By Steve Oruruo

“Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love—MARTIN LUTHER KING.

Insecurity is a vicious monster whose polymorphic metastasis could swing from the mild to the atrociously extreme within just an instant. The grim ripper sometimes, at the bitter end of the spectrum could harvest wanton loss of millions of lives, destruction of infrastructure and even the obliteration of glorious empires and civilizations. The unbridled but chilling violence gripping the world at the moment has become a dreadful scar on the conscience of humanity. Unfortunately, Nigeria also appears to be inextricably entangled in this global theatre of the absurd.

The on-going Russian invasion of Ukraine is a crude reminder of what could befall people, their culture, economy, and civilization in the face of insecurity. The hint already of a potential nuclear dimension to the conflict as it escalates, is a cold reminder that we may after all, not have seen the worst manifestation of this all-pervading monster. Whatever form it assumes though – missiles raining from the sky and reducing towers in Kyiv to rubble or hoodlums in some rural communities in Southeast Nigeria threatening ordinary law-abiding citizens; insecurity has become mankind’s greatest undoing and must not be allowed a foothold.

Little wonder in the constitutions of sovereign entities globally, it is enshrined that security is the primary duty of government. It couldn’t be otherwise because it’s of the utmost consideration in all political permutations including legislative undertakings, executive actions and judicial activities.

It is in this perspective that one can begin to understand the Executive Order 1 of 2022 issued recently by the Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, temporarily banning tipper-trucks, motorcycles and tricycles in Nkanu East, Nkanu West and some communities in Enugu South LGA. The Executive Order which came on the heels of the dastardly acts perpetrated by criminals, who systematically operated with these vehicles, was swift, well thought-out and manifestly proportional. For some law-abiding residents of the state who twice gave Governor Ugwuanyi an overwhelming mandate, though, this action came as a surprise as the Executive Order appeared to have been greeted with a mixture of rapturous applause and a wave of discontent alike. Repeatedly, Ndi Enugu have seen the governor leap like a caring mother bear to their defense whenever threatened by enemies of peace. At no other period has Enugu felt safer than it has been under the watchful and protective eyes of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, safe for occasional pockets of insurgency understandably seeping through extraneously once in a while, into an otherwise impregnably formidable fortress of the Southeast Regional capital of Ndigbo.

Right after Governor Ugwuanyi won the Gubernatorial election by a landslide in 2015 and entered a social contract with Ndi Enugu by swearing an oath of service, a new atmosphere of calm has enveloped the state which has since grown into an inviolable thicket. He is a man whose aura is peace, and he has imprinted this character on Enugu’s political and socio-cultural milieu. In what was an unprecedented turn of events, and arguably unparalleled anywhere, the governor united long-time political foes, whose enmity and raging discord were fomenting conflicts and instability in the state. He engendered conciliation and goodwill, and inspired sustainable collaboration across divides to move Enugu forward. He disabused Ndi Enugu of their ultra jingoistic ideologies, restoring the spirit of brotherliness and unity upon which values and precepts the Wawa nation gained its emancipation.

Politics then gradually and progressively evolved from the do-or-die affair, which for years was the unfortunate status quo in the state, into what it was originally intended to be – an exercise in participatory and experientially consummate democracy. The governor, going beyond empty rhetoric, reached across the aisle to opposition parties and welcomed them as partners in governance.

Steadfast in his resolve to make Enugu a haven for residents to live, work and play, the Governor has continued to empower security agencies in the state, donating vehicles and state-of-the-art accessories and gadgets to enable seamless discharge of their duties to safeguard Enugu’s borders, natural resources, and citizenry. His legendary grassroots economic development campaign has led to the construction of road networks and numerous other infrastructures, which have engendered economic-oriented rural-urban linkages, drawn security closest to the people and stimulated multi-faceted development.

The Governor has also vigorously strengthened the security infrastructure of Enugu’s fringe enclaves. He revitalized Neighborhood Watch groups in all local government areas and instituted Forest Guards. He effectively took the fight against crime to every nook and cranny of the state, making sure there was no hiding place for enemies of law and order – not in the metropolis or in Enugu’s local forests.

