COMPARING THE HOLOCAUST IN GERMANY, GENOCIDE IN RWANDA AND THE ASABA MASSACRE OF 7TH OCTOBER 1967!

AN ATTEMPT TO WIPE OUT A DEFENCELESS COMMUNITY BY SHOW OF MILITARY MIGHT??

Patrick Chiwete

A Wikipedia definition of this very horrible word called Holocaust is; “…the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and it’s collaborators”…which tentatively led to the 2nd World War with the eventual formation of the United nation!

Thus, nations came together or became united across the globe in order to prevent the nonoccurrence of such evil deeds! Nevertheless, the same “United nations” went to deep slumber as millions of Tutsi, (a particular tribe in East Africa) were slaughtered in what was generally described as the Rwanda Genocide; “the intentional action to destroy a people (usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial or religious group) in whole or part”... as historically documented.

Now the massacre of defenseless civilians comprising youths of ages between 12-18years, in Asaba, on 7th October 1967, has remained undocumented, nay conveniently forgotten in our history as a nation.

 It was a day indigenes of Asaba were called out to celebrate “ONE NIGERIA” during the Nigeria/Biafra war, but it turned out to be a dance of death!

In retrospect, it could be an attempt to completely wipe out the entire Asaba community based on the extent and manner of the wanton destruction as embarked upon by the marauding Nigeria Soldiers.

An extract from the Wikipedia account of the pogrom summarizes it thus; “Leaders summoned the townspeople to assemble on the morning of October 7, hoping to end the violence through a show of support for "One Nigeria." Hundreds of men, women, and children, many wearing the ceremonial akwa ocha (white) attire paraded along the main street, singing, dancing, and chanting "One Nigeria."

At a junction, men and teenage boys were separated from women and young children, and gathered in an open square at Ogbe-Osowa village. Federal troops revealed machine guns, and orders were given by Maj. Ibrahim Taiwo to open fire.

It is estimated that more than 700 men and boys were killed, some as young as 12 years old, in addition to many more killed in the preceding days”. What are the spirits of the over 700 men and boys that were lynched/slaughtered saying to us today, specifically on the 7th October 2016, 49years after?

Some people in their myopic logic or wisdom have argued almost convincingly that this massacre in Asaba, about 49years ago should be forgotten, put behind us and ndi Ahaba should just move ahead! Of course, life is all about moving on and such argument will make loads of sense to persons who are not casulties of the massacre.

It will be logical to an outsider that never experienced the pains of losing a loved one in any unjustified conflict, especially where the majority of the victims were unarmed little kids.

Tell me, what about the other casualties of this massacre that grew up single parented having lost their fathers in the event of this crooked genocide thereby forcing a loving wife into the dark shadow of becoming a widow?

Auschwitz: visit to Nazi concentration camp

Sam Omatseye

Krakow is not the hometown of the late Pope John Paul 11, I learnt as the minibus whirred past my hotel street.

 

“It’s a village near here,” explained a guide. “But this is the big city around here, so many associate him with Krakow.”

 

Krakow is one of the storied abodes of history. Its population bustles with tourists, and its central square preens with spires, rented horses and buggies, open-air restaurants, shops, lone minstrels and tourists burying themselves in flashlights of photography.

 

But much of the city’s brio draws from a dark place. Many of the tourists, like myself, visit because of Auschwitz, a name hard to spell out by lips and pen. But what is harder still is the ability of anyone to digest its story.

 

That was where our minibus was heading, to Auschwitz, a place of rottenness. It was, simply put, the symbol of Nazi barbarism during the Second World War, where a phalanx of self-righteous racists arrogated to themselves the role of a race’s messiah of human purity.

 

They plotted, first by stealth and later by open brazenness, to wipe out what French writer Jean Paul Sartre described as “other people.”

 

The other people, in this instance, were primarily Jews. But others included rebellious Poles, Jehovah Witnesses, dissidents, homosexuals, Gypsies, etc.

 

The drive from Krakow gulped an hour and half, but that journey would have filled me with a lot more anticipation but for the guide’s decision to prepare us with a film of Nazi horror. Much of the film was familiar to me, having seen quite a few documentaries, seen movies like the Holocaust series, Escape from Sobibor, Schindler’s List, The Book Thief, etc. I had also read quite a few books, fiction and non-fiction, including Kosinski’s The Painted Bird, William Styron’s Sophie’s Choice, Primo Levi’s If This is a Man and Ann Frank’s Diary, etc.

