ENUGU STATE – THE EVOLUTION OF GOOD AND RESPONSIVE GOVERNANCE
AN INAUGURATION LECTURE DELIVERED BY PROFESSOR CHINEDU OSITADINMA NEBO DURING THE INAUGURATION CEREMONIES OF DR. SULLIVAN IHEANACHO CHIME, BY DIVINE PROVIDENCE RE-ELECTED FOR A SECOND TERM AS GOVERNOR OF ENUGU STATE.
PROTOCOL
God, in His infinite mercy and boundless grace, has given Enugu State another opportunity to rise in praise and adoration of His glorious name as we celebrate the inauguration of our beloved Governor, Dr. Sullivan Iheanacho Chime as the re-elected Governor of Enugu State. With his re-election, there is much joy, anchored upon the hope that his practice of good governance will continue in Enugu State for the next four years. As a people, we are most grateful to God for frustrating the efforts of those who by their gross insensitivity to God's work, blatant inordinate ambition, wanton disregard for the welfare of our people and pathological selfishness and self-centeredness had fought so hard to truncate the government of Governor Sullivan Chime. The hordes of darkness and dissipation came in like a tsunami, but the Spirit of God calmed the storm, answered our prayers, forced the deluging flood back, restored our hope and is today crowning our expectations with realization. TO THE ONLY WISE GOD BE ALL GLORY, LAUD AND HONOUR FOR EVER AND EVER AMEN.
Only a few years ago, and before the onset of the present administration, Enugu State was a sorry site to behold. Although the penultimate administration started very well and made some early achievements, it later lost focus. There were many things it had to its credit, but things gradually deteriorated. Governance slowly became completely disconnected from the people. Crime of all sorts reigned and security was at a most precarious level, forcing people to relocate from Enugu. The physical environment of the Coal City was deplorable and streets were converted to refuge dumps. The workers cringed under the pain of delayed salaries. Tertiary institutions became a coven of satanic cultists who were readily available to be used by some unscrupulous politicians. Freedom of speech was nonexistent as political opposition was ruthlessly dealt with. The political elite group harboured mostly those who had no guts to stand up for principled positions. Local Government Authorities became shadows of governance, with virtually no community or development projects whatsoever. Companies owned by Government were closing down because of extreme neglect. Leadership and political representation was by imposition and most of the representatives represented only themselves and their self interests. Businesses fled from the State, painting a gory picture of a hostile commercial environment. Municipal services were essentially a luxury. The roads got so bad that travelling was a nightmare to people who had to travel. Even city roads were terribly bad and in a state of great disrepair. The rural hospitals were deserted and citizens had to resort to private hospitals or city hospitals for medical attention. The agricultural sector went from being endangered to regressing into near extinction. Only a few structures here and there gave the Coal City a semblance of a modern town. Enugu was ageing, ailing and dying by instalments and our sons and daughters in Diaspora were majorly ashamed of their place of birth. Some eminent sons of the land lost hope about their home State and decided to severe every link with her. People appeared to be suffocating from insensitive, detached, unresponsive and distant governance. Fierce looking thugs often littered the State House area. There was a deadly disconnect between the Government and the governed.
Dilapidated structures littered the Government Secretariat. The GRA residential quarters were bifurcated, trifurcated and sold off. The age-old Zoological Gardens were converted to residential quarters for the wealthy who could afford them, while children were denied the stimulating excursions that their parents and grandparents enjoyed there. To paraphrase Chinua Achebe's classic novel “Things fell Apart!” There was no centre to hold things together. The only thing commonly shared by the citizenry was fear of the future. Their pain was too deeply entrenched and their prayers were fierce, as they petitioned God for divine intervention. It was as if Enugu State had become a modern day dictatorship too detached from reality and from the governed.
