By Nwobodo Chidiebere
“Constructive diplomacy
doesn’t mean relinquishing one’s right. It means engaging with one’s
counterparts, on the basis of equal footing and mutual respect, to address
shared concerns and achieve shared objectives.”
--Hassan Rouhani
In a democratic system of governance like ours,
strategic diplomacy has been adjudged, tested and trusted as the best approach
to finding lasting remedies to burning issues of governance. Great and age-long
results have been made possible through constructive engagement and dialogue
with relevant stakeholders than by the use of dictatorial methodology.
Gov Ugwuanyi |
The developed democracies of the world like America and Great Britain have elevated potency
of diplomacy cum diplomatic skills in managing public affairs issues to its
rightful place. The advancement of democracy and its culminating effects on the
development of these countries cannot be detached from the values they placed
on diplomacy—which is the sturdy foundation of democratic governance setting
benchmark to our contemporary world.
In fact, America for instance, rate and evaluate its
presidential hopefuls on their diplomatic capacities more than other qualities,
because American President will not run White House alone, but from time to
time dialogue with congressmen and women, business tycoons in Wall Street, ICT
magnates in Silicon Valley and other relevant stakeholders before major
economic or socio-political policies are introduced and allowed to scale
through the congress.
Since the advent of democracy in 1999, Enugu State
has never witnessed a thorough democratic system of governance—where an
incumbent governor will long to consult and interface with genuine stakeholders
and iron-out grey edges before arriving at a consensus, in implementation of
polices of his administration. There is no doubt that His Excellency Governor
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has not only redefined standard of stakeholders and community
engagements in the Coal City via dialogue and diplomacy, but rewritten
political template of Eastern hub; used previously by his predecessors in the
art of governance.
Before now, Enugu
State had executive
governors who operated like demi-gods, called the shots and determined
who-gets-what without consultations with critical stakeholders and opinion
moulders. They never bothered or alluded to overriding interests of Enugu people, provided
they were in absolute control of the state government apparatus. Erstwhile
governors of the state were feared more than respected. They propagated and
enforced political ideology of absoluteness of power—which was averse to
fundamentals of 21st century democracy.
Emergence of Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as executive
governor of Enugu
State in 2015 changed the
narrative of governance in the state by discarding anti-democratic notion of a
governor knowing-it-all and arrogating all the powers indiscriminately to
himself. As meek-hearted and open-minded man, he descended from his Olympian
height as Chief Executive Officer of the state to pedestrian rabble, to get
connected to as much grass-rooters and all sincere stakeholders who are
interested in development of the state via his diplomatic prowess and strategic
tactic of all-inclusive government—where every Tom, Dick and Harry are carried
along in the day-day running of the state.
Importation of western-style of diplomatic governance
in administering the state has helped in creating comparative peaceful and
conducive environment for strategic economic and political developments.
Without mincing words, Gov. Ugwuanyi has won so many political battles in the
state without firing single shot. His stakeholder’s engagement policy is in
line with proven democratic norm that jaw-jaw is better than war-war. He has
been able to accommodate (at least to a reasonable extent), intriguing
aspirations of all entrenched interests of diverse political power blocks in
the state, through his diplomatic tendencies cum inexhaustible
government-community stakeholders engagements windows.
In the spirit of objectivity and dispelling the
disparaging tag of sycophancy on the part of this writer, I will like to state
without fear of contradiction, that one of the qualities going for Gov.
Ugwuanyi, is his democratic cum diplomatic abilities to consult and rob minds
with even his critics, not with ill-intention of wooing them over but to
fashion out other elaborate ways of ensuring speedy development of the state.
I have written articles in the past vehemently
chastising the governor, especially on his recent handling of invasion and
massacre of villagers in Nimbo community by dreaded Fulani herdsmen, not out of
hate for the governor but love for my dear state of Enugu. What baffles my
imagination is the unperturbed manner at which he welcomes harsh criticisms. He
sees opposing views as part of the nitty-gritty of real people-oriented
government.
Ironically, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s diplomatic
approach to issues of state governance enables him to see his critics as
partners in progress, instead of sworn enemies that must be decimated at all
cost. He believes in the wisdom epitomised quote of Edward Murrow that says,
“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I
think the soul of democracy dies with it”. This is unprecedented of a leader in
a society that thrives on sycophancy and hypocrisy.
So many African leaders’ names have been written in
abyss of shame, through totalitarian use of power because they failed to link
two extremes of philosophical gulfs of sycophancy and constructive criticisms.
A lot of our intolerant leaders, out of sheer incompetence and abhorrence of
democratic ethos, view a critic as an enemy instead of seeing them as someone
opposing their ideas of governance and not their personalities.
Gov. Ugwuanyi’s
political ideology is hedged on this understanding that it is through constructive
opposition of ideas that we can learn rudiments of constitutional democracy,
promote principle of self-transformation and work towards intellectual osmosis
and synergy for a better governed society.
President Buhari-led APC government should borrow a leaf from Gov.
Ugwuanyi of Enugu
State on how to engage
relevant stakeholders irrespective of their political party affiliation,
contrary opinions and leadership ideologies, than terming every critic a
“looter” just to prepare ground for extra-judicial incarceration of perceived
critics.
On this note, I think in my candid opinion that Gov.
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has set the pace on potency of diplomatic governance and its
heralding benefits of altitudinal change amongst our elected and appointed
officers who see the people that they are meant to serve as mere subjects that
must be seen and not heard. Stifling of opposing views has never helped any
government; rather it isolates the government from the yearnings of the masses,
which in turn incite the people against their leaders.
Citizens of Enugu
State should not mistake
open-mindedness and all-inclusive disposition of Gov. Ugwuanyi as a sign of
weakness but unparalleled strength, which should be emulated by other state
governors in other to propagate the principle of diplomatic governance as being
championed by number one citizen of Enugu
State .
*Nwobodo Chidiebere wrote in from Abuja .
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