 

I wanted to bear witness after the fact. Even though the evil happened between 1941 and 1945, I had always wanted to see Auschwitz for myself, to walk where Nazi jackboots stomped, where they shot humans at whim, where they burned humans to ashes, where they worked without profit. There I breathed the air where lawyers, doctors, teachers, fathers, mothers, children were reduced to sub-humans, lived like pigs, saw death but could not snatch it, where the devil unveiled the dark side of human folly.

 

It is called Auschwitz, but its original name was in polish, and it was Oswiecim. When the Nazi’s took over, they did not only want to conquer the place but also its name. So, they changed the look as well as its sound. From a rustic, quiet, arboreal town, it became a hovel of cries, lashes, rat-tat of bullets, thuds of dying bodies, separated families, fear, loathing and foreboding.

 

Our bus arrived Auschwitz to a stir of people. My group consisted of about 18 persons. But I saw about at least six other groups there at about 10 am. We went through security checks, and met our tour guide, who was a Polish woman. The gate appeared to me like a barracks portal, and the guide confirmed that the camp was originally a Polish military barracks.

 

The Nazis remodeled it in their image and evacuated the residents. At the gate was written, “Works makes you free,” in German. It was one of the Nazi deceptions. They wanted to give the impression that those forcibly tenanted in that rampart were there to work for profit.

 

The same deception was cast on the detainees. They were merely being resettled. So, they packed their belongings as though to another abode where they would live their normal lives away from the Nazis. They saw it as relief, but they did not know they were about to be relinquished. So, they packed their best clothes, jewelry, money. Some draped themselves in their best fashion. They were rammed into trains with little air and rode for three and half days in some instances. They had no place to ease themselves except on themselves.

 

Auschwitz was located close to another town called Birkenau. It was there the trains arrived, and it was a bigger camp. So, the inmates were transferred to hostels in Auschwitz.

 

We moved from building to building. We saw an approximately 10-foot high wall, where the stubborn people were executed. Some earlier visitors placed flowers. There men and women were lined up and shot, just a yard away from the hostel. Windows overlooked the wall. The hostel inmates could hear the blast of guns but could not see the carnage. They were not supposed to see but guess, why bullets blasted the air, and while voices yelled, whimpered and expired.

 

They never enjoyed a burial except as ashes, if they were not dumped into a big ditch and left to rot. An urn contained remnant ashes secured from the early days after the place was liberated. It looked like shredded cotton before I looked closer and reminded me of wood ashes around my grandmother’s cooking pot. I looked away.

 

Not far from there were masses of human hair. My mind zipped to the craze for human hair in Nigeria, and the contrast stared me in the face. The heaps of hair were shaved from the inmates once they arrived the camp. They used them to make beds and different sorts of clothing. It was classic humiliation to the Jews, especially men whose beards were sometimes as holy as their Torah.

 

Next were their shoes, of various sizes and in that glass display were thousands of pairs of shoes. I wondered those who wore them, when they bought them. A girl probably once used those shoes to impress a date, received it as a birthday present, a guy probably had it for a graduation party, etc. Today, it is a symbol of absence and butchery.

 

The hostel was brutal. They inmates slept on double-bunk beds and on mattresses made from hair. The mattresses were arranged neatly as though it were a dark sort of comfort. The hostels were narrow, and leg room was luxury. The toilets had no privacy and the bowls, cracked and slimy, made you retch. Yet, no one was allowed to use the toilets except early in the morning before work and late at night after work.

 

Anyone who was pressed in between had to wait or face the repercussions. One of them was a starvation room. The inmate would lie in the cell without food or water until he or she died. A polish priest, Maximillien, volunteered on behalf of another man and survived the starvation room for about two weeks. The Nazis were not impressed. They killed him. The priest has been canonised.

 

Other than the starvation room, there was the standing room, where the victim stood without the ability to sit or stoop, for days until he or she expired or served a specific term. Others were simply paraded at the wall of death and executed.

As we walked by the toilets and bathroom, the guide quoted a woman, Esra Pollack,

 

“Man has created horrors but cannot find the words to describe.”

