“I think the governor is right on the mark. We have to thank God that eventually the long period of the struggle in terms of uncertainties of governance has come to an end. The governor is committed, focused and determined and he also carries a large segment of the entire population with him. He has a plan, he has the will to see it through, and, God willing, he will be able to do so”.
That vintage Prof Chukwuma Soludo, former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and now governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Anambra state February 6, 2010 governorship election giving his candid opinion on Governor Peter Obi’s administration in Anambra state before he joined the fray.
This simply signifies why after a painstaking search and assessment of the public perception of the Governors in the 36 states of the Federation over the period of one year, Governor Obi stood head higher than other governors to attract the award of the Most Trustworthy Governor in Nigeria in 2009 from Champion Newspapers Limited.
For the period between January and December 2009, the Board of Editors of Champion Newspapers painstakingly and thoroughly screened for the Most Trustworthy Governor.
Their criteria, according to the Managing Director/Editor in Chief of Champion Newspapers , Mr Ugo Onuoha, were but not limited to assessment of the public perception of the Governors of the 36 states of the Federation during the period under review.
The approach included collation, distillation and evaluation of reports in newspapers, magazines , radio and television stations as well as wire services over the period; analysis of public statements/comments of high networth individuals/ institutions concerning the various governors and governance ; observed prudence in the handling of public funds and the public temperament of the governors; the noticeable disposition of governors to interact and mix freely with the people they are governing and break down of the walls of isolation.
Champion Newspapers criteria also read that the commitment to transform their areas of jurisdiction and improve the lives of the people and openness, transparency and willingness to account to the people in the conduct of public or government affairs were considered.
Onuoha said in their wisdom during the judgment, the Board of Editors considered Obi to have excelled in these criteria in 2009. The Board also admitted that Obi, the Anambra state Governor is head and shoulders above his peers.
Apart from the Champion Award, Gov. Obi had last week also garnered outstanding awards including the Best Governor in Integrated Development 2009 by the Sun Newspapers which also gave him the Man of the Year award in 2007.
ThisDay Newspapers, on its own bestowed him with the Best Governor in Fiscal Management in Nigeria 2008 award. Awards have been coming and coming but because Obi is not a man interested in appellations and appendages, he did not accept all the awards that came his way. He believes in action hence the former Finance Minister and now World Bank Managing Director, Dr (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had described Obi as the most financial prudent governor in Nigeria.
Okonjo-Iweala, who was Nigeria’s finance minister had said: “Obi is the most fiscally responsible governor in Nigeria. I discovered him when I was the finance minister. Then, my policy is that those who are fiscally responsible I would work with them’’.
Even the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Anambra state chapter led by Comrade Tochukwu Udoji has chosen Governor Obi as the NUJ Man of the Year 2009. Its criteria were tough but Obi scaled through and would be bestowed with the award tomorrow.
Obi has surmounted many odds to remain as number one citizen in Anambra state. He has demonstrated true service to his people of not only Anambra state but Igbo nation as the Chairman of Governors Forum in the South East.
Obi’s aggressive development of the state has compelled the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Board of Trustees Chairman and Leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, to appeal to the people of Anambra state to vote for Governor Obi. He said a vote for Governor Obi for a second term in office is a vote to consolidate his achievements.
Obi had distributed over 150 units of 30 KVA generators to Anambra state secondary schools and 50 Internet ready laptops each to over 110 schools, which is the first of its kind in any state in Nigeria.
It was noted that Obi has built over 420 kilometres of roads in the state including building bridges in the state that collapsed during the civil war.
For that, the National Chairman of APGA, Sir Victor Umeh re-echoed the need for Anambra people to shun politics of desperation by people who have destroyed the collective heritage of Anambra people by voting for Governor Peter Obi on Saturday, February 6, 2010, to enable the party consolidate its development strides. He said Obi, their candidate has done well for the people of Anambra state. He expressed optimism that Obi would win a free and fair poll and break the jinx of re-election by becoming the first Anambra state governor to be elected for a second term.
At the launch of Internet connectivity for the 110 secondary schools for a start by the Galaxy Backbone at the Government Lodge, Awka, the Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone Plc, Mr. Gerald Ilukwe had said he was happy to be associated with the giant strides of Gov. Obi in all sectors, particularly in his attention to the development of education.
He said that the gesture meant that Obi understood the place of education in development. He also said what the governor was doing is in line with the global requirements of building human infrastructure.
The Managing Director, who noted that the schools involved are 110 for the first phase, said that they would also provide facilities for video conferencing.
Also speaking, the Head of Education Development of Galaxy Backbone, Mr. Yusuf Kadiri, said that with the connection of 110 schools to the Internet would make Anambra the state with the largest Internet connectivity in Nigeria.
