Since
cutting his teeth in the media as a youth corps member at The Guardian newspaper,
Chief Tony
Onyima had been in media practice before his recent appointment as
a commissioner in Anambra State government in charge of information, culture
and tourism. HENRY AKUBUIRO caught up with him at the state capital, Awka,
moments after the one-year anniversary of the state governor had ended, where
he filed questions on his media career, his new responsibility and the overall
performance of the Governor Obiano administration. He declared emphatically: “I
can say His Excellency has done well. I keep telling people that, in
governance, you assess political leaders by the promises they made.”
Excerpts:
One
year in office as the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism,
Anambra State, how has it been adjusting from life as a media practitioner in
a private establishment and managing information, culture and tourism for a
state government?
I
think my experience and background has been very helpful. It was very easy to
adjust, because the nature of newsroom and media management has been of great
help in my new assignment in public service. It was easier for me to quickly
bring the zeal, urgency and deadline of newsroom into things I do. At the same
time, it has also been an excitingly new experience for me. It has opened new
vistas. I now appreciate process of policy formulation and execution much
more than I had before. I now know what informs certain government decisions;
I now know that things are not done on the whims and caprices of one individual;
policy formulation is a whole lot of processes before it comes out. And with
that knowledge of being on the other side, as it were, and now in public
service, I can appreciate things, particularly public policies much more and
see why certain policies work and some don’t work.
What
do you miss about the media?
Well,
I can say I am still, in a way, in the media, because I do media-related
issues. One of the essential parts of newsgathering, news management and media
management is deadline. The deadline has not left me –and for that, I wouldn’t
say I miss much. But, of course, when you move from an industry you have been
in for the past 25 years, you will miss certain things, but that does not mean
you miss so much. The fellowship and spirit of camaraderieship that exist in
newsroom is something you always cherish. It is my candid advice that, once you
get to the apogee or certain level of your career in private sector, there is
need for you to have some measure of public service experience sometime in
your life; because it gives you a total sense about governance issues in
Nigeria. It is always a very good experience, from what I have seen now.
You
were in the media for 25 years, what do you consider the highpoint of your
career as a journalist?
I
have a number of milestones in my career. One of the things I will tell you
right away is that my entire career has been marked by God’s hand, because, at
any point in time, I see God’s grace doing wonders. It is not because I am
particularly the best, but I make efforts to do things very diligently and, at
the end of it, you will see God’s touch. Right from my school days, I was one
of the best five graduating students from my department. And the department
then had understanding with The Guardian newspaper to be taking their
best five students each year. That’s how I went to The Guardian to do my
youth service in 1985. I went there with three of my colleagues. At the end of
the service, I didn’t even have one week respite; I just started work seamlessly.
From
there, my career moved to ThisDay and to The Sun. At any point in
time, I have always been invited over. I have never written an application for
a job –that’s God’s grace. It is not of my making or me being a super star, so
to speak, but I see God’s grace in my life. At The Guardian, I had
mentors to look up to, and I was always working hard to see how I can be like
them or how I can surpass them. The Guardian, in those days (1985-92),
had big names that resonated from outside. If you came into the newsroom, you
would sit with them, and you would be just asking yourself, ‘Is this same
person I read every day?’ And you work very hard to be like them.
The
very first week I walked into The Guardian, I met a very young man, very
diligent –as far as I am concerned, a journalists’ journalist, total newsman
–Nduka Iraboh –and he took me unto his wings. From him, I learnt news writing
and, from there, I moved to the subediting desk, and other places, like
production. From the moment I moved to editorship (I was the editor of Lagos
Life, a publication of The Guardian that looked at social life), I
looked at Nigerian newspapers in those days –Concord, New Nigerian, Daily
Times, etc. –they were mostly managed by accountants, and the journalists
confined themselves to newsroom. I started asking questions, and I discovered
that journalists do not take interest in the business of journalism. So, I
started early to take interest in that, nay I went back to school to acquire
knowledge in business management. Any interest I developed, I go back to
school to acquire the degree. That’s why I have three masters degree.
