The Igbo may not agree on many things but they agree on at least one thing—that Anambra is the head of Ndigbo. There is even a saying that buttresses this point – Anambra bu isi Igbo. Case closed!
Indeed, there has never been any argument over Anambra’s leadership position in the Igbo world. Beyond the widely known belief that Nri is the birth place of the Igbo, there is also a profound sense in which the Igbo world looks up to Anambra for direction in almost everything. This is perhaps the reason why the 4,844 square kilometres of land that the former President, General Ibrahim Babanginda carved out into a separate state on August 27, 1991 is much more than a geographical sphere. It is home to black Africa’s greatest collection of scientists, political leaders, entrepreneurs, industrialists, inventors, storytellers, thinkers, poets, musicians, mathematicians and historians and more. But in specific terms, it is the home state of Olauda Equianoh, Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Great Zik of Africa, Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Nwafor Orizu, Emeka Anyaoku, Alex Ekwueme, Chuba Okadigbo, Chinua Achebe, Christopher Okigbo and his brother Pius, Chimamanda Adichie, Cyprain Ekwensi, Kenneth Dike, James Ezeilo, Chike Obi, James Adichie, Alexander Animalu, Iwene Tansi, Cardinal Francis Arinze, Philip Emeagwali, Samuel Okoye, Emeka Nwabueze, Dora Akunyili, Oby Ezekwesili, Ben Nwabueze, Humphry Nwosu, Laz Ekwueme, Ben Obumselu, Chukwuma Soludo, Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, MCK Ajuluchukwu, Janet Mokelu, Mokwugo Okoye, Osita Agwuna, Willie Obiano, Peter Obi, Chris Ngige, Joe Nwankwu, Augustine Ilodibe, Vincent Obianodo, Chika Okafor (Chikason), Chidi Anyaegbu, Annie Okonkwo, ABC Orjiako, Emma Bishop Okonkwo, Sir Louis Mbanefo, Arthur Mbanefo, Ben Enwonwu, Chika Okeke, Chika Okeke Agulu, Chinyelu Onwurah, Chuka Umunna, Innocent Chukwuma, Samuel Chinedu Okoye, Jerome Udorji, Oscar Udorji, Gabriel Chukwuma (Gabros), Ifeanyi Ubah, Rommy Ezeonwuka, Emmanuel Egunike, Mary Onyali, Emmanuel Okala, Mikel Obi, P-Square, Flavour, Phyno, Tyna Onwudiwe, Stephen Osita Osadebe, Oliver Akanite de Coque, Pete Edochie, Ngozi Ezeonu, Bob-Manuel Udokwu, Mike Ajaegbo, Ernest Okonkwo Emeka Offor, Cletus Ibeto, Cosmas Maduka, Arthur Eze, Ernest Obiejesi Nwadialor, Isaac Chikadibia Obiakor, Josephine Aneni, Stella Odua, Ebelechukwu Obiano, Joy Emordi, Uche Ekwunife, and so many other luminous personalities that make up the pride of the Igbo race. Beyond that, Anambra is also home to Igboukwu Bronze that dates back to the 9th Century. The Bronze works point to a great ancestry that has continued to inspire succeeding generations to the present day. It is also home to the largest market in West Africa and the only auto-city in sub-regional Africa. The iron smelting culture in Awka that has long been in existence also provides enough hope for metallurgical breakthroughs that had threatened for so long.
So, there was enough reason to hope for the best when Anambra was created. In fact, the general belief was that with the abundance of human capital, Anambra’s greatness was a fait accompli. It was almost certain that with its overflowing ingenuity, the new state would soon rival Lagos or even surpass it. That would not only position Anambra for a bigger role on the continent but help wipe away the tears of Biafra and its lingering scars. Sadly, no sooner had the fanfare that trailed Anambra’s emergence faded out than all the expectations had vanished like a puff of smoke. First, it soon became clear that only little progress could be made under a military administrator. A military dispensation is not an ideal situation for long planning and development. The situation is always precarious, suspenseful and abrupt. And so; from the first military administrator, Navy Captain Joseph Abulu, it began to dawn on everyone that the military saw Anambra as a fanciful political idea and nothing more. Abulu had only five months to lay the foundation expected of a pioneer. But his only serious act as a governor was the inauguration of an Advisory Committee of civil society leaders to define how to improve existing infrastructure in the state. It is instructive to note that Abulu’s best effort was to seek advice. What a start!
As it turned out, Abulu’s faulty start was to set a regrettable precedent for the state. His immediate successor and others that came after him either failed to rise to the occasion or hardly had time for serious strategic planning. It wasn’t until Senator Chris Ngige took the oath of office that Anambra State finally seemed to come onto her own as a government entity with clear obligations to her citizens. But even so, the years of inertia had created a sense of ennui in the populace that some tin gods of power did not hesitate to exploit. As the records show, Governor Ngige sat on a needle point all through his three-year interregnum and finally made history as the first democratic governor of the state to be vacated through the justice system.
