The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Peter Obi

  • Anambra has changed for good -APA

    Anambra has changed for good -APA

    ANAMBRA’S People Assembly has described the era of Mr. Peter Obi as the era of glorious development of Anambra State.

    In a release, signed by its president, Chief Cosmas Anichebe, the group said Obi singularly moved Anambra from a pariah state to an enviable status. They cited many projects he carried out in Anambra, especially the return of schools back to the church.

    Thanking him specifically for Anambra State coming first in WASSCE and NECO last year and this year, they prayed that his successor will keep the flag flying by following on his footsteps.

  • Attention, Governor Obiano

    SIR: Former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi did all he could as governor to promote the spirit of equity and fairness in his relations with the people in Anambra State. In spite of his commendable efforts, there remains a lot to be done for the people of Inoma community.

    who are eager to benefit from the dividends of democracy.

    Inoma is a town situated at the bank of River Niger tributary, rich in agricultural produce. People of this community are predominantly farmers, and cultivate varieties of crops. These yields are produced in commercial quantities but due to lack of storage facilities and access road, most of these are sold at cheap prices while others get damaged.

    We appeal to you, to use your good office to fast-track the construction of Oroma Anam –Nzam –Inoma access road or Mmiata Anam –Nzam –Inoma access road to enable all the communities within these regions transport their agricultural produce to the cities. These communities are the most abandoned areas in Anambra State.

    There are no basic amenities in Inoma, Nzam and its environs. Could you also ask the chairman and all councillors elected in Anambra West LGA to copy the developmental stride of former Governor Peter Obi and the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan? They should be told to embark on familiarization tour to all the communities in the LGA, to enable them know and prioritise the needs of the people.

    Anambra West LGA is the poorest developed council in the state and needs your attention in the areas of sustainable healthcare care, provision of pipe-borne water, functional rural-electrification as well as good road networks.

    Generations to come will celebrate you if you can deliver electoral promises to Inoma community, in many other areas, not only limited, to those cited above.

     

    • Ogugua David Azubuike

    Port Harcourt   

     

  • Nigerians celebrate corruption – Peter Obi

    Nigerians celebrate corruption – Peter Obi

    A former Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi, Wednesday said corruption thrives in the country because Nigerians worship money.

    He said the problem with the country is impunity, adding: “the level of greed is unacceptable.”

    Speaking during a plenary session of the ongoing Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Owerri, Imo State, Obi, who spoke on the topic: “Nigeria, Any Hope For industrial Revolution,” said corruption does more than harm development.

    “Corruption and greed kill entrepreneurship, hardwork and professionalism,” he said.

    Obi condemned greed among political office holders who assume power with the single aim of enriching themselves with filthy lucre.

    “Someone is voted into office and had no house, no car, but in six months, the person has three cars, six houses, and the person organises a thanksgiving. Even the bishop is praying for him to make more money.

    “We have to start fighting those things that make industrial revolution impossible. We have to start by building a country where there is zero tolerance for greed and impunity,” Obi said.

    Meanwhile, the NBA President, Okey Wali (SAN), has called for a reform of appointment and elevation of judges and justices.

    He said nothing in law stops a qualified lawyer from being appointed a state’s Chief Judge, adding that a lawyer should also be able to go to the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court from the Bar without having to serve on the bench first.

    Wali also sought a review of the Constitution to divest governors of powers to appoint Chief Judges.

    He said, “Why should another arm of government appoint the head of another arm? Does the judiciary appoint the governor of a state? Do we appoint the speaker of the House of Assembly? So why should they appoint our head?”

    A former NBA President, Joseph Daudu (SAN), said the Chief Justice of Nigeria should not preside over the National Judicial Council (NJC) which has the responsibility of appointing and disciplining judges.

  • Battle of godfather, godson looming

    Battle of godfather, godson looming

    The relationship between Governor Willie Obiano and his predecessor in office, Peter Obi, is no longer as cordial as it used to be. NWANOSIKE ONU traces the genesis of the crisis.

    The words making the rounds in Awka, the Anambra State capital, is that the relationship between the immediate past governor of the state, Mr. Peter Obi, and the incumbent Governor Willie Obiano is no longer as chummy as it used to be. The duo were said to be inseparable before now. They were both from the same institution, Fidelity Bank Plc, where Obi held sway as the chairman and Obiano as the executive director. It was for this reason that Obi went out of his way to install Obiano as his successor in office.

    But, Obi is no longer comfortable with his friends handling of the affairs of the state, because the latter is believed to have started asserting his authority as the governor of the state. The jostling for positions ahead of the 2015 general elections is the major reason why the two friends are parting ways. It is said that those supported by Obi for one elective position or the other are being opposed by Obiano. For instance, Dubem Obaze, a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters during Obi’s administration, is believed to be gunning for the ticket to represent Anambra North senatorial district in the Senate under the APGA platform. But Obiano is said to have endorsed Alphonsus Igbeke, who had occupied the seat before now, to vie against Obi’s candidate.

