustle of the city, the unfolding Enugu State University of Science and Technology Teaching Hospital and College of Medicine has left visitors awestruck. Such high standards are not only evident in tertiary health projects; they are just as evident in primary health facilities, even those sited in remote rural locations. It is so because the governor believes that good service delivery and high standards should not be adhered to in cities, and disregarded in rural communities where media scrutiny is limited. This policy helps ensure that residents of rural communities are not compelled to travel to larger towns and cities for medical treatment that should, ordinarily, be available at primary health centres.

Unassuming and humility are often not the kind of words that could be used to describe politicians without tongue in cheek. But those words truly describe Governor Ugwuanyi. He embodies both without the slightest affectation. His affable nature is largely the reason he has been able to enthrone an enduring peace in the state, uniting communities that were strife-torn for decades. Indeed, nothing fosters peaceful coexistence like inclusion that proceeds from deep conviction. As has become the tradition, inclusion and brotherhood would be the resounding message on his birthday as friends and supporters, inspired by his example, throng charity homes bearing various gifts for children, the elderly and other vulnerable groups.

Ani is a communications aide to the Enugu state governor