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Enugu Government, An Embodiment Of Good Governance

Published

5 years ago

August 12, 2020

By Jeff Ejiofor

The current Enugu state government possesses all the features of good governance by virture of its unequalled democratic credentials as evidenced in its policies and mode of operation. Undoubtedly, considering the standard definition of good governance, the administration of Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is a complete epitome of what it represents. The governor has been able to embody quality governance through his style of leadership when properly weighed side by side with his contemporaries in Nigeria.

Accordingly, governance is the process of decision making and the process by which decisions are implemented or not. Particularly, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, defines good governance as an essential complement to sound economic policies central to creating and sustaining an environment which fosters strong and equitable development. It is also defined as a way of measuring how public institutions conduct and manage public affairs and resources respectively.

Good governance thus has eight major principles and characteristics. It is participatory, transparent, consensus oriented, accountable, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive, and follows the rule of law.

Sequel to the above insights on what good governance represents, the current administration of Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state apparently epitomises it in all ramiffications and unequivocally qualifies to be ascribed as such. In order of sequence, may I intrinsically highlight the major principles of good governance as they relate to his government as follows for Nigerians to judge.

1, Partispatory governance is a major characteristics of Ugwuanyi’s administration which involves stakeholders in all major decisions of his government. He is the only governor that seeks the consent of local government stakeholders before appointing commissioners. He consults widely and allows the people to choose who to appoint into his cabinet and even his enemies cannot deny that.

2, Transparency is the hallmark of Ugwuanyi’s government through his consultative democracy where policy implementation is subjected to public debate and scrutiny. For example, he graciously sought the consent and opinion of community leaders before releasing money to them for the implementation of the 10 million naira one community one project policy in all the 471 autonomous communities of Enugu state. Enugu people in all honesty cannot deny this.

3, Consensus oriented governance is indeed the strength of Enugu government under Gov. Ugwuanyi and nobody will accuse him of anything like unilateral decision making. His quest for consensus in all his actions has made some undemocratic elements raise eyebrows about his leadership style. It is a well known fact that imposition of candidates seen in other places is alien to Enugu state. Even local government charmanship candidates usually emerge at the instance of the people through consensus without government interference.

4, Accountability is a direct product of transparent and participatory leadership which Ugwuanyi’s administration is undisputably known for. People’s opinions have always determined the direction of most of his policies. For example, he instituted a policy of one local government two projects worth 250 million naira in each of the 17 LGAs of the state and transparently allowed the citizens to make choice of preferred projects according to their comparative advantages. He also instructed the LG chairmen to ensure accountability in its implementation.

5, Rensponsiveness is a major aspect of Ugwuanyi’s government. His decision to end the unwarranted molestation of innocent motorists and Enugu citizens by agencies of government such as MOT and ESWAMA in his first two years in office is a clear evidence. He responded to the cries of the people and put a stop to that era of terror. He also promptly implemented the national minimum wage in response to the yearnings of Enugu workers.

6, Effective and effecient discharge of duties has become the strength of Ugwuanyi’s government leading to several feats as rated by many independent bodies. Good examples were the rating of Enugu state as second most condusive state in the ease of doing business in Nigeria and as well, one of the 10 most solvent states in the country by both local and international rating agencies. The records are obvious and clear for all to see.

7, Equitability and inclusiveness by the current Enugu government is not in doubt. As a matter of fact, no administration in the history of Enugu state has pursued policy of even distribution of projects and resources like Ugwuanyi’s government. He has been able to live above premodial sentiment in his choice of appointments and project distribution. This quality made him to be the first modern Enugu governor to appoint both chief of staff and secretary to the state government from zones other than his own. Siting of a critical infrastructure like Enugu State University of Education in Ihe, Awgu, another zone is a reflection of his detribalized nature. Ugwuanyi has also balanced his approach to governance by running an all inclusive policy. He never concentrated his policies on one sector of the economy unlike those who for instance face only infrastructure to the exclusion of other critical areas. Gburugburu’s regime is clearly all encompassing and it touches all aspects of governance which ranges from infrastructural provision, human capital development, welfare and wellbeing of citizens through good pay packages and empowernment programmes, security of lives and property to economic reinvigoration of the state.

8, Adherence to the rule of law is the hallmark of Ugwuanyi’s government. This is the only democratic governor east of the niger that accommodates all shades of opinion including the ones detrimental to his image. His government appears to be the only one that guarantees absolute press freedom and separation of power. Ugwuanyi has never been in conflict with either of the two other organs of government, legislature or judiciary. He has always given them free hand to operate within the ambit of the rule of law.