Then came the administration of Governor Sullivan Chime and an evolution from the ugly past started. The new administration began to redress the above maladies from the word go. Governance gradually started reconnecting with the people, their hopes and aspirations. Good and responsive governance was conceived and born. Crime wave was reduced to a place where Enugu is now regarded as one of the safest towns in Nigeria. The environment of the Coal City is lovely and elegant, and its beauty was not only restored but it now far exceeds what it ever was. Driving along the major roads at night gives one so much satisfaction and a feeling of being in a beautiful American city. Political tolerance has now replaced the level of gross intolerance that made people flee in the past. Instead of Government chasing people away, it is now some ungrateful ingrates trying very hard to chase Government away! No one would have ever dared to treat Governor Chime's predecessor the way some have treated Governor Chime. Thankfully, the Governor realizes that meekness is not weakness and that “efi na-enweghi odu, chi ya na-achuru ya ijiji.” Thank God that good and responsive governance has finally emerged and is evolving toward an ideal state. There is a healthy, holistic metamorphosis going on in Enugu State now. Local Governments now function as partners in development, pooling resources together with the State Government in bringing roads, electricity, health, etc, nearer to the people. More entrepreneurs are looking at Enugu as a good business environment. Our rural hospitals are springing back to life and major roads are being constructed to link the LGAs and all communities. The Coal City has become a most attractive bride and more and more non-indigenes are making their permanent earthly residence here. The agricultural sector, though still very clumsy, is gradually coming back to life. Our sons and daughters in Diaspora proudly return home more frequently and their friends abroad want to buy land and build their homes in Enugu. Travelling is no longer a nightmare and workers get their due wages as and when due. The new found good governance is evolving more and more to an appreciable extent and we are grateful to God that the administration remains focused and undaunted even in the face of unjust aggression.
It is also noteworthy that the government of Enugu State has developed a clear-cut, relevant, potent and achievable VISION for the state. The administration being inaugurated will be judged by the extent to which its vision for the state has been realised. According to the Chime administration, its vision for Enugu state is captured as follows:
AN ENUGU STATE THAT TOPS THE LIST OF THE MOST ECONOMICALLY SELF-SUFFICIENT STATES IN NIGERIA BY THE YEAR 2020
The GOALS established by the administration are as follows;
· Achieve self-sufficiency in food production by the year 2015 and export 80% of total output by 2020.
· Develop a coal based energy sector that will take care of our domestic consumption by the
year 2015 and export 80% by 2020.
· A State with efficient and accessible health and education system that meet the MDGs, and which will make the State a destination for quality education and medical services.
In addition, the State Government has developed a well thought-out Medium Term IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (ENVMTIP) for 2010 – 2013. The document is a very articulate economic blueprint for the transformation of the COAL CITY State. All stakeholders are advised to get and read the document.
The foregoing goals are laudable, people oriented, poverty-alleviating, wealth creating, development energizing and emancipating for our people. It behooves us to support fully every mechanism the Government puts in place for the realization of these goals. The intentions of the Governor are good and clear, his resolve is unshakable, but the calibre of officers he selects to execute these projects will determine whether or not the goals will be realized. Many well-meaning government projects suffer mortal injuries because of the incompetence and/or corrupt practices of those entrusted with their execution.
The past four years showed in glaring colour and beauty the face of good and responsive governance. We watched our dear Enugu State go from wanton criminal neglect to a place of nurture and beauty. Compared to most other states, Enugu is one of the poorest in terms of fiscal revenue. Prudent, accountable and judicious utilization and deployment of resources have, however, made Enugu State Number 1(one) in terms of value acquired for available resources. We are grateful to God for giving us an altruistic shepherd in the person of Dr. Sullivan Chime as Governor. People are enthralled by the level of development attained within the four years of his tenure. Despite the distractions he encountered all through the four year tenure, the Governor stayed focused and kept working to improve the lot of our people. Some of the strides made by his administration will remain indelible in the hearts of our people. It would appear that no facets of our developmental needs were ignored or neglected. Some of the remarkable achievements were in the following areas:
1. Works and infrastructure
2. Education, Science and Technology
3. Health, Water and Municipal Services
4. Environment and Aesthetics
5. Rural Development
6. Workers' Welfare
7. Peace and Security
8. Executive Accountability, etc.
From the foregoing, it is quite clear that democracy is paying off in Enugu State and that we are receiving its dividends and revelling in the evolution of good and responsive governance. It is also obvious that accountable, transparent, and God-fearing leadership can accomplish a lot if it is focused and people oriented in its priorities. It is also evident that when such a government is opposed by self-seeking, egomaniacal politicians, God would pool His mighty forces together to trounce the misadventurers in their own game, validating the age old-maxim: “Vox populi, Vox Dei.” Again, to God be all the praise and glory.
