Emmanuel Thomas l Friday, January 28, 2022
ONITSHA, Anambra, Nigeria- Former Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)Mr. Peter Obi PhD has released his humble, unassailable and most intimidating credentials following weeks of agitations by Nigerian youths on the social media calling on him to vie for president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Peter Obi who caught the figure of the ideal family has credentials capable of leading Nigeria out of the doldrums. Nigeria is currently known globally as the poverty capital of the world, with the highest rate of unemployment since its creation; inflation above 18 percent, a reputation for importing fuel due to inability of government to build and manage existing refineries even when Nigeria remains one of the highest producer of crude oil; porous borders, unprecedented level of insecurity, with kidnapping at a rate never witnessed since its creation; highest cost of goods and services fueling hyper inflation, no national career, unacceptable and unsustainable high wages of ministers, political appointees and lawmakers, death of infrastructure, lack of value on human lives and lack of pride in the Nigerian identity and pervasive corruption.
Peter Obi appears to be the only person that has untainted records both in public and in the private sector. He is young, highly intelligent and fitter than the many who are currently vying to become president of Nigeria, more especially when he a thoroughbred Igboman with a national portrait.
He is known for running a watertight government free from frivolity unlike the over bloated structures that are in places across Nigeria. Peter Obi has not said anything despite the agitations among the youths who are now calling on Nigerians to prevail on him to run and make Nigeria once more the pride of Nigerians or to borrow and rephrase former President of the United States, Donald Trump, a Nigeria First President that would see Nigerians as first among equals.
CREDENTIALS OFTHE MAN PETER OBI
DATE OF BIRTH: 19th July 1961,
PLACE OF BIRTH: Onitsha, Nigeria
NATIONALITY: Nigerian
MARITAL STATUS: Married with two children
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ATTENDED
Christ the King College, Onitsha (W.A.S.C.)
University of Nigeria, Nsukka (B.A. Philosophy)
Lagos Business School, Nigeria (Chief Executive Program)
Harvard Business School, Boston, U.S.A. (Mid to Mid Marketing)
Harvard Business School, Boston, U.S.A. (Changing the Game)
London School of Economics (Financial Mgmt/Business Policy)
Columbia Business School, New York, U.S.A. (Marketing Mgmt )
Institute for Management Development, Switzerland (Senior Executive Program)
Institute for Management Development, Switzerland (Break-Through Program for CEOs)
Kellogg Graduate School of Management, U.S.A. (Advanced Executive Program)
Kellogg School of Management U.S.A. (Global Advanced Mgmt Program)
Oxford University: Said Business School, (Advanced Mgmt& Leadership Program)
Cambridge University: George Business School (Advanced Leadership Program)
PREVIOUS POSITIONS HELD
Governor, Anambra State of Nigeria (2006-2014)
Honorary Special Adviser to the President on Finance (till May, 2015)
Member, Presidential Economic Management Team (till May, 2015)
Vice-Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (2008-2014)
Chairman, South-East Governors’ Forum (2006-2014)
Former Chairman: Board of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Former Chairman: Fidelity Bank Plc.
Former Chairman: Guardian Express Mortgage Bank, Ltd.
Former Chairman: Future Views Securities, Ltd.
Former Chairman: Paymaster Nigeria Plc.
Former Chairman: Next International (Nigeria) Ltd
Former Director: Guardian Express Bank Plc.
Former Director: Chams Nigeria Plc.
Former Director: Emerging Capital Ltd
Former Director: Card Centre Plc
MEMBERSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS
Member, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG)
Member, Nigerian Chartered Institute of Bankers
Member, British Institute of Directors (IOD)
MEMBERSHIP OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEES
In my capacity as the Governor of Anambra State, I served as a member of:
Black small squareFederal Government Committee on Minimum Wage
Black small squareFederal Government Committee on Negotiation with Labour on Subsidy
Black small squareFederal Government Committee on Mass Transit
Black small squareFederal Government Committee on Natural Resource
Black small squareNational Economic Council Committee on Power Sector Reform
Black small squareNational Economic Council Committee on Sharing of MDGs Funds
Black small squareNational Economic Council Committee on Accurate Data on Nigeria’s Oil Import and Export
Black small squareAgricultural Transformation Implementation Council
Black small squareSub-Committee on Needs Analysis of Public Universities in Nigeria
Black small squareNational Economic Council Review Committee on the Power Sector
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
2015: Golden Jubilee Award from Catholic Diocese of Onitsha for outstanding contribution to quality healthcare delivery in St. Charles Borromeo Hospital in particular and Anambra State in general, on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee celebrationof the hospital.
