BY FRANCIS IGATA

The victory of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of   Enugu State, at the April 11 poll,opened a new vista  as his Deputy,Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo made history as the first, female deputy governor of the state.

Created in 1991,Enugu State has never had a woman occupy the exalted office of governor or deputy governor,the two top positions in the state that have essentially been dominated by men who relegated women to the background.

Excitement filled the air when at the end of last year, the announcement of Ezeilo as Ugwuanyi’s running mate for the governorship race hit the airwaves. The jubilation that followed pervaded the length and breath of the state.

Observers quickly poured encomiums and eulogies on Ugwuanyi’s decision which they said was a political masterstroke to woo majority of the women and youths mostly.

But political pundits were however not astonished at Ugwuanyi’s decision to run with a female deputy, hinging their stance on Ugwuanyi’s political prowess to galvanise the needed support for their victory.

Another school of thought maintained that Ugwuanyi was mindful of the wind of change blowing across the country as more women are occupying sensitive positions in government hitherto reserved for the men.During the President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to Enugu for his presidential rally at the Nnamdi Azikwe stadium last November,Ugwuanyi had described Ezeilo as a gift to the people of Enugu State insisting that his administration will have a human face having a mother as his deputy who would provide the soothing balm of peace and progress to calm political frayed nerves.

Ezeilo, a Lawyer and widow of late Chief Malachy Ezeilo, Igwe of Ezeagu and a one-time   Commissioner for Works during the old Anambra State, learned the robe and shot to limelight riding on her husband’s crest.

EZEILO’S STRIDES

She was elected into the Enugu State House of Assembly in 2011. During her stint at the House,she served as the Chairman,House Committee on Judiciary where she adopted the Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanism,ADRM, as faster and better means of resolving public disputes arising from numerous public petitions sent to her committee.

The New Governor of Enugu State, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi being inaugurated by the State Chief Judge, Justice Innocent Umezuluike at Okpara Square Enugu, yesterday. On his left is Cecilia Ezeilo, the deputy governor.
Photo by Ikechukwu Obi

It was during her rein that the legislature and judiciary experienced a pronounced industrial harmony as separate arms of government.

Her instincts as a mother may have inspired her motion while she was in the House for a bill to carter for the needs of people with special needs.

Her quest to empower and ensure jobs for the teeming unemployed women,youths in Enugu State, again, motivated her to move a motion for the re-activation of the moribund Cashew Industry,Ezeagu as a panacea to absolve women and youths of the state.

The soaring rate of auto crashes in the state caught her attention as she also, moved a motion at the House which sought to ensure that vehicle drivers undergo driving examinations before drivers licenses are issued to them.

The idea behind the motion was to reduce the increase rate of deaths occasioned by the auto crashes in the state.

ELATED RESIDENTS

A cross section of residents in Enugu State could not hide their joy for the incoming administration of Ugwuanyi who they described as the most gender friendly government in the annals of Enugu history.

Mrs. Mary-Jane Mbagwu who was visibly elated said,”May 29 has opened a new horizon for women empowerment in the state. Her position as deputy governor will add impetus for more women to aspire and attain more sensitive government positions.

“Ugwuanyi’s choice of female deputy has broken a jinx in the state and has endeared him to women and youths who form the greater majority of the electorate. His choice of female deputy is a midas touch that will galvanise his re-election bid come 2019 when Enugu State will experience the most keenly contested election given an All Progressives Congress,APC, led administration at the centre.

Another respondent, Mrs. Ngozi Ossai charge the deputy governor not to lower her guard but rather, up her ante to justify the confidence reposed in her in the cause of discharging her duty.

According to her,”Ezeilo should roll her sleeves and brace up for the task ahead. She is carrying on her shoulders,the expectations of over 3million women and children of the state. Issues of women empowerment,child rights,women battery,rape,child abuse,girl child education,maternal health cares services among others should be prominent in her agenda.

“She should walk in the path of late Prof. Dora Akuyili,Oby Ezekwesili among others to etch her name in gold.”

SERVICE DELIVERY

A cross section of residents who spoke to Saturday Vanguard were upbeat that her tenure will mark the beginning of a new era in the area of service delivery.

Mr. Okey Agbo said,”I believe she will bring her wealth of experience to bear and assist her boss to ensure that good governance reins during her tenure. As a mother,I don’t see her allowing her wards to go hungry. The people of the state are her wards. So,she will work to see that policies and programmes of government impact positively on the lives of the people.

Amaechi Ukwuani urged the deputy governor to clean the tears of Enugu people in the misdeeds of the past.

According to him,”this administration should work assiduously to ensure that the teeming unemployed youths being churned out from over seven tertiary institutions in the state are engaged.

“Most of our graduates are engaged in menial jobs to keep there head above water.   The situation is suffocating. This administration should clean our tears and ensure that jobs are created in all sectors of the economy.”   Only time will tell if she will serve as a rallying point towards women emancipation in the scheme of things in Enugu State to bring it at per with contemporaries like Lagos, Ekiti, Anambra among others where women had hold sway as deputy governors.