On Sunday, June 19, 2016 and at the Civic Centre, Victoria
Island, Lagos, His Excellency, Dr. (Chief) Willie Obiano, FCA received the 2015
Zik Prize for Leadership. This prize belongs to the Good Governance category of
the awards named after the great son of Africa.
Administered by the Lagos-based Public Policy Research and
Analysis Centre (PPRAC) whose current chairman is the former Minister of
Petroleum, the former Education Minister, a three-time Senator and an erudite
Professor of Medicine, Prof. Jubril Aminu, this honour has naturally and
necessarily thrown up a lot of questions: What is this prize about? What does
it symbolize? Does this governor deserve it? If yes, why and how does he merit
the award? Is there anything Zikist about Obiano? Is there anything Zikist
about the Zik prize? What is the perception of PPRAC? Is it taken seriously by the Nigerian and
non-Nigerian public or is it seen as one of those numerous bodies driven by the
desire to make money through churning out awards with reckless abandon? The
questions can go on and on.
The truth of the matter is that Zik prizes belong to a class
of their own. They stand out in several respects: the people behind them are
serious-minded, well respected Nigerians and non-Nigerians who have
distinguished themselves in their various fields of endeavor. PPRAC’s former
chairman, for instance, is Professor Anya O. Anya who is “a professor of
professors”. His former students have been professors for decades! He is a
household name in Nigeria, nay, the world who has traversed the fields of Pure
Sciences, Politics, Public Policy and the academia.
A former chairman of National Merit Award, Prof Anya O. Anya
(NNOM), Hon DSC, FAS, OFR, a distinguished parasitologist is also a chartered
biologist, fellow and past vice president of the Nigerian Academy of Science
and a former Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Economic Summit Group.
The current chairman of the body, Prof Jibril Aminu is a
rare gem, an exceptional scholar who studied Medicine on Scholarship,
distinguished himself in that prestigious profession and in University
administration. He also carved a niche for himself while he served in the
senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Such people as the two professors cited above and others in
the PPRAC are definitely not cheap. They are rather quite elevated. They are
people of class and refinement – persons who can easily separate the wheat from
the chaff. This simply means that those who they chose or have chosen as
beneficiaries of the Zik prizes are accomplished achievers in their different
fortes.
Is Governor Willie Maduaburochukwu Obiano an accomplished
achiever in his forte? The answer is a resounding and resonating yes. Can we go
back a bit into his past? This person while a student at Christ The King
College, Onitsha won an international essay competition.
This person earned a Bachelor’s degree at the University of
Lagos in Accounting in 1979, bagging the prestigious Second Class Honours
(Upper Division). This same person added an MBA to his kitty from the same
University. This same person distinguished himself as the first black Internal
Auditor in Texaco. He left an indelible mark in Fidelity Bank Plc from where he
meritoriously retired as Executive Director and Second-in-Command in hierarchy
of that financial institution at the time.
Was it not on account of his sterling antecedents that this
person (Akpokuo Global) was invited to return from his comfort zone in the
United States to replicate his “miracles” in Texaco and Fidelity Bank in
Government House, Awka? Within two
years, has he not acquitted himself creditably, moving Anambra State from good
to great?
A firm believer in Thomas Hobbes, Obiano’s primary task upon
assumption of office was to fix security and make it air – and war-tight, and
so it has remained, to his credit and to the glory of God!
Worried about the difficulties of really knowing what we
think we know, the French Philosopher, Rene Descartes, suspended all thoughts
which he had nursed initially and concentrated on discovering the most basic
issue of establishing his very existence. This was because, for him, if he did
not exist, then he could not think, among other things. It was only after he
had confirmed (that) cogito ergo sum (“I think; therefore I exist”) that he
went further to explore the ramifications of life.
Probably borrowing this Cartesian principle, Gov. Willie
Obiano first fixed security apparently because he felt that where there was no
security; there could not be governance. The Bible has the same approach: “Seek
ye first the Kingdon of God, and every other thing will be added unto you”, it
admonishes. We may conveniently add: “seek ye first security and every other
dividend can be added to governance!”
From Security, Obiano has fixed agriculture, infrastructure,
environment, oil and gas, bureaucracy and much more. With Anambra being the
only state with a branded rice, he has made it the Agricultural capital of
Nigeria. What is more, Anambra State now exports fish, vegetables and other
products to different parts of the world. This boost in Agriculture was greatly
helped by His Excellency’s prior production of a geological map which, among
other things, identified the competitive agricultural potentials of the
different parts of the State. The result is that specific crops are planted in
places (communities and local government areas) where they will grow better.
Through the creation of such bodies as Anambra State
Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA), Awka Capital Development
Agency (ACDA) and Anambra Small Business Agency (ASBA), the introduction of
computer training to teachers and the mandatory directive given to them to own
computers, Anambra State’s educational landscape has been transformed by
Governor Obiano. The result has been marvelous with different categories of the
state’s students and pupils winning national and international laurels.
With the advent of the Obiano Administration, Awka’s status
as a State Capital has been quite manifest as contemporary fly-overs now dot
the city from Aroma through Akwata Junctions to Amawbia by-pass.
To mitigate the dwindling Federal allocation caused by the
crash in oil price, Obiano the financial wizard, has put measures in place
which have raised the states internally generated revenue (IGR) from five
hundred million Naira (when he assumed office) to two billion Naira.
The Governor has restored sanity to the Civil Service by
plugging all loop-holes after a personal audit he ordered was done – an
exercise which led to the discovery of Five Hundred ghost workers!
Noticing the important role played by electric power,
Governor Obiano has heavily invested in the development of sub-power stations
with a view to enabling artisans, small scale industrialists and other
categories of consumers to leverage on the availability of better electricity
supply.
Now, who says Akpokuo has not turned Zikist? Zik of Africa
epitomized, good governance. This was why he was often fabian in his approach
to political issues.
This was why he believed in building consensus. This was
why he teamed up with another political party to form a government of National
Unity after he fought relentlessly and achieved the independence of our country
along with other compatriots. This was why he did not insist on having the
prime designation of Prime Minister, but accepted the position of a ceremonial
head. Zik preached the electric philosophy – one which incorporates in a single
ideology all the salient elements of other world-views. All these qualities
characterize Gov. Obiano.
This is therefore to welcome Akpokuo Global to the Club of
Zikists – the fold of those who, on account of their accomplishments, have been
found worthy to be associated with the first President of Independent Nigeria
and the late Owelle of Onitsha.
Congratulations, Your Excellency!
Courtesy: Mike Udah, a socio-political commentator on
current issues from Lagos.
No comments:
Post a Comment