In the past five years, Nigeria has passed through series of strenuous socio-political and economic challenges. Apart from economic somersault occasioned by correctional and rehabilitating programmes and policies of government, Oil prices plummeted to the lowest point, while the value of the naira crashed. Hence, allocations from the Federation Account nosedived and left huge gaps in the revenues of states. The consequences are severe. Many states now find it difficult to pay salaries and meet other obligations.

However, the story is different in Anambra State.  Like the Biblical Joseph, Governor Willie Obiano and his team foresaw the impending storm and made adequate preparations for the ‘rainy day’. When he assumed office in his first and second tenures, Obiano’s first moves, as a financial expert, were to organize strategic retreats for his team to prepare them for the tasks ahead.

The result is that while other states are grappling with the reality of the quagmire, Anambra is not only fulfilling its obligations to workers and pensioners but is also embarking on developmental projects. Giving a bag of rice every year to every retired and serving worker is now an annual ritual. No project has been abandoned. In keeping with his four Cs – continue, complete, commission and continue, Obiano is radically constructing and reconstructing roads, bridges and flyovers across the state, adorned with road infrastructures.

Anchoring his regime on what he termed the “four pillars of development”, namely, agriculture, industrialization, trade and commerce as well as oil and gas, firmly supported by what he called the 12 enablers; Governor Obiano has touched the lives of the people in many ways.

The enablers are the fundamentals such as security, education, healthcare, power generation, the environment, finance, social and civil infrastructure, housing and urban development, hospitality & tourism, transportation, water and sanitation as well as youth and sports. Based on the pillars and enablers, the state government propounded the overriding vision for Anambra to be the first choice investment destination and most preferred location to site new industries. In this regard, the mission is to create a socially stable, business-friendly environment that will attract both citizens and foreigners to seek wealth creating opportunities in the state. Five years and nine months on, Obiano has not only kept to his promises but has also opened up a new frontier that demonstrates a robust and dynamic leadership. He has clearly shown his ability to lead and a very deep understanding of governance.

Indeed, the Governor has sustained his agenda of transforming the state and today, it is no surprise that Obiano has given the people a new lease of life. Every community has benefitted from the Choose-Your-Project initiative, while every street is illuminating, especially at night, even in our rural areas.

Hitherto, Onitsha, the economic engine-room of the South East, witnessed violent crimes and unimaginable absurdities. But Governor Obiano’s security initiatives today have changed that narrative. This is perhaps one of the most glaring achievements that one observes in the state today. For the first time in living memory, the state has attained a crime-free status. This is not to say that there are no isolated cases. Even advanced climes are not completely crime-free

Obiano observed that there could be no meaningful progress without successful attack against crime. He knew that no investor would go to a crime-ridden environment. So, he launched an all-out war against kidnappers, armed robbers, drug-dealers and child-traffickers. He smashed crime syndicates and pulled down the warehouses used for keeping kidnap victims.

He donated smart cars to the police, a gunboat to the navy and launched police helicopters to watch over the skies. And so, for the first time since the creation of the state, he ensured that Anambra was effectively covered on the land, in the waters and in the sky! With that effort, he achieved 360 degrees security coverage of the state. It is no longer in doubt that the state is today the safest in the country. Few weeks ago, he launched the second phase of Operation Kpochapu. With that scientific and technological security architecture, Anambra is the only state in Africa where CCTV cameras have been mounted in our towns and cities. Thus, Ndi Anambra in the Diaspora, coming home for the Yuletide, will, like in past five years, celebrate the Christmas and New Year without fear.

Another magnificent achievement of the Governor is the massive investment inflow that the state has witnessed in the last five years. These investments cut across agriculture, trade & commerce, manufacturing, hospitality, housing, electricity generation, waste management, health and oil and gas. With the quality of investments, the unemployment problem in the state has been drastically reduced.

Obiano has trained many youths in diverse skills and crafts. Every sector has been transformed concurrently. Education, health, revenue generation, transportation and others have never been so good. To God be the glory.

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