Anambra finally blinked awake when APGA took over from PDP with former governor Peter Obi at the helm. Obi fought a historic battle to legitimize his government and give the electorate a sense of direction that was never associated to Anambra. He laid down the fundamentals and restored the people’s faith in government with his robust pursuit of an ambitious plan to open the state up with an impressive network of roads that linked up communities and towns that were hitherto torn apart by neglect. It has to be said of Obi that Anambra only began to look like the home state of all its illustrious citizens under his regime. But the narrative still had so many ellipses. It was still a puzzle to many Nigerians how the home state of the Great Zik could not figure its way out of the woods. It still astonished many Igbos that Anambra of all states had so much growing up to do and to many Igbos outside of Anambra State, that was a clear threat to the long awaited renaissance of the Igbo as an ethnicity. It wasn’t surprising to anyone therefore, when enemies of Ndigbo saw in the Anambra conundrum, a chance to further put a knife on the things that held the people together. Nor was it strange to see people who would not have qualified to speak in the famous Igbo village square of precolonial times being appointed to represent us at the federal level to either spite us or enervate us; nibbling away at our psychology.
And though the jury may still be out but it wasn’t until Willie Obiano took over the reign of leadership that Anambra began to finally look like Nigeria’s frontline state. Now, before the arrows begin to fly, here is why this conclusion was drawn. Obiano took care of the security challenge that had denied Anambra a chance at fast development in nearly over forty years. This singular act restored self-belief in the people and made the homeland attractive to Anambra’s accomplished citizens. It also ensured that a great many of them began to finally consider their home state as a possible investment destination. Again, Obiano has succeeded in giving Awka, the state capital, the veneer of glamour and prestige that had eluded it with the three flyovers that have now become landmarks on their own. All the while, Awka had failed to command the respect of the citizens as the centre of government. But the sun seems to have risen on it at the moment. Obiano has restored a sense of community among the people by recreating social life with the freedom that his security policy has entrenched. Nightlife has returned to Awka and the state now harbours a fast evolving social circuit. It is a carnival of colours most weekends and folks move around the state freely without any fear of being attacked by criminals. Again, Obiano has so far demonstrated a strong sense of gratitude and a willingness to work with people. He has held three highly successful town hall meetings that were attended by who is who in Anambra State, including opposition figures. Ndi Anambra have been given a rare opportunity to interact with their governor in Awka, Lagos and Abuja respectively in a congenial atmosphere that was devoid of officialdom. In fact, during the last outing in Abuja, former Minister of Education, Mrs Oby Ezekwesili had framed the initiative in proper perspective when she defined what Obiano had done as “Crowd Sourcing.” Said she; “the development process has been found to be more increasingly about collaborative partnerships. By making a number of us come out today, what you are doing is that you are ‘crowd sourcing.’ The key things that make development happen very fast in many societies that we have studied – number one thing is partnership. The number one is actually not finance. A lot of people assume that finance is the number one thing you need to tackle development problems. It is actually partnership. Your event tonight is about partnership. The number two thing is Knowledge. It is not even finance. It’s knowledge. And the knowledge that you see in this forum, in terms of the cumulative intellectual quotient of the people that you have put together in this event is incredible! Now, you must make sure that it doesn’t end tonight. You have got to distil the knowledge in the room and continue to integrate it into your development solutions.”
Another thing that points to the fact that Obiano may have finally unleashed the dormant spirit of the Anambra man is his widely acclaimed strategic vision that both Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Commonwealth Secretary General and Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha have acknowledged. It is this advantage that has rekindled nostalgia in Ndi Anambra at home and in the Diaspora, triggering off a spate of events that culminated in the attraction of over $4bn investments in less than two years. There is a growing trend of self-rediscovery and pride in one’s roots that is spreading among the people across the globe. The psychological capital of this is not quantifiable.
So, yes! The giant is pleasantly stirring awake. Again, yes! Anambra is on the rise! There is a sustained vertical dialogue between the government and the people that can only lead to growth and development. But there is also a horizontal conversation between brothers and sisters in a convivial atmosphere that can also lead to greater partnerships and collaborations that will facilitate progress.
And what is more, there is no limit to the interest of fellow Nigerians and foreign investors in the possibilities that the state has to offer if Anambra’s many enterprising sons and daughters who drive development elsewhere begin to turn attention homewards to their own state. Already, Senator Ben Murray Bruce has bought into this emerging narrative and is spreading the gospel of Anambra as a model state far and wide.
So, yes again! Anambra is on the rise! And you can tell your neighbour about it!
Happy Anniversary Anambra State!