 

The most chilling horror was when we stood in the gas chambers. Shower heads hung on the ceilings as promise of a normal bath. But it was a parody that ended in gas that turned into waves of fire that gutted the naked bodies at once. A few yards away was an incinerator that converted flesh to ashes. The ashes were used as fertilizers and the rest dumped in ponds or rivers. Like a peacock, a few metres away, stood a gated mansion.

 

“That’s the home of the camp commandant,” said the guide. The place was a contrast. We never entered the mansion, and I wondered why. The sight of the luxury where the chief butcher enjoyed the higher comforts with his family was probably enough after all the horrors we had seen in a two-hour walk. We were told that no one survived the camp for more than six months, and those were few.

 

In Poland, there were other camps as well, but this was the most notorious. About 800 attempted escapes but only 144 succeeded and they thrived till the end of the war. With the high walls, the barbed wires, the high tower watches, the 24-hour vigilance, the regular roll calls, it was amazing that some people escaped or even dared.

 

Most of the year was in freezing weather, sometimes minus 20 degree Celsius, more than many refrigerators. Although this was Poland, the majority of inmates were Hungarian Jews. Inside Poland, the Nazis killed 2.3 million Jews and about two million others sent to other camps, some inside Germany.

 

We moved less than twenty minutes away to Birkenau, which was a bigger camp. There the refugees arrived. We saw the train coaches, the rump of the rail lines, and the area where the arrivals were sorted out. The women and children were separated from the men who were seen as healthy. The so-called weak men were lumped with the women and children. The fit men went to the hostels while the “unfit” were consigned to the concentration camp.

 

As the war came to an end, the Nazis destroyed much of the evidence like the gas chambers and hostels. But the marks were unmistakable. One of the chilling reminders was the room where doctor Mengele operated. He slaughtered humans for experiment to make the perfect Aryan race. The man escaped and lived many years later and was never discovered until he drowned in Latin America.

 

It was over, but for the rest of the day, I had to concentrate on the nature of human evil.

 

THAT REALITY CHECKS ON PST BARR CHUKS JOHN OBUSOM…..HOW VALID?

Patrick Chiwete

 “JUDGE FOR YOURSELF” THE RECENT COMMISSIONING OF PROJECTS AND PST BARR. CHUKS OBUSOM’S PRESENCE AS THE CHAIRMAN OF OSHIMILI SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT!!

AN “UHURU” WITH THE NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN OR THE BUSINESS AS USUAL CONCEPT??

Certainly, there’s a particular mind-set in which politicians especially here in Nigeria, are seen/regarded by the electorates that made their ascension to positions of power possible. Because it is common for them (the Nigerian politicians) to randomly make promises during electioneering which are hardly fulfilled, it sometimes becomes more difficult separating the chaffs politicking from the seeds!

Most politicians barely remembered slogans or putting their party’s agenda into practice as soon as they get into office, rather the recovering of “investment” and “kissing of asses” of a vested interested (usually the political godfathers/godmothers) assumes the order of the day.

A once-upon-a-time very accommodating and jovial individual will suddenly convert to a stone-faced and remained inaccessible to those that made it conceivable for them to get drunk with power.

But without exaggerating so much of the facts, the current chairman of Oshimili South Local Government Area, Pst. Barr. Chuks Obusom, appears to be molded differently both in character and otherwise as against the “normal runs” politician!

Though some may have argued almost logically that there’s less need to call for celebrations with regards to the recent commissioning of projects achieved by Pst Barr. Obusom, in his two years as the new sheriff of the council. Of course,

“he is doing what he was elected to do”….so the argument goes! Nevertheless, the newly commissioned REVENUE COURT, POULTRY FARM and the installed KVA TRANSFORMER will always remained a landmark and to his credit. It is surprising how these feats were accomplished considering the current economic recession and the lean purse federal allocation.

However, precedent comes to mind and in glaring contrast to those that earlier had the opportunity to manage the affairs of Oshimili South LGA, either by s/election or imposition, the difference is clear.

A specific instance of this variance in administrative management cum mismanagement of our council is Hon. Chinwe Darling Monu-Olanrewaju, the immediate past council chairperson! Her presence within the council chair was a disaster and nothing to write home about except the sad memories of depleting the council’s corporative purse of over N40million as alleged.

One reality checks that won’t be easily wished away on any ground is the fact that Pst Barr. Chuks Obusom, has initiated a COMPARATIVE STANDARD in his tenure and for posterity sake with this commissioning of projects within the council!

