When Europe Passed
Verdict on Enugu...
11.01.2005
With less than 20 months left in office,
Governor Chimaroke Nnamani continues to make appreciable strides in
the governance of Enugu state. Davidson Iriekpen writes on
the visit of 13 European Envoys to the state and its impact in
expanding the frontiers of service delivery in the
state
While some of his colleague- governors in other states
are battling with how to give a good account of their tenure in
office, Governor Chimaroke Nnamani of Enugu State seems to be daily
endearing himself to his people through the delivery of
people-oriented policies, geared towards given the people a
deal for their mandate.
Recently, Governor Nnamani was the
cynosure of attention as he hosted 13 European Union Ambassadors, an
event that is unprecedented in the history of the country. The
13 ambassadors who by all standard are their country's heads
of government in Nigeria, converged in the Coal City to confirm for
themselves what they had heard were strides of development in the
state. The visit simply showed that what has been
happening in Enugu State in the last six years has caught the
attention of the world.
Unlike some governors who would boast of
imaginary projects and achievements, Governor Nnamani conducted the
visitors round some major projects his government had completed and
others being put in place. These included the bustling Nineth Mile
Corner which has reportedly grown from a satellite slum to become
perhaps, one of Nigeria's fastest growing industrial centres. Not
only is this location home to six breweries and bottling plants,
including the Nigerian Breweries plant at Ama, countless other
industrial concerns are also springing up around there- the
state-of-the-art 6,000 capacity international conference centre with
200-room hotel, the Enugu State University of Science and Technology
(ESUT) on a 600-hectre Ebeano city, the College of Medicine/Teaching
Hospital of the University, the Golf Housing Estate, etc. The
Ambassadors who also visited the Ebeano Bye-pass were said to have
been impressed with what they saw. Their individual remarks and
judgements of they saw, went in a long way to confirm Governor
Nnamani's lclaims to governance milestones in the state.
Taking
them through an intricate analysis of the process of reform in the
state since he assumed office, Governor Nnamani brought his
well-known oratorical and intellectual prowess to the fore. Laced
with statistics and anecdotes, the governor harped on what has
happened with the first indigenous reform effort, long before the
federal government came up with the National Economic Empowerment
and Development Strategy, NEEDS, which every state was then cajoled
to adopt a local version of (State Economic Empowerment and
Development Strategy, SEEDS). The governor spoke on poverty
reduction strategy and budgetary and fiscal reforms adopted by Enugu
state that compare with any fiscal system anywhere else in the
world. The ambassadors were also told of the state government's
efforts in sectors like agriculture, women empowerment, commerce and
industry, healthcare and education.
In the area of women
participation in politics, the governor told the visiting
ambassadors about the emphasis his administration places on women-
at the state executive council, there five women: two commissioners
and three special advisers; at the state House of Assembly, out of
23 members, 5 are women, while of the 17 local government councils
in the state, women seat atop 8 as head; out of the 39 development
centres in the state women were chairpersons of 17.
At the end of
the visit, an impressed Italian Ambassador, Marcello Ricoveri,
captured her impression thus: "When at the beginning we were given a
thorough description of the activities in the state by His
Excellency, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, the Governor, he told us that
Igbo people are adventurous, hard working and optimistic. What
impressed me most was the quality of leadership you have in this
state and I tell you sincerely that I do not want to be
over-indulgent. It is what struck me most, the capacity of the
leadership and the cohesion that exists between the leadership and
the people. This is fundamental factor for development.
"As a
women, I will like to tell you that I was very impressed with the
fact that you have some women as part of your State Assembly and I
think this is one of the core problems of some African countries and
it is sensible to give special attention to that situation because
in the family, the woman takes a very important part."
The
Ambassadors spoke to the press about their impressions at the
airport as they set to jet out of Enugu. They praised their host.
But that was hardly the kernel of their delivery. They had not, they
confessed, seen the level of development witnessed in Enugu in any
part of the country.
They spoke of their readiness and
willingness to do business with Enugu State in the area of funding
reforms and poverty reduction programmes. They submitted that what
is happening in Enugu was a road sign of what should happen all over
Nigeria and a pointer that all that hope was not lost after all in
Nigeria's march to regional
Richard Gozney, British High
Commissioner, had this to say: "My own impression and the one we can
use to enlighten the outside world is one of the dynamism, the
optimism and the ambition of Enugu to be different and to introduce
programmes, infrastructure and other elements for the future which
will make this state a driving force, a motivating force in this
part of Nigeria and perhaps, for Nigeria as a whole we have seen as
a general statement but, that is the impression I am taking away.
From the UK, we have worked here through DFID. The UK, happens to be
the chair or presidency of the EU for this six months period, from
July to December 2005, so we wish for the UK to work with a state
government for a visit. So, I suggested to my colleagues, and they
readily agreed. The reason I suggested Enugu was because I knew a
lot of what it was like here, because I come down because of DFID's
programmes and I wanted to show them how exceptional and dynamic
Enugu was. But you've seen one example of how a partnership with a
European country can lead into all the different areas that the DFID
are doing here."
Leonidas Tezapsidis, Head, European Commission
Delegation, also commented thus: "Enugu is pilot state in may
respects, it is one of the first to establish SEEDS-the State
Economic Empowerment Development Strategy- it is a vibrant civil
society, very much committed to the development of the state and in
participating in economic development and in the alleviation of
poverty because that is the problem of course, that exist throughout
Nigeria. A lot initiative have been taken and with sincerely hope
that all those initiatives will be implemented, will be sustained
because sustainable development is something that is very important
and we are here as donors to give our small assistance in every
sustainable development."
leadership of the African continent.
This was not the first time encomiums would be poured on
Governor Nnamani. A lot of personalities and dignitaries in the
country have done far more than this. A few of these personalities
are President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chairman Board of Trustees of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih and the
National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Ahmadu Ali.
While on a
two-day visit to the state earlier in the year, President Olusegun
Obasanjo who is not known for flattery and smooth talk, could not
resist showering praises on Governor Nnamani after being
conducted round some of the projects the state was executing
at the time. A surprised Obasanjo had told all who cared to listen
that "...what I saw in Enugu today; the way things are developing,
Enugu State and particularly Enugu city will soon be the envy of
most other states which will want to come and see how it has been
done in Enugu, because the changes you are making on the landscape
of Enugu are bound to attract a lot of activities to Enugu,
activities that will have multiple effects in terms of job and
employment generation poverty eradication and
development."
Also, Chief Tony Anenih. Anenih, who is known
not to mince words on whatever he believes in, at the commissioning
of Enugu State House in Abuja in July, told all those present at the
ceremony: "With the money the state governor gets every month, we
did not expect him to put this (edifice). When I passed through here
yesterday to know where today's function would take place, I was
pleasantly surprised, looking at the building the quality of
materials used, it shows clearly that whatever he gets is meant and
used for the people in Enugu State."
Senator Ahmadu Ali who
apparently had been hearing of the achievements and feats recorded
by the governor in the state, once decided to see things for
himself. At the end of his visit, he was quoted thus: "This young
man (Governor Nnamani) of talent and intellect has put all his
intellect and talent into the resources and development of Enugu
State. His performance is really unrivaled because when you look at
him, his state is the third lowest revenue earner but what you can
see here show that he is an expert in the management of man and
resources."
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