By O’Brien Gbanite
I feel constrained to write because of my inability to stomach what has become of my beloved Coal city, a metropolis I was born and bred up from; an alluring city that was the envy of all visitors and a pride of the inhabitants. Despite my job constraints in Abuja, I make effort to visit my parents every month or at least once in every two months, not just to see my parents, but to also fraternize with my school days friends, but more importantly to behold the coal city, be in it, feel the nature breeze and the aura that hovers in Enugu.
During my return in May, I noticed a lot of political billboards, more especially of the governorship aspirants in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Among one of the striking aspirants was Hon. Ken Onoh’s billboard along Ogui road, Independence layout and along Okpara Avenue. I was happy that Onoh was in the race for governorship of the state. I was happy because in Onoh, I saw a man who could return the state to its old glorious path, a man who would have dared where the devils dread.
Truly, I’ve seen Ken Onoh from a distance but we’ve never come in close contact, but his contacts with me were in his performances as the Chairman of Enugu Capital Territory Authority. As far as I’m concerned, Onoh is a continuation of Sullivan Chime’s urban renewal programme. His courage in enforcement of the town planning rules no matter whose ox is gored is quite commendable. His daring where the archangels don’t is what endeared him to me. I was therefore relieved when I saw his billboards seeking to become the Governor of Enugu state, but my joy was short-lived when he did not emerge. I thought that Daniel had come to judgment; I thought that the Enugu Governor had seen the potential in Onoh, but alias, the Governor awarded it to some other person he considered better. My prayer is that his favorite will prove to Ugwuanyi that he is indeed better than Onoh. Time will tell.
However, my main point for this thesis is the resumption of lawlessness, abuse of the city, the dirt and the outright disregard to the rules of my dear Enugu metropolis. As I drove through Ogui road, at Artisan bus stop the drainage was blocked, filled with filth and the flood that accompanied the mess at Oloco gate. I asked for the commissioner for environment and I was told he was among the governorship aspirants, I asked after the Capital Territory and I was told that Onoh had resigned to contest for governorship and that was when I knew that the Ugwuanyi administration would have more problems to contend with in the remaining part of his administration.
Why I want to beam my searchlight on Onoh is that even though Ugwuanyi is the governor of the state, Onoh was indeed the foot soldier that maintained a bit sanity in the coal city, with his enforcement of the town regulation. Presently in Enugu, there is no orderliness. The sachet water hawkers are out of control, littering everywhere with their cellophanes, the roadside trading have returned with impunity and excavation of green areas have become norms in the city where order once ruled.
Transport operators such as Keke and mini buses can no longer be controlled as they cause traffic congestion almost everywhere one goes. The mesh that Onoh installed in Damijah, Trans-Ekulu are gradually being removed; his traffic control at that Damijah junction is no longer in force and all the beautiful expansions of the area have returned to nothingness. At Abakaliki road near ‘fire for fire’ police office there was massive flood caused by blocked drainage, same as in Emene at Apostle bus stop. My greatest disappointment was the massive refuse heaps that I learnt have not been packed over months. The refuse menace was of a special attention because in every part of the Enugu that I visited I was greeted with odious eyesores that oozed from unpacked refuse.
What takes place at Holy Ghost, old Park, Abakpa and Mayor Areas is what can better be described as madness. The level of disobedience to rules and order, the chaos and dirt that take place in these areas can only be obtained in an animal kingdom. In these areas, I paused to ponder if it was only the magic of one man, the Onoh hammer, that had hitherto controlled recklessness and lawlessness in these areas. In these previously well-built streets that have now been turned into market arenas, the pedestrian bridges are not in use, thus compounding pedestrian congestion in the areas.
In his control measures, Onoh even brought down Churches in a city where people are very religious. One if the churches was in Emene and another in GRA owned by Onoh’s cousin. One wonders how former Governor Chime now feels seeing Enugu without street lights.
Clearly, Ken Onoh is one Governor the Enugu people wished they had. His approach and proactive dedication to his job marked a great difference in the Ugwuanyi administration. Onoh’s intervention at the Akanu Ibiam international airport was responsible for the completion of the airport renovation at the time it came back to use. His counter attack on the man who came to demolish the airport work was well-suited and brought Emejulu back to his senses. His interventions at Eke and Oye-Emene are the reasons why Abakaliki is still accessible through Enugu and also the reason flights still land in Enugu. At the Ebeano Tunnel he controlled traffic with a road extension.
It’s true that Onoh has a boss in Governor Ugwuanyi who ordinarily should take credit for these landmark achievements, but there were other heads of the agency that were never as proactive as Onoh and which makes people to wonder if Onoh was actually under the control of the Governor or if he uses his own will in executing his duties. Instances such as the movement of the Kenyetta building materials market to Ugwuaji gives credence to Onoh as a different Sheriff in town. The Ugwuaji market had been a jinx since the Chimaroke Nnamani administration until Onoh came to make the relocation possible. The benefits of such Onoh’s operations have in the past years increased revenue generation, not only to the states but to the affected traders who are happy to be in a more comfortable zone. My advice to Governor Ugwuanyi is that such Ugwuaji treatment should be extended to spare parts traders at coal camp and other numerous mechanic workshops in the town.
Although Onoh may not have won the PDP governorship primary election, he left in the capital Territory an impact that no other Governor in the state was able to make. As the SSA Special Projects to the Governor, he was able to reroof and install glasses at the abandoned International Conference Center, even though I am surprised that the gigantic project has remained uncompleted, probably because he was not given enough financial support. At Nchatacha-Nike he was reported to be the one that executed the road leading to the site where former Governor Sullivan Chime attracted Chinese investors for a new Enugu Business hub. I am surprised that Ugwuanyi considered another person as better fit to be his successor after all that Onoh achieved within the short period he was in charge of the Enugu Capital Territory. Probably it was his potential that was viewed from the negative perspective. Maybe he was too straight forward and difficult to bend, maybe he was seen as one who would outshine his master, but the prayer of every father is that his child would do better himself.
Indeed it was Onoh that gave the Ugwuanyi administration a face of identity and exhibited that every city could be well developed with proper enforcement of rules and regulation. At a point people took him to be the de facto governor of Enugu state with his consistent control of the city. I wonder if people actually wave at Ugwuanyi when he passes, but in Onoh they did. It is possible that the law breakers did not want an enforcer as Onoh which made the PDP deny him the governorship ticket, but my advice is that whoever becomes the next governor of Enugu state should emulate the courage which Onoh has so as to bring sanity to Enugu because the city at the moment is in complete ruins.
Sadly, Enugu has become a clone of Aba and I pity those calling for Onoh’s head. For me, I have concluded plans to relocate my aged parents to Abuja once I finish building my own house. We may not see the likes of Onoh again, but those stock in Enugu should pray to have his like again either in the capital territory or as Governor of Enugu state.