Governor Chime's sweeping electoral victory was as a result of
massive approval by the electorate. The bandwagon effect of his
massive approval by our people led them to vote for everyone he
endorsed, including those who ordinarily could never have won an
election in their constituencies.
Although there is so much to be grateful to God about the leadership of our state, there are certain unsettling and perplexing features of our government. Top on the list is the indiscipline and corrupt nature of some of the officials and the failure of the leadership to deal with those who have been noted to be corrupt and selfish to the point of killing good projects because there was no personal gain for them. Another is the wholesale return of politicians whose performance was way below average to continue to represent our people. It is our hope and prayer that mediocre politicians and technocrats would not continue to dominate our political terrain, giving an impression that Enugu State has no seasoned and enlightened politicians to represent her.
We also pray that the Governor would choose real achievers as members of his cabinet and not just political jobbers who are just in the market to milk the people and drain our God-given resources. It is important here to present our expectation as the beneficiaries of good governance in clear and unambiguous terms.
OUR EXPECTATIONS
As the people of Enugu State, we expect the Government to remain focused, goal-oriented and committed to the development of Enugu State. We expect the Government to improve drastically in certain areas which need improvement and which should take the evolution of good governance to a perfect form. Some of such areas include the following;
1. Emphasis on competence and integrity over geographical zoning in appointments to sensitive offices. Although the actions and speeches of the Governor should be seen as politically correct, he should not have to apologize for putting square pegs in square holes.
2. Henceforth, only true choices of the people should be allowed to represent them at the State and National Assemblies. Some of those now elected would have lost election woefully but for the resounding confidence that our people had in Governor Chime. Some of these people now going to represent us never loved or cared for their people and never even greeted them or listened to them. Some of them were so arrogant and people were ready to humiliate them but for Governor Chime's sake. We hope all those who are now returned elected to represent us will truly serve their constituencies. If they don't, let them expect to be disgraced. We are studying the procedure for recalling them and would be keeping a scorecard on each of them. On the positive side, however, we commend the few who really served very well. We are proud of them and salute their labour.
3. Agricultural development MUST be seen as a survival venture. Thankfully, one of the goals of the State is to eventually become a net exporter of food. This is impossible the way things are now. As a farmer, I have never seen or bought a bag of fertilizer from the Government Agric agency. Most farmers can identify with this. We also do not know whether Government has tractors for hire by farmers. The FADAMA and Commercial Agric Loan projects are worse off than in most other States. Agric inputs like fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides, etc., are hard to find anywhere. Extension services are moribund and farmers have nowhere to procure improved species for cultivation. There is no effort to encourage commercial agriculture through irrigation projects. This sector needs a total overhaul to synchronize with our Governor's Vision and Goals. The College of Agriculture should be given all it needs to produce real farmers who will make our State's Vision 2020 a reality.
4. Youth unemployment should be vigorously addressed. The Agric sector can engage a good number of our youth in farming, which should also have a spin-off effect in the food processing industry. The Government needs to invest in silos for grain storage and in produce purchasing to encourage young farmers to engage in food production. These things cannot be done by armchair technocrats and people who are only in Government to loot or retain political relevance.
5. The State is creating an industry-friendly environment and this should be sustained and enhanced. SME's must be supported to access loans from the Bank of Industry. This necessitates that the State Government should pay its counterpart fund to make the scheme a reality. The payments can be in tranches so as to avoid undue stress on Government resources.
6. Government is doing well in the Education Sector, but teacher recruitment, improvement and certification need to be addressed. As with most States of the Federation, our primary education teachers are mostly functionally illiterate, digitally anachronistic and ICT-moronic. At the secondary level things are not much better. Something must be done about our teachers or public education will collapse entirely. At the tertiary level cost sharing should include the State Government, Local Governments and Parents/Guardians. A Gifted Children's Camp should be started to help harness and develop our gifted young children who are presently not recognized.
7. Our State Government must show zero tolerance for corruption and incompetence. Those found to be corrupt should be shown the way out of office. Members of the National Assembly who embezzle their Constituency Allowance should be disciplined and recalled. Commissioners and public servants who block good enterprises or projects because of their failure to meet their personal demand should be disciplined and forbidden from taking up official appointments in the future. Such people are enemies of our people. Public servants who misrepresent our Governor by their antagonism to the people and their high-handedness should be eased out of their positions.
