[Being a
Presentation by Valentine Obienyem at the unveiling of Mr. Peter Obi’s
Biography by Agulu Youth Empowerment Committee, on Saturday, November
19, 2016].
Protocols
I am delighted to
be part of this assembly to give honour to an exemplary entrepreneur,
administrator, patriot, statesman, who happens to be our brother. In spite of
the antics of a few misguided elements, what you are doing today compels one to
say that a prophet can after all have honour among his people.
When I got the
invitation to this forum, my initial impression of “biography to the event” was
that a book on Mr. Peter Gregory Obi was to be presented today. However, the
organizers handed me the task to share what I know about this man of vision and
mission, which could inspire the youth.
This is a
commendable initiative because a society without heroes [and heroines] remains
in the doldrums. I have always contended that if we stand reverent before
waterfalls, mountain peaks, Ogbunike cave, the grooves of Haba or arresting
assemblage of architectural wonders, why should we not stand reverent before
the highest miracle of all – men who are both great and good?
Such men are the
very life-blood of history, to which politics and industry are but frame and
bones. Mr. Peter “Okwute” Obi is one of such men.
Peter Gregory Obi
was born in Onitsha on July 19, 1961, and grew up to become a man of strong
will, gentle speech, imposing purpose and simple sentiments. His character and
politics have continued to please the discerning people, while confounding
those of dishonourable intentions. He is genial, witty, unassuming, and endowed
with a charm that atones for his errors. Simple and unpretentious in
appearance and attire, he has steadily established a reputation for political
sanctity and love for our country and her people.
A look at the
maturity of Peter Obi’s character through growth, responsibility and
circumstances as well as his positive impact on humanity and society, is
revealing. Born with a silver spoon, his attainments have come mostly through
hard work and commitment.
He commenced his
formal education at Sancta Maria Primary School, Onitsha. By the time he
entered secondary school -- Christ the King College [CKC], Onitsha -- he was
already engaged in different trades through which he made money. In an
experience from which we coined the term ‘Peter Obi’s Egg Principle’, he
informed us how he meticulously guarded the eggs he put up for sale on the
sound logic that the loss of even one meant the loss of his profit in that
venture.
The business grew
because at this stage, he had taxis/cabs operating in Onitsha- for a secondary
school chap, this would sound incredible to some of us gathered here today.
That experience helped define his future punctuated by prudence and financial
discipline.
As a student at the
University of Nigeria, Nsukka [UNN], where he read philosophy, Peter Obi was
travelling abroad on business. Among other contacts, there is a Mr. Fonzy with
whom he maintained a strong business relationship until the older man’s recent
retirement. Their partnership lasted long because they kept to their
agreements; indeed, their word was their bond and so are so many relationships,
business and otherwise, he is into. We can, therefore, say of Peter Obi that he
is faithful to his words and fair to his partners and friends. When they pull,
he loosens and if they loosen, he pulls.
While a student of
the UNN, he lived in his own house in Nsukka and was already travelling abroad
weekly for his business. It was at that time that he built the Savannah Bank
branch at Nsukka and Omor. His taxis plied the campus and those that sort
political powers went to him for sponsorship.
Graduating with a
second class degree, Peter Obi concentrated on his businesses which grew like a
watered rose to make him an influential player in the corporate world. Thus, we
saw him serving as Chairman of Fidelity Bank PLC; Chairman, Guardian Express
Mortgage Bank; Chairman, Future Views Securities; Chairman, Paymaster PLC;
Chairman, Next International; Director, Guardian Express Bank PLC; Director,
Chams Nigeria PLC; Director, Emerging Capital; and Director, Card Centre
PLC, among others.
In the meantime, he
also sharpened his entrepreneurial and managerial competencies at some of the
world’s best professional institutions. These include: Lagos Business School,
Harvard Business School, London School of Economics, Columbia Business School
in New York, Switzerland Institute for Management Development, Kellogg [USA]
Graduate School of Management, Said Business School of Oxford University, and
George Business School of Cambridge University.
