Ugochukwu Ezeani
It is said that a people get the type of leadership they deserve. This axiomatic saying holds true in the case of Anambra State. Today the State is not just living up to its motto:
The Light of the Nation, but also bears itself out as a befitting epithet to the memory of the great freedom fighter Nnamdi Azikiwe,former commonwealth secretary general, Emeka Anyaoku and the intrepid novelist and raconteur par-excellence, Chinua Achebe. Expectedly, a state that has produced those revered personages deserves to be led by a politician who possesses exceptional leadership quality and probity.
Fortunately, the State is currently blessed with a good leader whose model of leadership is comparable to very few in the country. No doubt, Governor Willie Obiano’s sojourn in the oil and banking sectors prepared and imbued him with experience and leadership qualities for the arduous task of piloting the affairs of the State. So when providence thrust the affairs of Anambra in his care, he did not let Anambra people down. He was adequately prepared.
He hit the ground running and left nobody in doubt that he wanted to make impact. Concious that absence of anarchic situation and crimes will give fillip to the rapid industrialization of Anambra State he unveiled measures to rid the state of crimes. What is more, the State ranks today as one of the safest states in Nigeria as kidnappers, armed robbers, and pick-pockets had fled Anambra. Night life has since returned to major cities in the state.
With the State safe and secure, industrialists who once fled it because of insecurity returned in their numbers, building industries that employ hundreds of employable but unemployed graduates in the State. In addition to that, the industries have increased the volume of trade in the state with corresponding revenue yields to the coffers of the government. That explained why the Governor was not caught in the national economic recession that forced many a governor to go cap in hand, begging for financial assistance from the centre.
Infrastructural development of the State is another area where Governor Obiano has done very well. He built long bridges across rivers in Ayamelum local government area, Anambra East and West to connect the oil rich areas of the State as well as its agricultural base. Not long ago he completed the Nengo Bridge in Nteje. This all-important bridge serves as a byepass to the treacherous Enugu-Onitsha expressway at Umunya as well as an access to Nteje town, stretching down the Omambala region. There are also the three bridges at Aroma, Akwata and Amawbia junctions in Awka, the State capital.
The three bridges are adorned with flood lights both for illumination and aesthetics. These bridges help immensely in easing traffic congestions during rush hours in those places.
Old roads were repaired and new ones constructed to facilitate the movement of people within the state. Residents as well as visitors can attest to the presence of street lights which make night drive in the state a pleasurable experience. One very important aspect of road construction, apart from ease of movement, is that it alleviates the pains of transporting farm produce to ready markets. Note that agriculture has since received immense boost from the Obiano administration. He implemented measures that boosted the practice of agriculture in the state. He gave farmers in the state financial incentive, improved seedlings, and fertilizers. Expectedly, Anambra has achieved food sufficiency within five years of his administration and has moved further on to export surplus to foreign countries.
Perhaps that explains why the State finances are in a very fine-fettle. While some other states in Nigeria go cap in hand, begging for financial help from the centre, Anambra executes capital projects and meets its obligations to its workers. The third phase of the community-choose-your- projects has already started. By the end of this phase every community in the state would have received sixty million Naira for any project of their choice. All these do not detract from prompt payment of workers’ salaries.
The Governor not only pays promptly, but approves training workshops for qualified workers. Pensions and gratuities are not paid any less. Promotion interviews are organized for qualified civil servants and promotions effected. No doubt, the Governor places high premium on making the civil service effective, conscious perhaps of its overriding values in policy formulation and implementation.
Civil servants on their part have not failed to show gratitude by casting their votes overwhelmingly for him during the last governorship as well as the State House of Assembly elections. It is a proof that they repose trust and confidence in his leadership abilities. And so far,it does not seem the Governor is in a hurry to betray this confidence. Since he returned to the leadership saddle for his second term in office, he has sustained the tempo of development in the state. Awka is gradually wearing a new look with charwomen everywhere, sweeping and cleaning streets and government offices. The State Secretariat, built by the previous APGA government, is not spared the effort at being spruced up. The parking lawns are now paved with interlocking stones while the entire buildings are being repainted to give the workers’ office a beffiting look.
To the credit of the Governor the state is in a hurry to wear a new look. Within the Government House itself efforts are made to recreate the environment to befit the status of a government. A new International Conference Centre is also ongoing.
The people of Anambra state are thankful to God for giving them a governor who is imbued with probity, leadership qualities, humanness, and political sagacity. It is the prayer of many that he does not let up on the momentum of development within the next three years when he will be handing over to a successor. It is expected that if his successor keys into his development vision the road to an Anambra of our dream will be throd faster than thought possible. And Obiano will be joining the pantheon of Anambra greats.
Ezeani writes from Onitsha South