Wilfred Eya
Prof. Simon Ortuanya is the new Secretary to the Enugu State Government and also the Director-General of South-East Governors’ Forum (SEGF). He believes that despite recent flashes of insecurity in Enugu State, the Coal City state remains the safest in Nigeria. In this interview, he spoke on various issues and observed that the state government is working round the clock to ensure that the state retains its status as a safe haven.
Enugu is known for being a very peaceful state but that image is being challenged by recent flashes of insecurity in the state. What is actually happening?
I think that there is no doubt that Enugu is still the safest place to be. We all know that even in the best of places in the world in terms of security to lives and property that there are still some little traces of criminality. Enugu is safe because the state government led by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is working tirelessly to ensure peace in the state. But the truth is that because of the level of security that has become the hallmark of Enugu, any iota of security challenge is like something out of the world. When any security challenge is witnessed in Enugu, the people are like, where is this coming from in this our serene and tranquil place. Remember, every Easterner lays claim to Enugu and rightly so. Enugu belongs to every Igbo man. There could be cases of kidnapping in other places but not in Enugu. That is why it is strange when kidnapping happens here because some people feel it does not happen here and should not here. So, because of that, even an iota of security challenge in the state would be blown out of proportion because nobody wants to hear it. The government is working so tirelessly to ensure that Enugu remains the safest place to be in this country. Enugu is actually a safe haven for everybody. It is a place you can freely drive in, fly in and walk around without looking over your shoulder for fear of anything.
Do you think the state government is doing enough to completely make Enugu secure like it has always been? Are you comfortable with the level of success recorded by the government in addressing the insecurity challenge?
First of all, if the efforts of the state government have not been yielding results, then Enugu would have been a terrible place to be in the last five years. It is under Honourable Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in the last five years that Enugu attained that height as the safest place in Nigeria. So, Enugu is already there; it is a matter of sustaining it. The present government is now doing more than it had done before. This is because to whom much is given, much is expected. The state government is committed to sustaining that momentum that Enugu is the safest state in Nigeria. Government is going out of its way to achieve that and for the first time in the history of the state, you are talking about Forest Guards in Enugu. Nobody talked about it before now. A total of 1700 people being employed as Forest Guards and these people would be equipped by the state; as I am talking to you, the state government has acquired over 30 Hillux vans, Sienna buses for the police and the Forest Guards. As I am talking to you, government has agreed to 5200 vigilantes across the state. Every ward in the state would have a 20-member vigilante group. Now, government has directed that every local government in the state must have a security meeting once every month. That security meeting at the local government level, will constitute of the local government vigilante/ Neighborhood Watch executives and the executive of every ward Neighborhood Watch. So, you now find a situation where every month, 20 persons from every ward will gather in the local government to review the security situation. At the ward level, government has also directed that there would be monthly ward meetings of the Neighborhood Watch. Now, the Neighborhood Watch must involve the clergy, traditional rulers and all stakeholders. So, there is a kind of a total overhaul of security architecture in the state and it is something that is new. So, we have Forest Guards now and that is unprecedented in the state and the process of recruiting the Forest Guards is not elitist. The process involves going back to the villages to recruit the young men that are in the villages that can go into the forests. And for the process of their engagement, they have to go through the Department of State Services (DSS). So, this is not political patronage and that would tell you that government means business. I believe that despite the incidents that have happened in Enugu, the security challenges would soon be history. With the vigilante groups in every ward and the patrol vans that government has just acquired, and with increased funding and provision of equipment for the police, I think that we are there in terms of security. We know that there is no part of the world that would not have security breaches once in a while but that should not be like an over-generalisation that Enugu is not safe. No, it is still the safest state in Nigeria. The government went as far as clearing bushes in the forests. For about three weeks rolling now, there are people that are permanently cutting down bushes. The government of Enugu State facilitated the deployment of Air force jets in the various forests as surveillance. I think government has done wonderfully well and it is really an aberration to say Enugu is not safe.
What would be your reaction to the conspiracy theory that there is more to the security challenges in Enugu State? Some stretch the argument further that the security challenges are part of the power struggle for the 2023 governorship election in the state. Do you agree?
Government is not concerned with that. Government is interested in discharging its responsibility of protecting the lives and property of the citizens of the state. We are not interested in whatever is the conspiracy theory. We are interested in discharging our social contract with the people which Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is doing. He is ensuring that as the Chief Security officer of the state, he is providing security for people of the state. Whatever is going on as permutation and projections do not bother the government. The primary responsibility of government is to protect its citizens and the government is doing that irrespective of whatever would play out. That is not what government should worry about. It is only concerned with the welfare of the citizens and not speculations about who becomes what.
Do you agree with those who argue that the state government has not done much in employment generation and that it may also be the cause of the flashes of insecurity in the state? People who hold this view believe that even though the governor has tried in some sectors, he has not done much in the aspect of industrialising the state.
No, that is a mis-characterisation. First of all, employment is not only created through industries. They are not mutually exclusive. You can generate employment but they should not necessarily be in industries. I give you an example. The state government led by Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has hired 5000 teachers for primary schools in the state. That is employment. The government has hired 3000 teachers for secondary schools in the state. That is employment generation. As I speak to you, there is a programme called the ‘keep Enugu Street Clean’ that has absorbed more than 2000 young women and men from across the state. They are what they call the street sweepers; they are on salary. So, it is not strictly that employment must be generated through industries. Nothing stops the private sector players from setting up industries in the state. Government has provided the enabling environment. Innoson is there and many people are working there. There are so many other private sector businesses in the state that are absorbing people. It must not be through government that industries absorb people. So, it is not correct to say that Enugu has not been involved in employment generation. I do not think that there is any state that is hiring as Enugu is doing.
Another issue which some critics hold against the governor is that it appears he does not want to step on toes and that such attitude is affecting his administration negatively. Do you agree?
I think it is not a crime to be a humanist. That is what a leader should be; a leader should feel the pain of the people, a leader should be able to think with the people, a leader should be able to dream with the people and also to live the dream of the people. So, if we have a governor who is a humanist and who, because of his innate humility identifies with the rich, poor and everybody, it should not be a minus. I think it should be a big plus that we have somebody that is humane and feels the pulse of the people and identifies with the challenges that people are going through. People should actually give him credit for that. I think that we should consider ourselves blessed to have such a man as governor at this point.
You double as the Director General of the South East Governors’ Forum which recently banned the movement of cows in the South East but the argument is that such directive would be difficult to implement because there is no law backing such order. What is your take on the ban without a legal backing?
First of all, we must commend the South East governors for taking the initiative to think out of the box on security in the South East. You will recall that about two months ago, they first hinted on the need for security and they issued a statement after their meeting about herders and farmers and declared that movement of cattle should not be by road because in the process, farmlands are destroyed. They said that the herders could bring their cattle into the South East in vehicles. In their meeting, you will also recall that they have set up a security committee at the regional level to coordinate security activities in the South East. Now, they also came up with a resolution that they have banned the issue of cattle moving about and into people’s farms. It is true there is no law backing the ban but you should know that even the pronouncement of a Chief Executive becomes enforceable.
They have issued a policy statement and this policy statement ought to be carried out and implemented. That is what government is. Government shows direction where it is going by instituting a policy direction. It does not make it illegal that it is not backed by a legislation but where it is necessary, legislation can come. But I can tell you that not every government policy is legislated upon. I think that governments as the custodian of the dreams and aspirations of their people have a duty as a matter of fact to come up with such policies.