Obiano Advances To Reconcile Ndi Anambra

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Chief Willie Obiano, the Executive Governor Of Anambra State, has taken a great Step, in trying to reconcile all political and ideological differences amongst Anambra’s Illustrious sons and daughters, to enable them form a strong bond that will speed up the growth and development of Anambra State.

The governor, who ad­dressed a gathering of Anam­bra’s best and brightest in Awka at the weekend, pulled together some prominent in­dustrialists, entrepreneurs, traditional rulers, members of the clergy, and the political class, elder statesmen, lead­ers of women groups and others who form the bulk of the upper crust of society to a session of fruitful and candid interaction.

Setting the agenda in his opening address, Gover­nor Obiano explained that the time had come for Ndi Anambra to set aside their political differences and come together on the altar of common brotherhood in the overall interest of the state.

Arguing that it was wrong to continue to pursue narrow political differences long af­ter elections, the governor observed that in all civilised societies, citizens usually set aside political acrimonies once elections were over and came together to build a better society for themselves.

Calling for a stronger bond between Anambra’s distin­guished sons and daughters, Obiano pointed out that the only way the state could at­tain an admirable height in all-round development was for the citizens to forge a com­mon front, pool their resourc­es together and pursue a set of goals. He noted that the world was never in doubt of the ca­pacity of the state to transform itself because of the quality of its human capital.

He called for greater kin­ship and brotherly love among Ndi Anambra wherever they found themselves, pointing out that as the governor, he had a natural role to play as a consensus builder across per­sonal, political, religious and ideological lines.

Governor Obiano, who was applauded by the stake­holders for drastically cutting down the rate of crime in the state in less than two months after his inauguration, assured Ndi Anambra that the state was safe enough for indig­enous and foreign investors.

According to him, it had become important for Anam­bra citizens, reputed to have multi-billion naira invest­ments across Nigeria and overseas, to look homeward with a view to setting up business in the state to create wealth and provide employ­ment for the teeming popula­tion of the unemployed in the state.

Arguing that his admin­istration was determined to ensure that Anambra’s good citizens would not perpetu­ally flee the state in fear of a handful of criminals armed with guns, Chief Obiano declared that his administra­tion’s crackdown on criminals in the state would be sustained till the end of his tenure.

Also speaking at the event, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain and widow of the late Ikemba Nnewi, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, observed that the gathering was a clar­ion call for Ndi Anambra to look inwards and discover for themselves the imperatives of building a cohesive society in which everyone would see their neighbour as a brother and not a rival.

Re-enforcing her argu­ment with the famous story of Igbo landing on the marshes of Dubar Creeks in Georgia in 1803 that stands out in the narratives of pivotal resis­tance to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Ambassador Ojukwu reminded the gather­ing of the need to ensure that their success abroad was not eclipsed by their resounding failure at home.

A former governor of the state, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, commended Governor Obiano for his security policy and expressed the hope that before long the state would begin to reap the benefits in the number of local and for­eign investors that would find it viable for investment.

Similarly, speaking at the ceremony, the Obi of Onit­sha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe commended the gov­ernor for his efforts to turn the state around and further iden­tified the need for the admin­istration to set up independent power plants in the state as a precursor to the realisation of the full potential of the ad­ministration’s four pillars of development.

The Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, commended the governor for taking up the initiative of in­viting Anambra’s stakehold­ers for a brotherly dialogue and further advised that the initiative should be held at intervals in a year to ensure greater effectiveness.

Also speaking, a former gubernatorial aspirant in the state, Chief Nicholas Uka­chukwu, commended the governor for demonstrating a deep sincerity of purpose and assured him of his support as well as his belief in his ability to deliver on his promise to Ndi Anambra.

 

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