When the leaders of the umbrella bodies of tipper, tricycle, and motorcycle operators in the affected local governments, wrote the governor lamenting the fallout of the prohibition on law-abiding members of the unions, Governor Ugwuanyi invited them to sit with him. They submitted that their organizations had been infiltrated by criminals who masqueraded as legit members while terrorizing individuals and communities. The governor was assured by these leaders that they were taking steps to strengthen their collaboration with security agencies and relevant state authorities to sanitize their folds. After they committed to several pragmatic steps which included issuing security identification numbers and uninhibited cooperation with security agencies, Governor Ugwuanyi revoked the order.

It is important to unequivocally state that there is no price too exorbitant to pay for securing lives and properties, hence the necessity of the executive order issued to stem what was a fast-rising storm of criminalities in Nkanu East, Nkanu West and some local communities in Enugu South LGA. Governor Ugwuanyi, by this undertaking, reaffirmed in pragmatic terms – as he has done on several other occasions in the past – his unflagging commitment to maintaining a serene ambience in Enugu state.

However, the Governor, strong in character but also meek, compassionate, and sensitive to realities, willingly worked with the affected parties to find the best resolution. He is a leader who feels the pulse of his people and functions in resonance with them. He needed to emphatically underscore the point that without security, it would be impossible for them to carry out their legitimate businesses. Every action the Governor has ever taken has been in the best interest of the greater majority, to which power belongs. One cannot easily forget how the governor worked round the clock to keep Enugu as safe as possible from the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic. On one chilly night, he defied the rain to disrupt gatherings on the street in his determination to break the chains of transmission. The governor’s empathy knows no bounds and is deeply rooted in his moral and spiritual values.

Political greatness and accomplishments notwithstanding, it is in his nature to care and nurture.
History is replete with egotistic and narcissistic political “strongmen” who ruled with an iron fist as well as good leaders who conversely, were too weak to take necessary hard stances for the greater good. Nigerian politics is swarming with the former – dictators camouflaging as democrats, desperately clinging on to power while offering nothing but cruelty to the masses. Governor Ugwuanyi’s personality is a perfect blend of strength of will, expediency and empathy. While infinitely good with an incorruptible sense of justice and abhorrence for impositions and evil, the governor also possesses the solidity of belief and character to make necessary tough choices. Governor Ugwuanyi’s breed, which sadly is rare amongst the oligarchs who have held on to the nation’s reins of political power for decades, is what Enugu deserves for its greatness as the capital of Ndigbo and its near future as pacesetters in African civilization and socio-economic advancement.

It must be emphasized however, that the success of the accord reached between the Government and the tipper-trucks, motorcycles and tricycle operators in the affected communities would depend not on mere pledges and assurances but on their actually scrupulously keeping to the terms of the agreement. The activity of few miscreants including unknown gunmen has blighted our hitherto serene atmosphere and affected the business and economic fortune of the entire Southeast geopolitical zone. This must change forthwith. It is also important for all the populace to be vigilant, embrace peace and eschew all acts capable of undermining the hard-earned peace and security of the state.

With the unquestionable credentials of Ndigbo as the kernel of Nigerian economy, Eastern Nigeria would easily be turned into oasis of prosperity with a little unity of purpose. Igbo should not allow herself be reduced to beggerly, disoriented and lachrymal Nation just weeping about marginalization and rueing her historical pedigree without first shielding her intellectual property of commerce. It’s the kind of nostalgia that is both defeatist and deadly because it continues to romanticize with the past while the future speeds away. Against all odds, Ndigbo are the most industrious, capitalist and egalitarian people under the face of the earth. We do not need the distractions of restiveness, sporadic violence, unbridled killings or any form of crisis. The sacrosanctity and purity of the Igbo blood are so fundamentally entrenched as to be easily eviscerated by the weight and hazards of agitations. May I therefore passionately appeal to our people to sustain the assuaging peace, unflinching unity and a binding sense of conciliation painstakingly conceptualized by Governor Ugwuanyi.

Steve Oruruo is the Special Adviser to the Governor of Enugu State on Information.