WRITTEN BY 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 sobriquet: 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 one 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. Conscious that absence of anarchic situation and crimes will give fillip to the rapid industrialization of Anambra, 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 the state. Night life has since returned to major cities.
With the State safe and secure, industrialists who once fled it because of insecurity returned in their numbers, building factories that employ thousands 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 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, 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 at Nteje. This all-important bridge serves as a bye-pass 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 flyovers 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 agriculture in the state. He gave farmers 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.
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 and pensions. 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 trod faster than thought possible. And Obiano will be joining the pantheon of Anambra greats.
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