Henceforth, it will be an appropriate thing to question any pretender to the office of chairman of the LGA, about his intentions, goals and the ability to manage the office.

Since such practical landmark (Revenue court, Poultry farm, installation of transformer) can be accomplished within a nationally acclaimed economic downturn era, it reveals the truth about the former occupiers of this same position as LOOTERS of our commonwealth.

While adding more grease to Mr. Chairman’s elbow, it must be emphasized that staffers of the council are continuously crying out about the delayed salaries oh!

 

According to him, Governor Okowa prayed that Almighty God will continue to bless the former president with good health and long life.

Aniagwu quoted the Governor as saying: “It is with profound joy that I write on behalf of my family, the government and people of Delta State, to express very warm felicitations to you on your 59th birthday.

“I join your family, friends and well-wishers to thank Almighty God for His continued guidance, protection and provision for you in the past 59 years of a life of forthrightness and outstanding patriotism with which He has blessed you.''

“It is gratifying to note that our Administration can continue to count on
the solidarity and support of accomplished, highly respected statesmen and committed patriots like you as we vigorously pursue our SMART Agenda for Deltans.

“As you celebrate this historic day, it is my prayer that the Almighty God continues to prosper you and imbue you with robust health and wisdom as you continue to give yourself in the service of our dear nation and the world at large,” the Governor wrote to Dr Jonathan

 

 

 

 

 

Delta Assembly Staff Shut Down Assembly Complex over Welfare issues

BY PATRICK OGBOGU

Staff of the Delta State House of Assembly have shut down the assembly complex in protest over welfare issues.

The Delta State Chairman of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria [PASAN] Comrade Emmanuel Edozien while presenting a copy of the union's demand to the Special Adviser to Gov Ifeanyi Okowa on Legislative Matters, Rt Hon Martins Okonta at the gate of the assembly complex said the move was to enable the governor's aide intervene on the issues that led to the staff going on strike in order to bring an end to the imbroglio.

THE Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), Delta State chapter yesterday locked out members of the state House of Assembly in protest over unfulfilled demands bothering on staff welfare.

Members of the association locked the two entrance gates to the assembly complex located along Okpanam Road Asaba and prevented anybody from gaining access, but security operatives were later drafted to maintain peace.

Comrade Edozien appealed to the leadership of the House to look into their demands to enable the staff go back to work.

He listed some of their demands to include the non-payment of imprest and running cost alleging that his members were receiving very poor medical attention at the Assembly Clinic which he claimed, lacked any drug store.

Besides, he said the leadership of the House has refused to elevate a staff to the position of a deputy clerk as stipulated in the existing House of Assembly Service Law, adding that the position of a deputy clerk had remained vacant since the retirement of the former deputy clerk over one year ago.

“Appointment of a deputy Clerk is another problem. Since the Deputy Clerk retired last year, the vacuum has not been fill and there is a law passed by the same House for that position. We need a Deputy Clerk, who is a staff and not a politician.

The PASAN Boss said the House has also refused to move files of staff for the payment of outfit and special duty allowance to the state governor for necessary action.

“For the outfit and special duty allowances, it is a yearly ritual. It is something that has existed over the years across legislatures all over the country. The House has refused to move our files to the governor. This touches on workers’ welfare, so we will not let it go just like that,” he vowed.

Comrade Edozien stressed that the assembly clinic need more manpower as the only medical doctor could not cope with the pressure of work amidst non availability of drugs.

“Since February 2016, there is no single drugstore at the Assembly Clinic and this is affecting the staff. In the past two months, we have lost about four staffs. What is happening is not good for the system. We said at least, let some drugs be provided, they refused.

“A Doctor cannot service the Assembly staff, the members, their relatives and the assembly commission. So, we need another Doctor.

Edozie alleged that the House has also neglected “certain aspects of deceased staffs’ welfare, who died in active service,” adding that the House has now abandoned burial arrangements for those who died in active service to bereaved family, while at the same time, the House has relented in payment of outstanding death benefits.

Efforts to reach the Speaker of the House proved abortive as at the time of filing this report but the Speaker’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Henry Ebireri said the House was already on top of the matter, adding that all the issues will be addressed.

The assembly gate had been shut since yesterday with two police van manning the gate to prevent any breakdown of law and order. Some staff were seen around the gate, while others relaxed under the mango trees opposite the assembly complex.

