The people of Enugu North Senatorial zone have been clamouring for the governorship of the state. However, they are not ready to accept the office hook, line and sinker

By Tony Edike, ENUGU
IT was a dinner to honour one of their own who had recently been appointed into the board of the Board of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

The man of the moment was Mr. Chinedu Onu representing the Southeast geopolitical zone in the board of the TETFund, but the guest of honour was Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the deputy president of the Senate who facilitated the appointment.

But the oracle or main speaker of the day was former minister of information, Chief Nnia Nwodo who used the opportunity to press home the demand by the Nsukka people for representation in various level of governance.

Given the almost universal call by the leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to zone the governorship of the state to Nsukka, Nwodo was to bring another dimension to the people’s demand that day with his call for independent assertion in the election.

He said that Nsukka people would not want anybody to dash them governor stressing that they were only interested in having a governor that would get the endorsement of the people through the ballot box.

His words: “We the people of Nsukka want to be governor of this state but we don’t want anybody to dash us a governor.  We want to choose which of our children is fit to be governor.  What is disturbing among our children who want to be governor is that none has the courage to come out and say I want to be governor.

‘Thank  God that the Nigerian road is now double and let me tell you sir, (turning to Ekweremadu)  the people in this audience from Nsukka belong to a bipartisan platform, they are not only in your party; if your party doesn’t do us well, we shall leave you, but if you do us well, we shall follow you.”

He lamented the marginalization being suffered by Nsukka people presently saying no Nsukka person was considered for appointment into any of the top cabinet positions by the regime just as the University of Nigeria, UNN, hosted by Nsukka had not been allowed to produce an indigenous Vice Chancellor and other top officials of the institution since its inception.

“One local government in this state has taken governor, they have taken Chief of Staff by extension, they have taken the Attorney-General, which is the first Commissioner of a state, they have taken the Secretary to Government, they have taken Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, they have taken special adviser, they have taken Class A Ambassador, and they have dominated our executive with reckless abandon.

“They have moved to the parastatals, they have the Chief Medical Director of Enugu Teaching Hospital; they have been Vice-Chancellor of this University twice, and walk around as if they are the emperor of the state. Nsukka has remained quiet and in dungeon,” Nwodo said.

Continuing, the former minister said, “We walked in shame as if we were nobody; that shame has continued till today.  This University (UNN) has principal officers of Librarian, Bursar, Registrar and Vice-Chancellor; no Nsukka man has occupied any of these four seats since the beginning of this University.  If I’m wrong please prove me wrong. We have never been found qualified to occupy any of these important positions.

“The Vice-Chancellorship of this University will be vacant in a few weeks; I do not want to predict doom but we should not take our docility for granted because we do not take the instrument of violence in our hands, because we respect constituted authority, and wee because we respect the government in power because we put him there; don’t take us for granted. There is no part of Nigeria where this kind of ignominy will be visited on a people and they remain docile. Our people have had enough of it.’

He thanked Senator Ekweremadu for ensuring the appointment of Mr. Onu into the TETFund board even when he (Onu) is not from his senatorial zone, stressing that  “with a man like you whose ingenuity has helped to ensure that we have peace and stability in Nigeria, you shall not allow Nsukka to erupt.   Ekweremadu If you are willing to rise I am willing to rise with you.”

Addressing the people, Chief Ekweremadu stressed the need to give opportunity to honest people to get into leadership position saying Nigeria would be a much better place the moment people are trusted and selfless were given the chance to lead.

The Deputy Senate President pledged to work closely with Nsukka people to ensure the emergence of the next governor from the zone butt noted that the governor that the people of the need “is one that will see the entire Enugu state as his constituency and treat every part of the state as his own.”

Said Ekweremadu: “We want a governor who will know Aninri, Ezeagu, Uzo-Uwani, Igboeze North and South are part of Enugu State and treat them equally. That is the type of leadership we want; we want a senator who will believe that every local government he is representing they are entitled to equal treatment and they are entitled to proper representation.

Proper representation
When we get such people, Nigerians will not bother where you come from, they want people who will deliver their mandate, who will deliver their promises, people who will serve them with honesty and be able to ensure that there is justice.

“I want to tell you that unless there is justice you will never know peace; a man you rob of justice will not be interested in peace. So that is what we should begin to strive, to ensure that in this state, there is justice at all times, justice to everybody, justice to every part of this state. Unless that happens we will never know peace. So we believe that whoever is going to be the next governor of Enugu state will not only be interested in delivering democracy dividends, but must be interested in ensuring justice to every part of Enugu state.”

“So I’m not here for politics, I will like to assure the people of Nsukka that whatever is their aspiration, I Ike Ekweremadu will support it. I’m going to support it genuinely and honestly because I believe in a just society.

Now, some people will begin to wonder what is my interest in Nsukka, my interest is nothing more than that God has given me an opportunity, a privilege in this country and I believe that my state should benefit from it no matter any part of the state it might be; whether it is Enugu West, Enugu East or Enugu North, they are entitled to benefit from the opportunity the society has given me in this country.”