Willie Obiano and the Imperatives of Laying Solid Foundation By James Eze

As Governor Willie Obiano prepares to face Ndi Anambra tomorrow to give account of his stewardship,
he must be filled with the confidence of someone who has acquired enough boldness to look the sun straight in the face. After 365 days of breathtaking performance, Obiano has fully taken care of the fundamentals and prepared the super-structure for the rapid development of Anambra State. That was probably what informed the flurry of activities witnessed in Anambra State last week – the formal flag-off of operations by Ekcel Farms Limited in Omasi and the inauguration of an auto-assembly plant in Ozubulu by Richbon Automotive Industries Limited among other projects. It would seem that Obiano wanted to re-enforce his statement of intent and drive home the point that the various MoUs  signed in the state in the past five months were not a mere political gimmick as had been rumoured in some quarters.

Indeed it would seem also that in the past one year, Governor Willie
Obiano has made frantic efforts to rebuild the confidence of the
people in the capacity of the leadership class to work for the general
good of the state. It was very useful that he took over the reins of
leadership from his friend and brother who was largely adjudged to
have done very well. It was also crucial that he came into a party
tradition that invoked a certain level of consciousness that compelled
anyone in a leadership position to shape up or ship out. Yes, APGA
indeed has an admirable philosophy which combines very effectively
with its acute consciousness to prod everyone in its fold to a
predetermined direction. Still, looking back, it is interesting to see
how in just one year, Governor Obiano has forced a new and overarching
consciousness on Ndi Anambra… this new belief that indeed, success can
also be achieved as a group; that individual success in fact,
incomplete after all once there is a group failure.

Shortly after his inauguration, a few commentators whose eyes were
closed to realities had wondered what Obiano would be doing in office.
After all, they argued, all the roads had been built in Anambra State
and the schools had been handed out to the Missions. But the governor
had answered in thunder. The no-holds-barred crackdown on kidnappers
and other violent criminals ensured that less than two months after
his inauguration, Anambra State celebrated Easter for the first time
in living memory, without a single incident of crime in the police
records. The sustained offensive which led to the arrest of a kidnap
kingpin aboard a South Africa bound aircraft in Lagos, the arrest of
major suppliers of arms to violent criminals, the destruction of
warehouses used by kidnappers to detain their victims as well as the
swift rescue of kidnap victims were to finally establish Obiano as a
leader who is not only in office but in power. He showed that he had
his hands fully on the control levers of the machinery of government.

Perhaps, no one has quite nicely linked up Obiano’s exploits in the
area of security to the influx of investors in the state as Engr.
Emeka Okwusa, Chairman of Ekcel Farms did. Speaking at the
inauguration of his $100 million tomato and cassava farm project in
Omasi last week, Engr Okwosa reasoned that “If Anambra were not
secure, Ekcel Farms would not be here today. Most investors like me
will not invest in any place where we do not feel secure. It became
very obvious from the way he went about tackling the challenge of
insecurity in the state.” The organic relationship between security
and the confidence of investors and economic risk-takers is indeed
remarkable. And so, with the tightening of the screws on security,
Anambra had her face made up for investment-suitors. One of the
state’s latest suitors, Richbon Automotive Industries Limited is about
to plough N10 billion ($50 million) into the first phase of its
vehicle assembly plant that Governor Obiano inaugurated over the
weekend in Ozubulu. Offering insight into the values the company is
bring into the state, the Chairman of Richbon Group, Chief C. J
Muonagolu revealed that “the project and its value chain shall produce
over 10, 000 jobs and employment opportunities.” This projection
tallies with Ekcel Farms projection of 10,000 direct jobs. Thus in one
week, the Obiano administration quite successfully laid a solid
foundation for the creation of 20,000 direct jobs and perhaps twice
that volume in indirect jobs. Similarly, during the same week, the
governor inaugurated an Agricultural Training Institute with an
initial intake of 250 prospective agro-entrepreneurs who would be
given the seed money start their own businesses upon completion of the
course.

Also during the outgone week, Governor Obiano turned his attention to
the Healthcare delivery sector. The governor had often shown a strong
disapproval of the near comatose state of the 37 General Hospitals
that are strewn over the state in various stages of disintegration and
neglect. Determined to turn things around a bit in the sector, he
approved the sum of N800 million for the purchase of crucial items for
the hospitals. He also set out to leave his imprimatur on the Onitsha
General Hospital which is being re-invigorated to serve as a center
for medical excellence. However, what really ties in with Governor
Obiano’s inclination to finishing strong is the signing of an MoU with
Rise Global Health Initiative, USA for Hospital Re-engineering Project
that would transform the healthcare sector in the state. This
agreement will see Rise Corporation launching out with the General
Hospitals in Ossomala, Ogbaru Local Government and Orumba in Orumba
Local government.

In one of his recent blistering pieces on the coming elections former
CBN Governor, Chukwuma Soludo made a sweeping take at past leaders of
the state who he derided for not leaving any signature projects.
Again, it is remarkable how in just one year, Governor Obiano seems to
have laid a solid foundation for what would eventually become his
legacy projects or signature projects as the case may be. The three
flyovers that are at various stages of completion in Awka, the
proposed Umueri International Cargo Airport, the proposed all-new city
of Awka as well as the Three Arms Zone that will house the seat of
government are all well-conceived legacy projects that will all bear
eternal testimony to Willie Obiano’s grasp with the challenges that
dominated his time as the governor of Anambra State.

As he rounds off his first momentous year in office, Governor Willie
Obiano looks set to walk straight into the pantheon of gods if he
continues to stay above the shenanigans of some gods with feet of
clay.