All eyes on Anambra

By James Eze
It is hard to think about Nigeria and not think About Anambra State. It's hard not to remember her extra-ordinary people and her peculiar geography; her nebulous politics and its heroes and villains... Of the genius that grows like sunflower in her many towns, announcing its presence in the morning sun. It is hard not to remember that sir Louis Odomegwu Ojukwu may have passed the baton of enterpreneurial excellence to Innoson or Coscharis or Chikason or even Ibeto or all of them or none of them. It's hard not to accept that the great Achebe had anointed Chimamanda when he intoned "here is a new writer with the gift of ancient storytellers...she came almost fully made." It's hard to forget the sublimity of Ben Enwonwu's art or the dept of Christopher Okigbo's poetry or the profound philosophies of Nnamdi Azikiwe's politics or the dazzling bravery of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. It's hard not to remember all these personages. It's hard not to remember Anambra State, but we may also not easily forget that at a point in time, politics was seen as a business in Anambra State. And that some political godfathers made headlines as a business in Anambra State. And  that some political godfathers made headlines as angry "stockholders," who went beyond the pale to recoup their investments. And that from Among this mosaic of greatness, knaves once rose to abduct a sitting governor and torch the state house and other monuments to press home their demands.
Anambra has always been in the news and will continue to be as long as the world exists. Happily, under Governor Willie Obiano, the narrative has continued to brim with hope. The headlines have mostly carried muted sparkles that announce the inevitability of hope. It began with the announcement of a historic security summit that was headlined by Israel security expert, Moshe keinan on April 10, 2014. From that summit came the security manual that wiped out the crime history that had bedevilled Anambra state for forty long years and laid the foundation for positive stories in our contemporary times. And so, we now hear hearty stories about Anambra as a state and not just about Anambra's famous sons and daughters.
We read stories that inspire and challenge us to get better in what we do, stories that seem to remind us in that mythically detached voice of Ajofia that all eyes are now on Anambra State.
These stories are many and they grow by the day. Sometimes, they are told by enthusiastic outsiders who are fascinated by the emerging tapestry of excellence. Like when senator Ben Bruce waxes eloquent, serenading Anambra in his common  sense series or when  Us Consul General, John Bray applauds Anambra's achievements in security. Sometimes too, we hear ut from knowledgeable people who fully understand the enormous powers of the governor of a state. Like when former Minister of Information, Labaran Maku advised governors in the North to go to Anambra and learn one or two things about how to secure their states. Maku was quite passionate when he argued that Obiano had shown that each governor had sole responsibility for the security of his state and should step up and shoulder that responsibility like Obiano had done without wringing his hands and waiting for the federal government. Sometimes too, it has come like a weighty endorsement of sorts... Like when the former head of state, General Abdulsalami Abukakar lauded the rapid progress Anambra had recorded in the past two years. Or when engaging public intellectual, Pat Utomi mused that Obiano had relocated the lekki-Ikoyi Bridge to Awka.
There have also been moments when the story of Anambra was told by investors who found this 4,844 square kilometres of land promising enough to plough several millions of dollars into it. These investors hold tight to the possibilities that are tucked away in Anambra's rich soil that turns every blade of grass green from Omo in Ayamelum to Uli in Ihiala and the hope they see on the faces of the energetic populations in Onitsha, Nnewi and Awka. In recent times too, Anambra has turned heads with the audacity of inspiring the export of vegetables that meet the stringent standards of the UK markets and with the soaring popularity of Anambra Rice that was adjudged the best rice brand  out of Africa in March this year; leaving similar brands from South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Namibia, Ghana and Cameroun stranded on the road to becoming.
We may also recall that a group of school children from a handful of public schools had added a new chapter of excellence to the Anambra story with a compelling performance at the word schools Debate Championship in singapore. And what a delight it was to watch Rose Nkemdilim Obi Crowned the best teacher in Nigeria in 2015. All these tales of greatness becomes Anambra.
Source: Sunrise Magazine(page 5)