Commentary: The Emergence Of A Quintessential Igbo Leader

^{WRITTEN BY EGBUNA AMUTA}
It must be admitted that the echoes of the Ekwueme Square Declaration, which emanated from the first ever Southeast Zonal Summit on the Restructuring of Nigeria,

held on Monday last week in Awka, has continued to reverberate. However, it must be observed that, ab-initio, it was not easy for the leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo to arrive at a decision on the venue for the historic event. The chairman on the event, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, alluded to this fact in his welcome address, when he expressed profound gratitude to Governor Willie Obiano, for accepting to host the Summit.  
This is in view of the fact that Enugu, Owerri and Umuahia were either regional or state capitals long before Awka was elevated to that status in 1991. That notwithstanding, the Anambra State capital was unanimously chosen by Ohaneze Ndigbo. Renowned leaders of the Southwest, South-South and North Central, such as Chief Olu Falae, Chief Edwin Clarke, Professor Jerry Gana and their respective high powered delegations, witnessed the event.
Significantly, the Ekwueme Square Declaration is, to a very large extent, in tandem with the position of Ndigbo during the 1994/195 Constitutional Conference under the late General Sani Abacha’s military regime. In that Confab, the Southeast delegation was led by former Dr Alex Ekwueme.
Be that as it may, it is a thing of joy that while some of his colleagues in the Southeast seemingly dragged their feet over the hosting of the Igbo Summit on Restructuring, Governor Obiano patriotically and courageously welcomed Ohaneze Ndigbo to the obviously modernized Anambra State capital city, Awka. This is apparently because Anambra is today, undisputedly, the safest state in the Southeast, nay Nigeria. 
Nonetheless, it is on record that less than one year as the helmsman of Anambra state, Governor Obiano, despite resistance from some powerful quarters, fearlessly organized the Ozoemezina funeral for the final repose of the souls of Ndigbo who lost their lives during the Nigerian Civil War and other political cum religious crises in the country. One of the foremost heroes of the Nigeria-Biafra war, the late Colonel Joe Achuzia, publicly praised Governor Obiano to high heavens for his uncommon courage and patriotism by organizing and hosting the Ozoemezina funeral rites in Awka in 2015.
It is equally a truism that when suspected Boko Haram detainees were secretly brought to the Ekwulobia prison in Aguata local government area of the state, Governor Obiano diplomatically negotiated their removal from the state. Thus, he quietly doused tension and removed fears generated in the state and Igboland by the presence of the dreaded terrorists. 
Apart from these commendable gestures of Akpokuedike, he has generally checkmated deadly clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in Anambra, unlike is the case in many other states in Nigeria. He did this by proactively setting up a peace and reconciliation committee which involves relevant security outfits, traditional rulers, town union executives and the leadership of Fulani cattle breeders in the state. This committee has been succeeding in either nipping incipient clashes in the bud or intervening promptly to checkmate escalation of disputes.
It is equally worthy of note that the governor’s courage and forthrightness contributed to his historic victory in the November 18, 2017 gubernatorial election in the state. 
In fact, Ebubedike has since 2014, when he began to bestride the Anambra political space, proved beyond all reasonable doubts that, apart from being a responsive and egalitarian governor, he is also a very audacious and pragmatic leader, who often settle for the best options in the interests of the people. 
The hosting of the first ever Southeast Zonal Summit on the Restructuring of the Nigerian Federation, organized by Ohaneze Ndigbo is in line with the assertion that Governor Willie Maduaburochukwu Obiano is indeed an emerging quintessential Igbo leader in the mould of icons such as late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr. Michael Okpara, Dr. Akanu Ibiam and Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu among others.