A Farewell Note to Governor Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwuanyi, by Rev Fr DJC Attah.
29-05-22
His Excellency,
Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi,
The Governor of Enugu State.
I wish to use this forum to congratulate you on your seventh year anniversary as the Governor of Enugu State, and as you have exactly only one year to vacate your office as a governor, I wish also to say farewell to you.
May the name of the most high God, the immutable creator of the universe and the eternal lover of mankind be praised now and forever. Amen!
CONGRATULATIONS
I join millions of people who celebrate with you today, your seventh anniversary as the governor of Enugu state to say congratulations, I pray that the good Lord may grant you the grace to complete the remaining one year in good health of mind and body. I pray also that you may leave a landmark that would speak favorably for you before the Nsukka people of all generations.
As I congratulate you on your seventh anniversary, I must not fail to acknowledge the fact that you are the only governor in South Eastern Nigeria that does not take pleasure in massive bloodshed. You remarkably worked for peace and you are doing everything within your reach to cub massive bloodshed. This is a capital credit to you and God may use it as a platform of consideration for you. Your state is relatively peaceful. Keep it up! Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called sons of God (Mt 5:9).
HISTORY
Soon your name will go down into the list of ex-governors, soon history will record you along with Chimaroke Nnamani, sullivan Chime, and others as an ex-governor of Enugu State. His Excellency, as a fellow Nsukka man, my prayer and my insistence is that your mates in the collage of ex-governors may have no reason to look down on you. It is my desire that no human being may have any reason to call you a man of low achievement. I pray also that history may present you on a beautiful note, by the compilation of all your achievements and by the projection of the same for the next generations for inspiration.
However, I am worried about what the history may present, because your performance so far has kept every Nsukka Men wondering: is it the same office and position that Chimaroke Nnamanni occupied and achieved Law School at Agbani, Teaching Hospital at Ituku Ozara, ESUTH at Agbani, that Gburugburu occupies? Is it the same office that Sullivan Chime occupied and achieved School of Agriculture at Iwollo, Road Safety camp in Udi, the transformation of Enugu City and building of new State Secretariat, linked Enugu and Nsukka with a new road through Nike, that Gburugburu occupies now or not?
COLOSSAL DISAPPOINTMENT
Against the wishes, the prayers, and the expectations of every sensible Nsukka Man, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has spent a whole seven years as a governor of Enugu State, without restoring the two lost ESUTH campuses of Adada and Nsukka Army Barracks. He has not restored the lost Ada Rice at Adani. Nsukka that is known for agriculture has not been given anything with which she could improve her farming. No food processing provision, no school of agriculture, and no provision for mechanized agriculture. No tertiary institution has been established beyond the Billboard Universities, Polytechnics, and Teaching Hospitals.
Nsukka has virtually remained the same outside the individual and self-help investments of well-meaning citizens.
Even the mentally dead men expected you to put on the ground several investments that would massively empower the people which would serve as a momentum of existence for you, that would immortalize your name for good and give daily bread to your people.
You know of course that until now Nsukka is yet to get something with which she would remember you. Granted, you qualitatively transformed Opi- Nsukka road, however, don’t forget that the road touched only Nsukka, Ede Oballa, and Opi, therefore, it could only speak for you in the three towns. On the other hand, the road is not an investment for employment, otherwise, tell me how many people it has given jobs.
PEOPLE’S NEED
There is no doubt of the fact that every part of Enugu state specializes in one form of agriculture or the other, and that the low food production and the massive unemployment in the state result from the fact that our agriculture is still the crude, ancient and uncivilized method. Given this background, it is obvious that the primary need of the people of Enugu State is an improved agricultural system. If the governor had meant to develop the state and help the people, nothing would have kept him from investing in agriculture in
each of the towns of the state. I mean he could have invested in agricultural projects that would have at least employed thirty people in each of the towns. Even a moron knows that if the governor had invested twenty million Naira for such a visionary job-creating project in each of the towns in the state over the past seven years, by now if they are well managed, each of the towns must have had at least a hundred people employed in that particular investment and saved from frustration, prevented from idleness and raised above the poverty level.
