The continuing absence of Enugu state governor
Sullivan Chime leaves a sour taste in my mouth, but it is not for the reasons
you might think.
I am from Enugu state and the present state of affairs
falls, as they say, on my doorsteps. It is unprecedented in Enugu history for a
governor to—if we are to believe the official statement—be on accumulated leave
for this long. Despite all the political and constitutional rules this lengthy
absence is said to be breaching, I do not intend to dwell on what laws has been broken or how that will impact the polity. Rather, I want to dwell on how
much the man’s tenure has affected my community and what his absence means to my
constituency and me.
I am from the hills of Anike. My ancestral home is the
hilltop town of Nkwe: one of those places that development seems to ignore
perpetually, until recently that is. This lack of development may, or may not,
have something to do with the fact that aside from meagre cassava, vegetable
and palm produce that our women take to the markets in Awgu—where our LGA
headquarters is situated—and neighbouring towns, we appear, on the surface, to largely
lack much to offer in terms of commerce. This argument, that we don’t
contribute much to the state to warrant attention, was used to justify the lack
of government presence in the villages that make up Anike for decades by
successive governments.
