FROM YESTERDAYAnambra/Alaigbo As My Permanent Home PhilosophyAs an emerging global tribe, Ndigbo/Anambra must think global but also act local. As a global tribe, we cannot be insular in orientation nor withdraw from the world. Igbos cannot all come home; it is neither wise nor feasible. Like the Jews, Anambra will probably continue to have more than 50% of its indigenes outside of the homeland. Given our entrepreneurial drive and high population density, our people will continue to need Nigeria, ECOWAS, Africa and the rest of the world to maximize our prosperity.But while we must feel at home everywhere, there is only one home that will never changethe homeland! Having an identity is not inconsistent with a global or national outlook. There are probably few who would question President Obasanjos patriotism as a Nigerian. But that has not made him to wear Isi Agu dress or our red cap to prove that he is detribalized. Furthermore, both Ota Farm and the Presidential Library and Home are all in his home stateOgun. He did not settle in Lagos or Abuja to prove that he loves Nigeria. Of course, by our Constitution, you are first identified by your State of origin before anything else. We must not feel shy to campaign for and mobilize a new consciousness towards an Anambra My Only Permanent Home philosophy. God did not make a mistake to make us Ndi Anambra!While apologizing for the deportation of Ndi Anambra from Lagos, Governor Fashola also challenged us with a poser namely: why are you people running away from your own state' Many felt offended and reminded him that Lagos state was, for decades, built with Nigerias collective resources running into hundreds of billions of dollars as Nigerias economic and political capital until Abuja. For me, we should turn the provocation into a positive anger and a challenge to build a prosperous homelandand our major hidden growth reserve, like the Jewish state, is our Diaspora resources scattered outside of the state. This reserve needs to be energized, conscientised and mobilized in the Anambra is my Home Philosophy.Consequently, I ask the millions of Anambra indigenes living outside of the state: how much tax or financial contributions do you make to your state in a year the state/government that preserves and improves your permanent Home Address' To the extent that Nigeria insists on state of origin as the defining feature of citizenship rather than residency, every Nigerian who lives outside of his state of origin is presumed by law to have at least TWO residencies. Why is there no mechanism for the sharing of taxes paid by such dual residents between their states of origin and states of residence' Imagine if Anambra state government gets back just 25% of all taxes paid by Ndi Anambra all over the country!Finally, we need to rebuild the foundation of our societythe valuesthat underpin our social capital and progress: hard work, trust, integrity, character, and community service. Our society died when we stopped asking people what they do for a living. Consequently, our Governor might consider reintroducing a course on Civics, History and Entrepreneurship in Anambras primary and secondary schools, (and even tertiary schools as part of the General Studies): What does it mean to be Onye Anambra' Education is in the concurrent listand NECO/SSCE are based on Common Core curriculum but nothing stops us from having specialized and specific subjects as additional.Consolidating the Micro but Moving to the MACROIt is said that the Igbomans greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. Rugged individualism is what propels him to work 24/7 to excel in any endeavor, with the goal of building an empire by himself. In the process he forgets the power of collective action. In the end, all there is are disparate villages, all of which put together do not make an empire. The overarching emphasis on Me, Myself, and I, needs to change.Our focus on the micro means that we are still holed up in our villages and cannot think of Anambra beyond the prism of our villages. Most development efforts are village-based, and our politics and development paradigm have tended to mimic this micro focus. The language of our politics and development must begin to change. Yes, all politics is local, but development that improves the life of all does not necessarily have to be village-based. We must invest in our urban cities, institutions and other shared public goods. Measuring the performance of a government exclusively by what it has done for my village needs to change: We have to plan for and transform Anambra as one mega city(less than 5,000 sqkm). We commend Governor Obiano for building state-level institutions. I drove through Awka at night from Enugu, and I couldntresist joking to a friend of mine from Awka sitting with me that Oyibo abata Awka!At the business level, we must commend new forms of partnerships emerging among our businessmen. The Igbomans unique business model is cooperative competition and networks play key driving roles. We need to reinvent the Peoples Club philosophy, except that this time, it is no longer just a social insurance scheme, but now as a Business Councilwith members from both the homeland and the Diaspora.Anambra Citizens United:We must mainstream citizens power: we get the kind of government we demand. As citizens, we commend the government where it performs, criticize where it errs, and contribute ideas if possible. That is our civic duty without which our democracy and sustained transformation cannot endure. Even those who will never see anything good in a government are also welcome. This is a democracy and opinions are free.Government: Facilitator/ EnablerGovernments resources are very small relative to need. Per capita annual budget of Anambra state is approximately N24, 000 ($52- $79) or even half of this if you include indigenes outside of the state, while that of the FGN is about N38, 000 per Nigerian ($81- $124). But entrepreneurial policymakers at the federal and state governments can become active enablers/facilitators of prosperity through provision of critical infrastructure, law and order, planning and regulation, and catalysing the mobilization of needed finance.Anambra must be united in insisting that the FGN meets its minimum obligations to Ndi Anambra by quickly completing the Second Niger bridge; make Onitsha sea port functional; dualise the Anambra West- Lokoja Road; as well as fix the federal highways in Anambra; speedily grant all approvals for the Anambra cargo airport and contribute to itAnambra is the 4thlargest economy after