By Desmond Nnamani
If by any means you have some scores to settle with someone, if you approach it with signs of vendetta and hatred, you are most likely to lose the sympathy you think you deserve.
This is more prevalent in political fight as can be seen among politicians in recent times.
There has been some political developments in Enugu state lately that exposes some people anxious to settle political scores ahead of 2023, doing it in a way that is not going to achieve their desired goal. What is their goal you may ask, to torpedo the existing political peace in Enugu state for an opportunity to realize their inordinate ambition.
Whether sponsored or self-induced, the barrage of attacks on Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi lately, calls for concern as they have left the level of constructive criticism which is desired and encouraged in a democracy.
As a result rather than achieve the aim of the hack writers of degrading and demeaning Governor Ugwuanyi and his government, the write ups are now helping him because of the public ability to see the underlying intentions in it.
Yes, the Governor is not meeting the optimum desires of his people and nobody can under the prevailing circumstance.
The other two geo-political zones of Enugu state, the East and the West were governed the states under entirely different circumstance. When Governor Chimaroke Nnamani held sway from 1999 to 2007, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was controlling power at the Federal level and had the singular opportunity of influencing the appointment of top federal jobs including Ministers.
Ditto when the West under Governor Sullivan Chime was in charge from 2007 to 2015. These two made sure that people from their zones only collected all the juicy federal jobs including Ministers at the time.
Then the baskets were many to scramble from, but not so today. Now the turn of Enugu North with Governor Ugwuanyi in charge since 2015 the situation has been like a wife whose bread winner is not around. Whatever she struggles and make available will not be enough for the crowded children who were used to the largesse of the breadwinner.
That is exactly the situation Ugwuanyi found himself today. The Governor has not enjoyed commensurate fame with what he is doing with the meagre resources available to him because those grumbling are too many.
Politically speaking, Governor Ugwuanyi is clearly in a junction of no return, moving forward, problem, retreating problem. If he uses the small resources to try and appease the groaning politicians, the grumbling might reduce but at the end of the day he will find himself with little or nothing to show the people as democracy dividend.
Governor Ugwuanyi had in his natural self of giving to charity even before becoming Governor had this concept of Nrashi which has to do with leaking after sumptuous meal. He always desired his people have something to leak always and be happy.
This actually is the concept behind Gburugburu politics of sharing for all hence the Gburgburu model of politics. Even this has been abandoned because of poor funding to enable concentration on key projects.
But rather than see this from the concept of populist leadership striving to touch many lives, his critics have chosen to see it from the negative point.
The truth which will not be acknowledged by the opponents is that Nrashi is under attack because it’s not enough to go round and the distributor is channelling to critical areas. The attack on Nrashi is actually coming from politicians and the elites who feel excluded.
Whenever you see politicians grumbling openly against a government they feel they should be part of feeling side-lined and wants to be inside at all cost. Ugwuanyi knows but he is handicapped by the sparse resources at his disposal.
In the second republic in the old Anambra state, the then Governor Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo had a concept similar to Nrashi that brought him closer to the downtrodden in the society.
This was vehemently criticized by the elites mostly from his own party, the defunct Nigeria Peoples Party, NPP, who felt he was being wasteful and they tagged the Governor ‘Donatus’. Because he was fond of always giving out money to the ordinary people and donating to their projects directly.
At the end of the day, what endeared Jim Nwobodo to many even years out of office in the old Anambra state is this system that brought him very close to the masses.
Ahead of 2023 those who feel their interests are contrasting with that of Ugwuanyi are at the forefront of fanning these negatives against him and his administration.
But it appears their agenda is boomeranging already because one of the latest hack writers was wondering why Ugwuanyi is still popular with the people. They had thought that the barrage of attacks and blackmails will diminish the Governors fame.
The intention is obvious they want to run him down and provide an opportunity to manipulate the political process in their favour ahead of 2023.
Governor Ugwuanyi certainly cannot meet the whole expectations of the people and he knows it but to continue to see his administration from the point of Nrashi concept is missing the point. It’s only fair that critics should juxtapose the infrastructural development in the state with the resources available before coming to conclusion.
This advisory is however for those who want to be rational and are not driven by inordinate ambition of what they want to be in 2023.
The people of Enugu North who are expecting Governor Ugwuanyi to give their area the same treatment his predecessors gave to their people in Enugu East and West when they held sway have legitimate aspiration because what is good for goose is also good for gander. But in their aspirations, they should not fall into the hands of ambitious people who would want to use them to attack their brother.
Time and resources are clearly not in favour of Ugwuanyi meeting up the desires of his people the way even him would have wished. The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic this year has even compounded the situation for the administration with the imminent fall in revenue.
What the Governor genuinely needs now especially from his people of the North is brain storming to churn out ideas of how he can under the circumstances meet the dreams of the people substantially.
The Enugu North people some of whom have turned activists just to hit at Ugwuanyi should take a critical look at their attitude and see whether their posture is in anyway helping the Nsukka project.
When Governors Nnamani and Chime were there how much critiquing did they receive from their own people or even current activists from the Enugu North?
The point that should not be misconstrued in this conversation is that Governor Ugwuanyi is not averse to criticism if it’s driven by patriotism to achieve results and help the administration remain focussed. Such meaningful intervention or interrogation helps the regime to be up standing and not be complacent.
But criticism misses the point if it’s politically motivated and sponsored to achieve a secret agenda and unfortunately the current barrage of attacks on Ugwuanyi is located in this area.
Finally, as we draw curtain on this discussion what is left is to charge Governor Ugwuanyi to remain focussed and refuse to be distracted because when the time of reckoning arrives, excuses no matter how genuine will not be counted as a factor for failing. Nsukka people will not take excuses. Enugu is in the hand of God.
Nnamani is a public affairs commentator based in Abuja