Budget Advocacy: NGO, Media, Communities Commit To Partner

Okonta Emeka Okelum, Asaba

In a bid to ensure impactful sustainable development gain grounds in Delta State, stakeholders recently met and agreed to partner for effective public budget implementation.

A Warri based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Leadership Initiative for Transformation and Empowerment (LITE-AFRICA) organized a three day training workshop for community leaders, Media experts and civil society actors, this week at Warri.

According to Mr Victor Elomhenriaomon, Program Officer, LITE-AFRICA, our organization is currently implementing a project titled ‘Strengthening Citizen’s Voice For Change In Delta State’

This project is designed to create an avenue for community members to use the power of collective action to push for measureable public reforms.

We are implementing the project at Ukuatata and Ugbolokposo communities of Uvwie LGA, as well as at Umuagu and Umuezei Quarters in Oshimili South LGA of Delta State.

LITE-AFRICA’s Senior Program Officer, Mr Ihekaibe Chinyere, that the project intents to build the capacity of selected 25 Civil Society Organizations.

We equipped them with budget advocacy and social media skills at the three days training workshop.

Soon LITE-AFRICA will organize and facilitate result oriented civic engagement through a multi-stakeholders conference at Asaba, Mr Ihekaibe pointed out.

Each of the participating communities were represented by a member of the elders’ council, a woman leader, a male youth leader and a female youth leader.

The one year life-span project was designed to help participating communities facilitate advocacy engagement with relevant state government officials and members of the state legislature.

The three days event built capacities of participants around major topics and issues like good governance, budget systems & processes.

A seasoned Civil Society expert, Mr Godson Jim Dorgu, facilitated some training sessions on such topics as budget advocacy, grassroot campaigns and lobbying techniques.

LITE-AFRICA also unveiled to participants findings of the social audit conducted in the four participating communities earlier this year. 

Towards end of the workshop, participants committed to work together at ensuring that a functional and participatory budget implementation regime thrives in Delta State.

The project is funded and supported by National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

 

Stop Killing Shiite Followers, US Tells Buhari

 

By Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

 

The honeymoon between President Muhammadu Buhari and the United States may be coming to an end as the US yesterday called on the federal government to stop the killings of members of the Shia Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN).

 

In a statement issued by the State Department, the US said it was ‘deeply concerned’ by the deaths of dozens of Nigerians during clashes between individuals participating in a Shia procession and the Nigerian Police Force in Kano State on November 14.

 

“While the matter is still under investigation, we are troubled by the apparent disproportionate response by the police,” the statement added.

 

US described the Kano killings as the latest in a series of violent incidents between security forces and members of IMN, some of which it said, had resulted in deaths, destruction of property, and the arbitrary detention of IMN members.

The statement reads: “The United States calls for calm and restraint on all sides, a reduction of tensions, and greater communication between Shia citizens and government authorities.

“Members of the Shia community, like other religious communities, have the right to assemble, peacefully express their religious beliefs, and mark their celebrations. We call on the Nigerian government to protect and defend these rights. 

“It is also incumbent on members of the IMN and all Nigerian citizens to respect the rule of law and cooperate with the police as they attempt to maintain public order.

“We continue to urge the government to ensure accountability for the deaths of more than 300 IMN members during December 15, 2015 clashes between the IMN and security forces in Zaria, Kaduna State. 

“We also call on the Nigerian government to conduct a transparent investigation of the latest incidents and bring to account anyone responsible for violating the law.”

 

On Tuesday,‎ the Inspector-General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, said his men killed members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) during a clash in Kano State on Monday because they (IMN members) were armed to the teeth and were ready to kill police officers.

Ibrahim said his men were left with no option but to respond to the threat by the Shiites.

He said: “When you have Nigerians armed to the teeth, killing police officers, I don’t think it happens anywhere. I think as Nigerians, we have to appreciate, when you appreciate a dangerous situation, and to be sympathetic with the police that are being killed by some of these miscreants.”

He said the police had the responsibility to ensure law and order in a situation where people take over the whole country.

 

 

DTHA Urges Okowa to Prevail on FRSC and State Agencies to Clear Highways From Indiscriminate Parking and Broken Down Tankers, others.