    Besides, a source in Awka told The Nation that there would be a cabinet reshuffle soon, and all the people imposed on Obiano by Obi would be dropped. It is said that Obiano has now resolved that he would not be intimidated or used by any godfather and hence his decision to be a man. This is coming after Governor Obiano had scaled the second huddle of Election Petitions Tribunal at the Appeal Court in Enugu. Virtually all the political offices in the state were allocated to those loyal to former governor Obi, including retaining the incumbent secretary to the state government, Oselloka Obaeze.

    The feud between the two has led to the resignation of Obi recently as the chairman of the board of trustees (BOT) of the ruling party in Anambra, the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA). Obi had claimed at the time, via a statement from his media aide, Valentine Obienyem, that it was as a result of family issues and the non ratification of the position by the party.

    Furthermore, Obiano, The Nation gathered, recognises the factional chairman of the party, Chief Victor Umeh, as the leader of the party and accords him more respect and privileges than his predecessor.

    Though the Obi camp has not come out categorically against Obiano, but it has accused him of squandering the resources of the state. The fear, it was gathered, is that Obi is not comfortable with the current high performance credited to Obiano’s government, few months after he was sworn in as the Governor of the state. Obi, an APGA source told The Nation, is afraid that Obiano’s name will soon be on the lips of everybody in the state with the rate he is going with the construction of three fly-over bridges in the capital city of Awka.

    The battle of the two giants, it is said, is likely to further destabilise APGA, given the the unending crises in the party which had led to its balkanization. During the twilight days of Obi in office, he began to do things without consultations with other party stakeholders and this earned him honour and respect as prudent person. In the days before the last governorship election in the state, he distributed sports utility vehicles (SUVs) to churches, hospitals, monarchs and all and sundry in the state. Through this act of generosity, as it were, it became a sing-song in the state by his cabinet members, traditional rulers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and even in the media, that Obi was a prudent governor who had the interest of the people at heart.

    But it transpired later that he was only sharing the money that rightly belonged to the local governments. The Nation gathered that local government funds released during the administration of Obi were said to be in the region of N380 billion. One of the new projects initiated by Obi in the last days of his administration was the old Ikenga Hotel in Awka, code-named a shopping mall, which is estimated to cost 2.2 billion naira.

    The reckless manner with which Obi was spending money at that time surprised a lot of observers, including Obiano who saw it as a way of compounding problems for him after his election. Even on the day of the swearing in of Obiano on the March 17, 2014, Obi had shared a good number of vehicles to organizations and groups as early as 8.30am same day.

    Obiano, The Nation gathered, was not comfortable with the fact that his predecessor was dispossessing such government vehicles and nothing would be left for him to work with when he takes over.

    Not only that. The Anambra State governor, The Nation gathered, was also not happy with his predecessor’s resolve to organize local government elections hurriedly less than two months before the expiration of that administration. The state had not been able to organise the election for 12 years.

    The cold war between the two APGA key figures has led to some members of the National Assembly to quit APGA, which according to a source was alleged to have been instigated by Obi.

    But one of the lawmakers, Hon. Victor Afam Ogene, representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency, told his constituents last week that it was mere blackmail against Obi, adding that the former governor did not instigate anybody against Obiano and the party. In fact, he said the issue was not discussed with Obi.

    Ogene used the occasion to debunk the claim that he had joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He added that he was not ready to leave APGA because his constituents who sent him to Abuja had not endorsed such.

     

     

  • Obi: developing people’s mindset my greatest achievement

    Obi: developing people’s mindset my greatest achievement

    Former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has said his greatest achievement as a governor was developing the people’s mindset.

    Obi, who spoke in Lagos at an interactive session at the Pan-African University Annex, Victoria Island, said his greatest achievement in office was rebuilding the values and the mindset of Anambra people.

    He said he felt fulfilled by rebuilding the psyche and value system of the indigenes.

    The ex-governor said before he came into office, Anambra people were being looked down upon because of the bastardisation of the people’s values, adding: “But today, we are being taken seriously.”

  • Southeast governors are performing, says Obi

    Southeast governors are performing, says Obi

    •Ex-governor gets award

    Former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has received another award for his vision, courage and exemplary conduct   when in office.

    The President-General of Ohanaeze, Chief G. Nnachi Enwo-Igariweya, who presented the “Distinguished Service Award” by Ndigboamaka, a Lagos socio-cultural organisation, on Sunday at the Golden Gate Restaurant in Lagos, said it was in recognition of Obi’s penchant for striving to achieve excellence in all he did, especially the excellence he brought to bear on the manner he piloted the affairs of the government for eight years.