8. The Information and Culture ministry must continually evolve ways of marketing Enugu State as the quintessential retirement home for all Igbos. Tourist Parks need to be developed. The coming Shoprite Shopping Centre is a great thing the Government has done. PPP must be in the front burner of Government for the development of the tourist and other allied industries. The soon coming ultramodern medical diagnostic centre is sure to bring more visitors to Enugu State. The Trade Fair Park should be modernized.
9.
Access to our Governor should not be made a herculean task.
We love our Governor, we like to see his face and we should not be
denied access to him. The Governor should learn to pick his calls
and return the calls of some important dignitaries. A situation
where some of the dignified sons and daughters of Enugu State find
it much easier to access other non-Igbo Governors than their own is
simply not ideal. Our Governor must make out time, even if it is one
day in a week, to see his own people. He might decide to allot only
five minutes to each visitor and ten to some key ones. On the other
hand, we should not abuse the privilege of visiting our Governor by
taking frivolous problems or gossip to him. Many people wanting to
see the Governor for their problems would not do so if at a lower
level these problems are judiciously handled. Many of those who
became opposition to Government did so simply because they were
denied access to the Governor. The new dispensation must avoid
making and multiplying enemies unnecessarily.
10. The Government is encouraged to continue the wonderful task of developing the State the way it has been doing the past four years. The development and infrastructure strides made by the Sullivan Chime administration can only be described as miraculous. We also rejoice over the peace and tranquility in Enugu State and thank God that He did not let the wicked accomplish their design to rob us of “ihe anyi na-acho anyi chotaworo.” We should never be afraid to tell the truth, even if it is unpalatable to some.
I would like to end this Lecture by stating God's expectation of our leaders and representatives. In so doing, I would crave your indulgence to quote the Scriptures and quote from a lecture I delivered over a year ago. In that lecture I stressed how much more fulfilling it is to serve God and man than to serve ourselves.
As we observe the global restiveness of man, the unparalleled level anxiety depicted in the lives of men and in man's relationship to his neighbour; as we see the political landscapes changing so rapidly as if the changes where occasioned by earthquakes, volcanoes and fiercely denudating wind and storms; as we observe the wanton corruption exhibited by many who wield any form of power, with the attendant total negation of accountability, equity, justice and fair play in our land; one thing should never escape us – that every actor on the stage today will one day bow out of the scene, some gloriously, others ignominiously and still others unnoticed. Although Shakespeare succinctly put it that the evil that men do lives after them, we must also remember that the good that men do lives after them too. To live for today without a sense of history is to live most foolishly and precariously. Many in so living are currently gathering around them materials with which they would be confined and burned in the garbage bins of history. A few others are however carving or etching their names on the precious stones of history. Real men do not only live for the moment, they live forever. And as we ruminate over the timeless veracity of the phrase, “no condition is permanent”; let us build upon solid rock and not on quick sands.
Our own very dear Governor Sullivan Chime has demonstrated that good governance and accountability are achievable. History will place him among the greats of Africa, not just Nigeria, as he purposefully transforms our dead and forgotten Enugu State into a modern state with all the pride of infrastructure and aesthetics. May God continue to bless him.
The Bible tells us in Psalm.119:89 that God's word is settled in heaven for ever. God's word is thus permanent, immutable, and life giving. The structures of man will fail, whether those structures are physical, material or philosophical. Such human structures are at best ephemeral and superficial. To be connected to God, The Eternal Spirit, is the only sure way of outliving the brutally transient sphere of existence here on earth.
The prophet Micah captured God's expectation of leaders in the statement he made in Micah.6:8
What does the lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Followers of Jesus Christ are obligated to walk in mercy and compassion like our Master. We must give heed to God's demand and expectations as we serve him while serving his people. God can never be fooled by our pretences and hypocrisies. No one can ever deceive God, who knows every man's heart, motives and ways. Is God impressed with our egocentric, ethnocentric or even anthropocentric world view? Does God demand mere flippant allegiance from us, as opposed to rugged commitment to justice, equity and fair play? Can God be bribed with our wealth? (especially our ill-gotten wealth?) Would God be appeased with our sacrifices, no matter what form they take? Is God pleased with the practice of nominalism in the practice of our faith and walk with him? What really does the LORD require of you? The prophet adumbrated God's requirement in a nut shell, to wit: TO ACT JUSTLY AND LOVE MERCY AND TO WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD”. To do these things would not only please God but would also ensure that our names are enshrined in Gold in the annals of history. God requires of us not just to legislate justice but also to practice justice in every ramification of the word. He also insists that we love mercy – i.e. be filled with bowels of mercy. Mercy and compassion epitomized the earthly existence of God's Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. True Christians are merciful and compassionate. God also demands that we WALK HUMBLY, not haughtily, not proudly, not imperialistically, not power drunkenly and not obliviously of our temporariness in this sphere of existence.
