NOVEMBER 6th: WHY AMB. IKE OLIGBO SHOULD BE ELECTED AS THE NEXT GOVERNOR OF ANAMBRA STATE

Amb.Ike Vin Oligbo , (Ike Anambra), United Nations’ Ambassador of peace, is a native of Umuoji in Idemili North local government area of Anambra State. The first child of Chief Amaechi and Mrs. Clarice Ebele Oligbo. Born and brought up in Aba, Abia state, where he attended both primary and secondary education. He later studied Law at the University of East London, Longbridge Road, London, United Kingdom.

As a British trained lawyer and a business man, Amb. Ike Oligbo is the chairman of Foxtons Security Ltd, Emergency UK Security Ltd, Orchard Fries Fast Food Chain, Amabel International.

Amb. Ike Oligbo is a philanthropist, the founder, and chairman of Hon Amb Ike Oligbo Foundation, an institution through which scholarships are awarded to the less priviledged children, and medical outreaches are yearly organized.

Also, as a man who has passion for community development, he is the founder and chairman of the community-based organization, CBO, called Aba Brought Up Worldwide, ABUW. ABUW is a platform through which individuals who at one time or another lived or had some association with Aba give back to the society that natured them.

Amb Oligbo declared to serve Anambra people under the platform of PDP as the next governor of the state after Governor Willie Obiano of APGA in March, 2022.

Before his declaration, he has been monitoring governance in our dear State and discovered that governance under Chief Willie Obiano led APGA government has derailed from the leadership standard established by his predecessor, Mr. Peter Obi and he decided to come and address the situation, thereby bringing Anambra on the path of the renaissance.

Amb. Ike Oligbo as a new entrant in politics is a man of integrity and acumen in governance, the real man to bring about the expected good governance that will deliver democratic dividends to the citizenry. He may be a “novice in political office contest” but not in political activism, so his “novitiate” is not a handicap at all.

However, Amb. Oligbo’s plans for developing Anambra State is contained in his declaration manifesto titled “My Social Contract with Ndi Anambra”. It was built on the 2030 agenda for sustainable development adopted by the United Nations Member States in 2015.

Consequently, his administration plans to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, to develop Anambra State. The document, “My Social Contract With Ndi Anambra” contains nine developmental point agendas amongst which are the two most important Human Development Index, HDI factors – Education, and Health.

The health sector is in shambles, lacks sufficient attention and medical facilities which was recently exposed during this Corona pandemic. Amb. Oligbo intends to make Anambra state the hub of Medical Tourism not only in Nigeria but Africa at-large.

Other areas are infrastructures he intends to address are– roads, electricity, job creation, civil service reform, environmental /ecological management, security, rescue /emergency services, etc.

Also, agricultural development will be critical to his administration because COVID – 19 has proven the need to work for food sufficiency. These areas must be given immediate attention in both short and long term measures if given opportunity to pilot the affairs of our dear state.

In area of communal crisis in Anambra which regretted because it has brought about unnecessary loss of lives and properties resulting in the derailment of development, Amb.Oligbo intends to first establish an organ of experts in conflict resolution. They will be given broad terms of reference that will unearth the historical causes of the conflict and come up with a lasting solution that will abate the communal crisis in Anambra State at-large, and to enhance peaceful coexistence among Anambrarians.

Insecurity is a serious challenge in the country and state is not left out. There has been reports of the menace of killer herdsmen and jihadists raping women, girls, and killing farmers, Oligbo as a security expert intends to come up with security strategies that will help to curb the menace of security challenges in our state, though security strategies are not discussed openly. For example, the business of every such culprit whether high or low will be legally emasculated.

Furthermore, unemployment in the country, especially that of jobless youth is a threat to the security and well-being of our country, Oligbo intends to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and once that is done the issue of youth unemployment will be brought to a minimal level. So to solve youth unemployment in Anambra State, he intends to engage in massive infrastructural development that will attract foreign direct investment FDI, and at the same time encourage local businesses. There will be strong Public and Private Practice PPP, where necessary. Simply, creating an enabling business environment will take care of youth unemployment in Anambra State and that will be the focus of his administration.

On the issue of erosion, there are about 1000 documented erosion sites in Anambra State and the state cannot do it alone. His administration will continue to collaborate with Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project, NEWMAP. It is a World Bank assisted project aimed at addressing the Nigerian gully erosion crisis in Southeastern Nigeria and land degradation in Northern Nigeria on a multi-dimensional scale. Furthermore, ecological funds when accessed will be judiciously managed.

On the issue bothering environment and sanitation. Effective refuse disposal is a problem in the state, and it defaces the environment, Oligbo intends to adopt institutional reform. The body legally bound to carry out waste management in Anambra State is Anambra State Waste Management Authority, ASWAMA. ASWAMA will be reformed to meet up with contemporary waste management challenges. The first will be on the enforcement of environmental laws. As it stands environmental laws exist but they are not enforced. Again, his administration intends to look into waste to wealth approach where waste scavengers will be organized and coordinated.

In the educational sector, Anambra state is still doing good in education but if you compare the present performance and performance during the administration of Mr. Peter Obi , you will agree with me that there is a drop in performance. Unfortunately, this drop isn’t supposed to be witnessed at all. It implies that there is a relapse in policy implementation. Oligbo intends to identify those policy relapse, checkmate, and address them. Again, institutional reform becomes necessary. He intends to establish nine years of compulsory free education so as to set the right education foundation in Anambra State. Furthermore, funding of education will be a priority in his administration. He will make an effort to implement the UN’s budgetary benchmark for education.

Anambra state is richly blessed with natural resources, but the issue of 1999 Constitution and restructuring arise here. The bundled 1999 Constitution makes it difficult for any state to harness her natural resources, so it’s a big challenge. Right now, the gas deposit is kept on strategic reserve by the federal government and it is so because natural resources are in the exclusive list in the constitution. So the State needs to be constitutionally empowered to harness her natural resources and once that is done, exploration of gas for both domestic use and export will be activated during his administration with state-of-the-art in oil and gas technology coupled with environmental best practices that will be embarked on.

Similarly, the Anambra socio-economic and political problems are mainly psychological. The misfit of job and man and running the government of ikwu na ibe who are not suitable for certain jobs bring about administration downsizing, Oligbo knows the important of right placement of job and man, even on the job training for effective and efficient governance, that he will address. Right placement of job and man brings about sustainable development. You don’t seek medical attention at police station. Never!

Amb. Oligbo also intends to create enabling business environment by massive infrastructural development and discouraging unnecessary bureaucratic bottlenecks. It’s likely that he will declare a state of emergency in the electrical energy sector because once this sector is okay 50% of business challenges are gone. It is his dream to make Anambra State the business hub of Africa with the highest Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, destination.

Oligbo wants Ndi Anambra to know that he is not just one of the stereotype politicians rather he is a politician that will “walk his talk and honour his promises”. He intends using his wealth of knowledge acquired over the years at both local and international levels to develop Anambra State to an enviable height.

Amb. Ike Oligbo , ( Ike Anambra), ezigbo onye Okodu humbly requests for the support of Ndi Anambra to transform our dear state to a desired height.

© Chimezie Chikwendu, Ph.D

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