Exploring a wider
platform to serve society and humanity, Peter Obi contested the governorship of
Anambra State, but was denied victory. Being a vessel nature has preserved for
a special purpose, he went to court, shunned all manner of ‘settlements’ and
intimidation -- and thus became the first Nigerian politician to regain his
electoral mandate through the courts and due process. Dogged by the predators,
he was also the first elected State Governor to return from impeachment. The
travails of his tenure in Government House altered the structure of elections
in Nigeria.
Easily, Peter Obi
has become a model on what good governance is all about; and for justifiable
reasons. Barely 6 months in office, he was impeached by the Hon. Mike
Balonwu-led House of Assembly. The first charge was that he contravened the
‘Constitution’ and single-handedly renovated the destroyed Government House
with less than N50 million against the over-NN200 million appropriated in the
budget.
While the leeches
agonized over their lost-grip on the treasury, many of his friends were
disappointed he did not make them millionaires at public expense. Or, at least,
he could have offered them appointments like his counterparts elsewhere did for
their cronies. For Peter Obi, public appointments should be derived from
genuine needs and necessities and not as political settlement.
Prior to the
tenures of Dr. Chris Ngige and Peter Obi, road travel in Anambra State was a
nightmare in several ramifications. Building on the foundations laid by Ngige,
Governor Obi gave the State the best road network in Nigeria – as established
by the Federal Government. Tremendous impact was also made in other sectors and
sub-sectors with the novel, widely-acclaimed Anambra State Integrated
Development Strategy [ANIDS].
Peter Obi’s return
of schools to their initial proprietors – particularly the Churches – rates
among his most critical achievements as Governor. Though some persons now claim
to be involved in the momentous decision, they were among the vociferous
opposition massed against the move. It was Peter Obi’s resolve, courage and
decisiveness that ushered in what is internationally-acknowledged as re-birth
of education in Anambra State and a model for the rest of Nigeria.
As the Governor,
the sheer force of his character engendered responsible developments in the
State. Due to this positive disposition, at times in the bid to avoid mistakes,
he fled from action into thought, from rash certainties to cautious doubts. He
reminds us of the Latin maxim, in dubio, noli agere [In doubt, do not act]. He
knew well enough to discern that not all the truth or error is on one side; but
on both. Often, he placed his actions on the scale of ‘proof beyond reasonable
doubt’. Regrettably, what some people told him which he doubted and did not act
upon for not being sure, turned out to be the truth.
From the privilege
of having not suffered any major ill-health since he was born, he sees health
"Pythagoreanly" as a harmony of the parts of the body and character.
He has often observed that what people suffer are direct consequences of
seeking what they do not need and what are not in sync with their constitution.
He goes the extra mile in trying to maintain this harmony in the firm
belief that once one allows excess of import over export, it will disturb the
internal economy. Thus, he exercises routinely to burn fats and keep his body
athletically trimmed -- no extra ounce of flesh to burden him.
He was able to keep
Anambra State one and united through many ways, excluding force. Those
that wanted to fight him, he disarmed by joining them at dinner in their homes;
for some he went to their houses uninvited and even passed the night. What this
teaches us is that governance is not by raw force or by going on long convoys;
but an intellectual business. We can actually achieve much by
intelligently analyzing situations and applying informed solutions. An example
is a story that Plutarch, the father of biography, told of how an epidemic of
suicide among the women of Miletus was suddenly and completely ended by an ordinance
decreeing that self-slain women should be carried naked through the market to
their burial. If the decree was for their property to be seized, would it have
achieved the same result?
From his tenure as
Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi recognized the need for the States in the
East to work together. He recognizes that no society can survive if it treats
its members to behave towards one another in the same way in which it
encourages them to behave as a group towards other groups; internal cooperation
is the first law of external competition. This is why he held the people of the
State together, putting up with their foibles. His tenure as Chairman of the
South-East Governors’ Forum was easily the glorious era of the platform. Then,
the Governors of the South-East spoke with one voice and shared their joys and
concerns.