In Nigeria today, this is hardly the case. Politicians now wield absolute powers, sometime even defying God. Many brag about their invincibility, their amassed wealth, their wisdom, their connections, and their power. The just concluded elections showed many politicians that God still reigns, not them. God also has a word regarding this wanton haughtiness of our rulers, be they in the executive, legislative or judicial arm of a government. Jeremiah prophesied in Jer.9:23,24 saying:
v This is what the LORD says- “let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this - that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who exercises kindness justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, declares the LORD.”
So, what does the LORD require of you leaders and representatives of our people? What does he delight in? First, that you act justly, in every ramification of the world, doing so selflessly. Second, that you love mercy, kindness and righteousness. Third, that you walk humbly before your God and if you have anything to brag about, let it be that you understand and know God and are walking with him.
Consider these words by some eminent personalities -
“It is not enough that you understand applied science in order that your work may increase man's blessings. Concern for man himself and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavours, concern for the great unsolved problems of the organisation of labour and the distribution of goods – in order that the creations of our minds shall be a blessing, not a curse to mankind. Never forget these in the midst of your diagrams and equations”
Albert Einstein.
“The superior man stands erect by bending above the fallen. He rises lifting others.”
Robert Ingersoll.
“No man has ever risen to real stature of spiritual manhood until he has found that it is finer to serve somebody else than to serve himself.”
Woodrow Wilson
“To be of service is a solid foundation for contentment in this world.”
Charles W. Elliot.
“To have
courage without pugnacity
To have conviction without glory,
To have charity without condescension,
To have faith without credulity,
To have love of humanity without mere sentimentality,
To have meekness with power,
And emotion with sanity – that is brotherhood.”
Charles Evan Hughes
Do all
the good you can,
By all you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the time you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as you can.
It is abundantly clear that the implications of the foregoing words stress the importance of service and caring for our neighbours and humanity above self. Service is the only true way we can measure real love for our neighbours. The reasons are not far-fetched.
· Service is loving, loving is living, living is learning.
· Love propelled service is always relevant in an age of indeterminate and shifting relevance.
· Service gives and brings joy, happiness, fulfillment, and life. It builds, encourages,
strengthens and motivates.
Service is a veritable antidote to stress and depression and to crippling egocentrism.
In terms of psychological vocabulary I dare say that service superimposes a sanctified
superego upon the id and the ego.
Service is true self actualisation. The self is essentially indeterminate in isolation and
alienation, except in relation to others and the environment. Service is therefore a sure fire
way of fulfillment and self actualisation.
Those who serve remain in evergreen memory. Those who exploit others die to themselves.
Highest service is service to God, devoid of egotistic motives.
If selfishness and self-centredness are the marks of childishness and immaturity, then selfless
service is the mark of maturity – of approaching the image of Christ.
May God grant all of you officers elected to serve our people or appointed to serve them the grace and wisdom to serve well. May He bless your service and, in so doing bless Enugu State. May He use you and all of us to move from proclaiming our goals as a State to realizing every one of these GOALS:
· Achieve self-sufficiency in food production by the year 2015 and export 80% of total output by 2020.
· Develop a coal based energy sector that will take care of our domestic consumption by the year 2015 and export 80% by 2020.
· A State with efficient and accessible health and education system that meet the MDGs, and which will make the State a destination for quality education and medical services.
MAY GOD GRANT US THE WHEREWITHAL TO ACHIEVE ALL THESE GOALS IN JESUS' NAME. AMEN.
See also:
SULLIVAN CHIME
Being the inaugural address of His Excellency, Sullivan Iheanacho Chime, on his inauguration as Governor, Enugu State on May 29, 2011 at Michael Okpara Square, Enugu at 10.00 am.