It was George Bernard Shaw who said that “we must reform society before we can reform ourselves.” This statement is the much needed reality in Nigeria particularly Anambra State that just elected an erudite and fearless reformist as governor.
Anambra has since 2003 been on an ascending trajectory in the quality of leadership they produce as governors. However, the state needs drastic steps that will address many problems hobbling the development of the state.
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Mr. Peter Obi’s government really laid the foundation of the modern state and was the bridge between the putrid past of the state and its future.
Among many problems belligerently assaulting any form of development in Anambra State, revenue syndicates take the cake. Overcoming these entrenched parasitical bugs bleeding the state to death will go a long way to giving the new administration the much needed oxygen to succeed. The cabal behind the touts harassing and almost robbing Ndi Anambra in the name of tax and levies collection are entrenched members of APGA, the ruling party.
If the governor-elect wants to bring the formidable positive impact he is expected to, he has to win this battle from inside APGA as a party. He has to be ruthless about it if need be and that will send a very strong non-verbal message to everybody and all vested parasitic interest groups in the state.
I was happy when I read in the news that he will terminate all revenue contracts on assumption of office. We are looking forward to that and will welcome a streamlined electronic collection of state government taxes, levies and duties. This revenue reform will not successfully be implemented without the revenue cabals fighting back but I believe the incoming governor has been a long-time reformer, so he is ready and prepared to combat them.
Security is another area that requires immediate and consistent action. Many past governors of the state started well with securing Anambra but loosen up after sometime and it usually gets worse when insecurity returns. Anambra security situation is multi-faceted, very lethal and has taken away some valuable individuals from the state; Dr. Chike Akunyili, Chief Gab Ofoma, Prof. Obidinma Onyemelukwe and so many others. The unknown gunmen murdering people at will are not one group but all the gun-carrying non-state actors killing people at will.
I believe that the first step to taking grip of the security situation is to restore the Nigeria Police to work but the unnecessary road-blocks causing movement hardship and sometimes death should be discarded. The rebuilding of burnt various police stations should be initiated by the government in conjunction with community development unions.
There is need to revolutionize the placing of close-circuit television, cameras in every nook and cranny of the state by both the government and the individuals. Inside various markets in the state, the traders have adopted it as a form of check on criminal activities around their vicinities of trading and it’s paying off. If the people are enjoined to deploy CCTV in around their properties and the state government covers the public spaces, crime rate will drop and the chances of criminals being caught will increase monumentally.
Development of infrastructure is another area people are expecting a massive attention as most roads in Anambra are in terrible shape and there are many abandoned road projects that should be fixed. Anambra used to have the best road network and a much secured environment with investments coming in continuously, but all of that have evaporated in the face of security challenge.
The whole of Okpoko area in Ogbaru LGA was originally mapped out as part of Harbour Industrial Layout but the government over the years, especially the military era, did not follow up with its development and people turned it into a slum dwelling. Both Okpoko layout and the Abada market land should be recovered for their original purposes which will triple the GDP of Anambra State. How it will be done and where they will be relocated are some of the reasons we elected Prof. Charles Soludo the governor of Anambra State.
Obi Ebuka Onochie
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