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By Fred Itua
As the general elections slated for the 25th of this month draw closer, Charlie Agbo, a chieftain of the PDP in Enugu State in this interview speaks on the senatorial election in Enugu North senatorial District.
You have over the years been a staunch ally of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. As he is winding down his eight -year stint as governor, why do you think he is the most qualified person among several candidates to be elected senator for Nsukka?
For several reasons. But before I go into details, he remains the most consequential leader the Nsukka man has had till date.
Why do you say so? Not everybody agrees. Indeed, many contend that he was not as helpful to the cause of Nsukka people as he could have been. Some say that he was only lucky because he lasted more than anyone else. Therefore, whatever was his achievement was aided by longevity in office.
But what we are dealing with is the reality whatever the cause is. For instance, look at the position of Nsukka with respect to appointments. Consider that since the defunct Eastern Region, through the equally defunct East Central State, down to the old Anambra State, through the old and current Enugu State, the Nsukka man has always been shortchanged in the distribution of political offices. In the defunct Eastern Region, the only Nsukka man to occupy the position of Minister, was late Chief J.U. Nwodo. Throughout that period also, no Nsukka man was deemed fit to occupy the position of Permanent Secretary in the Civil Service. Indeed, the Nsukka man was missing in the top and middle cadre of the Service in the whole of the region. In all this time in question, the Nsukka man was not deemed fit to occupy the position of Justice of the High Court of neither the Eastern Region, nor that of East Central State, until so late in the day in the old Anambra State when Chief Magistrate, Ngwu Obayi was elevated to the High Court Bench.
When Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was inaugurated in 2015, he cast a careful glance at the State Judiciary and did not like what he saw. He realized that Nsukka was virtually not represented in the judiciary, prompting him to ask the then Chief Judge of the State High Court, the late Justice Innocent Umezulike whether the teaming lawyers from Nsukka, some of whom had become Senior Advocates of Nigeria were not qualified to be appointed Judges. That state of affairs pricked his sense of equity and he commenced the process of remedying the situation. Today, the number of judges from Nsukka has improved exponentially. Though the number does not represent what in the view of many what it should be, it has gone a long way to give the people of Nsukka a sense of belonging. The dismal state of affairs in the High Court when the governor was inaugurated was even better than what the situation was like in the Magistracy. In this regard, the governor’s intervention has ensured that the number of magistrates has improved.
To cap these interventions, the headship of the judiciary which has been denied the Nsukka man even in the face of obvious merit over the years has finally vested on an Nsukka man, in the person of Justice Ozoemena, thanks to the adroit and equitable leadership of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. It is not that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi manipulated the process of the appointment of the Chief Judge in favour of an Nsukka man. No. It is just that he let the right thing be done. Everyone knows that this process follows seniority. In other words, the State Judiciary found Justice Ozoemena to be the most senior judge in the Enugu State High Court and recommended him to the National Judicial Council, which in turn recommended him to the governor for appointment.
Doesn’t his action in this respect amount to giving his people, your people undue advantage to the detriment of other zones in the state?
Let the nay sayers even accept that he did what he did for the Nsukka man, before we go into its propriety. It may be difficult for you to fully comprehend the import of his intervention. But it was based on equity. In 2003, upon the retirement of the then Chief Judge of Enugu State, luck swung in favour of an Nsukka man to become the Chief Judge of the Enugu State High Court. He was eminently qualified but above all was the most senior judge. But what happened at the end of the day? He was denied the position. The people of Nsukka galvanized their forces to fight the obvious injustice. It was a gallant fight that saw many prominent Nsukka sons and daughters write petitions to the National Judicial Council to no avail.That we now have the first Chief Judge of the Enugu State of Nsukka extraction give the Nsukka man a lot to be proud of and also reason to appreciate the leadership of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
There is the specific accusation that he did not create any Nsukka millionaires. They say that his predecessors went out of there ways to make several millionaires in their tenures of their people.
Governor Ugwuanyi knows that the Nsukka man, following years of marginalization by successive administrations is not wealthy. Having recognized that fact, he determined to empower our sons and daughters with education. He knows that it is only education that can transform a rural son or daughter from a school leaver to a doctor, lawyer, engineer, pharmacist etc. in five to six years. That is why he has decided to empower the Nsukka man with education.