REGIME OF BARRENNESS
One may say from where can we source the money for the dream of massive employment? I will ask you from where have we sourced the money spent on the greedy useless sycophants and insincere praise singers who are employed to loot heaven and hell in the guise of appointment.
Our problem is not lack of money, because obviously everybody witnesses the movement of money, which is proof that there is money. The issue is that we are in a regime of barrenness that attaches no value to productivity, and is completely oblivious of the dignity of labor. The only thing that matters for the present regime is getting and sharing money. The regime completely lacks a vision of the future. The mission of the regime starts with the acquisition of power and ends with the sharing of money, no more no less.
The capital achievement of the regime is the recruitment and employment of sycophants some of which know nothing about the offices they are said to occupy, but are well-groomed for looting and covering up.
These are the people we see with little or no qualification, little or zero good records, yet they live so luxuriantly that paints a picture that they are the owners of the world, and could have anything they want. The arrogance of these political scavengers and their flamboyant display of unearned wealth at the expense of the diligent and loyal citizens have downturned the morality of our people, so much so that our youths have completely lost the sense of the dignity of labor.
The truth is that this is a regime of barrenness, neither the leader nor his followers have an interest in anything that would really help the people to legitimately earn their living or live above NRASHI. The preference of the regime is to keep everybody at the level of Nrashi Ike or boot leaking.
IDOLIZATION OF BIG NAMES
The irony of this regime is that as the poor and the weak are being treated like wood, every big name in the state is being worshipped like gods. (Naive slavery to the big names or Nrashi ike ndi ukwu). Appointments are absolutely based on WHO RECOMMENDED WHO. Contracts are given to maintain relationships.
People’s opinions about who occupies the public offices are completely killed, the idea of election is completely annihilated and the only person that selects and imposes individuals on the people for public offices is the governor. However, the idea of zero people’s choice in public offices did not start with you but the worst and the most disheartening input of yours is that, under your regime, people are lured into the purchase of nomination forms hoping to go for a primary election that will never be real, and at the dying minute, they will be betrayed by the one who should protect them. When the people must have spent a fortune on the purchase of nomination forms you will dribble all of them and impose your own choice on everybody. This is the tradition except in the cases overruled by the idolized big names. It is unfortunate that it is these big names that have always been worshipped like gods that are now propagating the idea: “the dribbler has been dribbled”.
ZERO VISION
This regime could be likened to the proverbial lazy and accursed-man who had enormous power but never uses the power to earn a living, help a relation or to work for himself, but he is constantly seen spending energy either labouring for one who may not acknowledge his service or destroying what other people painstakingly achieved.
The regime has completely failed in the expected mass empowerment and on the same negative note has highly emboldened some lazy sycophants whose unholy display of unearned wealth is misleading many youths of the state, and has deified some big names of the state so much so that they now see themselves as the unavoidable gods of the land.
There is a general impression that the regime has no vision and that the principal operator is so unsure of himself that he needed to dance to every tune, by doing everything to satisfy the big names, that eventually he is almost going to end up without any other identity apart from Nrashi ike.
REMEMBER YOUR SLOGAN
All these efforts are geared towards making you remember your slogan: “IT WILL END IN PRAISE”. The praise, I am sure you know cannot come from the insatiable big men, but from the poor and hungry people, if they became able to afford their daily bread from what you put on the ground. I am sure, the people’s governor have started noticing that some of the big names you have been worshipping have started working against you while you are still on the seat as a governor. How much more when you leave office. I insist that you should use this remaining one year to win the poor to yourself, because they are the only people that would remember you for good. Ifeanyi, I maintain my insistence because if it must end in praise, it cannot by any means continue in shame.
Calling a spade a spade, the shame is that for a whole seven years as a governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has not been able to give Nsukka anything that could create job for one thousand people. Whereas all your predicessors, from whom you could copy, did much more than that. That is exactly what makes us doubt your success and can not see your regime as a blessing to Nsukka people.
