As Obi Begins Another Eventful Four Years...

By Chukwujekwu Ilozue





Politicians themselves acknowledge that Governor Peter Obi is not a run on the mill politician. He is so different that often times, you are forced to conclude that the toga of politics he wears does not indeed fit him. For instance, when Obi came into office the first quarrel he picked with his predecessor Dr. Chris Ngige was the closure of  Onitsha main market, Anambra’s single largest source of income so that traders could attend the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu whose verdict eventually was not his favour. Obi who has always said he is trader wondered why a group of traders would be denied their legitimate source of income in the name of politics. To many people, that was strange. For a long time, Anambra markets had remained a political arm of the state government. Successive governments close markets on slightest opportunity for political gains.





Obi came into office driven in Peugeot 504 Best line model. He stuck to it and refused to use expensive vehicles especially jeeps. He also shunned sirens as he travels to various areas of engagement. He said it was not necessary because it alienates government from the people. The consequence is that Governor Obi rides side by side with fellow citizens. This is also a habit he carried into the church because Obi never discloses to his security details, which church he would attend. Should he by any means attend church late he would simply sneak in and take a seat at the back just like any other late comer.  Once at Ukpor in Nnewi South local council when overzealous security aids caused the car of another road user to skid into the gutter, Obi stopped the convoy, came out with all the security aides and personally assisted the man to pull the car out. The man never forgot the gesture. On clocking one year in office the man went to Anambra Broadcasting  Service to place a well deserved  congratulatory message in which he narrated a bit of the gesture.  Nevertheless, Obi’s security aides conspired to post a terrifying security situation that forced the Governor to change cars and use siren.

That was the much they could do to change his life style. They could not prevent him from giving his phone numbers freely so that even school prefects call and discuss matters about their schools with him, not to talk of traditional rulers and town union Presidents-General. They could not prevent him from mingling freely with the citizens each time he has public functions, a luxury many other governors cannot afford. They could not also change his aversion to acquisition of public wealth. If he visits a community and the community offers him a goat or a cow or any other material good for that matter, he would quickly look for an old people’s home, an orphanage or the like to direct whatever that is given to him to be channeled to. If a corporate organization offers him some gifts, usually executive gifts, for instance, they may offer to build a house for him, or give him a vehicle or vehicles, and so on, he would politely thank the corporate organization but would plead that the money be channeled to doing a a major investment in any of the public sectors like build classroom blocks in some public schools, provide generating sets to schools or help to supply buses to the State ANIDS Urban Mass transit scheme. This attitude, he has gradually passed to his appointees, thus ensuring that his lieutenants follow his footsteps. Obi says, sometimes to the chagrin of his traducers that God has blessed him so much that he did not seek public office to make wealth.



The consequence of all these is his stupendous  performance in his first troubled four years in office. His integrity naturally attracted friends and well wishers from far and near. It is no wonder that national and international organizations, like the World Bank, European Union, UNICEF and Corporate Organizations which are falling head on heels to be part of the success story of Anambra State. Many of the international organizations had closed shops and relocated from Anambra state when successive administrations could not account for money remitted to them to execute projects not to talk of their own counterpart fund that never came.

Obi achieved much because he spread development to every sector of the economy and every community in the state too. His early months in office was marked by disillusionment by citizens who were having the tempo of road construction during the time of his predecessor and would want such to continue. But Obi has his own ideas. He took time to plan, arguing that those who fail to plan to fail. When he finally took off, he had conceived a guiding philosophy known as Anambra Integrated Development Strategy (ANIDS), a philosophy that tackled the problems of every sector of the state simultaneously. This was a departure from mono development strategy that was witnessed in the days of predecessors. The result is that in his first tenure, Obi’s administration constructed 405 kilometers of roads, began the longest bridge in Anambra state, the Odor River Bridge, paved way in virgin lands such as the road to Lilu community, and so on.

The first issue Obi tackled when he assumed office was security. His predecessors hired private security outfits to guard them in office and to provide security to the citizenry, having been disappointed with the Nigeria Police. But Obi thought otherwise. He decided to energize the police by providing it logistics to fight crimes- operational vehicles and communication facilities. He also rehabilitated police posts and provided them with electricity generating sets to make their offices conducive.



In education sector, he rehabilitated virtually all schools: primary or secondary or built new structures in each of the schools, established Microsoft academy in 210 secondary in conjunction with Microsoft Corporation. One hundred and ten of the schools got 50 lap tops donated by Microsoft Corporation, while others got 50 flat screens computer sets each with complete internet facilities, V-sat, a battery and an inverter to keep the sites on when there is power outage. Each school got between 50 , supplied electricity generating sets to schools, provided bore holes for schools with girls’ schools as priority; provided new desks   and so on and most importantly initiated  town hall meetings with students during which students are free to tell the governor  the problems of their schools. Obi said he took that decision when he discovered that adults and school heads usually paint a wrong picture to him each time he visited their schools. Obi also visits schools every week as a matter of routine. As for tertiary institutions, both state university with campuses at Uli and Igbariam  and the Nwafor Orizu College of Education Nsugbe, new structures have been built to cope with the rising number of admission seeking students and facilities have been upgraded and more courses accredited.



When Obi took over office on March 17, 2010, the state did not have a Civil Service secretariat. Government offices were scattered all over the state. Within two years in office he completed an expansive three story secretariat while the second one is nearing completion.  He also rebuilt Government House Awka which was burnt down during the November 2004 mayhem.