With
the knowledge I acquired, any time the opportunity comes, I discover or people
discover that I have the necessary skills. Apart from my media background, I
have administrative skills and marketing, too (because I have an MBA in
Marketing), and those skills that the accountants have in managing media
organizations, I could easily combine the two. From there, I moved up to the
point, in 2010, that I was made the managing director of The Sun. With
sense of modesty, I can say that, with the support of my colleagues and the
board, I discharged that assignment very creditably.
The
Governor Obiano administration has just celebrated its one year in office, how
has the journey been?
It
has been an eventful and bountiful year and promising future. The Obiano
administration came into being with a clear-cut mission and vision. In
governance, you look at the total gamut of things to be done and prioritize
what you are going to do. He has the benefit of time to plan what he intended
to do and during the campaigns he made specific promises. He also had the
advantage of coming from a financial background. So, before he took his oath of
office on March 17, 2014, he had assembled a team of experts, young smart
guys, who sat and put together his economic blueprint. So, it was, therefore,
not surprising that, as soon as he was sworn in, he hit the ground running,
implementing those items in the blueprint.
In
the last one year, a lot has happened along the line of the promises he made.
If you take the vision of the state –making Anambra State to be the first
choice destination for local and foreign investments – one year down the line,
the scorecard has been impressive: he has attracted investments worth over 2
billion dollars with 13 strategic investments across different sectors of the
economy: agriculture, hospitality, power, name them. He has signed MOUs with
strategic investors to invest in Anambra. Again, more than half of these have
moved beyond MOUs in getting to the stage of implementation. By Friday (last
week), the power and gas will move to the next stage of implementation.
If
you look at the second area (he chose four major things to do –we call it Four
Pillars –Agriculture, Trade and Industry,Industrialization and Oil and Gas.
These four pillars were deliberately chosen, taking into account the
comparative advantage which the state has. In the area of agriculture, the
state needs to take care of the supply gap in rice production. Rice consumption
in the state is currently at about 300,000 metric tonnes whereas we produce
only 80,000 metric tonnes annually. So, you can see the gap. COSHED Farms
(owned by Coscharis Group of Companies) has invested in agriculture in Anaku.
With that and another, Excel Farms, they will take care of that gap and the
state will even be a net exporter of rice within the next one year. 51 percent
of the state’s economy is controlled by trade and industry. The government is
modernizing existing markets and building ones. Facilities like modern food
courts, solar lights, CCTV and toilets have been provided in the old markets.
New and modern markets are being been developed in Umunze, Ogbunike and Oba.
The Ogbunike one has taken off; it is being financed by a group. That market
is a modern market with shopping a mall that will give shoppers delight to go
to.The fourth pillar is oil and gas
Why
oil and gas?
When
Anambra State talk about oil and gas, some people don’t really understand it.
Currently, Anambra has oil wells in Aguleri area. Orient Petroleum Ltd has
been given licence to drill the oil. As we speak, they are drilling oil there
and getting some crude. They have been increasing from 1,000- 5000 barrels per
day. What this government has done is to open access roads to the oil rigs. The
Obiano administration has awarded a contract to build the longest road in the
state that will get to the oil rig. Before now, we used to access the rigs
through Kogi State, which has created wrong the impression that the oil belongs
to certain people. That road has about four long bridges across the Omabala
River. With that, it is expected that activities in that area will pick up.
The
Orient Petroleum, it must be noted, is a private company. The Obiano
Administration is just creating the enabling environment that unleashes the
State’s huge potential s in oil and gas. For instance, the state is trying to
encourage investment in Orient to enable it to build a 15,000 barrel per a day
refinery it is planning. With that refinery, a lot of activities will begin to
happen. Much more importantly, government has set up a very powerful oil and
gas committee headed by an illustrious son of the state, Dr. Emmanuel Egboga,
who was a presidential adviser. He is easily one of the best brains in Africa
on oil and gas, and currently advising many African countries on oil and gas. I
am told that Anambra has the largest gas reserve in Nigeria from their report.