BY PATRICK OGBOGU

Following the heavy gridlock and accidents experienced by Deltans along the highway due to broken down Tankers and other vehicle, the Delta State House of Assembly, has adopted a motion urging Gov Ifeanyi Okowa to direct the Director General, Delta State Traffic Management Agency DESTMA to as a matter of urgency liaise with the State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corp FRSC and all other relevant agencies to clear all broken down vehicles and trucks from the highways, particularly the Asaba-Benin Expressway.

The motion moved under matters of urgent public importance by the Member representing Aniocha South Constituency, Hon Angela Nwaka, seconded by Hon Reuben Izeze representing Ughelli South Constituency was unanimously adopted by the House.

Also, the motion urged all relevant authorities to remove broken down vehicles, trunks and trailers as well as indiscriminate packing of same on roads across the state with a view to preventing road accidents and loss of lives which had become a regular occurrence particularly at night.

Hon Nwaka while presenting the motion reminded her colleagues that road transportation was the most common means of transportation in Nigeria, adding that the indiscriminate packing of trucks, trailers and vehicles had continued to pose serious danger to motorists and other road users

Hon Angela who is the Chairman, House Committee on Housing, Women Affairs and Social Development pointed out that on the Asaba-Benin Expressway, the situation was more noticeable, particularly by the Marian Babangida Junction; Bonsac and Ogbor-osisi market among others.

“One of our royal fathers, the Obi of Issele-Uku and a government official, Mr Sunday Ofili lost their lives as the vehicle they were travelling in ran into a broken down truck along the Benin-Asaba expressway”

“Sometimes in August 2015, 15 persons died when the bus conveying them rammed into a 22 wheeler trailer parked along Ubulu-Okiti junction on Asaba-Benin expressway”

“Also in November 2015, over 17 persons lost their lives when a heavy duty truck, owned by Dangote Transport Company crashed into the bus they were travelling in while it was parked on the side of the road by the NNPC Mega Staion opposite the Asaba Int Airport.”

“Sometimes in June 2016, the manager of the NNPC in my hometown, Ogwashi-Uku died when his car parked on the side of the road was hit by another 22 wheeler truck belonging to another Dangote Transport Company on the expressway”

She pointed out that the indiscriminate packing of trucks and trailers on the highway was also causing security risk and hideouts for criminals.

Hon Pat Ajudua; Majority Leader, Tim Owhefere; Evance Ivwurie; Anthony Emeka Elekeokwurie and Sheriff Oborevwor JP, while supporting the motion urged relevant government agencies to synergies with tanker owners to construct packing space for the tankers, stressing that packing of trucks and trailers be regulated in order not to pose danger on other road users, adding that the Umunede road was equally affected by the activities of trucks and trailer drivers.

Hon Izeze; Dr Alphonsus Ojo; the Minority Leader, Festus Okoh; Peter Uviejitobor and Emeka Nwaobi bemoaned the indiscriminate packing of trailers on the highways, while broken down trucks were often abandoned on the road to cause accidents and security risks to road users.

Also at plenary, the Delta State Regulation on Smoking in Public Places BILL passed the second reading as a result of the motion moved by Hon Evance Ivwurie representing Ethiope East Constituency afterwhich it was adopted.

Hon Ivwurie while presenting his argument said smoking in public places posed serious health hazards to non-smokers.
Ivwurie who sponsored the motion maintained that the bill spelt out punishment for offenders and areas designated for smokers, adding that smoking had harmful effect on second hands smokers.

Also at plenary, the Delta State Regulation on Smoking in Public Places BILL passed the second reading as a result of the motion moved by Hon Evance Ivwurie representing Ethiope East Constituency afterwhich it was adopted.

Hon Ivwurie while presenting his argument said smoking in public places posed serious health hazards to non-smokers.
Ivwurie who sponsored the bill maintained that the bill spelt out punishment for offenders and areas designated for smokers, adding that smoking had harmful effect on second hands smokers.

“This bill is being introduced to protect every citizen of Delta State, all public vehicles, employees, all work places, all indoors, and the general public from the dangerous and harmful effects of secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is the tobacco smoke that is exhaled or puffed off by smokers or is given off by burning tobacco and is inhaled by persons nearby. Around 85% of secondhand smoke is invisible and odourless."

“The secondhand smoke is a serious health hazard, and there is no safe level of exposure. Every time someone breathes in secondhand smoke, they breathe in over 4,000 chemicals. Many are highly toxic. More than 50 are known to cause cancer."