OBLIGED TO PREACH
I am saying what I say now, not because I do not know that you never improved in any way after my first cry entitled GIVE US OUR DAILY BREAD, but I say all these things because I share in the prophetic vocation of Nathan of the Old Testament (2Sam 12:1-13) and John the Baptist of the New Testament (Mk 6:15-29). As a Catholic priest, my duty is to say the truth welcome or unwelcome. I have an obligation to preach the gospel of Christ who is the truth. However, I insist that you take this message seriously because it is all about you. This is because as soon as people learn that Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was once a governor of Enugu State, the next thing that would come to their minds is: WHAT WAS HIS ACHIEVEMENT? It is the landmark achievements of a Hero that evidences his existence.You know of course that your position as a governor is just like that of someone sitting for an examination. Certainly you cannot mark your own examination script. You need some other persons to assess you and to give you result of your performance. The assessment I have done and result is what I am giving you now. Unfortunately the system is so corrupt that out of unholy ambitions your fellow politicians cannot tell you the whole truth. Most unfortunately, the so called men of God around you are either too corrupt to tell you the truth or too naive to represent the Church.
Certainly we have reasonable reason to doubt and question the integrity of any clergy that is seen around the god of NRASHI, if he waits for him to leave the office as a governor before he publicly defines his position about this NRASHI that has constituted the achievement and the identity of Nsukka in the LION HOUSE.
PROPHETIC MISSION OF THE CHURCH
His Excellency, all these are being said now to ensure that the next generation may be able to know that we are not just all of a sort, that there were some people in this generation that were not possessed by the spirit of NRASHI. It is to demonstrate to the world that we do not approve of this style in which things go the contrary way.
I say this so that as it appears as if the mouth of every clergy is so filled that no word of correction could be pronounced, the next generation may know that there were some that chose to remain free from NRASHI in order to remain fit for the prophetic mission of the Church.
I speak, so as to represent the yet free clergy so that as it appears that all who move up and down with you are already bought over by money or position, it worths our while to leave for the future generations a proof that the Church cannot be bought over and that in every generation of the Church there must always be some people ready to live and die for the truth.
FRATERNAL CONCERN
Nna anyi Gburugburu, I love you and that is why I am calling your attention now, so that Nsukka may not flush you into the same sewage with AGBADAMAL. This is really my fraternal concern for you. (It is obvious that no sane Nsukka Man prays to share the fate of late Senator Fidelis Okoro, because collectively Nsukka has nothing to be proud of him).
NB. As I am asking Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to do something about his image, to make sure that he establishes something that would speak for him in Nsukka, I wish also to tell Senator Utazi that Uzo Uwani is still looking forward to seeing his landmark. Pat Asadu, uche gi dikwa ya maka ndi nke gi!
DEAD ON ARRIVAL
It would pain me to hear that even though you do not have much to boast of, that even the few things you are committed into do not worth the names. I hear that many of your projects died on arrival, hence, I would want to hear from you.
1. Is it true that at Enugu, the pedestrian bridge near Holy Ghost Cathedral fell because of poor quality- material and personnel?
2. Did the pedestrian bridge at Gariki also fall before completion?
3. Is it true that Nsukka-Nike overhead bridge died on arrival? It is being rumoured that because of the poor quality of material and personnel used for the Nsukka-Nike overhead bridge, (which subjected Nsukka people to terrible traffic pains for more than one year), has developed a major fault even before any load is placed on it? I am sincerely worried about your image, and that of an Nsukka Man in general.
ABANDONED PROJECT
Let this be clear to all, (using the words of my father, Bishop Frances Okobo, Ka kwukwuo nya ekwu), any project you fail to complete and commission in this our own part of the world and in this generation, should be considered as an abandoned project and a failed effort. Ask yourself: ”how many other people’s projects have I completed?”. Though very wrong; it is not in the tradition of our generation to attend to any project we did not start. Ifeanyi, people are rapidly loosing interest in these your billboard projects. I AM SURE, YOU ARE SURE, THAT YOU ARE NOT SURE OF HOW YOUR SUCCESSOR WOULD TREAT YOU OR TREAT YOUR THINGS WHEN HE TAKES OVER.
