Advertisement

Opinion: Hon. Uche Ejim- An idea whose time has come!

By Engr. Ndubuisi John Ngene

Advertisement

It’s perhaps no surprise to the discerning citizens, friends and political associates of Uche Ejim that his ascendancy to the mayoralty of the Nkanu West municipal should elicit such heartfelt ejaculations of goodwill as have pervaded the media and airwaves. Indeed, the reception that greeted his nomination and subsequent election was unprecedented.

What captured the imagination of the people as he canvassed his candidacy on the campaign trail was not just the flashes of inspiration in his resonating messages but that sublime candour, and the effusive bent of his personality.

The fact that this great and ebullient son of Nkanu land has navigated the murky waters of our body politic with manifest distinction tells volume of his indomitable spirit, resilience, humility, political sagacity and inspiring leadership. My stint with Hon. Uche Ejim at Nkanu West ICT unit in the last administration provided that peculiar pigeonhole through which an objective  assessment of his winsome personality could be made.

Advertisement

Over the years, Uche had been galvanizing the young and old in his bid to create an egalitarian society in Nkanu West through his mass mobilization creed of politics without bitterness, and respect for both the young and elderly.

Hon. Uche Ejim is not a neophyte in the game of politics having been a Councillor, SPA, SA, etc., during which he marketed himself through selfless service to the people. It was probably his genuine catholicity of spirit as a team player, loyal party man and affiliation with Ebeano political family that endeared him to His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Enugu state, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who is recognized for his uncanny ablity to locate, envision and enthrone talents as he has done in this case.

Hon. Uchenna Ejim has made no pretensions to perfectness neither on the soap box nor elsewhere. During the last stakeholders meeting at Fidelma Hotel, Enugu, he did not leave anyone in doubt regarding his absolute reliance on God for success when he began his remarks with a praise song. As a man with a grateful heart, he requested stakeholders to thank Governor Ugwuanyi (who he described as his destiny helper) for him. He does not claim to possess the magic wand that can fix the myriad of challenges of the municipality in one term, but he believes in the inherent potentials of grassroots politics especially when driven by a purposeful leadership.

The hydraheaded monsters of galloping inflation which had significantly eroded the value of our national currency, the dismal performance levels recorded in the real sector, the intractable decay and obsolescence of our national infrastructure,  the horrible state of our education system, the less than optimum performance of the factors of production, the high cost of governance, the unacceptably high unemployment rates and the dwindling economic fortunes from the Federation account and internally generated revenue are some of the major issues confronting governments but this David appears unfazed. Prod him a little with questions of this nature and the Mayor retorts with his faith rallying cliche; Nkanu West in Enugu State is in the hands of God. With his response, you can only be left with an impression that Uche is like an idea of which time has come.

Advertisement

There is no doubt that Uche is poised to deliver within the limit of resources available, even with the aforementioned challenges. As a young man, Uche believes that this opportunity to serve is only but a springboard to higher positions and one of the ways to achieve this is effective service delivery. As he officially takes over the baton to keep the ball rolling, the prayer of every well-meaning Nkanu West man should be that God grant him grace to excel.

Congratulations to the Mayor of the West, a patriot, and the grandson of “Owa Ad’ho Abuo N’igwe”.