I Have ‘The Wisdom Book’ For Development Of Enugu State – Guber Aspirant

Dr. Kingsley Ude, a lawyer, hails from Ozalla in Nkanu West LGA of Enugu State. He read law at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, and did his Masters at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, where he majored in public procurement. He obtained his Ph.D. in law from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa.

In politics, Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi appointed him as his senior special assistant on development aid from 2017 to 2019, where he interfaced with international organisations in attracting developmental strides to the state. Ude facilitated the pact between the German development agency, GIZ, and Enugu State. Gov Ugwuanyi also appointed him as the focal person in Open Government Partnership to integrate government policies with citizens’ engagement etc. He was also a special adviser to the governor on education until his resignation. He speaks on his gubernatorial aspiration among others in this interview with our correspondent.

Why do you aspire to govern Enugu State?

I am a servant leader. I believe that power should not be for power sake, but service. Anyone that seeks to serve should have his antecedents assessed. How has that person handled the little that was assigned to him? I have all that it takes in terms of academic qualifications and political experiences. One thing that I have that others don’t have is that my candidature is a unifying force. My acceptance cuts across camps. I am not connected to any particular person or camp.

How will your links with Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi assist your aspiration?

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is the father of all in the state. Every political office contestant in Enugu State would have gone to the governor to inform him about their interests. He may then give them blessings and allow them to realise their aspirations. Gov Ugwuanyi is the head of the whole family of Enugu State and also the Peoples Democratic Party in the state.

You are from the same LGA as Ex-Gov Chimaroke Nnamani. With cries of marginalisation from other LGAs within your zone that yet to produce a governor, what chances do you have?

That I hail from ex-Governor Chimaroke Nnamani’s local government area is not a disadvantage at all. Zoning in Enugu State, when it comes to governorship, is on a senatorial basis, and not by local governments. We have Enugu East senatorial zone, Enugu West senatorial zone, and then Enugu North senatorial zone. It is the turn of Enugu East zone after the administration of the incumbent governor. When it comes to a particular zone, anyone within that zone that is deemed to be the best governorship candidate of the party should be voted in. Anambra State has the precedent. Dr Emeka Ezeife is from Anambra South where the current governor Charles Soludo comes from. Both come from Aguata. It is the same thing for Enugu State. If we begin to say we go from local government to local government, one day we begin to go from village to village.

People argue to advance their own political interests. Everyone is entitled to one’s opinion. No argument will overcome the fact that it is by senatorial zone, and not by local government.

What will you do better than Gov Ugwuanyi’s administration if elected?

I am part of this government. It has done well when we place it with the economic and insecurity realities on ground. It has done well in economic, rural and human capacity development. Those within the city should not be blamed much when they say they need more roads and so on. The previous administration did a lot of infrastructural improvement in the city. The current administration focuses on rural development. A lot of rural roads have been constructed. They are brand new. They stretch long distances. Through ENSUBEB and PPSMB, the state government has done a lot in both primary and secondary education.

On the value I’ll add, this administration set up various ad-hoc committees that looked into different sectors of governance and economy of the state. These committees came up with a blueprint for the development of these sectors. The blueprint spans for about ten years. I was part of it. Any government coming into power can rely on it to take off as quickly as possible. My government will be a continuum, and the blueprint will certainly be a wisdom book. The glory of the latter house shall surpass that of the former.

How will you collaborate with other Southeast states to make the region more viable economically?

There are a lot that we can do for ourselves as a geo-political zone. Defeatist mentality, always talking about marginalisation, should be out of it. Whether we are being marginalised, we can look inwards. Apart from the energy and virtues that we are known for, we are known for self-development. We should develop from within, have some survival instincts, and synergise state by state.

The differences in the party won’t affect this synergy. Once there are two persons, there must be differences. But we have to, in the midst of all these things, work out something that is agreeable within that particular interest. What is uppermost is that we want to develop and integrate. Today we have the Southern Governors’ Forum from different parties. They come to resolutions and implement them.

Do you support zoning of political offices both at state and national levels?

From the legal perspective, there is a provision in the 1999 Constitution under Part II. It is the fundamental objective and principle of the state policy. It has a provision that government businesses should be done in such a way to give states of the federation a sense of belonging in the appointment of political offices seeing that we are multi-ethnic groups. The same applies to Enugu State: Nsukka, Nkanu and Agbaja and other groupings within the state. This could be called Federal Character. So it is in the constitution.

Talking about convention, even in the UK, you discover that it is not everything that is written in the law in their practice. There are some that are practised overtime, and have become a convention. Such have maintained peace and order in that country. In Enugu State, the manifestation of political reality indicates that governorship moves from one senatorial zone to the other. It began from Enugu East, to Enugu West and then presently Enugu North. It is only reasonable that it should go to Enugu East. There are reports of the PDP agreeing on zoning. Zoning should be maintained in Enugu State when it comes to governorship.

How will you tackle insecurity in the state?

Insecurity in Enugu State is comparatively low, considering what is happening in other states of the federation. As people are sleeping, the governor is not sleeping. The insecurity in Nigeria is a culmination of weaknesses in the system for many years. Part of it is the weakening economy. If there is robust economy, criminality will decline. Unemployment contributes a lot. This government has done well in employment. To tackle it means to improve efforts towards employment. I have a solution in dealing with unemployment, especially among youths. This government has provided the enablement. What sustains Germany is that they have a very robust system of technical and vocational education. You don’t need to go to formal schools. Even if you are going to a formal school, you still learn certain vocations for self-realisation. Most of our artisan jobs are being taken over by people from Benin Republic. There has to be a programme designed to ensure that some of these vocations are made strong. Youths should be trained, equipped with grants and protected to grow. It is based on research.

Will you accept defeat in the event of losing the election?

The governor works with stakeholders to form his opinion. He also works with God who gives power to who please Him. I believe their decisions will favour the best man for the job, and I am the best man. I had always submitted to the decision of God and those He appointed to take decisions. So, whatever their decision becomes will always be acceptable by me.