Black small square2014: Nigerian Library Association Golden Merit Award for remarkable improvement of libraries in Anambra State, exemplified by our Government’s construction of the Kenneth Dike Digital State Library, remarkable upgrade of the Onitsha Divisional Library, and provision of library facilities in secondary schools across the State.
Black small square2014: Champion Newspaper Most Outstanding Igbo Man of the Decade.
Black small square2014 The Voice Newspaper (Holand) Achievers Award for Outstanding Example in Leadership and Governance.
Black small square2013: Silver Bird Man of the Year (with Governor BabatundeFashola of Lagos State).
Black small square2012: Business Hallmark Newspaper Man of the Year.
Black small square2012: The Golden Award on Prudence – by the Methodist Church of Nigeria as the Most Financially Prudent Governor in Nigeria.
Black small square2012: Leadership and Good Governance Award by The Ezeife Leadership Foundation Award for restoring peace and harmony to Anambra State.
Black small square2012: Best Performing Governor on Immunization in South-East Nigeria – by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Black small square2012: Outstanding Financial Planner and Manager – by the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion for my resourcefulness and creativity in governance.
Black small square2011: Zik Leadership Prize.
Black small square2010: ICT Governor of the Year – by the West Africa ICT Development Award.
Black small square2009: Champion Newspaper Nigeria’s Most Trustworthy Governor Award.
Black small square2009: Thisday Newspaper Most Prudent Governor in Nigeria.
Black small square2007: The Sun Newspaper Man of the Year Award.
Black small squareThe Nigerian MDGs Office/UNDP Best Governor in the Implementation of the MDGs in Nigeria
INTRODUCTION OF CONSTITUTIONAL AND OTHER MAJOR CHANGES IN NIGERIAN POLITICS
Black small squareHe was the first gubernatorial candidate in Nigeria to legally challenge to its logical conclusion,his governorship electoral victory that was denied him.He won in the Courts and reclaimed his mandate.
Black small squareHe was the first Governor in Nigeria to legally challenge his wrongful impeachment and was reinstated by the Courts.
Black small squareHe was the first Governor in Nigeria to seek the interpretation of tenures of Governors when INEC allowed elections to take place in Anambra State when his…
tenure had not expired; the election already concluded was cancelled and he was allowed to complete his tenure.
Black small squareHe was the first Governor to serve a 2nd term in both the new and old Anambra State, that is, almost 40 years after creation of the State.
Black small squareHe was the first Governor, whilst still in Office, to be appointed a Special Adviser to the President.
Black small squareHe was the first serving Governor to be appointed into the Presidential Economic Management Team.
Black small squareHe was among the first Governors to be honoured with a National Award in 2011, while still in office.
Though the only Governor whose political party was in government in only one State, he was elected Vice-Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum twice.
Though the only non-PDP Governor in the South-East (made up of 5 States), he was elected by the other 4 PDP Governors as their Chairman for 8 years rather than the usual one year.
FUNDAMENTAL ACHIEVEMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF ANAMBRA STATE (PARTIAL LISTING
1. Anambra was the first State to commence Sub-Sovereign Wealth savings, the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa. At a time many other Governors were leaving huge debts, I left the equivalent of…
$500 million Dollars in investment as well as local and foreign currency, including $156 million in Dollar-denominated bonds.
2. For the first time in the history of Anambra State, Ambassadors and High Commissioners of notable countries such as United Stated, Britain, Russia, European Union, South Africa, Belgium, Israel, the Netherlands, Canada, among others, visited the State.
Before my tenure, Anambra was practically a pariah state blacklisted by the Diplomatic Corps and international development partners.
3. Development partners such as UNDP, UNICEF, the World Bank, DFID, the European Union etc., which hitherto were not in Anambra State started working with the State. Anambra was consistently adjudged one of the best states in development partnership and commitment…
to reforms for good governance.
4. He was recognised as Best Governor by the Millennium Development Goals Office (OSSAP-MDGs) and the UNDP in the implementation of their programmes in Nigeria.
5. The Nigerian Debt Management Office (DMO) rated Anambra as the least indebted state in Nigeria. In spite of visible and measurable achievements recorded in various sectors, the State under him did not borrow or raise bonds for her various projects.
6. The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria rated Anambra State as the most financially stable state in the country.
7. The State’s ground-breaking return of schools to their original owners – Voluntary Agencies (Churches) on 1st January 2009, and subsequent partnership with the Agencies in Education, saw the State move from 24th position out of 36 States to Number One in National Examination..
