WRITTEN BY EMMA ARUBALEZE
The nation seems to have become so used to mass killings in recent times that it hardly makes news if five persons are killed in one fell swoop in a place. Anambra State is different. On the very few occasions where there have been killings or kidnappings in the last four years in the state, both the government and the people considered it sacrilegious and swung into action at once. The result is that Anambra is the safest state in Nigeria.
Anambra’s reputation as Nigeria’s safest state is frequently ascribed to the current administration’s desire to make the state the first place which investors will consider for business. After all, capital is regarded as a coward; it goes to places where it is not likely to be threatened.
There is a more fundamental explanation for Anambra’s strong commitment to a crime-free society, but it is seldom mentioned. One is referring to the strong belief by the state leadership that life is sacred and must be treated as such in all circumstances. Gov Willie Obiano is, for example, known to always stop at accident scenes and personally join in taking care of the victims. He regularly visits accident victims in hospitals and pays their medical bills.
For any leader to succeed anywhere, he must be seen as caring. A caring leader enjoys the trust of the people. A society where there is a substantial stock of trust between the leaders and their followers often progresses more rapidly economically than a society with high trust deficit.
As an indigene of Nimo, which last April 16, lost the President-General of the town development union, Chief Frank-Anthony Igboka, to four young gun men because he was fighting cultism in the town, one has followed with keen interest Governor Obiano’s response to the murder. Less than two hours after Igboka was killed and the Commissioner of Police briefed him, the governor, who was abroad, reacted like a wounded lion. On return to Nigeria, Obiano headed for the Igboka residence in Nimo to console them.
“Anyone who thinks that he can spill the blood of an innocent Anambra person and go scot-free is living in a fool’s paradise”, Obiano declared in a statement by the Commissioner for Information & Public Enlightenment, Mr. C-Don Adinuba.
Just four days after the gruesome murder, the alleged leader of the gangsters, Chigbo Anyaegbu, whose house is only two houses away from that of Chief Igboka, was captured by the police. On Friday, May 3, the Anambra State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) arrested the second suspect in the Igboka murder. An indigene of Obosi, Idemili North LGA, the suspect, Okoye Ernest Chinwe, has confessed to the murder.
Most Nigerians do not know what the Igboka family has gone through in the last few weeks. The elder brother of the deceased, Chief Charles Igboka, who was a diplomat in Europe, had been in the mortuary for two weeks when his brother was killed. Their cousin, Ebube Anthony Igboka, died two weeks earlier of liver complications which cost the family a fortune. Their uncle’s wife, Mrs Mary Grace Igboka, had died two weeks earlier. And the star of the family expected to carry on the family torch, Chief Frank-Tony Igboka, was assassinated.
We thank Governor Obiano for rising heroically to the occasion. He mobilized all the security agencies to work tirelessly to bring the suspected murderers of Chief Igboka to justice. The 5million naira bounty, which was later increased to N15m, has proved to be a fantastic incentive to people with information leading to the arrest of the suspects.
However, from the way Chief Obiano responded to the Igboka tragedy, no one would ever know that he and the killed politician belong to different political parties. It is reminiscent of how Governor Obiano led the weeklong burial of former Vice President Alex Ekwueme in January, 2018, even though they belonged to different parties. In fact, Dr Ekwueme’s daughter was the PDP deputy governorship candidate against Chief Obiano in the November 18, 2017 gubernatorial election in Anambra State.
In other words, only two days after the election in which his daughter ran against Governor Obiano, Dr Ekwueme died. But Obiano showed no bitterness whatsoever in his attitude to the Ekwueme family. This is the kind of accommodation and inclusiveness which Nigeria needs.
Anambra State will remain safe, peaceful, united, accommodating, progressive and exemplary under Governor Obiano.
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