Health seems to have enjoyed Government attention most. Before assumed office, the health sector was in a shambles.  Immunization coverage was about 45 percent, no health institution in the state was accredited by either the Nigeria Medical Council nor the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria to offer internship for medical students in the state  or run some courses. The situation has completely been reversed. Immunization coverage has gone up to 85 percent; Onitsha General Hospital has been accredited to offer internship to medical students, while College of Health Technology Obosi, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Obosi and Nkpor, Mission hospitals at Waterside Onitsha, Iyienu, Adazi, Ihiala have been accredited to train nurses after funds were pumped into those by the government. In addition regional hospitals such as the ones in Onitsha, Awka and Ekwulobia, and very importantly, the General hospital Umuleri which was ravaged during the fratricidal wars in the area in the early 90s have also been rehabilitated while new cottage hospitals, health centres have been built.

Most importantly,   Amaku General Hospital have been upgraded into a University Teaching Hospital with structures provided to take off soon, while Cardiac/Kidney Dialysis Centre has been built in  Onitsha General hospital. In all 16 general hospitals across the state have been rehabilitated and provided with ambulances. Another set of Rapid Response Ambulances which pick sick people from remote parts of the state on calling them have also been provided. Apart from this each of these hospitals  and schools have been provided with buses for the day to day running of their affairs. It is important to note that achievements recorded in health have a link with the caliber of personnel in that sector led by the Commissioner of Health, Professor Amobi Ilika, a specialist in Tropical medicine recruited from the school of Health Sciences of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi campus.

One other area where Obi provided novel ideas is in Commerce and Industry. Again, with hardworking Hon. Chima Okafor as commissioner, Anambra for the first time in the history of the state built a Financial Centre which hosts Onitsha Nigerian Stock Exchange, security and Exchange Commission, capital market operation (broker’s) offices and offices of some banks. The administration is currently building  Onitsha ICT park otherwise known as Onitsha Business Park which will provide accommodation for companies and form a training ground for youths on ICT. Also, the Onitsha Government Reservation Area has been tidied up with illegal structures on government land demolished and in their place, Onitsha amusement park has sprang up. The brown sugar factory at Omor has been rehabilitated. The big projects expected to take off this year are the International Conference Centre in Onitsha, work on the Industrial Parks and the granting of Trade Free Zone status to Ogbaru axis and collaboration with  LG Electronics to construct a facility centre in Awka. The ongoing  second Onitsha Business Park will be completed this year.

In the last four years, all sectors of the economy have enjoyed a boost: Ministry of Agriculture has provided farming implements, seedlings, soft loans and motorcycle for farmers; a College of Agriculture has been established at Mgbakwu and so on.

In Awka, Obi’s administration solved the largest man-made environmental disaster at Iyiagu. The river was blocked by heartless business men years ago thereby creating an environmental havoc. The administration opened the water channel thereby freeing a large population at the other end of it of the disaster. But environmental sanitation is certainly one area Governor Obi is yet to get right. With the arrival of refuse compactors refuse disposable vehicles, a new lease of life will certainly be felt in that sector.

Obi did not also forget Judiciary. He provided brand new vehicles for judges and magistrates, built judges’ quarters at Awka and Onitsha built and handed over customary court of Appeal and Federal High Court in Awka.

A very visible sector in the administration is the transport sector. On assumption of office, Obi assisted the state Transport Company (TRACAS) to acquire 40 Peugeot  Expert model, christened ‘Peter Obi’ which it deployed to long distances  journeys. They were to be joined later by a fleet of cars and buses under the Anambra Integrated Development Strategy (ANIDS) buses and taxis. He also provided free helmet to commercial motorcycle riders in the state.

Under various agreements, the state provided water in schools and communities, provided transformers for electricity generation. It energized the information outfits-Anambra Broadcasting Corporation and Anambra Newspapers and Printing Corporation and the mobile Cinema Film Unit.

One other are the administration made a big impact is in the local government administration. It built several new buildings in local government headquarters, built Onitsha North and Onitsha South local Government headquarters entirely new after relocating them. Besides, an innovation introduced by Governor Obi is the recognition of communities as the fourth tier of government. Regular meetings are held with town union Presidents, funds are directly disbursed to them on regular basis for security and carrying out of palliative measures on community roads. Besides, the novel town hall meetings with communities brought communities in the state closer to the government.

Women and children also find a place in the government. The office of the First Lady and  Ministry of Women Development organizes yearly women summit to which prominent women of Igbo extraction  were invited to educate women on their expected roles in their family. Her Excellency Mrs. Margaret Peter Obi has also personally toured the 177 communities in the state where she meets with women, disburses loans for small scale businesses to the women and generally felicitates with them.

But credit must be to the Commissioner of Budget and Planning, Professor Chinyere Okunna in whom Obi found a competent planner and adviser. Okunna doubles as chairman of Good Governance Team, a government watchdog on the actions of the executive. It was Okunna that plans and directs the pace of development.  She also calls the governor to order in cases where the direction the governor is going is not what the people desire. Okunna said: “Our job as a committee is to watch the way government is going, the governor is going and draw his attention. So, if you see him doing well people are nudging him at the back. He is basically a good person and the committee is there to oversee what he is doing to call him to order when he is not doing well.”

Yet it must be said that the last four years has been turbulent for Obi who suffered an unjust impeachment which was reversed by the court, and who also stepped aside for 17 days in 2007 during which Dr. Andy Uba came in as governor. In all cases, he puts the matter behind and marches on.

For the next four years Obi plans to consolidate on his achievements of the last four years still guided by the philosophy of ANIDS. He has pledged to construct 100 kilometers of road every year, complete the Odor River Bridge, Ebenebe, Ogboji, NTA, Obibia Bridges respectively and embark on new ones. He will go on with the construction of 4,000 classroom blocks in primary schools in the state and spread ICT to more schools, resuscitate more water projects and build mini water schemes; complete the Neem Fertilizer Industry at Amawbia, sustain the security situation to create an enabling environment for investment; rehabilitate more health facilities while completing the first Teaching Hospital, among other things#