Politics
THE attainment of good and sustainable development by any government is often premised on detailed planning.
Equally important is execution and effective monitoring of the plan to yield the desired results and then of course and sustaining such achieved plans for continuity.
However, at the core of every plan lies a crucial factor – the human impact analysis without which any plan, no matter how strategic and detailed becomes precarious.
It follows, therefore, that every developmental plan of government must be people-oriented and systematically structured to impact the people positively.
Anambra State is blessed to have a government that puts the people first. The fortunes of the state have been on a steady rise as a result of conscious efforts to ensure that every policy and plan is systematic, strategic and people-oriented.
The effort to set priorities and ensure that welfare policies are established early in the life of the administration by the Governor are what he called ‘pillars and enablers’ of his programmes.
According to him the pillars are mechanised agriculture, oil and gas, trade and commerce and industrialisation.
And the enablers on the other hand are security, education, health, environment, youth and sports development, housing and urban planning, transportation, women and children affairs and social infrastructure.
The inauguration of the Immaculate Heart Multi Specialty Hospital, Aguleri, on Aug.16, less than a week after formal launch of the state-owned oxygen production plant, attests to the strategic plan by the Obiano administration to bequeath enduring legacies and world class health facilities for Ndi Anambra.
With not less than 100 bed capacity wards, the multi specialty hospital is fully equipped with modern medical equipment for diagnosis and treatment of different ailments.
It has many sections, including accident and emergency, cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopedic, pediatrics, dentist health, general health and general surgery.
The hospital was initially an outreach clinic of the Holy Rosary Hospital. It was run by Holy Rosary Sisters of the Onitsha Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the 1950s.
By providence, it became the birthplace of Gov. Willie Obiano in 1955. But having gone through several modifications and certification over the years, and experiencing the rigours of the civil war, the governor deemed it fit to add the hospital to the strategic health plan of the state.
Apparently, because of its location on a large expansive of land, the governor ordered the demolished the old structure to give room for total reconstruction and equipping of the facility by the state government.
It has thus become an ultra modern, world-class and multi specialty hospital.
The hospital has since been registered under Anambra Health Insurance Agency (ASHIA), another strategic achievement of the Obiano administration in healthcare insurance, to ensure equitable, accessible and affordable healthcare for the people.
Strategic planning and effective implementation saw to the arrest of the security situation in Anambra by the Obiano administration.
He turned around a state that was previously notorious for insecurity and all manner of criminality.
This he, achieved through diligent deployment of tact, technology, goodwill, cooperation among security agencies, adequate provision of equipment and resources and determination ensured that the state became safe and secure.
Gov. Obiano did this because according to him, adequate security is germane to sustainable socio-economic growth and development.
It is, therefore, for this strategic achievement that he launched a flurry of positive activities in all sectors of the state’s economy.
To complement the security in the state Gov. Obiano embarked on illuminating the streets of Anambra. The installation of streetlights across the state has served to reduce crime and improve the social infrastructure of the state.
It also improved the aesthetics and encouraged a return of nightlife in the state. The implication of this has been greater and extended business hours that have ensured continued improvements in the state’s economy.
The strategic positioning of police smart cars and metro trucks on major areas and flash points, and the bright rays from street lighting has combined to effectively to instill confidence in both citizens and visitors to Anambra.
Having achieved and sustained considerable measure of safety and security in the state, Gov. Obiano opened up the frontiers and beckoned on Ndi Anambra in The Diaspora to invest at home in the now popular Aku-lue-uno drive.
To activate this, the governor created the enabling environment and support structures through agencies like the Anambra Small Business Agency (ASBA), Anambra State Investment and Promotion Agency (ANSIPPA).
These institutions are designed to help investors to ensure easy, seamless and effective processing of investment opportunities and funding.
This has also encouraged many to invest in the state, especially in mechanised agriculture leading to increased yields in rice, poultry, fishery and more recently, reactivation of local livestock (efi-igbo).
The advancements in education is also clear testimony of the strategic and focused planning of the Obiano administration as he has maintained a fair balance between government-owned and mission schools.
Anambra Government has been granting support by improving existing structures, constructing new office and classroom blocks, providing financial support, paying teacher’s salaries promptly and motivating them adequately.
Over the last two weeks, the governor donated not less than N7m to the Catholic and Anglican mission schools, urging them to invest more in educational and infrastructure development of their schools.
The investment in education has yielded significantly in the performance indices of both students and teachers in the state.
Students and their teachers who represented the state in National and international competitions came back, bearing laurels and accolades.
Top among the shining examples are the Golden Girls, who won the World Technovation Challenge in Silicon Valley, USA.
Anambra State has continued to post impressive performance in the Unified Tertiary Institution’s Matriculation (UTME) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examinations.
Only recently, the state emerged second overall in the West African School Certificate (WASC) performance assessment, conceding the first position to Abia State by a narrow margin but beating the rest of the states and other West African countries to remain among the trail blazers.
What is more, the strategic positioning and empowerment of youths in the Obiano administration is seen in the systemic plan to adequately equip, mentor and prepare youths for leadership positions in the future.
Unarguably, Anambra has the youngest commissioners in Nigeria namely, Mr Bonaventure Enemali, former commissioner for youths now Commissioner for Lands and Mr Mark Okoye, Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning.
These people were appointed commissioners at barely 30. Mr Okoye was also a member of the 2018 Obama Foundation Leadership programme for Africa.
It is on record that about 60 per cent of political appointees in the Obiano administration are youths. Many more have been trained in different skills and provided start-up funds to establish small and medium scale businesses.
Through the support of the Anambra State Business Agency (ASBA), many youths have accessed loans to start up new businesses or to boost existing ones.
As Anambra prepares to celebrate the International Youth Day, Tuesday, Aug. 20, it is certain that the Obiano administration has laid a solid foundation for sustainable growth and development in Anambra State.
This is obviously through strategic planning, detailed and people-oriented policy-making and implementation and appropriate human and capital investment.
The harnessing of raw talents, positive energies and skills by Gov. Willie Obiano and the general empowerment of youths by his administration, guarantee seamless transition of governance to a prepared generation.
It also guarantees the sustainability of existing and future developmental structures in the state. This gives credence to his desire to bequeath lasting legacies to Ndi Anambra.
– Aug. 19, 2019 @ 17:49 GMT |
Tags: Obiano's strategic bequeathal of legacies worthy of emulation
