By James Eze (Eziokwubundu@gmail.com)
In recent weeks, Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has continued to prove to Nigerians that leadership is too serious to be left in the hands of career politicians. After observing a quite 60th birthday in his Aguleri country home in early August, Obiano looked across the Niger and felt that the time had come to do something different. Shrugging off the muffled wailings of confused opposition at home, he stormed the Lagos lecture circuit and delivered what has been widely acclaimed as an outstanding lecture at the Pan Atlantic University.
The second remarkable thing Obiano did was to visit the Nigerian Stock Exchange shortly after the lecture at the Pan Atlantic University. After attracting $2.4bn investments to the state in his one and half years in office, governor Obiano also thought it was time to take his investment drive to the floor of Nigerian Stock Exchange in Lagos. In his own words, we have attracted many investments into Anambra State but we have not attracted quoted companies yet. I thought it was time to draw the attention of the companies listed on the Exchange to the great investment potentials in Anambra State.
The third notable thing in Obiano’s recent streak of promise was the Regional Conference on Security for the South East and Delta States that he convened in Amawbia on August 22nd, 2015. This historic event also became the ultimate stage for setting an economic agenda for the entire region. The event was attended by Governors Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State while Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State sent a representative.
To discerning minds, these three events could not have been a mere happenstance. Of course they were not. They simply speak to the possibilities that await the nation when we collectively shove aside pale-faced politics and elect capable individuals into political offices. In the visit to the Nigerian Stock Exchange, especially, it was obvious that Obiano was simply digging into his vast experience in the private sector. As he rang the bell to signal the end of trading on the floor of the Exchange that day, it was difficult to miss the symbolism of it. To the stock brokers and other market makers on the floor that day, Obiano’s presence was a clear indication that political leadership was not out of the reach of anyone of them. To the management of the Exchange, especially the CEO, Mr. Oscar Onyeama, the visit was a reminder of the immense role that the institution can and should play in deepening the economy of the country through the states. And finally, to Ndi Anambra, the visit was a validation of their choice of a governor, a reminder that their governor came from a solid background and has the capacity to ratchet up goodwill from high places where some career politicians dare not tread.
As he sat in front of the camera fielding questions from CNBC Africa that beamed the interview across Africa, the Middle East and Europe immediately after ringing the closing bell, Governor Obiano exuded the confidence of a man in his natural habitat. He spoke extensively about how Anambra had become the safest state in Nigeria under his watch, how rich the state is in human and material resources and how hospitable the inhabitants are to investors and visitors. His face glowed like a full moon as he regaled the world with stories of his new Anambra. It was clear to the audience that in that moment, Obiano saw himself as the CEO of the state who had been called upon as the chief marketing officer, to make a sales pitch. And he did a great job of it.
The day before, he had mounted the physical and metaphorical podium to illuminate the topic, Sustaining the Legacy of Growth and Development in Anambra State, at the Distinguished Lecture series of the School of Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University. In the lecture, Governor Obiano sought to elevate conversations around Anambra and the entire South East. He lauded the state’s numerous illustrious sons and daughters in whose shadows he stood and pointed out that his administration had made bold efforts to re-imagine the state and set down the fundamentals for growth. He chided political gladiators whom he said had failed to see that when an elected governor fails, the entire state fails with him.
In an evocative voice, Governor Obiano argued – I found it hard to accept that a state so gifted in nearly every aspect of human endeavour has been blighted by lack of internal cohesion and unanimity of purpose for so long. I found it difficult to believe that we could not harness our individual success stories into one mighty success story for the group. I found it hard to contemplate that in our twenty four years of existence as a state; things began to fall in place only nine years ago when my predecessor Chief Peter Obi took over the reins of leadership and began to implement the APGA model of governance. His final verdict was that Ndi Anambra could and should have done better as a group. Again in this lecture, Ndi Anambra could see a leader who is striving to locate the point at which the rain began to beat them; a leader who is finally probing the conundrum of divisive politics in an otherwise homogenous state which has stymied development for decades. One of the hallmarks of great leadership is the ability to analyse the historical questions of a people and distil them down to contemporary issues of the moment; offering insights and solutions and leaving sound bites and beacons that will guide future generations to arrive at meaningful conclusions. Obiano’s Pan Atlantic Lecture came fully made with all that and more.
After his triumphant return from Lagos, Obiano quickly settled down to set a regional security and economic agenda. Speaking at the well-attended Regional Security Conference in Amawbia, he sought to rouse the audience with rhetorical questions. Said he; the pertinent question we must ask ourselves is how long? How long shall the South East and Delta State and other contiguous states bear the brunt of brazen criminality and meaningless brigandage? How long shall our people’s well known enterprising spirit be driven away to nourish distant lands while our homeland wallows in squalor? He consequently called for a regional response to the threat of insecurity in the South East and Delta States, arguing that any victory over crime in the region would not endure so long as a criminal driven out of one state could find shelter in a neighbouring state.
He also seized the moment to set an economic agenda for the whole region. Obiano observed that 55 years after independence, Nigeria has yet to make the expected leap out of the regional economies of the pre-and- post-independence era. It is indeed disheartening to note that our national economic planning has left some regions scratching for survival while others are in full bloom. But there is no time to indulge in unproductive excuses or ring our hands in blame, he reasoned, pointing out that it behoved on the people to rise to the challenge of creating an alternate economy in the region. Taking the rhetoric further, Obiano argued that “The shrinking of spaces for migrant people across the country calls for a robust economic and social agenda that will make our people less vulnerable to increasing hostilities around the world. There is a strident call by History on every leader from this region which we cannot ignore. Posterity looks onto us to build a befitting economy for the South East and Delta State.
On the whole, what we can no longer deny is the fact that Governor Willie Obiano is living up to his reputation as a seasoned technocrat; one who is adequately prepared for the rigours of political leadership. Indeed, what can no longer be gainsaid is the fact that if the morning shows the day, we finally have on our hands a leader who thinks beyond the next election.
