“THE IGBO NATION AND 2023 PRESIDENT ELECTION”
THE IGBO HAVE MEN OF INTEGRITY WORTHY OF TRUST BY ALL
NIGERIANS
By Peter Nwasike
07037946858
In my last edition, I mentioned how Dr.
Sunday Ajai contended that: “AFTER DR. NNAMDI AZIKIWE, THE IGBO DO NOT HAVE A
LEADER THAT THE REST OF THE NATION CAN RESPECT AND TRUST”. (New Telegram
Newspaper, Thursday, February 27, 2020, page 14)
I asserted that former Governor of
Anambra State, Sir Peter Obi enjoys respect and trust from other Nigerians, and
promised to prove it with facts and figures. Here is my contention.
The advent of Peter Obi in politics is
synonymous with the emergence of biblical David in the affairs of Isreal. David
was a shepherd boy tending his father’s sheep in the forest. Isreal was pitched
in war with Philistine. One day, David’s father, Jesse, sent David to take food
to his elder brothers at war front. In the presence of David, a soldier-giant
of Philistine, Goliath, ridiculed Isreal as cowards and David hurled verbal
vituperations to the aggressive enemy. Then David volunteered to confront the
giant in personal combat. In spite of his youth, David conquered the
giant-enemy. He then became leader of Isreal and led them to numerous
victories, that his regime established peace and prosperity that Isreal enjoyed
during the reign of David’s successor, Solomon, in the ancient history, and
went on to succeed in the visccitutudes of their chequered history, till today,
2020, when they are among the world powers, inspite of their small population
and land-mass.
When the nascent democracy started in
1999, the youthful 38-year-old Peter Obi (born in 1961), was a businessman in
trading venture, in Private Sector. By 2002, bad governance in Anambra State,
compelled him to direct his gaze to Public Sector, in governorship. He posed
the question: “ARE WE CURSED, OR ARE WE THE CAUSE?” Like David, Peter felt that
he had the moral rectitude, mental sagacity and physical capacity to give the
people what they were loosing in quality leadership. He volunteered to contest
for governorship in 2003. He found a platform in the All Progressive Grand
Alliance (APGA). He contested and won, but malicious detractors rigged him out.
He went to court and reclaimed the mandate on March 17, 2006. Hoodlums
confronted him, demanding that they were security AGENTS OF THE State and must
be settled. He told them that the Police were the security agents approved by
Constitution, and so they should do their work. Another gang of thugs boasted
that they were the custodians of Motor Parks and Markets and must keep their
booty. He sent Police to chase the thugs out but they rebuffed the Police. Obi
re-inforced the Police with Army and succeeded to retrieve the Parks and
recovered the revenue. The criminals who were already armed by their former
masters, bragged that they would make the State ungovernable for Obi, and
unleased terror and kidnapping which paralyzed business. Obi re-enforced the
Police and Army to arrest them, and in the process, re-enforced the Police with
Patrol vans, commication gadgets, welfare packages, etc. He approached his
primary constituency, the Banks, and appealed to them to perform their SOCIAL
WELFARE RESPONSIBILITY OF BUSINESS, by helping to equip the Police, and the
Banks generously responded. In 2007, Obi assembled many Patrol Vans and
necessary equipment for the Police, and invited the then Inspector General of
Police, IGP Mike Okiro, who came and took delivery of the equipment, at a colourful
ceremony held at Ekwueme Square, Awka. On another occasion, in 2009, Obi
assembled another batch of Patrol Vehicles, and invited the then Inspector
General of Police, IGP Ogbonnaya Onovo, who came and took delivery, at a
colourful event at Women Development Centre, Awka. The Police testified that
Governor Peter Obi was the first Governor who understood that equipping the
Police, is equally the responsibility of State Governors, as Chief Security
Officers of their respective States, and should not be abandoned only to the
Federal Government. They expressed immense gratitude to Governor Peter Obi, and
promised to reciprocate with dedication and patriotism to protect the State.
