*What is your assessment of the Governor Obiano government so far?
My assessment of His Excellency will be based on his campaign promises of continuity based on a vision that is anchored on development of the agricultural sector, industries, trade and commerce and driven by oil and gas.
He first of all set up an enabler called ANSIPPA that is Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency, a one-stop shop for investors. If you want to invest in Anambra state all you do is walk into this agency, the land the Certificate of Occupancy is issued to you if your proposal passes there acid test. So you don’t run around to acquire land and chase C of O without end. You don’t bribe anybody to get all these. With Joebilie Ekwunife an astute banker and technocrat as the Managing Director of this agency, you can’t go wrong . This agency has attracted more than $2b in investments which MOUs have been signed and some are already producing while some are preparing the ground to begin production. The rice that was mostly sold in Anambra during the last Christmas period, the long grain were produced in rice farms in the state. The governor, a visionary had started to diversify the economy of the state before people knew that oil would not drive the economy of any state. What agriculture which has a long value chain is doing is to attract industries which will use the products as raw materials, the example is Ekcel farms. They are clearing the ground for both the actual planting of tomatoes, the silos to store the products and the industry to process, can and package. Trade and commerce comes in because the major distributors are going to be Ndi Igbo who know how to trade. Arrangement is on with a gas company that will provide gas to power all the industries around that hub as soon as the refinery comes on in the next one or two years. The simple answer to this question is that the governor has done creditably well in less than two years.
*What do you consider the major challenges that the administration has faced so far?
The major challenge facing the administration is the sudden dwindling federal allocation to the states but the Governor is weathering the storm as before now he had shored up the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, from less than 500,000,000 to 1.5 billion Naira and is working hard to block all leaking areas to get more revenue.
*As at today Gov. Obiano is the only APGA governor in the country. Is that a challenge? What future do you see for APGA in the South East zone and in Nigeria generally?
Being the only APGA governor is a big challenge as so many party faithfuls from other states look up to him for patronage and the state can only do as much as one state but the interesting thing is that most Ibos are APGA in their hearts but because they are generally entrepreneurs they support any Government at the federal level to protect their businesses. By God’s grace if Alex Otti wins this election there will be a whirlwind in the South East and beyond that will put APGA on the national stage. It might interest you to know that we won some councilorship elections in Nasarawa State.
*There are speculations that Governor Obiano may decamp to the APC. How true is this?
His Excellency Chief Willie Obiano, Akpokuedike, will not decamp to APC. He will do two terms and hand over to another APGA governor. APGA is a religion in Anambra State .
*What are the chances of Sir Victor Umeh in the upcoming senatorial re-run poll?
Sir Victor Umeh, Ohamadike, Ogbunigwe, has a very great chance of going to the Senate. We believe that the brigandage and impunity of PDP will not resurrect with APC. If there is a free and fair election, Sir Umeh will win.
*The governor’s face-off with his predecessor, Chief Peter Obi, seems to be dying down. What went wrong, how has it been contained and is there possibility of resurgence?
There was never a faceoff between H.E Willie Obiano and his predecessor. It is all the making of aides who want to be relevant. I challenge you to show one statement from either of them to the contrary.
* Will Governor Obiano be seeking a second term? What are his chances of re-election when the time comes?
His Excellency, Chief Obiano, will do a second term by God’s grace. We are human, we propose and God disposes but we are praying hard that God’s grace will be abundant for us so he can complete the great idea of liberating Anambra economically. His chances are as bright as the sun because even his greatest critics give him credit that they drive around in Anambra State because of the security infrastructure which he has put in place.
*You have been a major player in the media industry of the country. What is your reading of the image of Governor Obiano in the media?
I think he enjoys good and positive mentions in the media but I think he can do more both on the conventional and non conventional media. You must appreciate that the media has gone so commercial that there is no news worthy stories any more so it’s expensive to cultivate the media.
*What will you say is the direction of the government of Obiano? What will he be remembered for?
His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano, will be remembered for leaving super structures which are signature projects, and redirecting the economy of the state.
