By Valentine Obienyem
Today, the former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, turns 55. Born on July 19, 1961, he remains a man of strong will and gentle speech, of imposing purpose and simple sentiments. His character and his politics have continued to please the people. He is genial, witty, unassuming and endowed with a charm that atones for his errors. Simple and unpretentious in appearance and attire, he has steadily established a reputation for political sanctity and love for our country, Nigeria and its people.
Obi will certainly receive many phone calls, congratulating and wishing him well at 55. I am pretty sure that his family – wife and children, perhaps, excepting his eccentric son – have rendered the traditional ‘Happy Birthday’ chorus to him. Corporate bodies and institutions alike will duly seek expensive birthday gifts for him, which, characteristically, he will refuse – or most likely request they be monetise to enable him continue his support for schools across the land.
A look at the development of Obi’s character through growth, responsibility and circumstances as well as his positive impact on humanity and society, is revealing. In secondary school, he was already engaged in different trades through which he made money. In an experience from which we coined the term ‘Peter Obi’s Egg Principle,’ we were informed how he meticulously guarded the eggs he put up for sale on the sound logic that the loss of even one meant the loss of his profit in that venture. That experience helped define his famed prudence and financial discipline.
As a university student, Obi was travelling abroad on business. Among others, there is a Mr. Fonzy with whom he maintained a strong trading relationship until the older man’s recent retirement. Their partnership lasted long because they kept to their agreements; indeed, their word was their bond. We can, therefore, say of Obi that he is faithful to his words and even if there be one hair binding him to his fellow men or business partner, he does not let it break. When they pull he loosens and if they loosen, he pulls. Surprisingly, once I visited the then European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, HE MacRea with him on one of his numerous outreaches that helped him in the governance of Anambra State. The then new ambassador told him of how his old friend, the same Mr. Fonzy on learning he was going to Nigeria told him to look out for Mr. Peter Obi as one man of impeccable character he could trust and deal with. I shaded tears while witnessing this encounter.
Graduating with a second-class degree, Obi concentrated on his businesses, which grew to make him an influential player in the corporate world. In the meantime, he also sharpened his entrepreneurial and managerial competencies at Kellogg, London School of Economics, Oxford, Cambridge and Columbia, among other renowned institutions.
Seeking a wider platform to serve the society and humanity, Obi contested the governorship of Anambra State, but was denied victory. Like a vessel nature has preserved for a special purpose, he went to court, shunned all manner of ‘settlements’ and intimidation – and thus became the first Nigerian politician to regain his electoral mandate through the courts. Dogged by the predators, he was also the first elected state governor to return from impeachment. The travails of his tenure altered the structure of elections in Nigeria.
Easily, Obi has become a model on what good governance is all about; and for justifiable reasons. While the leeches agonised over their lost-grip on the treasury, many of his friends were disappointed he did not make them millionaires using the instruments of Government. Some others wondered why he did not offer them appointments like his counterparts elsewhere did for their cronies.
With the benefit of hindsight, Peter Obi’s return of schools to the initial proprietors – particularly the Churches – is acclaimed as his most critical achievement as governor. Though some other persons now claim to be involved in the momentous decision, they were really among the vociferous resentment massed against the move.
As the governor, the compulsion of his character made things happen in the State. Due to this positive characteristic, at times in the bid to avoid mistakes, he fled from action into thought, from rash certainties to cautious doubts. He reminds us of the Latin maxim, “in dubio, noli agere” (In doubt, do not act). He knew well enough to discern that not all the truth or error is on one side; but on both.
He was able to keep Anambra State one and united through many ways, excluding force. Those that wanted to fight him, he disarmed by joining them at dinner in their houses – for some he went to their houses uninvited and even passed the night. What this teaches us is that governance is not by raw force or by going on long convoys; but an intellectual business.
Like the period following the Dark Ages was known as the “Renaissance,” Peter Obi’s period of governance in Anambra may soon be inaugurated as “The Age of Re-Birth.”
Since leaving Government House, appreciation of what his administration did for the state seems to have come into marked focus. There is hardly anywhere he goes in the state that he is not acknowledged in ecstasy – with ‘Okwute! Okwute! This, I think, should serve as a lesson that service to the people has its own reward.