The hoodlums persisted in their
nefarious criminality and Obi sent Executive Bill to the House of Assembly, to
enact law on capital punishment, on armed robbers and kidnappers, with
demolition of their houses which they use as hideouts. He also sent another
Executive Bill, for formation of Village Vigilante Group, who shall receive
training and discipline from the Police, so as to assist the Police with
village security. This is the genesis of Community Pooicing in Anambra State.
At every Christmas, Obi sent money of One Million Naira for Road Rehabilitation
and One Million Naira, for Village Vigilante Groups, making it a total of Two
Million Naira, for each of the 181 Communities in the State, for logistics on
road palliative measures, and security. With the law of capital punishment on
armed robbers and kidnappers, Obi implemented it at Uli, Ihiala Local
Government Area, Oraifite, in Ekwusigo LGA, Awkuzu, in Oyi LGA, Old Market
Road, in Onitsha North LGA. It was Obi’s war on criminality that forced
hardened criminals like Evans out of Anambra. Safety of life and property were
restored and those abroad began to return home to celebrated festivals and
marriage at Christmas and New Years at home, because of Obi’s policy of
palliative works on roads and security in villages.
Another war Obi fought on assumption of
office was impeachment. He came to office on March 17, 2006, on the platform of
All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), but the envious opposition party, the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), were annoyed and swore to remove him. They used
their over whealming majority in the House of Assembly and actualized the
impeachment on November 2, 2006. Obi challenged the malicious impeachment in
Court and was re-installed on February 9, 2007. The sponsors of the
impeachment, who were in the service of the Federal Government and membership of
the Board of Trustees (BOT) of PDP, mocked Obi as “Youth Corpse Governor”. This
means that as Obi came in 2006, and General Election was due in 2007, Obi would
be in office for only one year and they would take over. They bragged to use
their “Federal Might”, to achieve their inordinate ambition. Obi called Press
Conference, and reminded them that the Constitution of Nigeria stipulated that
a Governor has a term of four years, starting from the day he was sworn-in, and
so, he shall complete his term in 2010, not 2007. But the detractors who were
desperate to become governor, boasted of “Federal Might”, because “might is
right”, and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to
conduct illegal governorship election in April 2007, and installed themselves
on May 29, 2007. This is a proof of the contention of Bishop Matthew Hassan
Kukah, in his Convocation Lecture to Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam,
Anambra State, on Friday, March 20, 2020, when he said: “The political elites
have exploited the country and turned it into a jungle where the arbitrary rule
of men has replaced the rule of law and mere human instincts have become
substitutes for Constitutionalism”.
Obi, as a law-abiding citizen, vacated
office and they bulldozed their way with impunity. On June 14, 2007, the
Supreme Court, Abuja, delivered judgement on tenure interpretation, sacked the
imposters, and Obi returned to complete his four year term, which ended in
2010. Thus, Obi became the testing ground and reference point for staggered
governorship election in Nigeria. Further developments in other States, on
governorship tenure interpretation, vindicated Obi, as seen in Bayelsa, Kogi,
Edo, Ondo, Ekiti states.
Having settled in office, Obi embraced
the recommendation of the United Nations Organisation (UNO), on the then
Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), which directed Government to execute
development projects in both urban and rural areas, so that rural dwellers
could stay at home and achieve socio-economic self-actualisations. Obi then
rolled out his economic blueprint to implement the global directive, which he
called ‘ANAMBRA INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (ANIDS), which were to execute
comprehensive development projects in all sectors in all places simultaneously.