Let us look at his
achievements through the responsibility entrusted on him by his
resourcefulness.
Peter Obi is
skilled in negotiation and bridge-building. Most people are amazed how he does
this, but if you stay close to him, you will see a certain comeliness and
magnetism, especially if you do not consider friendship in terms of material
acquisitions. With this unique character, he was about the most active State
Governor during his time. The evidence is glaring to be contested, because
seamlessly, he was a member of many Federal Government Committees as probably
none of his colleagues was. Among others, he served on varied FG Committees on
Minimum Wage, Negotiation with Labour on Subsidy, Mass Transit, Natural
Resources, Power Sector Reform, Sharing of MDG Funds, Accurate Data on
Nigeria’s Oil Import & Export, Agricultural Transformation Implementation,
and Needs Analyses of Public Universities.
One of the sterling
qualities of Mr. Peter Obi, is his ability to remain himself -- indeed, cool,
calm and collected – at all times. Inauthentic existence has become a bane of
our society as we witness even elders allowing the society to define their
values for them; allowing their lives to be subsumed in the anonymity of
collectivism. Today, burials and other events that ordinarily should compel
introspection have become orgies. But here we have one man who has refused to
join in the madness. Though he got married as a wealthy man, it was not
Epicurean. Her mother’s burial was just shocking to the people due to its
modesty – the money he would have spent in organizing a lavish burial was used
to offer scholarship to 100 people, which he noted would be more pleasing to
his mother. In Nigeria, people do things as status symbol without a
moment’s reflection, but here we have a former Bank Chairman, one of the
leaders of the stock market and a former Governor who does not own a house in
the village. In Lagos and Abuja, he lives in rented apartments. This is not
about the ability to build houses all over the world, but applying the dictates
of reason in doing so.
As Governor, Peter
Obi shunned titles and granting of dignities. It is not out of hatred for that
gesture but a subtle protest about their abuse. In Nigeria, if a criminal sees
himself in a position of authority, Nigerians will try to stifle him with all
manner of awards, some writers, for a few wads, will immediately confirm
sanctity on him by forgetting his past and creating an utopian future for him.
When he rejected such, except manifestly credible ones, he was rebelling
against a society that has turned the placement of values topsy-turvy.
A glance at some of
the awards he was conferred will reveal their justification:
•
2015: Golden Jubilee Award from the Catholic Diocese of Onitsha for
outstanding contribution to quality healthcare delivery in St. Charles Borromeo
Hospital in particular and Anambra State in general at the Golden Jubilee
celebration of the hospital.
•
2014: Nigerian Library Association Gold Merit Award for remarkable
improvement of libraries in Anambra State, exemplified by his administration’s
construction of the Kenneth Dike Digital State Library, remarkable upgrade of
the Onitsha Divisional Library, and provision of library facilities in
secondary schools across the State.
•
2014: Champion Newspaper Most Outstanding Igbo Man of the Decade.
•
2014: The Voice Newspaper (The Netherlands) Achiever’s Award for
Outstanding Example in Leadership and Governance.
•
2013: Silverbird Man of the Year (with Governor Babatunde Fashola of
Lagos State).
•
2012: Business Hallmark Newspaper Man of the Year.
•
2012: The Golden Award on Prudence by the Methodist Church of Nigeria as
the Most Financially-Prudent Governor in Nigeria.
•
2012: Leadership and Good Governance Award by The Ezeife Leadership
Foundation for restoring peace and harmony to Anambra State.
•
2012: Best-Performing Governor on Immunization in South-East Nigeria by
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
•
2012: Outstanding Financial Planner and Manager by the Church of Nigeria
[Anglican Communion] for resourcefulness and creativity in governance.
•
2011: Zik Leadership Prize.
•
2010: ICT Governor of the Year by the West Africa ICT Development
Award.
•
2009: Champion Newspaper Nigeria’s Most Trustworthy Governor Award.