YOUR TRUE PICTURE
If you really want to see your true picture and know your worth and what you really represent in the minds of true Nsukka man, seek and you shall find. As you are go round the state, use the opportunity to assess yourself before Nsukka people. Tell any community in Nsukka that the next governor of the state would be their son and that he would just achieve for Nsukka as much as you have done.
Watch their reaction and it would show you whether you failed or succeeded.
THE PRIDE OF NSUKKA
I bleed inside because, if care is not taken your regime may take Nsukka four decades backwards.
This is because the image of the Nsukka Man (NWA NSUKKA) that had been laundered by some well meaning men of great worth is now messed up by your colossal failure.
The men of great worth that have given colour to the image of Nsukka are people like:
Rev Fr Dr David Ifeanyi Omego who single handedly positively transformed the educational worldview of our people. Out of Fr David’s ingenuity, Nsukka has a polytechnic today (Eucharistic Heart of Jesus College of Medical Technology). His wisdom has not only brought
educational to our doorsteps, but has created for Nsukka the jobs Enugu State could not creat for her under your leadership.
Mr Sam Maduka Onyishi (Peace Mass Transit), has also proved to the world that an Nsukka Man could achieve an excellent intercontinental recognition. This he did through his business vision that gave transportation and associate business a new dimension. Sam Onyishi, has single handedly recovered almost all that the Nsukka Man gullibly and ignorantly lost to foreign investors. His University complex under construction at Agu Ekwegbe has positively changed Ekwegbe social and economic world, even though it has not fully started.
Mr Son of Paddy who has not only changed the business world view of the Nsukka Man but has revolutionalized the job creating horizon by his aggressive use of our natural endowment, visionary production of goods and massive human empowerment.
Among the people that are a blessings to Nsukka is Emmanuel Ugwuerua who single handedly established The Nsukka College of Education that consoled us for the lost ESUTH campus at Nsukka Army Barracks. On the social and political awareness, Bishop Godfrey Igwebuike Onah whose wisdom filled strong voice offers a roadmap for good governance and whose authoritative demand of virtue from the leaders gives the evil government operators a serious nightmare, is one of the prides of Nsukka Man.
STIGMA
We are very proud of the above mentioned men of good will because out of their good intentions and working brains, without any government support are giving to Nsukka what Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, with the entire Enugu State government power and authority could not do for Nsukka for seven good year. They are giving daily bread to many people and they are indirectly preparing a great future for the children and dependants of all the people working in their establishments. (For Nsukka people they are saints so to say, and for their good works, may God bless them).
It is unfortunate that the great image these great men had built for Nsukka, this regime of Nrashi ike is about to throw to the dogs.
I have a great fear that this regime of barrenness may return the term NWA NSUKKA to a stigma.
(I am consciously waiting for the result to decide wether I will renounce my Nsukkaship). This is because Nsukka Man is prone to disappointment each time he is tested with high office.
1. Some Nsukka people sometimes naively end up leaving the office they occupy to be run by other people outside Nsukka.
2. Some make it impossible for any other Nsukka Man to benefit from the office.
3. Some think that being a slave where and when they should be lords earn them any credit.
4. For some their greatest achievement is to deal cruelly with other Nsukka Men.
5. Some make a show of substandard of everything.
6. Some waste the entire resources entrusted into their care bribing anybody whom he fears may challenge them only to end up achieving nothing in the office. These are the people whose embarrassing failures make the term NWA NSUKKA a stigma.
NSUKKA NDOO
My dear people of Nsukka, I wish to console you for the shattered hope. It is neither your fault nor Gburugburu’s fault, because he did the best at his disposal. We desired a governor and Sullivan gave us Gburugburu. Sullivan is also not to blame because he was just working with the system that gives zero room for people’s choice and on the other hand he could not have known the unrevealed future, otherwise a progressive regime like that of Sullivan Chime, could not have given birth to Nrashi ike regime. I therefore join Fr Ejike Mbaka to say Nsukka Ndoo, even though he said his when Nsukka had not really seen reason for the NDOO. Now is the proper time: Nsukka Ndoo!!!
