By Okechukwu Anarado
Amongst the peoples of the world Ndigbo rank very high among tribes with premium interest in their heritage. Igbos love for homeland transcends whatever attractions foreign lands offer them. This is easily recognizable in the efforts Igbos put into connecting with their homestead irrespective of wherever the cause of attaining profitable living takes them. Ndi-Anambra easily stand out as core archetypes of this trait. They would therefore insist on establishing presence at home – at least put up residential homes befitting their socioeconomic statutes in their towns of origin. But building a good house at home as target of Akuluo-uno grossly limits and diminishes its essence.
Before Gov Willie Obiano’s date with history as Anambra’s helmsman, the underlying philosophy of Akuluo-uno in the state only sounded pleasant to the extent that it kept the consciousness of home alive among Ndi-Anambra of great means whose economic interests thrived outside the confines of Anambra State. Though they had palatial homes in Anambra, these great entrepreneurs were hesitant to plough the fields of their home state. They bluffed the latent opportunities of abundant profit therein; they would not dare the unbankable risks of high insecurity attendant to locating serious businesses in the state. But what Gov Obiano began to do as soon as he assumed office quickly redefined the philosophy of Akuluo-uno and translated the essence into realizable objectives.
Being a renowned investment banker, Gov Obiano clearly understood the underlying economic potentialities of doing business in a land that harbours an army of industrious people always willing to deploy their energies in profitable economic ventures. He understood the availability of a pool of top class Anambra Industrialists/Business moguls who would readily wish to be significant players in the state’s business space if the ground was safe. Gov Obiano saw beyond the seemingly intractable challenge of providing security in Anambra State and making the state safe. He saw the huge gains such attainment would mean to Anambra and Ndi-Anambra. He therefore set to work, deploying all that his will and state resources could garner, and in just a few months in office he was able to rout out criminals from the streets and their hideouts across the state. Having achieved this feat, Gov. Obiano embarked on vigorous campaigns for investments; he also instituted the Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency, ANSIPPA, as a one-stop-shop agency of government that seeks investors and assists them in their designated businesses.
Hence with Gov Willie Obiano’s widely celebrated conquest of criminality in Anambra and his business friendly policies the long hibernation of Akuluo-uno was over and the philosophy was boldly given wings. A cursory look around Anambra business space points at business outfits like Cosched Rice Farms/Mills, JOSAN Rice Farms/Mills, Lynden Poultry Farms, DelFarms, Roban Modern Stores, Stanel World consortium etc – all contributing to the increasing vibrancy of Anambra’s economy.
With this development Gov Obiano will surely be recorded in history as the Governor who made success of Akuluo-uno by providing all the enablement that encouraged Ndi-Anambra to lead other investors, non-indigenous to Anambra, into serious business ventures in the state.
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