Council (NECO) and West African Examination Council (WAEC) examinations for three consecutive years. This made the World Bank to commission a study, led by the renowned Prof. Paul Collier of Oxford University, on this revolutionary partnership and phenomenal achievement.
8. The State also entered into strategic partnership with the Churches in the Health sector. This symbiotic relationship resulted in a tremendous boost to health care because of the services offered by health institutions owned by Voluntary Agencies, while the State restored…
grants to the agencies and made available to them more than 50 million Dollars in various types of support.
10. Through partnership with the Church in the Health sector, his Government funded the transformation of -:
a: Iyienu Hospital, Ogidi;
b: Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital,…
Ihiala;
c: St Charles Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha;
d: Holy Rosary Hospital, Waterside, Onitsha; and
e: St. Joseph Hospital, Adazi-Nnukwu.
His Government also built the Joseph Nwilo Heart Centre in St. Joseph, Adazi-Nnukwu, where heart operations are now being performed.
11. His Government won the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (1 Million dollars) as the best-performing state in immunisation in the South-East. With complementary funding from our Government, they used the money to build 10 Maternal and Child Care Centres across the State,…
particularly in rural communities, in partnership with the Churches.
12. The State was the first to procure and distribute more than 30,000 computers to secondary schools, including 22,500 from HP. The Managing Director for Personal Systems Group HP Inc, Mr. Fabrice Campoy described the deployment as the biggest of such projects in the…
Middle-East and Africa.
13. Anambra State Government provided Microsoft Academies to more than 500 secondary schools, which the Head of Microsoft in Nigeria (Mr. Ken Span) described as the biggest such deployment in Africa so far.
14. The State provided Internet access to more than 500 secondary schools, which the CEO of Galaxy Backbone (Mr. Gerald Ilukwe) characterized as incomparable to any in the country.
15. More than 700 buses were provided to secondary schools in the State by our Government.
16. Boreholes were provided in schools all over the State.
17. Numerous classrooms were built in all the 177 communities of the State.
18 As part of the efforts to turn around the economy of the State, a number of companies were attracted to build their facilities in the Anambra.
A case in point is SABMiller, the 2nd largest brewery in the world, which built their first Green Field facility in the State, which is today one of the most successful facilities they operate globally.
19. A number of other companies followed the SABMiller initiative and were all supported and encouraged under our Government; a good example is INNOSON Motor Manufacturing Company, from which our government bought more than 1,000 vehicles.
20. Anambra State for the first time started close collaboration with recognized government security agencies (the Police, Army, Navy, Department of State Security, Civil Defence, among others), offering them various types of support including provision of more than 500 security
vehicles. The improvement in security was phenomenal, such that the former IG of Police (Abubakar Mohammed) lauded Anambra State for not witnessing any bank robbery in my last three years in office.
21. To further enhance security, Anambra State provided at least one security vehicle to each of all the 177 communities in the State as well as various organizations such as markets and Churches.
22. His Administration conceived and built, from scratch, the first state-owned Teaching Hospital, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu teaching Hospital, Awka.
23. His Government commenced the planned development of the Igbariam Campus of the ChukwuemekaOdumegwu-Ojukwu University, including the fencing, construction of internal roads, electrification, construction of the Faculty of Law, Auditorium, Administrative Block, Faculty…
of Agriculture, Management Building, among others).
24. His Government attracted the World Bank support on erosion – National Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) – to Anambra State.
25. His Government was the first to do Poverty Mapping in Nigeria, as a guide for the effective implementation of our poverty-alleviation strategies.
26 His Government, for the first time, undertook the aerial mapping of Awka as well as the production of Structure Plans…
for Awka Capital Territory, Onitsha and Nnewi.
27. During his tenure and with his Government’s support, Anambra State became an oil producing State.
28. He built the first Secretariat Complex to house State Government Ministries that were hitherto scattered around the State.
29. His government commenced the development of the ‘Three Arms Zone’ comprising Government House/Governor’s Lodge, Legislative Building/Speakers Residence, and Judiciary Building with Chief Judge’s Residence.
30. By the end of his tenure in 2014, more than twelve (12) health institutions, including two hospitals, had secured accreditation; when we took off in 2006, no health institution in Anambra State was duly accredited.
31. Anambra State was the first to undergo national peer review, which scrutinised State Governments for good governance, through the State Peer Review Mechanism (SPRM), an initiative of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum in collaboration with the DFID.
As shared by Olaudah Eauiano