Lagos, Abuja and Rivers and all these have international airports. Anambra can become one integrated free trade zone with Dry port facility. These and more, should be the template against which we hold our elected members of the National Assembly accountable.The Politics of the Unfinished Business and Challenge for the Working Willie!At the beginning, we identified three key features of societies that are successful transformers. Anambra has begun to get some things right. The challenge is continuity, plus plus! Every transformation is a continuous work in progress. We have carefully reviewed Governor Obianos Medium-term Plan whose vision is For Anambra to become the 1st choice investment destination and most preferred location to site new industries: it is a plan for institutionalizing modernization and wealth creation (we recommend that Ndi Anambra carefully study it and also give him inputs). Governor Obiano has demonstrated that he is a business friendly governor who is walking the talk on job creation. The automation/computerization/ modernization of processes in government and institutionalization of change are commendable. I am particularly impressed by the effort to collect and process basic statistics: if you cant measure it, you cant improve it! These soft governance infrastructure are fundamental but often neglected. Like Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, etc. did, we need to sustain the momentum of the implementation of the plan.Second, we urge Governor Obiano to look beyond his medium-term plan. As Governor and leader of APGA, we urge him to build upon his inspiring speech at the 2016 World Igbo Congress to actively engage in the ongoing debate about the political future of Ndigbo and the urgency of economic transformation of Alaigbo. We commend him and his colleague governors of the South East for announcing their commitment to active coordination of regional development. Furthermore, he needs to mobilize Ndi Anambra to build upon his medium term plan to craft a Grand 50 Year Anambra Planto be broadly owned by Ndi Anambra as the template for building and sustaining our emerging start-up state. Subsequent governments in Anambra should then derive their medium-term plans from the Anambra Plan. Governor Obiano must jumpstart the Anambra airport, even if on a public-private partnership. There are several funding options to explore.So, we have the first two ingredients in place. The third relates to having governments with reasonably long period to cement their vision. The Nigerian constitution allows a maximum of eight years for governors and presidents, with elections every four years. So, what do we do with Governor Obiano in this election year'Obviously, we expect candidates from other political parties to contest the election. That is their prerogative under a democracy. Of course, there are many reasons why people run for office. But let me say that the argument that Ndigbo or Ndi Anambra need to belong to PDP or APC in order to be connected to the national grid is a false argument. I once thought the same way. But evidence since 1999 has shown that there is no special advantage to any state government simply because the governor belongs to the same party as the President (except perhaps 10-30 persons that might be appointed to some federal positions). That is an elite talk, an elite game for the elite interest! Or perhaps some might join a political party so that the federal authorities might deploy the armed forces and INEC to write election results for them. It has nothing to do with the people and their welfare, period!What about Governor Obianos performance' Let me say that Governor Obiano, as the chief servant of Anambra, is not perfect. No one can be! Some have issues with aspects of his style; some have personal/political issues with him; some criticize his appointments or location of some of the projects; while for some, he is not reaching out appropriately, etc. I am sure he hears many of these and obviously making amends where necessary. Since 1999, Anambra has not done badly on governance. Gov Mbadinuju rescued Anambra from anarchy and restored security; Gov Ngige showed Anambra that a government can tar some roads; Gov Obi took it further especially in his second term with roads, education, health and fiscal frugality. We have carefully gone through Governor Obianos Plans and performance vis--vis the resources at his disposal and context of Nigerias current economic and political situation, as well as in comparison with other states and even previous Governors in the first three years of their tenure. Governor Obiano is certainly holding the touch higher!The list is long, ranging from exemplary security of life and property, agricultural and industrial transformation with thousands of jobs, continuation of roads/bridges construction when most states cannot pay salaries, institutionalization/ modernization of governance, taking Anambra towards fiscal sustainability by raising IGR 188%; extending health and education reforms, etc., etc. And the rest of the country is taking note as well: what with the various recognitions and awards! No governor of Anambra has been so widely recognized in his first three years since 1999! This is what Anambra expects and deserves: that every governor should build upon and probably surpass his/her predecessor.So, why mend it if it is not broken' This is a time of crisis and you dont change the General in the middle of a war, especially the General that has led you through successes in battles. We have learnt useful lessons from the past and must now forge new elite cohesion and consensus. Let Anambra export a rare form of statesmanship politics. Can we then employ most of the contestants to rather deploy the billions of Naira they would soon waste on the campaign trail into building medium scale industries in the state' That way, even the politicians would be adding to the burgeoning start-up companies, and creating high value-adding jobs! There will be vacancy at Government House after the next four years, and anyone can contest.In the meantime, the Working Willie as our chief servant can continue to serve and lead Anambra as a truly emerging start-up state, while we, the people, collectively support and drive the investment boom!I therefore strongly endorse Governor Obiano for a second term in office.Happy third year anniversary, our Working WillieA Lecture To Mark The Third Year Anniversary Of His Excellency, Governor Willie Obiano, On March 17, 2017 At Governors Lodge, Awka.
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