NOTHING REPLACES EXPERIENCE
My dear Nsukka people, take heart! Do not see this disappointment as the end of all things. Every disappointment is a blessing. According to Rev Fr Dr David Omega: “nothing replaces experience”. You should take this experience as a hard lessen, and rise up to the challenge and stop the imposition of any candidate on Nsukka. Let him be the last person to represent Nsukka or any part of Nsukka on the bases of being the candidate of any stakeholder. You should adopt an attitude: THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE OR NOTHING! This is to ensure that the hitherto idea of buying and selling of public offices may permanently be put to death. You know of course nobody can impose a candidate on Anambra people. You should emulate them at least for Nsukka. Nsukka should henceforth use every legitimate and moral means to resist any attempt to impose a candidate on her. The sooner you stop tolerating enslavement the better for you! Even now you can determine your fate!
HUMBLE ADVISE
My dear Governor Ugwuanyi, I wish to offer this my humble advise as a matter of duty, because as a Catholic priest my duty is soul saving, and this I carry out by telling people the truth. I am obliged to tell this truth to those I am convinced would heed it and also to those I am not sure would want to do anything with the truth. In this case I am not sure that you would want to listen to me, but let heaven bear me witness that at least I made you to know what you should do to save yourself from the colossal mess.
My humble advise to you is: 1. Make sure that you create reliable jobs for at least ten thousand Nsukka sons and daughters by putting on the ground some functional investments in Nsukka that are capable of sustaining that number.
2. Use this remaining one year you have as a governor to turn away from your multiple wrongdoings, reconcile with the people you have injured (especially the weak and the voiceless), and restore all that you unjustly took from individuals, families and communities. This may seem to be a mad man’s opinion, but let it be clear to you that your joy and peace depend on your cooperation with this inviolate truth.
BITTER CRIES
There are a lot of accusing fingers pointing at you and they are bitterly crying against unjust deprivations and denial of rights. There are many but I will cite only two instances that are clear to me.
Mr Chukwuemeka Valentine Agbo, whose patrol filling station you completely destroyed and converted to the Opi Junction Roundabout, is still nursing his wounds and is crying to heaven as he had failed in all the efforts he had made to convince you that he is your fellow human being with needs and responsibilities and that his family needs food just as yours does, whereas you had completely separated him from his source of livelihood for about six years now.
It is most unfortunate that you shattered the hope of the poor young man by your failure to make good your plage on July 4th 2018.
In the presence of Innocent Ik Ezeoha, the voice chairman PDP Enugu State and others, the documents of the demolished Petrol Station was presented to you, and you raised his hope, when after listening to the full account of the unfortunate filling station you said:
“Justice and morality demand that one who denies somebody of his means of livelihood should give him an alternative”. At the end of the day, the people’s governor neither respected morality nor obeyed justice, and your fellow man with a family and dependants had remained helpless since 2017. (All the filling station equipments that were not directly destroyed by your men, according to him, are now damaged, due to lack of use.)
The second example is the very bitter cry of many individuals, families and communities from several angles, lamenting of the deprivation of their landed properties that were converted into fake housing estates. Apart from the minor local and low voices we heard around, the loud voice of Simon Ekpa, that sounded very clear about locations and individuals involved, gave me much reasons to take such claims seriously.
THERE IS GODOOO!
I the case of Mr Valentine Chukwuemeka Agbo, from every indications, you willfully subjected the young man to the urgly condition because he is a son of nobody. According to information he has done all that he should do to be helped, but you deliberately decided to leave him in the pains you inflicted on him. He presented the case to the ministry of works and it got to your desk through late Mr Morris Ngwu from Orba, he brought the documents to you in your house at Orba, he approached you through Innocent Ik Ezeoha, the Vice Chairman of PDP, he approached you through Nnia Nwodo, he approached you through Vita Abah, he approached you through Chidi Aroh, he approached you through your ADC, but because you never gave attention to any of the above, I am inclined to believe that he has resorted to crying to heaven. Ifeanyi, I sincerely fear that his tears and that of others who may have similar cases of outright deprivation are being preserved by heaven for future use. There is Godoooo!