Roads and bridges were built in many places in urban and rural areas. Two of
the major bridges were the Odo Bridge, at the boundary of Awgbu and Amaokpalla
in Orumba North LGA, and Ezu Bridge at Amansea – Ebenebe in Awka North LGA. He
improved facilities in Education and Health. He reasoned that in areas of
critical services such as Education and Health, Public Private Partnership
(PPP) is imperative. As Government seized mission schools since 1970, after the
civil war, Obi deemed it wise to return the schools to the Mission, for
management, while his Government shouldered financial matters. He sent
Executive Bill to House of Assembly for law to legally return schools to
Mission. When the House made the law Obi promptly signed it and returned
schools to Church, with huge sums of money for rehabilitations. He then sent
another Executive Bill, to the House, for secondary schools in Anambra to
become centres for computer literacy. He implemented the law and equipped
secondary schools with computer sets and science laboratory. Being efficiently
administered by the Church and effectively funded by the Government,
qualitative education manifested in schools, that Anambra began to win national
competitions and represented Nigeria in international competitions, with victories.
Obi also funded Mission Hospitals to improve on their services with modern
facilities.
Agricultural and Industrial Sectors
also received boost, with machines for mechanized agriculture and invitation to
entrepreneurs to invest in the State. He drew the attention of the then
President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to Innoson Motor Manufacturing Company, Nnewi
and also the Jewel Pharmaceutical Industry, Awka, for connections to the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in funding, and patronages by the Federal
Government, to mention but a few.
Obi also reasoned that development of
youths should be in mental, moral and physical ramifications. He recovered the
Sports Stadium, Onitsha, which was encroached upon with Local Government
Office, relocated the office to another convenience place and rebuilt the
stadium, with football field, tartan tracks, basketball courts, etc. On the day
of commissioning the reconstructed and refurbished stadium, on
Wednesday-Friday, 8-10 July 2009, Obi invited sports legends, in the persons of
Kanu Nwankwo (Football) and Mary Onyeali-Omagbemi (Athletics), for inspiration
to youths. He granted free days to students and pupils in public schools, so as
to participate in the 3-days occasion, during when Mary Onyeali (A Native of
Mbaukwu, Anambra State, conducted intensive Coaching Courses, for coaches and
athletes. He also recovered and reconstructed the Township Stadium,
Fegge-Onitsha, in the same manner. He equipped the Ministry of Youths and
Sports, with two Luxury Busses, for transportation and Anambra began to
participate in National Sports Competitions with success, which they did not in
previous regimes.
Among legacy projects that Obi built in
his first term were two magnificent large houses that accommodate the State
Secretariat, buildings at Chukwuemeka Oduegwu Ojukwu teaching Hospital, Awka,
which also included Medical College, with hostels for students. Buildings and
equipment at General Hospital Onitsha, which recovered their accreditation,
which was lost in 1985, during Army Rule, but subsequent Democracy Regimes
ignored. Buildings at Chuwkuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University at Igbariam and
Uli campuses. Buildings at Nwafor Orizu College of education, Nsugbe.
Introduced Stock Exchange Market at Onitsha, and built houses for it. Built
Judges Quarters, bought cars for Judges, Magistrates, Permanent Secretaries.
Paid the arears owed to Pensioners, by previous regimes, amounting to Sixteen
Billion Naira, and paid pensioners and workers as and when due, to mention but
a few.
By 2009, Obi’s spectactular
achievements made him to organize “Facility Tours”, for various groups to visit
the various projects in preparation for his re-election on 2010. Among the
groups that visited were Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC). The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Traders Associations,
Market Women, Church Groups of Catholics, Angelicans, Pentecostals, etc. All of
them agreed that Obi did well in first term, and deserves re-election for
second term, for eight-years of full tenur.
Taking cognizance that Anambra is not
an oil producing State, which gets 13% Derivation Allocation from the Federal
Government, one is mesmerized at Obi’s financial prudence, which made these
capital intensive projects possible. Immediately he won his second term in
2010, the then President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, invited him to Abuja, and
appointed him as a Member of National Economic Council. President Jonathan
wanted to benefit from the financial expertise of Obi.
My next edition shall be on Obi’s
example being emulated in Anambra State in particular, and Nigeria in general,
which made him an Igbo Leader and a national personality that is respected and
trusted by Nigerians of other States.