Hon Reuben Izeze, Pat Ajudua; Alphonsus Ojo; Daniel Mayuku and Anthony Emeke Elekeokwurie while supporting the bill, stressed the need to regulate smoking in public places, pointing out that fresh air is everybody’s right hence smokers should not use the habit to inconvenience other non-smokers even as smoking was no longer fashionable as producers of cigarettes also warn on the harmful effect of smoking.

The bill was adopted when put to a voice vote by the Speaker, Rt Hon Monday Igbuya.

In another development, a bill for a law to regulate the establishment of private educational institutions in Delta State as presented by Hon Evance Ivwurie and seconded by Hon Anthony Emeka Elekeokwurie passed the first reading, while the second reading comes up by January 24, 2017.

Abandoned Kids: How A Councillor’s Intervention Saved Their Lives

Okonta Emeka Okelum, Asaba

One of the major responsibilities of parenthood include providing love, care and daily needs of their kids.

Around the Bonsacc and Oduke area of Asaba, this child deserving responsibility eluded four kids.

These kids, Goodluck 8 years old, Precious & favour 6 years old (twins) and Ebube 2 years, according to a neighbour’s eye witness account to our reporter were abandoned by their parents.

The kids and their parents were before their abandonment, resident at No

The kind neighbour who shared his views with Asaba Post News Wire, recalled that the kids’ mother had earlier two months ago abandoned the kids to the cares of their father, Mr Ositadinma Ugandu.

Our source tpld our reporter how for days these kids were seen in the neighbourhood walking aimlessly, with zero or very little care, thereby resorting to street begging for survival.

As this ugly trend continued for days, some members of the neighbourhood reached out to the councillor representing the area at the Oshimili South Legislature, Hon Tony Okocha.

According to our source, the law maker for some days attended to the up-keep and daily feeding of these kids.

But in order to make sure his kindness was not mis-represented, Hon OKocha sought the legal intervention of the Nigerian Police Force.

We were reliably informed that the councillor reported the incident at the B Division Office of the Nigeria Police Force, where we were told the kids were kept for some time.

The kid’s father upon being hinted that his kids were at police custody, he quickly appeared and while at the police station claimed he never abandoned his kids, but only went to Onitsha, where he does his wheel barrow pushing jobs, but maintained that his wife had long abandoned him and the kids.

We were later informed that the police after further interrogation and proper investigations handed over the four kids to Mr Ositadinma Ugandu.   

Sharing their thoughts with us, some of the neighbours interviewed commended the councillor’s swift response and benevolent intervention.

All attempts by our reporter to meet with the DPO, B Division, proved abortive, as the telephone calls made yielded no substantial response from him, because he referred us to the Police Public Relation Officer, at the Delta State Police Headquarters.

 

  

 

 

 

State Govt To Address DLA Road/Drain Challenge

 

AWARE of the annual devastating impacts of flood water (on the road) in the highly populated Direct Labour Agency (DLA) and its adjoining streets in Asaba, the Delta State government has assured residents of the flood-prone areas in the state capital of its readiness to proffer lasting solution, saying that it is mapping out strategies on how to wade in and address the problem.

The state Commissioner for Works, Chief James Augoye, who dropped the hint recently during the on-going inspection of the state government’s projects across the state, said that, as a government with the interest of his people at heart, the Governor, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa was working round- the-clock, in spite of the biting economic recession, to proffer lasting solution to the environment-related stress caused by flood water in the area.

The commissioner noted that the topography of the DLA and the adjoining streets was contributing to the flooding of the areas, adding that, after a critical study of the situation, especially the huge financial implication involved in the project; it would be executed in the interest of the people.

Chief Augoye said that the strategies employed by the state government included the drawing of a workable new framework for the effective realisation of the DLA project within specification and time, to ensure that it stands the test of time.
He urged residents, including motorists and tricyclists plying the road to be patient with the government, with the assurance that once the state government concluded its plan concerning the flood-riddled road, the challenge would be addressed finally.

It will be recalled that the menace of flooding on DLA and the adjoining streets has subjected many residents of Asaba to different degrees of woeful experiences, including flooding of residential apartments, which has reportedly compelled many people to seek alternative accommodation in other areas of Asaba and its environs.

THE BIOGRAPHY OF PETER OBI AND HIS LEADERSHIP LESSONS FOR THE YOUTH

[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