Leadership is not a photoshoot. It’s not about blue suits or long convoys. It’s about impact. Real, grassroots impact. It’s about finding the forgotten and giving them a reason to believe again. It’s about letting even the smallest person in Iheaka or the silent dreamer in Ibagwa see light at the end of their daily hustle.
Let’s be honest — sometimes, our people lose hope. They begin to think that to make it in life, you must either be connected to one oga at the top or be ready to bend the rules. We see it every day. Young boys begin to “code” because life coded them first. The system whispers to the average youth: “If you no sabi anybody, you no be anybody.”
And in the midst of this silent suffering, many of us in Enugu are expected to dress fine, smile big, and pretend all is well — even when hardship and insecurity are biting us like mosquitoes in rainy season. This is the same Enugu where a single room self-contained goes for ₦1.9 million. Yes, you heard right — to rent small space wey no even get POP ceiling.
But Uche Nnaji, the Honourable Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, is rewriting this narrative. He’s showing us that you can lead without punishing. That you can govern without suffocating the dreams of the poor woman selling akara in Ogbete or chasing young hustlers away from Ogige with tax receipts fatter than their daily profit.
Chief Uche Nnaji is empowering from the grassroots — where real change should begin.
Earlier this year, the streets were arguing: “Has Uche Nnaji really given jobs to 300 youths from Enugu?” I just laughed. Some of us no dey do online activism — we dey see the work live and direct. While they were still typing “alleged,” Uche Nnaji dropped another bomb: a national job creation initiative targeted at Nigerian youths, with Ndi Enugu well represented. The man dey work like person wey get something to prove — and na we the people dey benefit.
Let’s talk numbers. Over 2,000 Enugu youths have benefitted from his skills acquisition programmes. Just two months ago, more than 500 youths were trained in solar power installation, thanks to the Energy Commission of Nigeria under his watch. This wasn’t one of those hotel seminars where politicians gather people, snap pictures, and vanish. No be that kind yeye empowerment.
He took it down to Eke Udi — real community. Real people. Real empowerment. Participants didn’t just learn; they were empowered with starter kits and cash support. That’s impact. That’s leadership.
Uche Nnaji, Nwata ka ibe ya n’eziokwu, is not your regular politician. He doesn’t hide behind Zoom calls or pass instructions from air-conditioned offices in Abuja. He steps into your village. He listens. He asks questions. He sees what the ordinary man sees. He feels what the poor feels.
In a time where it’s easier to trend for flashy things, Uche Nnaji is trending for humility and humanity. That’s rare. That’s refreshing.
Through the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he is championing innovation in a way that touches everyday lives. Not just on paper, but on ground. From technology to training, from Abuja to Eke Udi — he is putting flesh and blood to the idea of people-first governance.
So, whether you wear a blue suit or rubber slippers, Uche Nnaji wants you to feel the presence of government. Whether you dey Ogbozalla or Ogui, Iheaka or Independence Layout — you matter.
This is what leadership looks like when the heart is bigger than the title.
This is grassroots empowerment.
This is Uche Ndi Enugu.
By Nedu Onoja.