And so he set out to establish the State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS) at Nsukka. Cited at the pristine landscape of Igbo Eno, between Udenu and Igbo-Eze South Local Government Areas, this University which has already received the mandate of the National Universities Commission will run courses in medicine and all other related disciplines.The millionaires these unrealistic individuals are looking for are the army of graduates these institutions will create tomorrow.
Anybody conversant with Nsukka will marvel at this reality. This is because Nsukka over the years has been in dire need of quality referral hospital facilities. Indeed, for so long, the Bishop Shanahan hospital has been the biggest medical facility in the whole of Igbo Nsukka. It is of course needless to say that this is not acceptable given the size of Nsukka and the fact that it is playing host to an educational institution the size of University of Nigeria. The implication of this development is that not only is Nsukka a host to this brand-new educational institution, she will soon acquire a brand new teaching hospital that will cater to the medical needs of our people. This achievement is a major reason our people should show appreciation to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
It is said that when there is will, there will be a way. Nothing seems to epitomize this saying more than the reality we know today as the Federal Polytechnic Ohodo. This institution today is at Nsukka through the commitment and instrumentality of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Everyone knows that federal polytechnics are federal institutions under the Federal Government which is controlled by the All Progressives Congress. The governor’s party, the Peoples Democratic Party controls Enugu State. When the Federal Government muted the idea of a federal polytechnic in Enugu, Governor Ugwuanyi did not hesitate in championing the idea. He quickly provided the Federal Government the large expanse of land at Ohodo for the establishment of the institution. He swiftly moved to provide further logistical support to the Federal Government to ensure that the institution is cited at Nsukka. Today this idea is a reality; thanks to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
A polytechnic is a huge investment. From the point of view of educational opportunity, it provides our young school leavers the opportunity of tertiary education at their door step. Gone are the days when our youth interested in earning the National Diploma, or the Higher National Diploma necessarily had to go to Enugu to achieve their dreams. This opportunity has increased their chances of obtaining tertiary education.
So you are saying that education is more important to your people than making millionaires?
Yes of course. Governor Ugwuanyi’s desire to improve the lot of the Nsukka man through education is unrivaled. This inclination has seen him support the University of Nigeria Nsukka in a way that no previous governor of Enugu State has. It does not matter that it is a federal institution. But it matters most to him that it is located at Nsukka, and he as a student, did his undergraduate and post graduate programmes in the university.
This desire to uplift the educational status of the Nsukka man is the reason an Nsukka man is running the management of Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board and the Post-Primary School Management Board.
Is he not being nepotistic if he makes appointments that favour his own zone?
No. He is not denying others their due.
Since his inauguration in 2015, Governor Ugwuanyi has ensured that primary education receives the desired boost under his watch. It is for this reason that ENSUBEB remains one of the basic education boards in the country that has continued to pay its counterpart fund to receive grants from the Federal Government to expand the frontiers of primary education. In this regard, Nsukka is a major beneficiary, just like other zones. Scores of primary schools have continued to wear new looks as educational equipment and computers are supplied by the government to uplift their standards. Almost all primary schools in Nsukka are wearing new looks as new class room blocks are being constructed while the old ones are being renovated. Gone are the days when our children were taking lessons under trees and in leaking buildings.
In the area of post primary education, Governor Ugwuanyi’s imprint is felt all over Enugu State and in particular, Enugu North. Because of the importance the governor attaches in this sector, he appointed an Nsukka daughter to head the Post Primary Schools Management Board. Secondary schools in the whole of Nsukka are wearing new looks. Just like in primary schools, heavy renovation works have been going on to ensure that our children study in conducive environments while new structures are being erected. Educational equipment and computers are provided to guarantee that our children receive proper formal educational instructions.
Secondary schools are provided with operational vehicles to ensure efficient schools management. And the results are showing. The ratings recently released by the West African Examinations Council placed Enugu State first in its ranking with 93 percent of its public school students scoring over five credits, English and Mathematics inclusive. How much better could it be? It is important that this incredibly Steller performance is archieved under the leadership of an Nsukka man at the PPSMB.
It is gratifying that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is achieving high flying result in the area of education in the state. Every Nsukka person should be proud of what he has achieved for us all.
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