•
2009: Thisday Newspaper Most Prudent Governor in Nigeria.
•
2007: Sun Newspaper Man of the Year Award.
• The
Nigerian MDGs Office/UNDP Best Governor in the Implementation of the MDGs in
Nigeria.
Going through the
entire gamut of what he did as Governor of Anambra State from 2006 to 2014, it
is agreed that he remains one of the best Governors Nigeria has had. This is
not platitude, but a fact that can be verified through his work. Permit us to
mention some of those attainments:
• He
was the first State Governorship candidate in Nigeria to legally pursue to its
logical conclusion, his governorship electoral victory that was denied him. He
won in the Courts and reclaimed his mandate.
• He
was the first State Governor in Nigeria to legally challenge his wrongful
impeachment and was reinstated by the Courts.
• He
was the first State Governor in Nigeria to seek the interpretation of tenures of
Governors when INEC allowed elections to take place in Anambra State even as
his tenure had not expired. The said election already concluded was cancelled
and Peter Obi was able to complete his tenure.
• He
was the first & only Governor of the new & old Anambra State – to date
-- to serve a second term.
• He
was the first incumbent State Governor to be appointed a Special Adviser to the
President.
• He
was the first serving State Governor to be appointed into the Presidential
Economic Management Team.
• He
was among the first set of incumbent State Governors to be honoured with a
National Award of Commander of the Order of the Niger [CON] -- in 2011
•
Though the only Governor whose political party was in government in only
one State, he was twice-elected Vice-Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’
Forum.
•
Though the only non-PDP Governor in the South-East (made up of 5 States),
he was elected by the other 4 PDP Governors as their Chairman for 8 years
rather than the usual one year.
•
During his tenure
as Governor:
•
Anambra was the first State to commence Sub-Sovereign Wealth savings –
indeed, the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa. At a time many other
Governors were leaving huge debts, Peter Obi left the equivalent of US$500
million in investments as well as local and foreign currency, including US$156
million in Dollar-denominated bonds. Going by the exchange rate, the money he
left is now over 180 Billion Naira.
• For
the first time in the history of the State, Ambassadors and High Commissioners
of notable countries such as the United States, Britain, Russia, European
Union, South Africa, Belgium, Israel, The Netherlands, Canada, among others,
visited Anambra State. Before his tenure, Anambra was practically a pariah State
blacklisted by the Diplomatic Corps and international development
partners.
•
Development Partners such as UNDP, UNICEF, the World Bank, DfID and
European Union, which hitherto were not represented in Anambra State, started
working with the State. Anambra was consistently adjudged one of the best
States in development partnership and commitment to reforms for good
governance.
• He
was recognized as Best Governor by the Millennium Development Goals Office
(OSSAP-MDGs) and the UNDP in the implementation of their programmes in
Nigeria.
• The
Nigerian Debt Management Office (DMO) rated Anambra as the least indebted state
in Nigeria. In spite of visible and measurable achievements recorded in various
sectors, the State did not borrow or raise bonds for its various
projects.
• The
Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria rated Anambra the most
financially-stable State in the country.
• The
momentous return of erstwhile private schools to their original owners on
January 1, 2009 and subsequent partnership with the voluntary agencies, saw the
State move from 24th position [among the 36 States] to Number One in the
National Examinations Council (NECO) and West African Examinations Council
(WAEC) examinations for three consecutive years. This informed the World Bank’s
commissioning of a study, led by the renowned Prof. Paul Collier of Oxford
University, on this revolutionary partnership and phenomenal achievement.
• The
State entered into strategic partnership with the Churches in the Health sector.
This symbiotic relationship resulted in a tremendous boost to healthcare as the
Obi administration restored grants to the agencies and made available to them
more than US$50 million in various other forms of support.
•
Through partnership with the Churches, his administration funded the
transformation of Iyienu Hospital, Ogidi; Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Ihiala;
St. Charles Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha; Holy Rosary Hospital, Waterside,
Onitsha; and St. Joseph Hospital, Adazi-Nnukwu. It also established the Joseph
Nwilo Heart Centre in St. Joseph Hospital, Adazi-Nnukwu, where heart operations
are now being performed.
