Anambra State is one of the five Igbo states that make up the South-East Geo-political zone. It is very rich in culture as can be seen in the diverse cultural practices that are performed periodically in towns that make up the state. And one historical version of the Igbo origin has it that the Igbo of the South-East Nigeria originated in Aguleri (Eri) in Anambra State. There are many legends and myths as to the origin of the Igbo, however.
Anambra State is the home state of astute and sagacious politicians and irrepressible freedom fighters, who strove assiduously for the economic and political development of Nigeria. Nnamdi Azikiwe led the charge for the political emancipation of Nigeria. He formed the militant Zikist Movement of which the Anambra-born intellectual warrior, Mokwugo Okoye, was a member. The group played a big role in the decolonization of Nigeria. Nwafor Orizu and a few other Anambra sons lent a helping hand to the cause of liberating Nigeria from colonial rule.
Chuba Okadigbo and Alex Ekwueme hail from Anambra State too. The duo played pivotal and great roles in the political evolution and growth of Nigeria’s variant of democracy. Ekwueme was the vice president of Nigeria in the second republic, and his invaluable and brilliant contributions at conferences and political forums helped to shape the trajectory of our democratic development.
The carving up of Nigeria into six geo-political zones for administrative convenience was his brain-child. And, the late Chuba Okadigbo, former senate president, and cerebral politician, brought verve and intellectual rigor to politicking in Nigeria. Nigerians have not forgotten how he took on the great Zik of Africa during the second republic.
The foregoing analysis and exposition is necessary in this essay. It shows that Anambra State has always birthed political sophisticates, whose influence extends beyond the state. And, Anambra state is critical to the economic development of the country owing to the vast volume of trade that is transacted in Onitsha town. Perhaps, that’s one of the reasons why external political forces would try to use Anambra moneybags (political god- fathers) to hijack political power in the state in the recent past. Emeka Offor and Chris Uba readily come to mind as political god-fathers, who installed their stooges as governors in the state.
Chinwoke Mbandiuju, who was helped to become the governor of Anambra State by his political god father, typified a bumbling and clueless leader. He’s the quintessential bumbling governor. It was he who called retirees dead woods; and schools were shut down for a long period during his inglorious stay in office as Anambra State governor. He is best remembered for setting up the Bakassi group, a murderous vigilante group that committed extra-judicial murders. But, Peter Obi, the immediate past governor of Anambra State, rescued the state from the malaise of political god-fatherism and the grip of political predators who were angling to help themselves to the financial till of the state. Peter Obi prudently governed the state to the acclaim of Anambra people and Nigerians.
His successor, Willie Obiano, hit the ground running when he was inaugurated as the state governor. He based his administration of the state on four pillars, namely agriculture, industrialization, trade and commerce, and oil and gas. He is not neglecting other areas, however. In order to make his dreams about the state become realities, he has embarked on implementing measures and policies that will make Anambra safe for doing businesses by people.
Thankfully, his efforts to rid the state of kidnappers, robbers, and pickpockets have started yielding positive results. He has created safe environment in which people can engage in economic activities without fearing for the safety of their lives and property.
Anambra state is developing at a very fast pace under the leadership of Governor Willie Obiano. But his political opponents and traducers are fabricating lies to besmirch his reputation and distract him from performing his leadership roles. Some online media organizations recklessly alleged that Governor Willie Obiano is an inveterate spendthrift who indulges his fancies for vanities. It is said that he would hire Jet for private travels. These are the wild and weird imaginings and fabrications of his political foes who have not come to terms with the electoral losses they suffered in past elections in the state.
Again, they alleged that the state government borrowed 21 million dollars in the last seven months of 2014, and quoted Nigeria’s debts management (DMO) as the source of the information. It states that the state’s external debt as at December 2014 was 45.1 million dollars. And the state’s external debts as at December 2013 were 24 million dollars.
The objective of the purveyors of this malicious information is to pit the Anambra state people against the state government. Their intent is to create false alarm. But what they’re saying does not reflect the true picture of Anambra state’s economic well-being. They want us to believe that Governor Obiano is running the state aground when it is not the situation obtaining in the state.
Were Anambra financially distressed, as they would like us to believe, the state government would not have increased the salaries of workers in its employ. He promised to further increase the workers’ salaries when the state’s internally generated revenue increases, exponentially. And the state’s internally generated revenue has been increasing. The state’s internally generated revenue has leapfrogged from five hundred million naira during governor Obi’s administration to 1 billion naira now.
The state governor has been paying workers’ salaries as and when due as well as embarking on infrastructural development of the state. Some secondary schools have received financial boost from the state government. These are irrefutable proofs that the economy of the state is buoyant and in a fine-fettle. The fact is, Governor Obiano’s hands-on and judicious management of the state’s resources is endearing him to the people of the state.
Chiedu U. Okoye