Peter Obi is successful in every sense of the word. But despite all forethought and foresight, he made (to our hindsight) an ample variety of mistakes, both in judging men and in calculating results. Clearly, he did not know that those he trusted in APGA were only out to trade with the state, but he has played his role in giving Anambra State a pride of place in the Nigerian Federation.
• Obienyem wrote this piece from Awka
Competence vs zoning: The Ondo succession
By Ayomade Okediji
As the discourse to which of the three senatorial districts in Ondo State should produce the next governor to succeed a competent and high performing governor whose excellent record of achievements speaks for itself begins, this piece offers my modest views in this worthy debate. This is especially to remind our people on the need to reflect deeply and cautiously in the choice between a competent and credible candidate as opposed to a zonal one, on the need to look beyond this primitive and primordial zoning cliché that has bedeviled our democracy and divided rather than unite us, but rather look for a credible, competent and experienced candidate to deliver the goodies of democracy.
Given the tension and complexities of our contemporary society, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), which was the ruling party at that time, introduced zoning into Nigeria’s polity during the second republic as an arrangement whereby political offices at the national, state and local government levels are distributed to ensure that no part of any political configuration is short-changed or marginalized.
Zoning as is been construed finds no support in our law or any party constitution, the closest to it is the principle of federal character as supported by s.14 (3) of the 1999 constitution which states that “the composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few States or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or any of its agencies”.
A calm review of this section will reveal an arrangement in which political offices at the national, state and local government levels are distributed to ensure that no part of any political configuration is left out, it is not intended to spell out zonal succession but rather that key positions, such as that of the office of the Governor, the Deputy Governor, the Speaker and deputy, and the secretary to the state Government be occupied by people from different senatorial district or ethnic group.
Competence on the other hand has been defined as a cluster of related abilities, commitments, knowledge, and skills that enable a person to act effectively in a job or situation. Competence indicates sufficiency of knowledge and skills that enable someone to act in a wide variety of situations.
Governance follows election, if after all the politicking and elections, a zone succeeds in producing a candiadate who is incompetent but elected based on zoning, then unfortunately the whole state has to bear the reward of such incompetence, face the associated challenges and possible reversal of the achievements and modernization witnessed so far under a competent leader. We all share a common collegiate cause which is the ultimate development of our state and a better life for our people.
Yes our democracy is not as matured and our diversity as some would argue doesn’t permit us to overlook this unwritten arrangement, but ultimately, we as a people must look beyond this archaic cliché in our collective interest. For me, I would rather have a competent class room teacher teach my children in school as opposed to a teacher who is from my senatorial district or would anyone refuse a competent and experienced medical doctor to deliver his pregnant wife of a child just because he is not from his senatorial district? These are the salient issues we as a people must reflect upon as we approach this election, Competence rather than zoning.
The incumbent Governor is from Ondo town and the level of development witnessed under him across the state is unmatched. The key thing here is service to the people. We must be careful to ensure that the challenges currently been faced by other states who have towed the path of zoning and are now groaning as they experience the difference between a competent leader and an incompetent one who was elected based on zoning now advertise ignorance.
It is high time we develop immunity against this virus of prejudice and discrimination and jettison the elitist arrangement that has not advanced our national development. We must stop denying candidates with the required ability the opportunity of impacting the society positively.
Yes our plurality calls for a delicate balancing, but it is difficult to see how a serious society that wishes to really develop will continue to elevate zoning over merit and elect people based on sentiment as opposed to competence. All these years, we have continued to rely on zoning, yet no real change has taken place in our socio-economic life as a nation, we cannot continue doing the same thing all the time and expect a different result.
Ondo State is known to take the lead on national issues and this must not be an exception. We must as a people take the lead in deliberately diluting this potency of zoning and as the complexities and challenges emerges, find the right man with sophisticated intellect who represent the best in terms of moral rectitude, who can cross-pollinate and contest ideas of development to continue sustaining the unprecedented free school shuttle and free mother and child healthcare even in the height dwindling revenue, thereby ensuring that our children do not walk miles to get to school and our mothers deliver safely.
We must at the sametime not pretend as if some people are clever enough to take power while others are not good enough to have it so as to be sensitive to the mood of those who have been deprived especially if they produce a shining light in the interest of equity and equality.
*Ayomade Okediji sent this piece from Akure