*I left N75bn credit, zero debt
On what ground would a former governor who took away a princely N200million as severance package, built N300million private house, owing six months in salaries and left behind a N70billion be measure up to another another who instead of debts, cleared N35billion pension arrears, left zero debt and surplus of N75billion and did not take a kobo as paycheck?
This was the poser raised by former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, now presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), raised for his former Edo State counterpart, Adams Oshiomhole, as a reply to the latter’s attempt to impugn his record in his eight-year tenure.
Obi, raised the issue as dismissed the claim of Oshiomhole, former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who told his audience at the party’s youth meeting, Obi instead of fighting crimes in Anambra left it for Willie Obiano his successor, who began clearing the including demolishing houses of kidnappers in Anambra State.
Oshiomhole, also accused the LP candidate of bringing the dreaded Bakassi Boys that were were committed a lot of atrocities in the state.
But in a swift riposte, Obi, through his spokesman, Valentine Obienyem, stated that the records were clear over who did what on security in Anambra adding: “It is a pity that a former governor, who ought to be informed, would credit the bringing into the state of Bakassi Boys to Mr. Peter Obi, when elementary enquiry would have shown any genuine seeker that it was under Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, which was even before Sen. Chris Ngige, that Bakassi people operated in the state.”
He quoted his boss as having said on countless occasions that part of his reasons for delving into Anambra politics was his dismay over the onslaught of the dreaded group, such as extra-judicial killings including the celebrated case of Prophet Eddy of Nawguwho was beheaded by the Bakassi without compunction and the arbitrament of the law, so that he could restore sanity, humanness, decency and sanity to the society.
Dismissing the claim that it was after Obi that the demolition of kidnappers’ houses started, as childish, condemnable and shameless lie, he said: “Obi was actually the person that started the demolition of buildings associated with kidnapping in Nigeria, which other Governors started to emulate. Though evidence abounds, as when various newspapers reported the demolition of houses by Obi as in https://thenationonlineng.net/obi-demolishes-kidnap-suspects-homes/amp/; https://newsexpressngr.com/ne s/472-Breaking-News-Obi-keeps-promise-demolishes-houses-of-king-of-kidnappers; https://www.nairaland.com/1084091/anambra-demolishes-houses-kidnap-robbery, but we will refer Oshiomhole and his likes to the statement by principal actors during those fevered times.”
He also quoted the statements from Alhaji Bello Amusu, former Commissioners of Police in Anambra State on the matter, where he stated that Obi was responsible for the peace being enjoyed in the state, in an interview as contained in the (https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2017/09/29/bello-the-security-anambra-is-enjoying-today-was-as-a-result-of-the-efforts-of-peter-obi/).
On how Obi approached security, he said: “There were lots of innovations brought about by Mr. Peter Obi at the police headquarters at his expense. He provided money, we put up structures and the state headquarters was given a face lift. He financed state headquarters, fenced it, provided infrastructure, procured communications vehicles, armoured cars, and provided weekly allowances of all officers and men of Anambra State Police Command. So, the morale was very high. There were constant meetings with other services, the military and other para-military services in the State. We co-opted the vigilante. We were working together because we used the vigilante very well in Anambra State. I disabused the minds of my officers who countered the formation of vigilante. I made them understand that they have not taken over our duty. There must be synergy and that was why I often invited them for meetings, to integrate them into what we were doing.
“Obi’s administration provided over 600 patrol vehicles to various security agencies in the state including Immigration, NDLEA, FRSC, Nigerian Prisons etc. He fenced some police formations and fenced the Army Barracks, he worked for the siting of Naval Outpost in Odekpe and provided over 250 vehicles for vigilance groups in markets and communities. He started the demolition of property owned by kidnappers and his Chairmanship of South East Governors Forum for years brought about the needed synergy between the Governors to chase away dreaded armed robbers from the South-East. He started Security Trust fund.”
He also quoted the assertion of the Retired DIG, Philemon Leha on https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/10/obi-laid-foundation-security-enjoy-anambra-retired-dig-leha/ to counter what he called “Oshiomhole’s shamlessness.”
Leha had said: “People who do not understand him to tag him a ‘miser’ because he does not throw public funds around like many other politicians but it is really his philosophy they fail to appreciate. From my observations as a trained policeman and interactions with him, Peter Obi has Anambra State at heart. He wanted to take the state to a greater height, which he did. In the process, he endeavoured to raise a team of men, women, and organizations with good intentions for the state.
Indeed, he was highly instrumental to the success of my assignment of combating crime and criminality in Anambra State. Aside from his support for the security agencies, he promoted collective responsibility for security and initiated the demolition of properties belonging to or used by kidnappers to discourage their nefarious activities.
Quoting AIG Usman. A. Gwari who was in charge of Zone 9, Umuahia, Abia state on https://www.pressreader.com/nigeria/thisday/ where said: “When I came in, the first thing I did was to make sure that there was a very good synergy between the police and other security agencies. I initiated meeting with service commanders in my office; initially on a weekly basis before we later changed it to twice a week.
“And thanks to the former Governor who provided virtually all we needed to work with, including all the logistics but not without his calculator close by. Obi was working in all institutions of Government simultaneously and became a reference point then and I was happy when Governor Willie Obiano came and continued from where Obi stopped because Obiano inherited all the institutions started by Obi. Obiano is consolidating on Obi’s foundations, because Obi was really an enigma and achieved in leaps and bounds.
“I can say yes without mincing words. Obi did very well because he helped us to reduce crime rate to the barest minimum, to the extent that the violent crime like armed robbery in banks were history, kidnappers in the state ran away. The issue of destruction of houses where criminals used to perpetuate crime in the state, started during Obi’s time but it was well publicised during Obiano’s tenure. Obi initiated it and sent an Executive bill to the House of Assembly for confiscating and demolition of property of kidnappers, I should think so because it was the magic needed to deter people from crime of kidnaping for ransom.”
He also listed what Obi did on security to include purchase of Armoured Patrol Vehicles for security agencies in the state; being instrumental to the establishment of Naval Outpost at Odekpe, which he supported with N200 million; fencing of Onitsha Barracks and construction of its internal roads; provision for the first time, of over 250 patrol vehicles to towns and organisations in the state, among others.
Stressing that no amount of campaign of calumny would distract Nigerians from the peaceful movement to take back their country from the likes of Oshiomhole, he reminded Oshiomhole that the choice of Obi to lead the peaceful movement was based on his antecedents as a leader that could be trusted.
“One of those factors was his lone stand on the need to save money by the Federal Government for the rainy day, during which the group led by Oshiomhole insisted that it was already raining and that nothing should be saved. It was that philosophy of saving that made Obi save over N75 billion for Anambra state amidst many tangible achievements, even when the likes of Oshiomhole, without any tangible achievements left debts of over N800 billion for Edo State.
Insisting on Oshiomhole’s incompetence to speak about Obi, he asked the correlation between a former governor that left over N70 billion debt to contractors and the one that left none; a man that owed over six years arrears of pension and gratuities and the one that cleared outstanding arrears of over N35 billion and owed nothing before he left; a man who paid himself N200 million severance package with a house worth over N300 million and a man who received nothing; and a man whose moral example is inspiring versus a man who is evidently controlled by money.
