Fact Check: Does PDP deserve the votes of Nsukka people after Ugwuanyi’s term?

Mike Ebuka

Good governance, they say, is the process of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for the rule of law. Governance is “the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented”.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under the leadership of His Excellency, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has not reneged on any of his promises in tackling the needs of Ndi Enugu, especially the people of Nsukka (Enugu North Senatorial Zone) whom were earlier said to have been lagging behind in development since the creation of the state.

Recalling his last words during his inauguration as the governor of Enugu State in May 29, 2015, Ugwuanyi never minced words when he told the people of the state that, “ANYI EJEBE NSUKKA”, (All roads lead to Nsukka). He said this bearing in mind his resolve to unleash an immeasurable development in the area and also ensure that Enugu maintains its prestige as the pride of the East.

Though, his administration witnessed a huge economic downturn which was worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic, a situation where the economy of the state plummeted, which made the state rely only on the meager revenue accruing from the federal purse. Ugwuanyi, being a good economic manager was still able to pay salaries promptly despite the implementation of the new minimum wage that added a heavy weight on the state financial bearing.

Immediately after his inauguration as the governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi without delay kept the ground running by engaging road contractors in what I called Operation Tarr Nsukka Roads. The Opi to Nsukka road was dualized and built to a standard with streetlights properly installed in the kerb of the lanes. Before the dualization of that road, many accidents were recorded there that led to the loss of numerous lives because of incessant head on collisions due to the narrow nature of the road.

It should equally be recalled that a few months before the building of the Opi /Nsukka road, two buses filled with passengers burst into flames and consumed lots of youths due to the head on collisions. But since the road was built with dual carriage lanes, such ugly incident has never been seen nor heard of. All thanks to Udulekenyi 1 of Udulekenyi kingdom.

To ensure that there is always a swift movement in the zone, PDP under Ugwuanyi’s administration has not delayed in ensuring that the region has its inroads tarred, pipe borne water dug, rural electrification installed among other democratic dividends that the region has immensely benefited from since the inception of this current administration.

As if that was not enough, Nsukka under the current PDP administration has of today a reputable State University of Medical and Applied Sciences properly built and equipped with world class facilities to serve the region. The medical school which was built in Igbo-Eno also has top staff of the institution who are mostly from Nsukka extraction.

As the state government was spending hugely in building the medical school, the administration of Ugwuanyi attracted Federal Polytechnic in Ohodo, Igbo-Etiti local government council, starting its commencement structures while hoping that the federal government would complement their efforts in building the best institutional facilities in the school. This was in a bid to making sure that Nsukka zone wears a new look under the leadership of their son, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in fulfillment of his promises that Nsukka shall experience huge infrastructural legacies under his regime which does not exclude building of higher institutions.

As his infrastructural legacies in the region speak volume, he decentralized the Enugu State Polytechnic in Iwolo, dividing the departments among the three senatorial districts in the state. Some courses were taken down to Ezimo in Udenu LGA, while some departments were taken to Enugu East and with its studies taken at the former ESUT site, sharing boundaries with the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu. It is worthy of note that the offspring of the school which is in Udenu is currently witnessing a face-lift.

PDP’s democratic deliverables have never occupied the lowest side of the sporting activities in Nsukka zone as the governor of the state found it pertinent to encourage youths’ talent discovery by building a world class stadium for his people where our youths can comfortably engage themselves in all manners of sporting activities. The stadium which was built in Nsukka town has also reduced the cost of hiring canopies, chairs and other logistics whenever an occasion calls for the usage of the premises.

As a man who loves youths’ progressiveness in sports, he has equipped the stadium to the highest standard, more than the stadiums we see in other states. Nsukka Township Stadium is the finest of its kind in the entire South-Eastern part of Nigeria, as no senatorial zone in the East has ever attempted building anything close to it.
In a bid to decongest the population of Enugu city and urbanize the Nsukka axis, the PDP led administration has also constructed a Secretariat Annex in Ede-Oballa where some ministries in Enugu City will be operating from. Just like he has been doing in other senatorial districts, Ugwuanyi ensures that there is justice in the area of civil service recruitment as Nsukka people are not left behind in the bureaucratic processes of the state. He ensures that justice and equity prevails in the civil service job appointment procedures.

Just to ensure that the problem of gridlock in Abakpa Nike (T-Junction) is solved and in ensuring that the people of Enugu city have access to Nsukka zone which is the host community of the prestigious University of Nigeria, the PDP administration under the able leadership of Ugwuanyi also constructed the first flyover in the aforementioned area in order to mitigate the impact of gridlock on motorists coming in and going out of the Enugu City. As a zone mostly known for its agrarian occupation, the farmers now have free access to supply their farm produce to the city.

The area of human capacity improvement in Enugu North is another factor that should propel an average Nsukka man to laud the current PDP administration for lifting many out of poverty. Youths were indubitably appointed into positions from where they stood to uplift others. He tested the zeal and capacity of our youths in leadership by giving them the platform to emerge as local government chairmen.

Be that as it may, the truth about Nsukka taking a shot at the Enugu Lion Building so far is not a regrettable outing. The Nsukka we know eight years ago isn’t the Nsukka we know of today. Before the emergence of His Excellency, Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwuanyi, the Enugu North Senatorial district never had this beautiful outlook it has now. The PDP administration has beautified the entire region and has equally left numerous infrastructural legacies in place . Tomorrow, one can boldly tell his children that the medical school in Igbo-Eno, the Federal Polytechnic in Ohodo, the Secretariat Annex in Ede-Oballa, the Stadium in Nsukka town, the Nsukka/Opi dual carriage way and the electricity we are enjoying today in our villages are the making of Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in his days as the governor of Enugu State who comes from Nsukka extraction and whose tenure was grossly greeted with numerous economic challenges, and yet he sailed the ship to a safe landing.

Ndi Enugu are armed with their Permanent Voter’s Card (PVCs) to sing the joyful songs of the Peoples Democratic Party. They have agreed and vowed to embrace their tomorrow which is already here. No need to wait for our tomorrow when it can be guaranteed today by the Peter Mbah/Ossai guber ticket.