• His
administration won the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Prize of US$1 million
as the best-performing State in immunization in the South-East. With
complementary funding from his administration, the funds were utilized to build
10 Maternal and Child Care Centres across the State, particularly in rural
communities – also in partnership with the Churches.
•
Anambra State was the first to procure and distribute over 30,000 DeskTop
Computers to secondary schools -- 22,500 of them from Hewlett-Packard [HP]. The
Managing Director for Personal Systems Group HP Inc., Mr. Fabrice Campoy had
revealed that the deployment was the biggest such project in the Middle-East
and Africa.
•
Microsoft Academies were set up in more than 500 secondary schools – a
gesture the Head of Microsoft in Nigeria, Mr. Ken Span described as the largest
in Africa.
• The
State provided Internet access to over 500 secondary schools, which the CEO of
Galaxy Backbone, Mr. Gerald Ilukwe characterized as incomparable to any other
in Nigeria.
• More
than 700 buses were provided to secondary schools in the State.
•
Boreholes were provided in schools across the State.
•
Several classroom blocks were constructed in all the 177 autonomous
communities of the State.
•
Quite a number of companies were attracted to establish in the Anambra
State. These include SABMiller -- the world’s 2nd largest brewing company –
which set up its first Green Field facility in the State. Today, that is one of
the most successful facilities they operate globally.
•
Several enterprises received the active support and encouragement of the
administration. A case in point is INNOSON Motor Manufacturing Company, from
which the Obi administration purchased over 1,000 vehicles.
•
Anambra State for the first time started close collaboration with
recognized government security agencies -- offering them various types of support,
including over 500 security vehicles and other logistics. The improvement in
security was phenomenal, such that the then Inspector-General of Police,
Mohammed Abubakar lauded the State for not witnessing any bank robbery in the
last three years of the Obi tenure.
• To
further enhance security, the Obi administration provided at least one security
vehicle to each of all the 177 autonomous communities of the State as well as
such other organizations such as markets and Churches.
• The
administration conceived and built the first state-owned Teaching Hospital,
Awka – named after Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu.
• The
administration commenced the planned development of the Igbariam Campus of the
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu University, including fencing, internal roads,
electrification, Auditorium, Administrative Block, Faculties of Management, Law
and Agriculture, among others.
•
Support of the World Bank was attracted to implement the State’s the
State’s component of the National Erosion and Watershed Management Project
(NEWMAP).
•
Anambra was the first State in Nigeria to undertake a Poverty Mapping --
as a guide for the effective implementation of the administration’s
poverty-alleviation strategies.
•
Anambra State, for the first time, undertook the aerial mapping of Awka
as well as the production of Structure Plans for Awka Capital Territory,
Onitsha and Nnewi.
• With
his administration’s efforts, Anambra has become an oil producing State.
• The
Obi administration built the first Secretariat Complex to house State
Government Ministries, Departments & Agencies [MDAs] that were hitherto
scattered around the State, mostly in rented apartments.
• The
Obi administration commenced the development of the 'Three Arms Zone' comprising
Government House/Governor’s Lodge, Legislative Building/Speaker’s Residence,
and Judiciary Building with Chief Judge’s Residence.
• By
the end of his tenure in 2014, over 12 health institutions, including two
hospitals, had secured accreditation. At his assumption of office in 2006, no
health institution in Anambra State was duly accredited.
•
Anambra State was the first to undergo national peer review, which
scrutinized State Governments for good governance, through the State Peer
Review Mechanism (SPRM), an initiative of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum in
collaboration with the DfID.
•
Peter Obi's
gubernatorial experience brought honour and pride to Agulu. I know most of
those that worked with him who got elevated to higher responsibilities. For
instance, his Commissioner for Housing, Dr. Patrick Obi was a lecturer in a
State University. At an interview in a Federal University, the panel told him
that the mere knowledge that he worked with Mr. Peter Obi had made him
qualified. He is widely known within and outside Nigeria, and they acknowledge
he works with the best!