    Describing the award as a round peg in a round hole, Igariweya hailed the ex-governor for remaining steadfast in all he did and had continued to do for Igboland and the country.

    Obi thanked Ndigboamaka for the honour, which he said he saw as a challenge to work for the emancipation of Ndigbo and other Nigerians.

    He noted that there was improvement in governance in the Southeast.

    Obi said the governors of the four Igbo states have improved the standard of living in the geo-political zone through responsible governance hinged on the provision of infrastructure.

     

     

  • Peter Obi and burden of accountability

    Peter Obi and burden of accountability

    Once upon a time, there lived a man named Okoloigwe in the land of Umuigwe. Okoloigwe was one of those men who left the village early in life to the city in search of greener pastures. This exposed him a lot as he acquired experience particularly in the construction industry where he worked for many years and rose to the position of a foreman. He later retired to his hometown and engaged himself in the business of building construction within the locality. His popularity grew as he acquired a new title of ‘Engineer’ which became even more popular than his real name. Nearly every successful young man within the environ sojourning in the city or abroad engage ‘Engineer’ to construct his village house. He was doing very well and enjoyed a lot of respect from both the young and old.

    One day, his town decided to build a Town Hall and it naturally fell on him to handle the project. The town union raised money through levies and donations from their wealthy indigenes and ‘Engineer’ was given a free hand to handle the project because of the seeming trust he enjoyed from most people who believed that he will not only perform but also give a good financial account after the project. The project went on smoothly to completion. Everyone was happy and full of praises and commendation for him for a job well done. The town union then set a date for the formal handover and rendering of financial account for the project. This was where his problem started. He was not only careless with the town’s finances; he also helped himself with a large chunk as he was at the same time also developing his private residence.

    On the appointed day, the people were disappointed because ‘Engineer’ could not give a good account of the public funds left at his disposal. All he could manage to say, without much confidence, was that the money he received was able to complete the project and that the town was not owing him neither was he owing the town. This did not go down well with the people as many demanded a proper account while some began to call him uncomplimentary names. The story of ‘Engineer’ and the town hall soon spread like wildfire to far and near. Within a very short time, his popularity nose-dived. He lost his integrity amongst the people and became a laughing stock. The once vibrant, ebullient and respected man was totally deflated and could no longer raise his head up. When the situation became too unbearable, he ran to the city.

    The problem with Engineer was not about performance. It was that he forgot that in dealing with public funds, accountability is usually more important than performance. He passed the performance test but failed the crucial test of accountability and that relegated his much taunted performance to the background.

    Mr. Peter Obi, the immediate past governor of Anambra State is my man. He scored so many firsts in his eight years as governor and continues to receive accolades and commendations from the high and mighty in the society for his superlative performance and development of all sectors of Anambra State. I am also one of those who believe that ‘Okwute’ as Peter is fondly called, came, saw and conquered. But perhaps what I consider the most significant aspect of Obi’s tenure was the seeming character, integrity and transparency he brought to governance. He has sold himself as a man of very strong character and high integrity. To prove his transparency, he attempted to render an account of his stewardship with a breakdown totalling N75 Billion which he claimed he left in the coffers of Anambra State. This is the point of departure between Obi and the story of Engineer. I must confess that I and most Nigerians who had shown interest in the affairs of Anambra State are guilty of being blinded by the performance of Peter Obi to the extent that we lost sight of the accountability angle.

    In recent publications in major Nigerian newspapers, a group called Anambra State Concerned Professionals took Peter Obi’s public accounts to the cleaners, raising a lot of critical and relevant questions on the financial score-card presented by the former governor. For instance, Mr. Obi had told the whole world severally that he has kept aside money for the completion of contracts he awarded as well as two years salary for the newly recruited graduates into the state civil service, but no mention was made about these in  Obi’s breakdown. The publication posed questions as regards the number of shareholding by Anambra in the investments made by the former governor which was not disclosed and therefore subject to abuse. Such investments include; INTAFACT — N3.5 Billion, Onitsha Hotel — N1Billion, Agulu Hotel — N1Billion, Awka Shopping Mall —N0.9Billion, etc.

    The publication also raised questions on the business interest of NEXT International, a company allegedly owned by Peter Obi, in these investments made by his administration. The group further alleged that Obi diverted Local Government SURE-P Funds for security purposes whereas he collected about N450 million monthly as security vote and that instead of the declared surplus of N75 billion,

    Obi rather left commitments and liabilities in excess of N12O billion. Another point of controversy raised by the group was the N10 billion federal government approved refund ostensibly for federal government road rehabilitation project in Anambra State.