When all these plans are put together, it is our expectation that the state
will be enlisted as one of the oil producing states in Nigeria. The same Orient
Petroleum also got the licence to build an airport in Umueri. So government is
creating enabling environment by awarding a 6-lane road leading to that
airport. It has been flagged off. Work has started and, currently, government
is negotiating with two serious investors to build the airport on BOT basis.
It is going to be a cargo airport. Some of the perishable agricultural produce
being produced, will be evacuated through the airport.
The
second reason an airport is being planned for Umueri is that the refinery will
specialize in producing aviation fuel. The aviation fuel will be stored at that
airport. Most of the international flights will be expected to be refueled in
Umueri. Currently, most of the big go to Ghana to refuel. And there is a common
denominator for all these things: job opportunities for our people. And these
investments are coming here for the simple reason that His Excellency tackled
one thing: security. Before he came to office, there was this notoriety Anambra
had over security issues.
How
did he tackle that successfully?
It
is because he has the political will to face it, and he faced it squarely.
Within a few months, he recorded successes in that area, and that gave many
people the confidence to invest, not only that, but also to return home. Last
Christmas was the best this state has ever witnessed. I have been coming home
to Anambra every Christmas for the last ten years with my family, but last
year’s was the best, because you could move around freely at any point in time,
and we had a series of activities that engaged the attention of our people who
returned. The kind of traffic I witnessed and the nature and size of cars I saw
on the road, had never been witnessed before in Anambra State. People had the
confidence to bring out their limousines and other vehicles, and were freely
driving them around, because there was that confidence that nothing would happen,
and we didn’t have any reported incident to my knowledge throughout that
Christmas. Summarily, I can say His Excellency has done well. I keep telling
people that, in governance, you assess political leaders by the promises they
made.
Still
on security, what magic was used in transforming the state from a dreaded, den
of outlaws to a conducive environment?
You
can call it magic, but it has to do with political will and courage, which His
Excellency has demonstrated. A number of things that needed to be done at
Upper Iweka required leadership, and he provided that leadership. For
instance, a section of that place had been annexed by private individuals over
the years and turned into a private park, but he insisted it was an access road
and gave a directive to demolish illegal structures. The open space has been
turned into a beautiful public park. From the Head Bridge to Zik’s Round
About, a major work is being done by IDC.
Unlike
in the past when travellers going to Enugu and Owerri spent hours and even
sleeping over at Upper Iweka, there was no such incident last Christmas,
coupled with traffic management put in place. Also, those notorious urchins at
Upper Iweka were taken care of. Previously, there was no political will to do
this. So, the magic is that the governor provided the leadership and resources
to turn that place around, yet he keeps saying it is not yet the Upper Iweka of
his dream, and in the days and weeks to come, work will still be going on. The
same goes for Zik’s Round About, where, at the end of the day, you will see
waterfall and other adornments.
Coming
over to your ministry, a new ABS Studio has just been commissioned by the
state government, what’s the need at this point in time?
Once
we came into office, the governor realized that, for him to achieve what he
set out to do, there was need to communicate with our people. To do that, ABS
is the only state owned broadcast outfit, and it has been in a state of disrepair
and neglect over the years. If you recall, ABS was burnt down during the
locust. The governor just decided to give the place a facelift for two reasons.
Aside the first reason I just stated, the second is that the deadline for
digitalization of all broadcast outfits globally is June, 2015, and if you
don’t do that, you will be left behind.
The
first thing we did was to appoint a new management. We advertised it, and many
people applied. A panel was set up, and, at the end of the day, we narrowed
our choice to a very vibrant young man bubbling with ideas and coming from a
private sector. The second thing we did was to purchase brand new equipments
that would give the station a new lease of life. These equipments have started
arriving, and work, as we speak, is ongoing. We expect that, in the next few
months the studio will have been completed. His Excellency, in his wisdom,
advised that we separate the studio from the administrative building, and work
is ongoing. It is a 3-storey building. By that time we finish that, ABS will be
a world standard and try to see how it will be on the bouquet of DSTV. The
other good thing happening to ABS is that three weeks ago, a board of directors
was set up to supervise the implementation of all these things enumerated. The
board is headed by Mr. Emeka Maduegbuna, a veteran journalist. The board has
already swung into action.
