WRITTEN BY JOHN OBIEGBU
By any measure, Anambra is an exceptional state. Given the number of renowned Nigerians that hail from the state as well as its well-known reputation as the industrial and business hub of the South East and Nigeria, Anambra is certainly outstanding in the comity of states.
In today’s world, the good news is that, under the current administration of Governor Willie Obiano, Anambra has not only retained its exceptional features as a state with some of the highest achieving avatars of business, politics, the arts, the sciences, etcetera; it has also grown its capacity to compete in myriad areas.
The evidence cannot be denied. An indigene of Obosi in Idemili North, Nwama, last month, won the overall best result among graduands of the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna State, carting home almost every available prize for academic and military excellence. The brilliant
performance is reminiscent of the feat achieved by Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu when, in the fifties, he became the first university graduate to join the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Though Ojukwu had already obtained a master’s degree in Modern history from the University of Oxford and his father was Nigeria’s first millionaire, he joined the army, not as a cadet, but as a non-commissioned officer. In other words, Ojukwu went into the army, not to amass wealth, but to render great service.
Ojukwu was, of course, from Anambra State. Obiano asserted recently, based on recent and emerging developments, that Anambra is becoming an even stronger competitive force in Nigeria. It is difficult to fault the governor, considering the impressive performance of Anambra State indigenes in the recently announced results from the training programme of police constables at Nigeria Police College, Nekede, Imo State. Constables from the state took home five out of six prizes awarded to the 192 constables. Obiano’s joy was palpable in his
reaction to the news.
The governor, who never misses any opportunity to celebrate and encourage accomplishments by Ndi Anambra, promised to reward the security officers whose efforts he described as “the brilliant performance of the fresh policemen and women” and “the latest show of excellence exhibited by our people in both international and national competitions”.
The stellar achievement by the rookie policemen was preceded by similar performances in education by various exceptional representatives of the state. For the third consecutive year, the
state recently won the first prize in the annual national President’s School Debate Competition for secondary schools. In the final part of the contest, Anambra roundly defeated Benue State by four points to one.
The state equally won the first prize in the 2018 performance assessment of schools conducted by the Federal Ministry of Education and relevant agencies under its supervision. It was the second time in two years that the state would be performing the feat.
It would be recalled that students of Regina Pacis International Model Secondary School, Onitsha had won, in the United States, the Golden Prize in the Global Technovation competition by developing an internet application for detecting a local and international scourge that has devastated individuals, families and communities: fake drugs.
The triumphant Anambra girls, who represented Nigeria in the contest, beat students from over 100 countries, including the US, to clinch the prestigious award. Obiano beat his chest and said: “We are the only state to achieve such remarkable consistency in educational performance.
We record the least number of malpractices in examinations conducted by such bodies as the West African Examinations Council (WAEC)”.
Anambra’s competitiveness goes beyond the educational sector. Many Nigerians may not know that Anambra State won the first prize in the 2018 National Immunization Campaign under the World Bank supervision.
Above all, the state is nationally acknowledged as more secure than any other. This, in large measure, is due to the strategic policies and initiatives of the Obiano government which are proactive in anticipating challenges and nipping them in the bud. A key priority is providing materials and other forms of support for the security agencies. Clearly, the security situation in the state has improved so much so that Anambra is considered, not just the safest state in Nigeria, but also the safest place in West and even Central Africa.
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