REPENTANCE, RECONCILIATION AND RESTITUTION
His Excellency, I insist on this repentance, reconciliation and restitution, because you really need to desist from treating the weak like wood, because morality demands that one should treat others the way he would want to be treated (Mt 7:12). You need to find out the people you have unjustly injured, ask for their pardon and reconcile with them.
After reconciling with the people find a way of returning to them what is theirs or compensate the people for such where it is impossible to return same. Such would give you rest of mind and peace.
EQUALITY BEFORE GOD
My dear Governor, my insistence is informed by the fact that, governmental power is not everything, and naturally when the chips are down everybody is required to account for his or her conducts. There is an inescapable account everybody must render, and I am sure that your political position does not by any means deceive you into thinking that you are not a human being or that heaven may treat you differently because you are a governor. The truth is that before God all men are equal and he requires an absolute obedience to him from every man. I am sure that you clearly know that despite the might of any man God has the final say over him, and that God knows how to handle every heartless person to reward him for his evils and he doesn’t also fail to bless those who obey him. Calling a spade a spade, Ifeanyi, on the last day, you just like any of us, must answer for all your conducts, both as an individual and as a government official, before the judgement throne of God.
POLITICIANS MAY REGRET
I have two instances that support my view that politicians are not supra-humans and that sometimes they
may have reasons to regret their lives.
1. You are aware that by the last days of your brother Senator Okoro, AGBADAMAL, his worth at least in the sight of an average Nsukka Man, was not greater than a bunch of vagetable. The best picture of his worth was painted at his funeral, the details of which I am sure is at your finger tips.
2. The other person is Late Senator Arthur Nzeribe, who despite his magnitude spent a long time as an invalid before he died.
If somebody like the great Senator Arthur Nzeribe, who intercontinentaly was creating waves could turn to an invalid and of course be left at the mercy and management of someone else and probably a non relation of his, every big man should be careful. (I remember vividly as a boy, in the late 80s and early 90s, that in an interview Senator Arthur Nzeribe granted the Quality Magazine, that to one of the questions, probing whether he considered himself a rich man, he wittingly responded: “I can buy whatever I want”. Unfortunately, he was unable to buy good health during his last days.
BIG MAN BIG TROUBLE
It is therefore, very important to let the people of this generation know that, any big man who fails to acknowledge God in his use of opportunities, powers, positions and influence is inevitably creating big troubles for himself. (True life experience shows that most evil people do not spend their last and dependant days with their close relations, or their heirs who are the beneficiaries of their evils. They usually spend their last and dependant days, (when they needed care and love most), with either a non relation or a distant relation, because under such situations, nemesis usually keep close relations too busy with the management or mismanagement of the ill gotten wealth, that they hardly have time for the evil genius. The relations usually engage the service of a son or a daughter of nobody to look after the expired superman). At this point the very people for whose interest and pleasure the unfortunate money bag committed every atrocity to make wealth, must have completely turned away their attentions from the man and are deeply engrossed in the control of the acquired wealth. The only thing they may retain in their minds about the man is: how they would project themselves to the world during the man’s funeral.
CONCLUSION
The people’s governor, you can clearly see that time is no longer on your side, and that your people are still crying: “give us our daily bread”, you must have to do something serious to salvage your name because people have already started saying: te Nska ejeme, govano obu, nob oweleter gn? Nsukka Man has been given to position as a governor, yet, how did he improve Nsukka? But I am optimistic you can still do something. Farewell and God bless you!
Rev Fr Dennis John Chukwubuzor Attah, Catholic Diocese of Nsukka.
(Living for Truth and God’s Glory)