It is one of the several structures Governor Nnamani’s administration would leave to posterity. In executing these projects, he has been careful to not only bequeath a lasting legacy, but to also address the immediate social challenges confronting the state.

“Our total allocation when we started was about N200 million, then N600 million, now about N1.4 billion on the average…our commitment in terms of salaries to teachers and civil servants overhead is about N800 million and that leaves us with about N600 million…so, apart from paying operative costs of government, which include salaries, every other thing goes into our projects…this means that we have monthly commitment and we fund the excess through recurring overdraft…above all, note that the legacy we are pursuing is not a legacy of five or ten years; we are looking at a legacy of fifty years…some of the things we are putting in place cannot be appreciated now, it will take about fifty years…our children and grandchildren can look back and access the quality of the work of their forbearers,” Dr. Nnamani said, in his quest for good ranking in any future hall of fame for achievers in Enugu.

There is no doubt that the governor intends to and has made a positive statement with these projects, since the best way to win the hearts of his people is to put their money where it can be seen.

The Court Complex could pass easily for a cluster of beautiful guest houses only-government-can-build, but then it is the new enclave where Enugu State Judges would dispense justice in comfort and style.

It is a public place, quite alright, but then, the flow of buildings gives it the sanity of private property, and even a second look inspires awe as the first. It is so impressive, President Olusegun Obasanjo was said to have cleared his throat twice to be able to say “this is what I’m talking about…Enugu is working”, as he commissioned the Court Complex along with some other top-rate projects, the other week.

Naturally, President Obasanjo’s “Enugu is working”, is worth cashing in on and so, has been adopted as the state’s new slogan, in addition to Ebeano, which literally means where it is happening or where things are happening.

When the President performed the groundbreaking commissioning ceremony of the Enugu State projects, it was obvious he did not quite expect them to be completed in two years flat.

The new Court Complex is a sturdy state of the art structure, no doubt built to the best judgment and specifications of all Justices in the nation by sure-footed construction experts who took particular care to fix all conceivable defects in court infrastructure ever observed by any Judge in any part of Nigeria. The location of court rooms is indicative of a lovely blend to the Judiciary’s traditional respect for hierarchy and seniority with modern architecture.

The architectural theme of this yet-to-be-matched complex, is dispensation of justice in style and comfort and, as such, every furniture and fitting is made soft and sensible.

The State Judicial Headquarters Complex has 18 Court rooms that are fully computerized and automated, including the Chief Judge’s chambers. There is a modern library and a respectable Press gallery.

Nnamani has his finger in other good pies. Ebeano underground tunnel with dual carriage access road, street lights and drainage channels; dualization of Chime Avenue, New Haven, Enugu; dualisation of Rangers avenue, Independence Layout, Enugu; multi-auditoria International Conference Centre (ICC) with office complex; reconstruction and asphalting of Achara Layout road network including Ozalla Street, Nnaji-Nwede Street, Achina Street and Afikpo street; the 324-flat Loma Linda Housing Estate (nearly completed); dualization of Ozalla-Obe-ESUT-Umueze-Agbani-Law School road and brand new 2,000 seater Auditorium at the Enugu Campus of the Nigerian Law School. Some of these projects are the permanent site of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), with 164 buildings developed on 60 hectares of virgin land; Enugu State University Teaching Hospital and College of Medicine, Parklane, with 26 new massive finished structure, including 350-bed wards with women and children sections, as well as an intensive care unit, three hostel blocks, with en suite facilities, estimated to accommodate about 1,000 medical students, a library complex, pre-clinical laboratory, an administrative block and lecture auditorium, a pharmacy block, two cafeteria blocks and two administrative blocks, one for the Teaching Hospital and the other for the Medical College.

The College of Medicine, until recently, lacked a teaching hospital, a situation that made accreditation of the college a problem. But presently, the Teaching Hospital is already bustling with activities and the road network asphalted with the sidewalk planted with beautiful flower beds and street lights to boot. The hostels are already in use by students.

A new university campus and teaching hospital/medical school with such range of modern facilities are an uncommon feat for an administration within a three-year period. The execution of the two projects is certainly unprecedented in Nigeria where notable teaching hospital projects have been going for the last ten to twenty years.

Culled from Thisday the Sunday Newspaper, July 9, 2006