By C.Don Adinuba

GOVERNOR Willie Obiano has always made it clear to all and sundry that he has a date with history, all the more so since his historic reelection on November 17, 2017, when the people of Anambra State in each of the 21 local government areas in the state gave him an unprecedented mandate. Far from being carried away by the sweeping victory, he announced that he would use the second term to work more vigorously for ndi Anambra.

The pledge would seem to stand in contradistinction to the practice in Nigeria where many public officers rest on their laurels in their second tenure. Obiano, as part of the strategic effort to deliver superior results to the people, assembled in his second term an administration which is second to none in the country considering the quality of the men and women he appointed. Yet, he has never failed to point out that anytime each person is found wanting, he or she will have to be separated from the administration.

At the Holy Mass to mark the fifth anniversary of his administration, which is also the first anniversary of his reelection, Governor Obiano reiterated to congregants at St Joseph’s Seminary and Special Science Secondary School, Awka Etiti in Idemmili South Local Government Area, his resolve to take Anambra, which has on his watch already emerged Nigeria’s most competitive state, to a higher level. He was quick to clarify that only those who share his vision for the state and are equally committed to its rapid development will continue to work with him in the last three years of the administration which he considers critical because they will define his place in history.

Obiano is a great believer in the principle of continuous improvement, and he has been practising it to the admiration of the general public.  He has never left anyone in doubt that he shares the philosophy of Steve Jobs, the legendary Apple co-founder, that there is no part of an organization or even product or service that cannot be improved upon and that continuous improvement should be a way of life for any place or organization that wants to remain competitive in the globalised world which is itself defined by hypercompetition.

In other words, laggards cannot have a place in the last three years of the Anambra State administration. Laggards are not just who do not have the requisite knowledge, skills and passion for excellent service delivery but also those who do not fully subscribe to Gov Obiano’s high moral values in public service.

However, there are not up to 415 laggards in the Obiano administration. The report in a section of the media that as many as 415 political appointees in Anambra State “have been penciled down for sack” and that the decision has caused panic in the administration is not credible.  There is no panic in the administration or anywhere in the state.

Tweaking the administration here and there is part of the culture of continuous improvement which is serving the people of Anambra State well. We are proud of this culture and will, therefore, continue with it.

1. Don Adinuba is the commissioner for Information  and Public Enlightenment, Anambra State

– Mar. 20, 2018 @ 02:22 GMT /