There may be lessons in the saying that Anambra represents the face of the Igbo. That, perhaps, informs attempts by some to draw an analogy between what the state means to the Igbo and what Jerusalem stands for a Jew. This is debatable, anyway.
Among the Jews, there is always nostalgia about Jerusalem. Even when they may be of German, Ethiopian, American or Polish stock, they are usually conscious of their roots in the holy city.
This is why, when they propose a toast, they end it with “in Jerusalem next year,” an indication of hope to perform the act in the city the coming year. Incidentally, many who express this desire may not have been to the city and may not do so in their life time. But the attachment is there.
Among the Igbo, there is, to some extent, a similar disposition to Anambra. Wherever he may have hailed from, whether Imo, Ebonyi, Abia, Enugu, Rivers, Delta, Benue or even Akwa Ibom, the Igboman is concerned about happenings in Anambra.
It has not been easy explaining why the essentially internal affairs of the state attract attention of even non-indigenes.
Nevertheless, Anambra has always provided the barometer for measuring the tempo of activities in the South East.
In the build-up to Nigeria’s flag independence in 1960, for example, most of the personalities that called the shots from the eastern flank sprang from the present Anambra. They included the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr. Akwaeke Nwafor-Orizu, both at different times, President of the country and Senate President, respectively. They had younger contemporaries in the late M.C.K. Ajuluchukwu, Mbazulike Amaechi (The Boy is Good), Igwe Osita Agwuna and Dr. Okechukwu Ikejiani. These, at the time, sustained the fire for Nigeria’s nationalism.
After independence, when the ship of the Nigerian state left no room for the Igbo, the task of charting the path for self-actualisation of the people through the instrumentality of the Republic of Biafra fell on General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, again form the state. At the height of the civil war, when the federal authorities were looking for an administrator for the East Central State, they settled for the late Ukpabi Asika, from Onitsha.
In the Second Republic, when the position of Vice-President was zoned to the South East by the defunct National Party of Nigeria, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, from Oko, readily became the choice, while Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, also from the state, emerged the Speaker of the House of Representatives. During General Ibrahim Babangida’s political transition exercise, Agunwa Anaekwe from the state emerged Speaker of the House of Representatives.
In the current political dispensation, the late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, from Ogbunike, held the Senate presidency for the zone at a time. As eminent Igbo representatives have risen in politics from Anambra, so have they in other fields. In the state, as the saying goes, nothing good lacks.
It is, therefore, not surprising that the November 6 governorship election in the state is being seen by many as an exercise involving the entire South East. You will also give it to the average Anambra indigene: he has the courage, character and, if you don’t mind, the bravado to get to you reason with him or take note of him.
For such a politically active electorate, the November poll is a big issue for which they are fronting their best. A look at the standard-bearers of the political parties says it all. Some are, however, outstanding, Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Dr. Obiora Okonkwo of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Of the lot, Ozigbo and Soludo, come tops. Former governor of the state, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, was right the other day in narrowing his preference to either of the two, describing the APGA candidate as the most qualified, perhaps in academic terms, and Ozigbo as the best prepared for the office. His analyses of the economy and understanding of dynamics of government make him a candidate to watch. Above all, he has nothing to impugn his integrity.
Having the qualification for a post is a good step but spicing it with adequate preparation for the job makes the difference. Ozigbo, a 2003/2004 British Chevening scholar, has both in quantum. He has professional qualifications in accounting (Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria), which he obtained in 1998; taxation (Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria), earned in 2000, and credit administration (Institute of Credit Administration), which he bagged in 2015. He is a fellow of the three institutions.
He studied Accounting at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, picking the best result in both Accounting and Business Administration, in 1994. He obtained his MBA in Banking and Finance from the same university in 2000 and an MSc in Finance with distinction from the Lancaster University, United Kingdom, in 2004.
With a remarkable career in the banking sector that spanned over 17 years with NAL Merchant Bank, Diamond Bank, Continental Trust Bank, FSB International Bank, Standard Trust Bank, United Bank for Africa and Bank PHB, Ozigbo has commensurate experience in human and resource management.
His last outing as managing director and chief executive officer of Transcorp Hotels Plc, speaks on his capabilities in attending to higher responsibilities. In that role, he provided strategic direction and drove the execution of key strategic goals of the company and its projects under management, which included business expansion, merger and acquisition opportunities, business improvement, upgrade and renovations.
Ozigbo believes in continuity, taking the baton from the last man, rather than spending time on petty criticisms. He elaborated on this in an interview with TheNiche Online newspaper, a credible medium, recently. He said, “One of the philosophies I hold dear, which is actually a recipe for our solution, is building a culture of continuous improvement. No matter whatever thing we are doing in the world, there is always a better way of doing it. It is just a change for the better.”
He also spoke about the reason for his aspiration, anchoring it on the desire to register his contribution in the development of the society.
“I don’t need to become Nigerian President to do so. I can actually start in Anambra to show the example. I want to use Anambra as an example of what the Black (man) can do to govern ourselves, change our story and have a state we can be proud of. That’s my motivation,” he said.
This is instructive.