Like him or hate him, Peter Obi is an enigma. He is quite enlightened and has attended many programmes both in Nigeria and abroad.
He has been to the Lagos Business School, Harvard Business School, London School of Economics, Columbia Business School, Oxford and Cambridge universities, among others.
Like Atiku, he is a successful businessman and wealth creator. He has been chairman and board member of many companies.
He is former chairman of Fidelity Bank, former chairman of the board of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), former chairman of Guardian Express Mortgage Bank Limited and many others.
He was a member of Presidential Economic Management Team during Goodluck Jonathan’s regime.
In the political arena, Mr. Obi is no pushover. Before he emerged as governor of Anambra, the state had suffered monumental bad governance and became the butt of jokes in many quarters.
Recall that a sitting governor, Chris Ngige, was kidnapped at a point, to the chagrin of many Nigerians. But Obi changed the narrative. His admirers fondly call him Okwute (the Rock).
And upon that rock, God built a solid foundation for the progress of Anambra State. He has gathered many awards in recognition of his outstanding qualities.
One of these qualities is prudent management of resources. In his time as governor, Anambra made savings a cardinal principle of governance.
By the time he left office, he had saved millions of dollars in cash and investments for his successor. This contrasts sharply with the huge debts, which his colleagues left behind for their successors.
Under Obi, Anambra was the least indebted state in Nigeria. In fact, he did not borrow or raise bonds to finance various projects he executed in the state.
Whenever he travelled as governor, he stayed in modest hotel rooms. He plugged the loopholes through which government workers siphoned money from the state’s coffers.
He closed down some state liaison offices that had been drainpipes on the resources of the state.
He also stopped many aides from
accompanying him to trips that yielded undeserved allowances for them. The money he garnered through this means was deployed in the service of the state.
He attracted and supported a number of companies to invest in Anambra and improve the economy of the state. One of the companies is SABMiller Brewery, the second largest brewery in the world.
He also encouraged Innoson Motor Manufacturing Company by buying over 1,000 vehicles from the company.
During his time as governor, the state moved from 24th position in West African Examinations Council and National Examination Council (NECO) examinations to the first position among the 36 states of the federation.
Part of the magic he performed was that he handed mission schools back to churches and supports them financially. The change of ownership brought about some changes in the attitude of teachers – no more late-coming, no more teaching and selling clothes and groundnuts.
Discipline became the watchword in those schools. In every other sector, such as health, security and infrastructure, Obi left worthy legacies in Anambra.
Development partners such as the World Bank, the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme and UNICEF, adjudged the state as one of the best in development partnership and commitment to reforms for good governance.
What further amazes me about this man is his simplicity and humility. Anambra is notorious for convoy menace. Some of its rich and influential citizens move with convoys that dwarf that of any state governor.
But even as governor, Obi rejected such nonsense. There was no air around him; no show of bravado by security details; and no fawning display of loyalty by aides. He flew economy class.
And each time he came down from the plane, he waited to carry his luggage like any other passenger. Many of his colleagues flew first class. Some even had private jets.
In this era of bad governance, Atiku and Obi remain beacons of hope for our lost generation. If you agree with me, raise up your hand. If you don’t, please hold your peace.
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