He probably wasn’t your choice candidate in the last election and didn’t get your vote. He doubtless was new and you were skeptical he would deliver. He was not a perennial fixture in the politics of the state (unlike the other contenders on the platform), and that tasked your ambivalence. He won not on those doubts, but on the effort of the trusting majority who opted for a breath of fresh air over and above the career politician. More than that, he won because of the benevolence of a transcendental force.
Less than one year to
the 2017 Anambra governorship election the choice of Governor Obiano is again
on the pan of balance. This time, perhaps, the weighing scale is not going to
be as rigorous as it was in 2013 before it will tip in his favour. The reasons
for this are twofold. One, his candidature is no longer new and a subject of
speculation. It has matured with the passage of time and duly void of the guile
of the career politician. Two, he has carried the mandate of the people -
bestowed barely three years ago - with elan and verifiable achievements in tow.
Unarguably, he is among the very few governors who can claim reasonable
achievements, especially in these troubling times. Many of them have since
failed to discharge the simplest duty of a state and had to be cushioned by the
avuncular government at the centre. But so far as that cushioning went no
better story is told yet of the states, except continued lament from unpaid
workers and pensioners. This is perhaps one situation that never obtains in
Anambra where the Obiano government is dutifully up to speed in discharging
that responsibility. At least workers in the state can attest to promptness of
salary alert.
Ordinarily, his choice
should not provoke any skerrick of doubt given how well he has acquitted
himself in office, accomplishing in less than three years what many cannot
attempt in eight. But quite often these achievements become a topic of unfair
discourse by the opposition. Either they are dismissed as effort of a
bequeathed fund or the existence totally denied.
This underscores the
politics of the state, over 60 percent of which is run by highbinders in the
game. It is bad-tempered politics for a man who has shown supreme example of governance
never bettered in her history of the state to be so attacked. That he tackled
and, within three months, nipped off the nagging insecurity that crippled
social and economic activities in the state was in itself enough achievement.
This was followed by infrastructural and agricultural revolution with great
many investments into the economy. As at today, investments into the state
stand at well over $4billion. Every aspect of the economy is being rejigged to
yield to the overall development of the state. Education for instance was
greatly enhanced as grants were given to schools in addition to offer of
foreign training to both students and teachers. Perhaps that explains why the
state has maintained consistent lead in all categories of examinations both
national and trans-national.
Other sectors of the
economy like health, transport, environment, housing, public utilities were not
left out. They have all received more than a shot in the arm, especially with
the governor’s private sector approach to governance. The health sector for
example has recorded one or two of such interventions. The Rise Health Incorporation of America is one such private
organization that partnered the state in order to strengthen rural health
delivery in the state. Besides, his government has equally embarked on
resuscitation of some moribund health institutions in the state as well as
erection of new ones. It also engages in frequent state-wide
immunization exercise to shore up effort in bringing to irreducible minimum the
mortality rate of the citizens.
To his credit, the
government tackled and effectively brought to an end the dead hand of
corruption which made revenue generation impossible since the state. And for
the first time in years, the revenue profile of the state took a turn for the
better, doubling its returns.
Except in the judgment
of a rabid opposer, Obiano’s choice remains the best to help consolidate the
development effort currently going on in the state. No doubt he has proved to
be unique unto himself, effective in his time and place. The many awards which
his government received in rapid succession were not unrelated to the
expeditious achievements. Though long before the awards – many of which he
declined unobtrusively - he had been acclaimed beyond the state and by
politicians across party divide as performing excellently well. It is not often
a sitting governor of a state is recognized beyond his area of influence.
Sadly, one or two
opposition politicians in the state are unimpressed and have continued to
sponsor rabid attack against the government. They have since been joined by
those who took for granted appointments into the government, even if as
placemen. Not willing to forgive the disappointment and having no capacity to
chasten the government for the slight decided, in the words of Adlai Stevenson,
“to wheel into action the rusty artillery of abuse”. Consequently, they
aggregated the forces of the mass media to attack every action of the
government. To the extent that some of them now run from one radio station to
another to propagate unimaginable lies against the government while others
write vitriolic outbursts on the internet. With benefit of hindsight of events
elsewhere the lies are fast sliding off into the impotence of error. Few of those
earlier ensnared by them are beginning to realize the truth and appreciate the
effort of their governor. They have also realized that any choice other than
what they have been familiar with may be one gamble too many.
Ejike Anyaduba
Abatete
2017 and the choice of Obiano by Ejike Anyaduba
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Friday, January 13, 2017
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