Chief Willie Maduabuchukwu Obiano, he incumbent governor of Anambra state, was born 59 years ago to the family of Philip Onuorah Obiano in the ancient town of Aguleri in Anambra-North LGA. Young Willie showed great promise in his early education. He was an exceptional student at the Christ the King’s College, CKC, Onitsha, where he won the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Prize for Essay writing in 1974. Willy also made good grades that earned him a place at the University of Lagos where he studied Accountancy. He bagged his two university degrees from the same school graduating with a B.Sc. (Second Class Upper Division) in 1979 and MBA in Marketing in 1993.
Chief Obiano began his career at First Bank of Nigeria and later moved to Texaco Nigeria Plc where he played an important role for years as the Chief Internal Auditor of the company. He eventually joined Fidelity Bank Plc where he brought his enormous capacity to bear on the growth aspirations of the bank, distinguishing himself in various divisions within the firm.
As the governor of Anambra state since March 2014, Chief Obiano is believed to have done remarkably well. The promise in his campaign mantra that ‘Willie Will Work’ appears to have become a joyful reality to the people. First, he created what he tagged the Anambra brand collaterals comprising the state anthem, emblem, crest, flag and shared values. Today, these corporate manifestations have not only given Anambra State a new face in the comity of states but have also marked it out as truly the light of the nation.
His four-point agenda of development anchored on mechanized agriculture, oil and gas, trade and commerce and industrialisation is really unique. These four pillars have received varying degrees of attention that has made the average Anambra indigene proud to identify with the state and its government. The target of the Obiano administration in agriculture is to be among the top three agricultural states in Nigeria. With about N46.6 billion investment in this sector, what can be described as an agricultural revolution is today taking place in the state. Under Governor Obiano, Anambra State now exports vegetables such as pumpkin leaves and bitter-leaf and is about to join the league of states exporting rice.
The rehabilitation of existing markets, building ultra-modern markets, shopping malls and the introduction of e-commerce platform have further elevated the competence of Anambra people in the area of trade and commerce as well as placing the state among the top three states in trade and commerce. With the efforts of the State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA), Anambra State has become the investors’ destination. With billions of dollars attracted from over 25 investors in the past three and a half years, the state, under Chief Willie Obiano, is fast achieving its economic mission. In fact, barely two years after the inception of his administration in Anambra State, Chief Obiano’s high achievements in office earned him the “People’s Choice Award” from ASA Worldwide, the umbrella body of all the indigenes of Anambra State in the Diaspora.
The giant strides the state has made in the area of security provided the key to these achievements. Anambra State today is arguably one of the safest states in Nigeria. For a state previously wracked by violence, kidnapping and armed robbery, Governor Obiano’s all-out war against crime and criminality has been widely described as clinical and largely acclaimed by the security agencies. The Governor has also demonstrated specific actions and commitment in bringing other enablers of his administration to life. These include education, health, environment, transportation, youth entrepreneurship and sports development, women and children affairs, information and communication technology, development and promotion of tourism and most importantly, the rehabilitation of roads infrastructure. The three iconic flyovers in Awka have totally changed the landscape of what used to be referred to as a glorified village into a modern city capital. There is no doubt that Governor Obiano has opened up a new vista and era that demonstrate a robust and dynamic leadership in Anambra state of Nigeria.