He said the strides in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) were in line with Vision 2020 and the Millennium Development Goals that placed development of human capital as one of the priorities.
Recalling the efforts and successes in the education sector, Gov. Obi said that Anambra came first in the South East in education development and the fourth in the country for which, according to him, it won a prize money of N100 million from Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC). The governor recalled that part of the money is what the government has committed to improving infrastructure in schools. The governor said in two weeks’ time, all the schools in the state would receive buses.
He also recalled that the state government has started the construction of 4,000 classroom blocks in addition to the supply of 108 units of 30 KVA generators to the schools. He also said that the state had started taking delivery of computers for the Microsoft Centres for 100 schools.
Interestingly, all the people toured the state have always maintained that Obi administration is unrivalled in performance and that his development mantra found in ANIDS-(Anambra State Integrated Development Strategy) is working.
Anambra state under Obi has donated five Armoured Personnel Carriers to the Police, over 100 patrol vehicles and over N15 million monthly subventions. The government has also rehabilitated the Central Police station, Awka, and provided it with borehole.
The state has also built or renovated barracks at Okija, Ojoto, Nnewi (CPS), SARS (Nnewi), Otolo, Abagana, 33 (Onitsha), Rank and File Barracks at Nnewi among others. Other security agencies have also received his attention in one way or the other.
Some international organizations in the country are now doing business with state government just as it has gained their confidence. For instance, the European Union recently rated Anambra best in the implementation of its programmes in Nigeria.
Obi’s vision and mission for the state is to stop all capital flight and create employment for the people as well as to make Onitsha very attractive for investors from all over the world by providing infrastructure needed for good business. Onitsha today has over 30 township roads tarred and reconstructed by Governor Obi among other physical infrastructure. An ICT centre, already in use in the Onitsha, is being expanded to empower more youth.
Work is to commence soon at the site of the N20 billion Anambra state Mixed Development Center in Onitsha which, when completed, would drive the economy of the state. Two South African companies, Shoprite and Protea Hotel, have already bought spaces in the Mixed Development Center located on the over 15 hectares of land in the city centre.
Apostolic Nuncio to Central Africa and the Republic of Chad, Most Reverend Dr. Jude Okolo, had said that Anambra state represented good governance and people oriented leadership. Many others given similar testimonies.
For the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Obi provided equipment needed for monitoring and surveillance, for evacuation and relief delivery to the door steps of emergency victims. He has provided facilities worth several millions of naira to the agency with a state of the art emergency building complex at Awka almost completed.
Governor Obi has reinvented the state’s owned Transport Corporation (TRACAS) with some new range of 40 vehicles. This is in addition to another set of 120 taxi cabs for inter-city routes . It has never happened since the creation of the state in 1991. Thousands of motorcycle helmets have also been distributed free of cost to commercial motorcyclists in the state.
He has chosen to rehabilitate one school in each of the 177 communities, standardize all the General Hospitals and to build five new ones to enable the state attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDSs) by 2015.
Obi must have completed over 600 kilometers of roads before the end of his first term. He became the first governor to do a road project in Anambra West through Umueze-Anam-Mmiata road, where he has to sandfill the land.
The Obi administration has given life to the Anambra state College of Agriculture at Mgbakwu that was almost dead. Today, the college has ten buildings under construction while accreditation is in progress.
Now, a permanent site for the Anambra State University is being developed at Igbariam, while the state College of Education has been transformed, with every department having a feel of due supply of manpower and other resources, including laboratories, books and computers.
More than 150 boreholes have been sunk in communities, schools and other places by the administration while the 165 meter Odor bridge is under construction. Over N100 million faith-based microfinance scheme for rural women and children has also been floated.
Primate, Church of Nigeria , Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Peter Akinola has since endorsed Obi for a second tenure. Akinola described Governor Peter Obi as a special gift from God to the people of Anambra state. He said Obi should be celebrated.
Similarly, the boss of Horizons, the biggest computer training firm in the world, Mr. Tim Akano, has commended the giant strides of Gov. Obi in information and computer technology, noting that Anambra was clearly the number one following the massive deployment of ICT in the schools.
On his own part, an official of Microsoft Computers, Mr. Ken Span, said it was wonderful to see a governor who is concerned about the future of the people of the state. Describing what he is doing in ICT as legendary, he said that Microsoft has offered the state software packages for the computers, including Windows 7, Office 2010 for free.
National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh in conclusion said he was happy that the governor had digitalized education and learning. He said that APGA would remain grateful and proud of having given Anambra state a governor that could be described as the best and who understand what development is. https://allafrica.com/stories/201002030639.html 2 Likes 
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