Today, I am engaged
in some small businesses. In my transactions, I met the foremost goods importer
in Igboland who told me that having worked with Mr. Peter Obi made me qualified
for limitless credit. Rather than the totality of Agulu celebrating such a man,
some nibble at his integrity; displaying crude jealousy that will lead them to
nowhere.
Like the period
following the Dark Ages was known as the "Renaissance," Peter Obi’s
governance of Anambra was "The Age of Re-Birth." Out of office, his
prayer and that of people of goodwill is that his successor should perform
better than him. Now, after over two years, what do we say of his successor? Is
he governing the realm with dour integrity and devoted incompetence, too
suspicious to be happy, too cruel to be loved, too vain to be great? Or is he
following the footsteps of his predecessor, allocating the resources of the
State the best way it should -- not borrowing to burden generations unborn and
growing the savings of the State?
Shortly before he
bowed down in a blaze of glory, he did his best towards sustaining the gains of
his administration by his successor, that was why he set money aside for the
completion of Agulu Lake Hotel, all the ongoing projects in Agulu, Onitsha
Hotel, Nnewi and Awka Malls, critical roads in the State such as the
Amansea-Amawbia dual carriage road, Ndiukwuenu road, Awgwu road, Old
Awka-Amansea road, among others. He also set money aside for the Three Arms
Zone -Government House, Legislative House and Judiciary headquarters as well as
the National Youth Service Corps Permanent Site at Umuawulu/mbaukwu, among
other critical projects.
Since leaving
Government House, appreciation of what the Obi administration did for the State
has come into marked focus. There is hardly anywhere he goes in the State that
he is not acknowledged in ecstasy – with ‘Okwute! Okwute!’ [The Rock].
Attempts to silence him and restrict his movement within the State have further
heightened his popularity and esteem.
On social media,
the predators and their agents try to use him for target practice – clamouring
to outdo one other in polemic vitriol. They satirize him with hilarious
caricature, some depicting him as a vampire. We need no prophets to tell us
that war has been declared upon him, but he has waxed stronger.
What is annoying at
this juncture is that some of our sons and daughters are among those fighting
him. Why would Chief Ben Obi (Mbuze Agulu) at over 60 allow himself to be used
against his brother? Recently, they wrote a release for him, which he signed
saying unprintable things one would not even say of his enemy. He claimed that
as a result of bad things Obi did through his sister, her congregation sacked
her from sisterhood and she fled to Congo. As we speak, Sister has not been to
Congo before. We see some Okwuotos, Silases and Ejeabaochas joining forces to
fight their own brother even when the entire country eulogizes him as a
Nigerian star in the midst of which other stars lose their scintillating
brilliance.
Peter Obi is
successful in every sense of the word. But despite all forethought and
foresight, he made (to our hindsight) an ample variety of mistakes, both in
judging men and in calculating results. Clearly, he did not know that those he
trusted in APGA were only out to trade with the State, but he has played his
role in giving Anambra State a pride of place in the Nigerian Federation.
Finally, may I take
this opportunity to let you know the major secret of the success of Mr. Peter
Obi is – spirituality. We hear the tale of some leaders usually
under inexplicable spell. Recently we even added the ridiculous to the tale- a
governor was reported to have been slapped by unseen hands! During the time of
Peter Obi, we did not hear of such tales because he was close to God. He
attended morning masses every day before going to office. At the close of work,
his last act was to visit the chapel at the Government Lodge to commune with
his creator. By this art, he is beckoning on us all to have trust and faith in
God.
LEADERSHIP LESSONS
In the course of
this work, I brought out some leadership lessons that we can learn from him.
These include:
•
Humility
•
Perseverance
•
Prudence
•
Malleability
• Truthfulness
•
Authenticity
• Love
•
Kindness
• Firmness
No comments:
Post a Comment