Hon. John Ezievuo who is the Special Assistant to Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State on Health Matters. In this interview with newsmen, Ezievuo bares his mind on the personality, performance and perceptions of the governor among other issues.
Gov. Chime
IN your candid opinion, what is happening in Enugu state?ENUGU Sstate is very calm; Enugu state
is working. Anybody who has been to
Enugu recently or who was there years back would not recognize Enugu. Politically, it is calm; security wise, it is calm and everything is functioning properly, all in the right direction.
What would you describe as the governor’s landmark achievement so far?
Sullivan Chime, like I said, is a God-sent man. I don’t know what Enugu State could have been without that man. He is like a messiah. I don’t know what the state could have been without him.
Are you saying this because of your association with him?
I am not saying this because of my association with him or because I have been with him. Somebody said you don’t need a mirror to look at your palm to see what you have. It is there. It speaks for itself. He is a silent achiever who does not blow his trumpet. But all achievements are present there for all to see.
In specific terms, which areas has Chime really touched the Enugu people?
He touches people in all areas. When he came in, he came up with a four point agenda. But when you look at what he is doing, it looks like he expanded it to 12 point agenda. Because he has touched people in the area of health, in the area of education, massive infrastructural developments et cetera.
In view of the position you are holding in Enugu state, what would you say you have contributed to the development of the state?
I have contributed to the health centre in my place and other communities. In the area of health, we are really doing a lot. I have barely been there for two years and you have to get into the system, get your foot in and assess whatever you can assess both in overseas and here. Right now, most of them have not materialized. So, I am not going to talk about them until they come to light. I have a lot of programmes both from overseas and from here that can improve on what I am doing now.
How would you assess the National Assembly?
They are doing very well. But there can always be room for improvement. And the country is going in the right direction in that aspect.
You have been in the United States for years. How close are you to your people?
Oh! I am very, very close to my people. I am very close to my community, doing things for my community and very close to my people. I do whatever I can for my people, most importantly, the less privileged in terms of bore holes. I can’t name them, but I am doing a lot for my people.
What advice would you give his successor?
Like I said, he is not autocratic. He has already told the north to provide us with somebody. He has told them to go and sit, negotiate and see within themselves and give us somebody who can take over from him.
We need somebody who can keep the standard. We cannot go below where we are now. We need somebody to keep the pace because everybody remembered the state of dilapidation that my state was before he came to power. We would not like to go there anymore.
What is your take on the security challenge in the country?
The security challenge in the country is a big problem but every country has its challenges. Even the United States have challenges. What is happening in Nigeria is not different from what is happening in other areas. It can happen anywhere.
He touches people in all areas. When he came in, he came up with a four point agenda. But when you look at what he is doing, it looks like he expanded it to 12 point agenda. Because he has touched people in the area of health, in the area of education, massive infrastructural developments et cetera.
In view of the position you are holding in Enugu state, what would you say you have contributed to the development of the state?
I have contributed to the health centre in my place and other communities. In the area of health, we are really doing a lot. I have barely been there for two years and you have to get into the system, get your foot in and assess whatever you can assess both in overseas and here. Right now, most of them have not materialized. So, I am not going to talk about them until they come to light. I have a lot of programmes both from overseas and from here that can improve on what I am doing now.
How would you assess the National Assembly?
They are doing very well. But there can always be room for improvement. And the country is going in the right direction in that aspect.
You have been in the United States for years. How close are you to your people?
Oh! I am very, very close to my people. I am very close to my community, doing things for my community and very close to my people. I do whatever I can for my people, most importantly, the less privileged in terms of bore holes. I can’t name them, but I am doing a lot for my people.
What advice would you give his successor?
Like I said, he is not autocratic. He has already told the north to provide us with somebody. He has told them to go and sit, negotiate and see within themselves and give us somebody who can take over from him.
We need somebody who can keep the standard. We cannot go below where we are now. We need somebody to keep the pace because everybody remembered the state of dilapidation that my state was before he came to power. We would not like to go there anymore.
What is your take on the security challenge in the country?
The security challenge in the country is a big problem but every country has its challenges. Even the United States have challenges. What is happening in Nigeria is not different from what is happening in other areas. It can happen anywhere.
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