In conclusion, no discerning mind will be left in doubt as for the reason the policy actions of Enugu state government under the able leadership of Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi can be best described as good governance. Arguably, no governor in contemprary Nigeria possesses equal leadership qualities as espoused herein.

Enugu is indeed in the hands of God!

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Business

Tax Reform Bills: The Verdict of Nigerians

Published

2 weeks ago

March 6, 2025

The Gleamer

Ismaila Ahmad Abdullahi Ph.D

The public hearings conducted recently by the two Chambers of the National Assembly have elicited positive responses from a broad spectrum of Nigerians, cutting across regional interest groups, government agencies, civil society groups, concerned individuals, the academia, and Labour Unions, among diverse others. Contrary to a few dissensions hitherto expressed in the media, almost all the stakeholders who spoke during the week-long sessions were unanimous in their declaration that the hallowed Chambers should pass the tax reform bills after a clean-up of the grey areas.

The public hearings were auspicious for all Nigerians desirous of economic growth and fiscal responsibility. They were also a watershed moment for the Federal Inland Revenue Service, which had been upbeat about the tax reforms. Indeed, the public hearings had rekindled hope in the tenets of democracy that guarantee freedom of expression and equitable space for cross-fertilisation of ideas. Without gainsaying the fact, the tax reform bills have been unarguably about the most thought-provoking issues in Nigeria today, drawing variegated perspectives and commentaries from even unlikely quarters such as the faith-based leaders, student bodies, and trade unions, which speaks much about the importance of the bills.

In the build-up to the public hearings, not many people believed that the bills would make it to the second reading, much less the public hearings. Even the Northern stakeholders who seemed unlikely to support the passage of the bills have softened their stance and have given valuable suggestions that would enrich the substance of the bills. The Arewa Consultative Forum came to the public hearings well-prepared with a printed booklet that addressed their concerns. It concluded with an advisory that the bills should be “Well planned, properly communicated, strategically implemented and ample dialogue and political consensus allowed for the reforms to be accepted.”

The concerns of ACF ranged from the composition of the proposed Nigeria Revenue Service Board as contained in Part 111, Section 7 of the bill, the unlimited Presidential power to exempt/wave tax payment as proposed in Section 75(1) of the bill, the family income or inheritance tax as contained in Part 1, Section 4(3) of the bill, to the issues around development levy and VAT. On the development levy, the ACF stated that unless the Federal Government is considering budgetary funding for TETFUND, NASENI and NITDA, it does not see the “wisdom behind the plan to replace (them) with NELFUND”.

The position of the North was equally reinforced by the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria, Northern Elders Forum, Kano State Government, Professor Auwalu Yadudu, and the FCT Imams. Like the ACF, these stakeholders lent their respective voices to the Section on the Inheritance Tax in Part 1 of the bill and the use of the term ‘ecclesiastical’, which, in their views, undermines certain religious rights and beliefs. The Kano State Government, represented by Mahmud Sagagi, affirmed that “we support tax modernisation” but cautioned that “we must ensure that this process does not come at the expense of states’ constitutional rights and economic stability”. Professor Auwalu Yadudu, a constitutional law professor, drew attention to the use of the ‘supremacy clause’ and cautioned that the repeated use of “notwithstanding” in the bills would undermine the supremacy of the Nigerian constitution if passed as such.

Other stakeholders that made contributions at the sessions included the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Nigeria Customs Service, and a host of others. While most of their concerns bordered on technical issues requiring fine-tuning, they were unanimous in their support for the bills. They aligned with the position of the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji, Ph.D. and the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, which is that the extant tax laws and fiscal regulations are obsolete necessitating reforms aimed at creating a fair and equitable tax and fiscal space to grow Nigeria’s economy.

In one of the sessions, Dr Zaach Adedeji expounded on the criss-cross of trade activities in the Free Trade Zone whereby companies misuse tax waivers as exporters to sell their goods or services in the Customs Area at an amount usually less than the price the operators in the Customs Area who pay VAT and other taxes sell theirs thereby disrupting business transactions. This way, the operators in the Free Trade Zone shortchange the government in paying their due taxes by circumventing extant regulations, which are inimical to the economy’s growth.

Overall, the presentations were forthright, foresighted, and helpful in elucidating the issues contained in the bills. According to the statistics read out at the end of the hearings at the Senate, 75 stakeholders were invited, 65 made submissions, and 61 made presentations. At the House of Representatives 53 stakeholders made presentations. By all means, this is a fair representation. Given the presentations, it is evident that the National Assembly has gathered enough materials to guide its deliberations on the bills. As we look forward to the passage of the bills, we commend the leadership of the National Assembly for their unwavering commitment to making the bills see the light of the day.

Abdullahi is the Director of the Communications and Liaison Department, FIRS.

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