Daily Independent (Lagos)
Izuchukwu Nwaokoye
27 October 2008
opinion
I must confess that some Governors in Nigeria of today are making genuine efforts towards developing their States. I am particularly happy at the type of unity that exists among the South Eastern Governors. As they speak with one voice, one is sure they are going to achieve much for the South East. Collectively, one can therefore say that they are trying. Individually, they are also trying, each within the limits of his capacity and resources. Having followed their progress with interest, I must say that as an Anambrarian, I am proud of my Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, for his massive transformation of the State. There is so much to the developmental thrust here that I find it fitting and rewarding to pore over the contents of the flyer captioned Governor Peter Obi: 2 Years of Landmark Achievements. The flyer contains some of the projects executed by Governor Obi.
In 2006, when Mr. Andy Uba accompanied the now disgraced ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo to Anambra State to further their demonic hold on the State, the House of Assembly attributed all the projects attracted to the State by Governor Obi to Andy Uba and begged him to come and become the Governor. It is with revelations going on that we now know they were under duress to do those things. They acted in ignorance, if you wish. During a television programme sometime ago, one Ikenna Amaechi, a member of Anambra House of Assembly, said all of Governor Obi's projects were actually initiated and executed by Dame Virgy Etiaba. If not that the projects were shown on paper, he would have even denied the existence of those projects.
The flyer under reference testifies that Governor Obi's integrated approach to development is working. As the flyer says, all sectors are receiving maximum attention simultaneously in spite all odds.
Have you sat down to reflect on the depth of decay in the State before he came in? In a State as civilised as Anambra, no development took place since creation. No deliberate efforts were made by our people to galvanize the individual abilities that abound in the State into collective success. It is indeed shameful that our university remained a glorified secondary school, our hospitals mere clinics, security in shambles, total lack of Federal presence and lack of those things that would inspire confidence in international and donor agencies to come to the State.
Today, the tale is different. Governor Obi, like a bulldozer of development that he is, is aggressively tackling all sectors. As far as he is concerned, no sector is of much value than the other insofar as they affect the lives and well-being of the people of the State.
In the area of road construction for example, without compromising other sectors, in two years he has completed the asphalting of over 250kms of roads out of over 400 he is working on. When you check the records, you will find out that this is by far any government did in the state. One thing about him is that the roads are spread and strategic.
Coming to security, the Governor has done pretty well. His refusal to support gangsters has paid off. His routine support to security agents is paying off as Anambra is today rated as one of the most crime-free states in the country.
In terms of institution of governance, the Governor is trying to build capacity, both human and infrastructural. Just in two years, he gave a befitting secretariat to the State, the first since creation. He has equally repaired all the infrastructure destroyed in the State by the same forces fighting against him. Today he has built a new Governor's Lodge at Onitsha and Amawbia. What is surprising about him is the cheapness of his projects. This is understandable as the era of kickback is now over.
One area our past Governors neglected was education at all levels. People were busy sitting universities in their towns without trying to build what we already had. Today giant buildings have been completed at our university such as Faculty of Law building, Faculty of Engineering building, Mass Communication building, Engineering Workshop building, Library blocks and so on. In secondary schools the buildings are being renovated, while the laboratories are re-equipped. Besides our secondary schools are being provided with computers.
Today, Anambra is rated tops in terms of improvement in health institutions. This has been possible because in two years, the present administration in the State was able to carry out the necessary upgrading in facilities to achieve accreditation for General Hospitals and other health institutions in the State - Nkpor School of Nursing, Nkpor School of Midwifery and School of Health Technology, Obosi. This is very significant as Anambra had no accredited hospital since creation. In health sector also, a lot of infrastructural improvements have been recorded, from newly built Chief Doctors', through newly procured equipment to newly built hospitals, such as Umueri General Hospital.
As a State, we neglected laying foundation for development. This is how it came about that the State had no base map or master-plan for any of its cities. It is only under Obi that the UN Habitat started drawing master plans for the cities of Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi. It is under Obi that real massive work started on erosion sites. It is under him that the State is making efforts to clear our major cities of dirt and beautify them accordingly.
Our Internally Generated Revenue is poor today because it was another window through which people siphoned the money belonging to the State. Through the process of its automation, which started with Auto-Reg, the problem will be dealt with and the revenue profile will certainly increase.
Obi is focused and resilient; he sees to it that the State gets its due. He has successfully attracted the Federal High Court to the State, the Corporate Affairs Commission, the Standard Organizations of Nigeria and others. Recently, he built a brand new Stock Exchange and has been at the forefront of the campaign for our people to embrace the Stock market. He has ensured that the Central Bank starts banking in Anambra, pending the completion of their permanent site.
.Nwaokoye is a doctoral student at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka
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