Enugu’s conundrum -The illusion of progress amidst neglect

By Abdullahi Haruna

In governance, priorities define leadership. A state’s commitment to its people is not measured by the grandeur of its projects but by the tangible impact of its policies on daily life. Infrastructure can be a marker of progress, but when it is pursued at the expense of fundamental human needs, it becomes a facade—a hollow symbol of development devoid of true value. This is the conundrum unfolding in Enugu, where the promise of a 10, 000-kilometer road stands in sharp contrast to the stark reality of a state grappling with a severe water crisis. How large is Enugu measured in landmass that it will be littered with 10,000 kilometer roads?

The irony is both glaring and unsettling: a government embarking on an expansive road project while its citizens lack access to clean drinking water. For years, Enugu residents have been forced to rely on expensive private boreholes, rainwater, or distant streams—an indignity that should not exist in a modern society. Yet, successive administrations have failed to address this fundamental issue, instead prioritizing grand infrastructural gestures that do little to improve the quality of life for the average citizen.

Beyond water scarcity, Enugu’s contradictions run even deeper. It is a state where both birth and death come with a financial burden—where families must pay to bury their loved ones and where childbirth in government hospitals is increasingly burdened with unofficial levies. Meanwhile, unemployment festers, and the streets are filled with out-of-school children, their futures sacrificed on the altar of misgovernance. In this climate of neglect, the question arises: what does development truly mean when it does not translate to basic survival?

The juxtaposition of Enugu’s challenges with the realities in parts of northern Nigeria exposes a fundamental issue of governance disparity. In Kano, public taps flow with water from the state water board—a sight that would be almost unimaginable in Enugu. Borno, despite years of insurgency, once established functional hospitals in every local government area between 1999 and 2007, ensuring that healthcare remained accessible. These examples challenge the conventional narrative that economic hardship or security challenges alone determine governance efficiency. Rather, they underscore the role of leadership and accountability in shaping public service delivery.

This contrast forces us to ask: is governance in the Southeast structured around different priorities, or do the people simply not demand accountability? In northern states, where economic hardship is prevalent, citizens often rely heavily on government interventions, making essential service delivery a necessity rather than a luxury. In contrast, the relative affluence of the Southeast may have fostered a culture where government inefficiency is tolerated, allowing misplaced priorities to persist unchecked. If the government is not forced to answer to the people, then the people will continue to pay the price.

At its core, governance should not be about optics or grand gestures—it should be about substance. Roads, no matter how extensive, cannot replace the necessity of clean drinking water, functional healthcare, and accessible education. Until leaders in states like Enugu begin to prioritize these essential needs, the state will remain a template of contradictions—where development is measured in kilometers of asphalt rather than in improved quality of life.

The challenge before the people of Enugu is clear: demand better. Hold leaders accountable. Insist that governance be about meaningful progress, not just politically expedient projects. Without a shift toward people-centered leadership that values water, healthcare, and education as much as it does roads and political spectacle, states like Enugu will continue to embody the irony of underdevelopment masked by proclaimed progress.

True leadership is not in the promises made but in the lives improved. It is time for both leaders and citizens to redefine governance—not by the length of roads built, but by the dignity restored to those who walk them.