Why had I been invited?
As I sat with Governor Chimaroke Nnamani at Government Lodge, Enugu, I waited patiently for him to come to the question. Chief Ayogu Eze, former Information Commissioner now appointed Special Adviser on Public Affairs, was with us. But Dr. Nnamani took his time. As happened on all our previous meetings, he first asked after Lagos, after my work, after my family and my reading of the movement of Nigerian politics. Finally, he broached the issue: “Did you read what the European Ambassadors who visited Enugu said at the end of their tour?” Of course, I did. He now hit the nail on the head. “I decided to invite you to see what we are doing in the state, and to see whether your impressions would contradict what the European Ambassadors had to say.”

The Governor pressed a button. An aide appeared. “Bring the car. We are going on a tour.” Soon Governor Nnamani went behind the driving wheel of his official limousine. I took the seat beside him, while Ayogu sat behind us. Led and trailed by security vehicles, we hit the Coal City. We shall come to the details. But, first, what had European Ambassadors said about Enugu? This comes from the October 7, 2005 edition of the Vanguard: From September 22 - 24, 2005, an event which is as unprecedented as it was unique happened in the South Eastern State of Enugu: 13 European Ambassadors converged on the State to confirm for themselves what they heard were strides of development in the State. After the visit, the Ambassadors fielded questions on their impression of the State and its government.

What is your impression on this visit of yours to Enugu State?

Richard Gozney, British High Commissioner:
‘Governor and friends, especially from the press, we had the fullest two days of seeing round about Enugu State than anyone could have given us and our minds are full of beautiful impressions of the different places and different programmes which the State Government and the others judiciously set in place here in Enugu. Each of my colleagues will have their own impression; they may like to say something after I have. But my own impression and the one we can use to enlighten the outside world is 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.’

Other Ambassadors on the Enugu visit were: Aart Verdegaal of the Netherlands, Dirk Van Eeckhout of Belgium, Leonidas Tezapsidis (Head, European Commission Delegation), Marcello Ricoveri of Italy, Christian Fellner of Austria, Anna-Lisa Korhonrn of Finland, Isor Haidusek of Slovak, Stent Engdahl of Sweden, Liam Canniffee of the Republic of Ireland, Ynes Gandeni (the French Charges d’Affairs), the Ambassador to the European Union Commission and the Portuguese Ambassador.”

Based on the detailed Vanguard report of October 7, these ambassadors shared the impressions of their British counterpart. But Governor Nnamani thought I had to see things for myself and make a personal pronouncement. We drove the short distance from Government Lodge to the new judiciary complex nearing completion. “Behind us is Government Lodge”, said Nnamani. “Ahead is the State House of Assembly. And on our left, the Judiciary building. It is the Three Arms Zone.”

“ Just like we have it in Abuja”, I said.

“No”, replied the Governor. “You could say Abuja copied from us. What you see here is the idea of Dr. Michael Okpara (the First Republic Premier of Eastern Nigeria).”

We next inspected work on the three auditoriums of the International Conference Centre by Okpara Square. As we hit Ogui Road en route to where a link road to Okpara Avenue is being constructed, Nnamani asked a question: “Can you see that woman sweeping the street?” He obviously wanted to underline attention to environmental sanitation and job creation. We soon encountered many other road sweepers. “There is nothing like this elsewhere in the country”, said the Governor, as we got off his car to inspect the link road which goes under a rail line. It’s goodbye to the railway crossing where vehicles stopped for the train to hurtle past. We ended the first segment of our tour by way of the newly dualised Chime Avenue, using a new road under construction that now connects the Avenue to area of the Government Lodge.

The second round of my tour was conducted by Ayogu Eze. We visited the new teaching hospital, the Loma Linda Housing Estate and the sprawling permanent site of the Enugu State University (ESUT). I had asked Governor Nnamani if the infrastructure his government was instituting was a recent idea. “No”, he had replied. “If you read my inaugural address of 1999, you will see that I always wanted to leave the legacy for the people. It was the reason I returned from the United States in the first place.” Back to the verdict of European Ambassadors, I concur on the positive strides that are self-evident.

From Vanguard, November 1, 2005