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THE CONCEPT OF POWER BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE: A REALITY IN ENUGU STATE UNDER GOV.IFEANYI UGWUANYI

Published

4 years ago

September 8, 2020

Ifeanyi Ogenyi

Democracy has long been defined as the government of the people, by the people and for the people.

True democracy is premised on the immutable principle that power belongs to the people. It is also having the understanding that power is held on trust by the public office holders for the ultimate benefit of the people who are the owners and beneficiaries of such power.

In a truly democratic setting, the consent and/or approval of the people must always be sought before any major decision affecting the people is taken.

Many leaders especially in the developing countries have neglected, refused, and/or failed in the practical application of this principle.

Most leaders, once they assume office neglect or treat those that gave them power with utter disdain and they began to dish out executive orders; and further acts with impunity.

In Africa and all most in all the developing countries, there is a profound sense of disconnect from the halls of power. The distance between the people and the government is as wide and deep as the ocean separating Boston from London.

Understanding this sense of disconnect, Gov.Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on the assumption of office in 2015 decided to bridge this gap between the governed and the governor with his Midas touch.

His innovative approaches to governance premised on mutual respect, consultation, collaboration, and bipartisanship seamlessly returned power to the people of Enugu State.

His administrative and managerial characters have established principles guaranteeing the government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Gov.Ugwuanyi’s message and ideology from the onset were sound and clear.

And his message and ideology are: “This is our government; Enugu belongs to all of us; and let everyone enjoy democracy dividend-‘ The Nrashi Concept”.

He has demonstrated in many ways that power has been returned to the people of Enugu State.

In the annals of history in Enugu State, no Governor before Ugwuanyi made a clear-cut policy of consulting the people before they took critical decision that would affect the people but Gov.Ugwuanyi makes consultation of the people as his cardinal administrative policy and rarely takes any critical decision without having recourse to the people.

He evolved and sustained the culture of consulting the people on issues affecting them before a final decision is taken.

Today in Enugu State, virtually everyone in the State is a Stakeholder and people have unrestricted access to the government house which has never been the case.

Constitutionally appointment of the members of the Executive Council is a prerogative right of the governor in the State as enshrined in Sec.192 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) but Gov.Ugwuanyi never exercised this power without having recourse to the people. Before he formed his cabinet upon his re-election in 2019, he reached out to the Stakeholders in the 17 LGAs and requested them to nominate for him a candidate to be appointed into his cabinet. This singular gesture endeared the Governor more to Ndi Enugu.

The same thing happened during the last LGA election in Enugu, every LGA was asked to agree on a consensus candidate to be filed by the ruling party in the State and it worked as a magic.

One thing in a democracy, is that it is a government by the majority. Of course, there is always dissenting opinions and voices on any issue but Ugwuanyi’s concern at every point in time is to ensure that the views of the majority prevail and this is the hallmark of a true democracy.

The truth is that people tend to withdraw when they feel powerless and also tend to live outside the political process when they stop believing that power belongs to them.

Gov.Ugwuanyi has practically changed the narrative and restored people’s confidence in the government.

Gov. Ugwuanyi has put in place collaborative governance which is often as a solution to the principal-agent dilemma and local knowledge problem.

By including a full range of stakeholders, collaborative arrangement brings stability, peace, and progress in the polity.

And today Enugu people are witnessing and enjoying enduring peace.

Gov. Ugwuanyi’s leadership styles have brought to bear an alternative to adversarial and interest group-driven approaches to governance which follows a more consensus-oriented mode of making decisions.

Though as earlier posited, consensus most time is difficult to achieve in practice, one good thing about Ugwuanyi’s approach is that the people are involved in taking decisions on issues affecting them.

Freedom of expression which is also another essential ingredient of democracy is not only guaranteed in Enugu State under Gov.Ugwuanyi but it is also inimically abused by some Enugu people especially the uninformed social media urchins.

Indeed, Gov. Ugwuanyi has given democracy its true meaning in Enugu State.

Our nation will be peaceful and a better place to live if all leaders in the country realize like Ugwuanyi that they hold power on trust for the people.

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RMRDC: Making Giant Strides Under Prof. Nnanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso

Published

12 hours ago

September 19, 2024

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

As we embark on a journey, we always pray for an able, experienced, and courageous driver, pilot, or sailor depending on the means of transportation.

This is because the captain will have enough experience and boldness to navigate out of turbulence and to bring all the passengers and crew to the intended destination.