At
a time when many governments are complaining of flight of international
investors, the Obiano administration has already attracted over 2 billion dollars
worth of investment; what makes Anambra the beautiful bride?
There
are a number of reasons: investors go to a place where they are not given
hassles – money flow to where there is security. As I said, one beautiful thing
that has happened here is that His Excellency was well prepared for the assignment
he was going to do. Few days after his inauguration, one of the first actions
he did was to set up Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency
(ASIPPA), a one-stop shop for investors. If you are a potential investor, and
you walk into Anambra State, you don’t need to move around to the Ministry of
Trade, Land or Environment, and all that, to get the necessary approvals and
permits you need; you just go to this agency and discuss your proposal. If the
agency finds your proposal very interesting and do their due diligence, in a
matter of days, you will get all the approvals you need. That’s what investors
are looking for and that’s what we call enabling environment.
The
second reason Anambra is a beautiful bride is that investors go to a secure
place. Anambra is safe and secure, and they can feel it when they come; and the
kind of packaged incentives created for these investors are world-class that,
if you look at it, you have no choice than to invest your resources. Another
factor is that His Excellency’s passion, commitment and fidelity. When he
makes a commitment he keeps it. Given the lean resources available to the
state, he believes that, by attracting investors to the state, he will increase
the state’s GDP and eventually the internally generated revenue.
The
state government intends to build a multi million naira, five-star hotel in
Onitsha; don’t you think this is another white elephant project, given the
number of similar abandoned projects across the country?
That
is a wrong impression. Onitsha is the biggest commercial city in Africa. If you
look around Onitsha, there is no five-star hotel in the city, neither is there
any convention centre. Therefore, this project has potentials, and it is going
to be managed by one of the best brands in the hospitality industry. What the
state has done is to restructure that project and Cardinal Developers have
come in –it is a private investor –to take over the project, finish it and
manage it. The government has little equity now in it. It is the duty of the
investor to complete it, and work is fast moving. At this point in time,
discussion is even on to find a franchise manager that will manage the hotel.
By and large, Onitsha alone has the potentials to make the hotel profitable.
Finally,
the former state governor, Chief Peter Obi, was missing at the one year
anniversary of Governor Obiano, fueling speculations that his relationship
with Governor Obiano has gone sour….
The
former governor was duly invited to the one year anniversary events. You were
at that event when the governor openly acknowledged what his predecessor had
done. If they were not in good terms, he wouldn’t have done that. People don’t
know that these distinguished citizens of Anambra have come a long way, and
they have many things in common that you don’t know. As far as I am concerned,
people make a mountain out of their relationship. I think some people are
trying to create a business out of the relationship between these respected
Ndi Anambra. Because they gain, they have continued to spread all kinds of
rumour about their relationship so that they can sustain their business. As far
as I am concerned, they are still friends. The only difference is that one has
moved to continue his political future on a different platform. Governor Obiano
has consistently maintained that under his watch APGA as a party will grow
from strength to strength contrary to the impression being created that Obi’s
exit will spell doom for APGA. The objective of these rumours is to distract the
governor from his good work so that, at the end of the day, they will say he is
a failure.But the governor has remained focused on his job, and the result has
shown already.
Accusing
fingers are being pointed at the state governor and his APGA party for
sponsoring the damaging documentary on Peter Obi, at a time he is not running
for any political position in the country…
One
of the lessons I learnt as an editor is not to believe the many rumors that
circulate around this country at any point in time. I speak for the Obiano
administration; so, if you say pointedly that the Obiano administration
sponsored that documentary, show me the evidence. I don’t like commenting on
rumours. There are a lot of rumours in Nigeria that, if you continue to comment
on them, you will get tired. Again, the governor is a decent man and very busy.
Like I said, the governor doesn’t want to be distracted.
Obiano has done excellently in one year – Onyima, Commissioner for Information, Culture & Tourism
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Saturday, April 11, 2015
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