    Rehabilitation works on the Amansea – Amawbia on the Enugu/Onitsha Express Road was commenced about two weeks to the end of Peter Obi’s administration and of which less than 20 percent mobilization was paid to the contractors. It would be wrong and deceptive to include the entire sum of N10 billion as savings whereas the state government still has outstanding of more than 80 percent to pay before the completion of the project. All these are very weighty questions and allegations that if not well addressed would cast doubts on the integrity of the former governor.

    We all agree that Mr. Peter Obi did very well in terms of development in Anambra State but he should also end well by rendering proper accounts to the people of the state. Here lies the burden of accountability in public office. He must not allow his good name to be dragged to the mud by questions of corruption and compromises here and there. He should clear his name of any wrong doing because good name they say, is better than silver and gold. Peter Obi should speak out now so that his case does not end like the story of Engineer and the town hall.

     

    • Onuigbo wrote from Abuja
  • Emulate Peter Obi

    Emulate Peter Obi

    I AM writing this to urge some of our governors to emulate former Governor Peter Obi who ruled Anambra State with wisdom and patriotism. Obi started and completed projects which the people of the state are benefiting from now. Some governors are no doubt performing well but they can do more. I am appealing to other governors to choose the path to greatness by keeping away from playing politics and embracing governance that will banish sorrow away from the lives of their people.

    Gordon Chika Nnorom,

    Umukabia, Abia State.

  • Monarchs: we didn’t endorse Obi for president

    Monarchs: we didn’t endorse Obi for president

    The Southeast Council of Traditional Rulers yesterday denied endorsing former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi for President next year.

    Reacting to a story in one of the national newspapers, which said the Southeast monarchs endorsed Obi for President, the council, in a statement by its Chairman, Dr. Cletus Ilomuanya, described the news as false and misleading.

    The statement reads: “The Southeast Council of Traditional Rulers finds the headline and some parts of the report embarrassing and unfortunate, as they did not reflect what happened at the conferment of a chieftaincy title on Obi by the Anambra rulers.

    “No doubt, Chief Obi is an illustrious Igbo son, who to many Nigerians, performed well as Anambra governor. We also share this belief. However, what the chairman and the council are expressing dismay about is the purported issue of Southeast monarchs tipping Obi for the Presidency. It is more appalling when he has not told anybody that he is aspiring for the presidency.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the Chairman of the Southeast monarchs, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya,wishes to advise Nigerians to disregard the aspect of the report suggesting that the Southeast monarchs endorsed Obi for the Presidency. It is baseless, lacks modicum of truth and imaginary. No such issue has ever been discussed anywhere or at anytime between Chief Obi and the Southeast monarchs. The council is perplexed by such a misleading report.

    “The chieftaincy title conferment and the choice of title for Obi were purely an Anambra State traditional rulers’ affair and not that of the Southeast monarchs, who only attended the ceremony as guests.

    “These clarifications become imperative to avoid anybody hiding under the cloak of the Southeast Traditional Rulers Council to pursue self-serving agenda and cause confusion. As a responsible body, the council appreciates the efforts of some Igbo illustrious sons, including Obi, to uplift the image, identity and dignity of Ndigbo through hard work and excellence in service.

    “The council has procedures for carrying out its activities and obligations to Ndigbo and Nigerians, which must be adhered to. It is also not subject to the caprices of any individual, as it only pursues the collective interest of all. The reference made to the Southeast traditional rulers embarking on an endorsement spree should be disregarded, as there is no truth in it.”

     

  • My ordeal, by quadruplets’ dad

    My ordeal, by quadruplets’ dad

    A man, whose wife was delivered of quadruplets in Nkpor, Idemmili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Mr Sampson Ekene Okeke, rather than jubilate, is questioning God on why He should give his family four babies at once. He had prayed for a baby boy after having three girls. Then the new arrivals.

    Okeke said: “When my wife, Esther, became pregnant, all I knew was that it was a regular pregnancy until the medical director of Kanayo Specialist Hospital, Onitsha, told me that she had twins, only for her to be delivered of three boys and a girl.

    “I now have eight of them, three boys and five girls. The Lord has answered my prayers.”

    Okeke, a businessman, appealed for financial assistance from Governor Peter Obi and good spirited Nigerians for the burden of keeping the children .

    He said: “The children are owned by everybody once they are out of the womb”.

    Two of the quadruplets weighed 2.5kg. The other two weighed 2.2kg.

    A group of Christians, the St. Paul main group from St. Peters Anglican Church, Nkpor, led by Prince Kenneth Madu Akwasa, has embarked on intensive prayers for the protection of the quadruplets and their parents.

    They were accompanied by the vicar, Rev Ndubuisi Amaechina, Catechist-Ugo O, Christopher Ogham and Secretary, Sam Ogu. They donated an undisclosed amount of money and two dozens of pampers to the babies.