By  John Nwokeabia
Posted to the Web: Friday, March 24, 2006

There comes a time in the history and development of a people, when providential benevolence permits the emergence of a leader, who has, not just a mission to  accomplish, but also possesses a powerful drive and vision of what is to be done to recreate society from the scratch for the benefit of the greatest number of people  possible. According to Chinua Achebe, such leaders are like good money and are difficult to come by. Such leaders are like the Biblical virtuous woman who is  priceless and more than ruby. Such leaders are not reluctant or accidental leaders who had power fall upon them like Isaac Newton’s apple.

The foregoing fits the emergence of Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani as the Executive Governor of Enugu State since 1999 till date. As a willing, zealous and accommodating  leader, Governor Nnamani has displayed a dizzying track record of being abreast with the realities of our State. He has proved that he had, before coming to power,  come into contact with the frustrating aspects of our existence; and that given such contacts, he is ever determined to use the apparatus of the State - especially in its  transformed or radicalised nature, to rebuild Enugu State from the scratch.

On assumption of office in May 1999, the first major problem that confronted his administration was the issue of provision of accessible roads and health care  delivery system. He was also bothered about the crippling poverty and dearth of infrastructure in the State. To say the least, the problems confronting the Chimaroke  Administration were many and Herculean.  In road construction, Chimaroke Nnamani has been outstanding. He has constructed new roads and rehabilitated existing  ones to suit the purpose of our various terrains. Among the numerous road projects that his administration has undertaken include the construction of the Nsukka-Opi  road, which has been in a pitiable state of disrepair for several years despite the challenging opportunities, which previous governments in the State had to repair the  road. The Agbani-Amagunze road was next on the line. This road could best be described as hell on earth before 1999. From Amagunze to Enugu Metropolis then  would have taken over six hours for a journey of less than one hour. Driving through the road then was like swimming through an ocean of dust through cascading  potholes and other death traps. The Chimaroke Nnamani administration has reconstructed this all-important road linking over thirty towns and communities. Today  that road is in the process of being dualised.

In the provision of infrastructure, the Enugu State Government has equally been remarkable. The Government has put in place functional health care facilities in the  rural communities with the provision of cottage hospitals, health centers and dispensaries. The Government has almost completed the massive and ultra-modern ESUT  Teaching Hospital in Enugu. The State University, ESUT has been relocated to its permanent site at Agbani. The permanent site of the State University has been  described as a haven for academic excellence and apiece of architectural design that will bring the whole essence of tertiary education to an enviable standard.

Other edifices nearing completion and which the State Governor promised would be ready for commissioning in the next couple of months include the multi-purpose  International Conference Center, the ultra modern Judiciary Quarters, among others. The State Government has also constructed and commissioned the imposing  Enugu State Liaison Office in Abuja. The issue of housing has not gone unnoticed in the state. The creation of Ebe-Ano Pocket Estate, Golf Estate, Harmony Estate  1-3, Loma Linda Estate etc are but a few of the State Government’s response to the problem of housing in the State.

It is interesting to note that when Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani took over the reins of leadership in Enugu State in 1999 at the age of 39, not a few held their breath to see  how the young man on the block would steer the ship of state given the many landmines which dot our political landscape. But those who know him closely also knew  of his track records and amazing accomplishments especially in the field of Medicine, which marked him out as a rare breed. He specialised in fetal surgery, a branch  of medicine many consider rightly to be very risky.

There is no doubt that Governor Nnamani must have ventured into this field of specialisation to prove that the impossible can become possible. So when he decided  to leave his high risk but lucrative medical profession in the United States of America (USA) to venture into the murky and shark-infested political waters of this State,  it was in keeping with his date with destiny and history. In the past six years the Governor has fought and survived many battles. In the past six years, he has  maintained his focus and has been able to create a massive followership and goodwill.

It is therefore not surprising that in the past six years, the Governor has changed the face of Enugu State for the better. As has been pointed earlier, his administration  has provided road networks, water, rural electrification, and health care facilities in all the nooks and crannies of the State. He has built a permanent site for the State  University, a state-of-the-art International Conference Center, State University Teaching Hospital, Judiciary Quarters, to mention just a few. Interestingly, all these  projects are going on simultaneously.

 Chimaroke Nnamani is, no doubt, setting high standards for his eventual successor.
It is by so doing that we can all begin to see the import of the Chimaroke Nnamani legacy and his conviction that “Man is in search of history, not for himself but for  God and the Glorification of God.” It is only in this wise that we can all arise in rapturous joy to exclaim, “To God indeed be the Glory.”
 Dr. John Nwokeabia writes from Enugu.