I find it extremely difficult, or should I say extremely annoying to campaign for Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi among the people of Enugu North. Campaigning for Ugwuanyi in Enugu North Senatorial Zone is like advertising a good son to the parents and siblings. Isn’t said that a good wine needs no bush? Where do I start? In which of the six LGAs in Enugu North do I begin from? Is it Nsukka LGA? Haba!
The statistics shows that the GDP of Nsukka grew by about 43% after Ugwuanyi constructed the double lane from Opi Junction through Ogige Market to Onuiyi Junction in Nsukka. That road is rated the best in the South-East with probably the best double drainage system in Nigeria. Why I should I tell someone from Nsukka LGA to vote for Ugwuanyi when a beautiful stadium is seated like a well-adorned bride in the heart of Nsukka town? With the long-winding basket-work of solid roads necking one another like Giraffes in a greeting ritual, why should I tell an Nsukka man to vote for Ugwuanyi?
What about Igbo-Eze South LGA? Do I need to campaign for Ugwuanyi in Igbo-Eze South? Why should I? The State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS), the first University in the South-East devoted solely to the study of Medicine and ancillary Disciplines, is ensconced between Udenu and Igbo-Eze South LGAs. Of course, the University is there to serve the entire State, and indeed the country, but Igbo-Eze South LGA is the first local beneficiary of that project more than any other LGA. So, what more advert or campaign do I need to do about Ugwuanyi to someone from Igbo-Eze South or Udenu?
Apart from the University, the Ring Road that meanders from Orba through Imilike Ani to Ezimo, and Obollo Eke, Ikem and Mbu terminating at Ugwuogo Junction, that Ring Road will, for a long to come, lodge in our minds as a delightful reminder that Udenu LGA sired a great son.
Of the six LGAs in Enugu North, two LGAs now boast of Federal Institutions: University of Nigeria in Nsukka and the Federal Polytechnic Ohodo in Igbo-Etiti LGA. If Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was not Governor at this point that Polytechnic would never have materialised.
He not only pursued the project until it was approved by the Federal Government, but also committed funds to establish the take-off campus for the Poly as well as secured hundreds of hectares of land for its permanent site at Ohodo. And don’t forget that Ugwuanyi does not belong to the party in power. Amidst all this, why should anybody advertise and campaign for Ugwuanyi in Igbo-Etiti when the magnificent project sits in full view of all and sundry?
And what about Igbo-Eze North? Prof. James Ogbonna, the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of the State University at Igbo-Eno, is from Igbo-Eze North. The consequence is that the LGA will necessarily colonise the lion’s share of the take-off staff of the University.
These empowerments are for a life-time, something for which the LGA is supposed to be grateful to Ugwuanyi for ever. What is more, Igbo-Eze North is one of the LGAs in Enugu North in which a type-three hospital is situated. Ette is probably the farthermost village in Igbo-Eze North as it borders Kogi State, yet it has been lavished with a number of school building projects. It is perhaps the first time Enugu State Government has had such a marked presence in a village as remote as Ette. Pray, what other campaign is Ugwuanyi expected to do in Igbo-Eze North?
Let me make this point as strongly as possible: the greatest breakthrough of Ugwuanyi Administration is the de-elitisation of political power in Enugu State. The person writing is himself a beneficiary. For the first time in the history of Enugu politics, the child of a nobody, who knows nobody has an open cheque to aspire to become anything. This is a radical paradigm shift from the elite-based politics of Enugu State. Ugwuanyi has fought for the down-trodden. When are we going to reward him?
In this respect, Uzo-Uwani is a ready example. Today in Uzo-Uwani, for the first time in human history, political power base is now domiciled in families that were before the emergence of Ugwuanyi unrecognised and un-profiled.
Now the final point: political power is a continuum. Ugwuanyi will not be on the stage for ever. After him, many others will emerge. But the amount of honour we accord him regarding his Senatorial bid will determine whether future office holders from Enugu North will see a reason to stake their neck for the good of the common people of our Zone.
Ugwuanyi has 98% chance of going to the Red Chamber. But our people can go extra mile by coming out en block to declare all-out support for him. It is ingratitude, if not outright insult to sit back and allow him to go through the crucible of electioneering campaign. Let me conclude by quoting the magisterial piece by Hon. Frank Ugwu ‘Nsukka Ronu’.