Interestingly, these fine qualities of ability, experience, boldness, and many more, abound in the man, Prof. Nnanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso, who we all are pleased was appointed the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, RMRDC, the Director General/CEO by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a few months ago. This is because he has brought his knowledge, ability, experience, and doggedness to bear in carrying out his assignment in charge of the Council.

The RMRDC, operating under the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology, is pivotal in driving Nigeria’s industrial growth by optimizing local raw materials exploitation, development, and utilization. RMRDC, ab initio, was conceived as a child of necessity when Nigeria was reeling from the throes of global recession and plummeting crude oil prices.

Without an iota of doubt, today, the council is experiencing a transformation with massive innovation in raw material exploitation, development, and utilization, supporting business and industrial growth, and contributing to Nigeria’s economic prosperity.

Speaking during a press briefing on Tuesday, in Abuja to commemorate his 100 days in office, he said the council is laying a solid foundation through numerous innovations that will further enhance growth in the country.

According to him, “In the past 100 days, my strategic pursuits have been to lay solid foundations for enduring success in these goals.

“Upon assuming this position, I set five crucial deliverables which include, refocusing the Council as a premier research institution; Strengthening the Council’s productivity and operational efficiency; and Significantly improving the staff welfare to be the best in the class of similar organizations.

“Others include, Boosting the Council’s visibility and instituting remarkable culture change that encourages ownership and productivity as well as Strengthening and deepening the Council’s place in the international arena.”While speaking on his Achievements so far, the DG revealed further: “My first task, therefore, was to implement a strategic goal-setting for the Council’s staff to define and set out clear objectives and targets to be achieved by the Council within a specified period towards refocusing on this historical mandate. We unleashed five significant initiatives in that regard.

“The nationwide raw material data collection exercise that focused on technical and investment information to drive our mission forward.

“The restructuring and renaming of the former Technology Innovation Complex (TIC), at the Obasanjo Space Center at Airport Road, Abuja, to a Research and Demonstration Plants Complex (RDPC). This complex will be Africa’s first center of excellence in raw material research, featuring state-of-the-art laboratories, technology development workshops, and proof of concept demonstrations.

“We have reactivated the Council’s Journal and repositioned it internationally. The repositioned Journal of Raw Material Research (JORMAR) will host RMRDC’s researchers’ publications, which are crucial in promoting awareness, facilitating knowledge sharing, and informing stakeholders about the opportunities and challenges in Nigeria’s raw materials sector. “The collaboration with universities and academies will strengthen our capacity for conducting market-guided research, ensuring sustained workforce training while deepening our orientation in science.

“The council has reformulated a new template for all our research proposals to ensure and sustain a clear departure from the old culture of blue-sky and deliberately endless research.”Speaking further, Prof Nwanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso stated that Staff welfare remains a top priority as an issue of unpaid salaries is settled as well as set up a comprehensive welfare program. “Similarly, we established the RMRDC Training School to sustainably build our staff and stakeholders’ capacity to further the staff welfare improvement goal.

“We are committed to openness, inclusiveness, and performance management and have initiated steps to continuously improve staff ownership, orchestrate transformative culture change, boost our corporate visibility, and enhance.

“To further strengthen our visibility and communication strategies, we are upgrading our media infrastructure, which includes the launch of the RMRDC online media platform, The RMRDC TV Online.

“Additionally, we are working hard to effectively enhance the intellectual property and patent portfolio of RMRDC from its current 40 to approximately 200 new patents within the next 24 months. This proactive approach secures valuable IP assets and positions the Council as a leader in innovation within the raw materials sector, contributing to Nigeria’s overall economic growth.“As well as launching an e-registration and certification portal to enhance transparency in the raw materials sector,” DG revealed.

He however reaffirmed his commitment to reshape the future of research, technology, and innovation, driving Nigeria towards an industrially vibrant and technologically resilient economy.

“As I mark 100 days in office, I boldly say that the Council is on the verge of rewriting its history.

“I believe that in no distant future, RMRDC will play a leading role in enhancing raw materials’ development to boost raw materials’ industrial trial processing and attain sustainable industrial growth in Nigeria.

The DG, however, applauded the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, for his unwavering support and mentorship, saying the Minister’s leadership has been instrumental in the progress made so far.

In his opening remarks, the Directorate of Corporate Affairs, Mr Chucks Ngaha commended the hard-working DG who has weathered the storm further to put the Council on the ladder of more prosperity.

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