IN the past 18 years of our nascent democracy, one noticeable missing link in the way we operate our kind of democracy is lack of continuity in policy formulation and implementation. More worrisome is the implementation fatigue that plagues most governments in the country. This aberration is prevalent in Federal and State governments irrespective of which political party is in power.
The local government, the third tier of government, is consciously left out of this assessment simply because, that level of government exists only in name and not in practice. In reality, most state governors have appropriated the local governments and treat them as their private estates. That is why elections have not been holding in most of the 774 councils in the country.
And where there is any semblance of local government election, the party in power, which controls the state electoral umpire, ensures it sweeps all the seats in the poll. Local government election in Nigeria is therefore not competitive. Almost all local government polls, so far conducted in the country by the state electoral umpire, have a uniform pattern of victory in favour of the ruling party. Officers of most local governments are appointed by the state governors.
Despite these oddities, some states in the country have evolved a development pattern that is anchored on the principle of continuity irrespective of which political party is in power. One state that readily comes to mind as an example of a democracy that is enduring and working is Anambra State.
At the inception of the 1999 democratic experiment, Anambra State came under the leadership of Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He governed the state for four years and was not reelected for a second term due to perceived poor performance. Workers were reportedly owed salary arrears and crimes were rife.
After him, Dr. Chris Ngige of the PDP came on board with a blueprint of his good intentions for the state. He demonstrated this with his massive road infrastructure renewal in the state. Ngige showed the people of the state that governance can work and that results can be achieved. Ngige fought the political godfathers that made the state hard to govern.
He dislodged the political buccaneers that Chinua Achebe said turned his home state into their private fiefdoms. When Governor Peter Obi of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) regained his victory from the courts and took over from Ngige, he restored political stability to the state though not without a fight. Obi’s insistence to do things the right way led to his impeachment which he later reversed in the law courts.
His legal battles to regain his lost mandate and others are reference points in Nigerian laws till date. He continued where Ngige stopped and added his multi-sectoral development programmes that touched all aspects of the state’s economy and the people. His giant strides in education, roads, health, agriculture and infrastructure are legendary.
Obi became the first governor to be reelected in Anambra political history based on his sterling performance. His predecessor, Chief Willie Obiano of APGA came to power on the mantra of continuity and his own agenda as well. Since taking over the mantle of leadership from Obi, he has consolidated on the legacy he met on the ground in addition to his own innovative programmes.
He has fought crimes in the state to a standstill. He has restored night life in the state. Under him, the state is safe, stable and working. He has stepped up the provision of road infrastructure from where Obi stopped. Without mincing words, Anambra State has fared well in this democratic dispensation mainly because of continuity in governance.
For instance, Anambra is one of the states with the best network of rural and urban roads in the country. From Awka, the capital city, people can transverse to any part of state effortlessly through well-paved roads. Anambra students have recorded high performance in WAEC, NECO and JAMB examinations. Beginning from the Ngige era to Obi and now Obiano, the state has made quantum progress in all sectors of the economy. Anambra’s progress is indeed far and above so many states in the country, including states that received higher revenue from the federal government.
Apart from the efforts of the government in the development of the state, prominent individuals from the state have sited many industries in different parts of the state to boost its industrial development. The famous Nnewi industrial axis typifies this spirit of industrialization, which is private sector driven. These industries generate employment to many unemployed graduates in the state. Very soon Anambra State will be among states in the country that will export rice to other countries. The rice production drive in the state is amazing that Anambra rice can compete with any in the world. Other food crops that the state is billed to export to Europe and America include yam tubers and probably cassava. Currently, the state exports pumpkin leaves (ugu) to Europe.
The political and industrial development of Anambra State is not a product of miracle. It derives from long planning and faithful execution of projects. The development foundation was led by leaders with foresight and good vision and nurtured by astute empire builders. Anambra is blessed with a leadership that is eager to achieve results. Anambra is fast developing simply because everybody, politicians and non-politicians, are ever willing to contribute to its development.
As the November 18 date for Anambra gubernatorial poll draws near, the political temperature is already at boiling point. Such is not unexpected. Being a vibrant state with dynamic people, the heightened political tempo is anticipated. In the forthcoming poll, the fight is going to be between the incumbent governor, Chief Willie Obiano and other contestants from the other political parties that will field candidates for the poll.
As usual, it is going to be a fierce contest in which the best candidate and the people’s choice will emerge victorious if the electoral umpire conducts a free, fair and credible election. As the poll draws nearer, Obiano has been inundated with several endorsements for a second term. Former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, had in a lecture marking three years of Obiano’s visionary leadership, endorsed him for a second term with his ‘no vacancy’ thesis.
Also, the general consensus is that Obiano’s good works are enough to get him reelected. Given that he has done the works, he needs to play the politics as well as reach out to all concerned people in the state. Without doubt, good works, continuity, zoning and Ojukwu mystique are eloquently on his side. But he should not forget the divine factor as well.