“The great difficulty is first to win a
reputation;
the next to keep while you live;
and the next to preserve it after you die”.
— Benjamin
Haydon, 1786-1846.
The
leadership manifestations in Nigeria since the attainment of
political independence have been sadly weighted towards
mediocrity, ineptitude, gross abuses and the inevitable poor
performance.
As millions of hapless Nigerians across the
land groan under the increasing burden of deprivations amidst the
bountiful endowments of their country, it is always refreshing
to experience the occasional guiding lights of hope that
all is not lost. It is these oases of meaningful progress that have
enabled Nigerians with a modicum of propriety to retain their sanity in
a society that appears to have elevated infamy to an ethos. This is the
rationale for celebrating the likes of Peter Gregory Obi who turned 57 on July
19, 2018.
Peter Obi is a Nigerian who has, in
a comparatively short period in the public eye, made tremendous
contributions to his immediate and extended environments through his official
schedules and private initiatives alike. Groomed in the fear of
God, academic education & professional exposure, he
brings to bear on his ventures a formidable blend of integrity, empathy,
enterprise, clear purpose, determination, and dignity of labour. Backed by a
highly-successful experience in commerce & industry – in the field and
boardroom -- his advent into politics helped to dispel the unfortunate age-long
experience that Nigerian politics is about venality and
vendetta.
The performance of Peter Obi as Governor of Anambra
State is well-documented, but it will always bear repetition; if only to remind
those in the public trust that good governance is both desirable and
attainable. Despite trip-wires laid inn his path by predators on the
public treasury, his two-term tenure recorded
several people-oriented, sustainable strides in the critical areas
of administration, education, health & social services, security,
infrastructure, agro-business, and commerce & industry. Among
others, he instilled responsibility in the public sector
by strengthening governance structures. His courageous decision to
hand over schools to their original proprietors stabilized basic education
in the State. One of the notable effects was that Anambra
State improved from its erstwhile 24th place among
the 36 States to the 1st position in results of the
NECO and WAEC examinations for three consecutive years. Indeed, a World
Bank study recommended the Anambra Education Model for the rest of
Africa and other developing countries.
Under his watch, Peter Obi’s administration built
several kilometres of link/access roads to have the best road network in
the country; restored security of lives & property through
collective responsibility; and renovated and built health
facilities across the State. Peter Obi’s support for commerce and
industry created an enabling environment which saw the increased vibrancy of
many industries and the setting up of new ones, including the very popular
Intafact brewing giant. A realistic blue-print for agricultural development was
developed; adopting massive mobilization of the farming populace, land
development, capacity building, public-private partnerships [PPPs], provision
of subsidies and effective monitoring to check abuses.
Recognitions and accolades have come from within the
country and the international community alike, even years after he vacated
office as Governor.
Such is his commitment [some observers would say
“obsession”] with value-added quests that since leaving Government House he has
been consistently engaged in support programmes to improve the lot of people
and institutions in need, particularly in the field of education.
In his conduct of public affairs and private pursuits,
Peter Obi has demonstrated in concrete terms that with the vision,
commitment & will, it is possible to make positive impact on society.
As he marks his 57th year – in his characteristic modest style
– we join several other Nigerians and friends of Nigeria to wish him good
health, peace of mind, fulfilment and many more years of value-added service to
humanity.
•Onukwugha Osuji writes from Abuja
An Ode to Peter Obi at 57 By Onukwugha Osuji
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Saturday, July 21, 2018
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