Exclusive commentary to USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, first Africa-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet.
Augustine. Chukwuma Mbah, PhD, is a contributing analyst to Houston-headquartered USAfrica magazine and usafricaonline.com
There is limit to playing politics with economy of a state and nation at large! The Anambra State Government deployed enormous and reasonable resources to build the Anambra International Airport, an infrastructural legacy project. This was achieved and made a reality despite a paucity of funds, complicated by COVID-19 pandemic and #EndSARS crisis which impacted adversely on all Governments’ funds and accruals.
I believe that opposition politicians of Anambra State origin decided to frustrate APGA Anambra State Government’s efforts towards achieving the main objective of building the infrastructure legacy project that has eluded the state for more than thirty years since its creation!
It has been said and projected that the neighboring airports around Anambra State are 70% patronized by Anambra State people, home and abroad.
Sadly, our opposition politicians are still playing politics with economy of the state. In fact, the same recklessness is exhibited across the entire South East.
Let’s take a look at a place called Oseokwa. It’s only about 21 nautical miles to the Atlantic ocean, around Ihiala LGA Anambra State and Oguta LGA Imo State.
It is there with a great potential for deep seaport! However, no meaningful effort has been made by south East Governors (States) to actualize the potential that would end the falsehood and mockery as a land locked region!
Akwa Ibom State, neighbors of the Igbo south East (both were part of the old Eastern Region), has completed modern, massive roads, several infrastructural projects, an airport, airline with fleet of air crafts, electricity generation plant, new deep sea port at Ibaka near Oron among others —notwithstanding the Calabar (Cross River State) and Port Harcourt (Rivers State) deep seaports owned by Federal Government.
Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel with his Economic team recently visited South Korea to explore foreign investors that would buy into the deep sea port operation activities through public-private-partnerships financing/management model. This is foresight!
The economic restructuring we have been clamouring for: the unbundling of the lopsided exclusive legislative list in Nigeria’s present Constitution that concentrates many economic activities, among others, in the Federal Government would soon be relaxed and resolved.
I think that State Governments that have foresight would begin to leverage on it immediately.
Unfortunately, so many of the south Eastern Igbo politicians are busy pursuing parochial and selfish interests.
Despite some of the criticisms, I think that the Governor of Anambra State Willie Obiano has done very well and should be supported to finish strongly in the next couple of months.
The politicians should know that Anambra State is bigger than any body! The 2021 governorship election has come and gone. Anambra State and the entire Southeast are blessed with many billionaires and entrepreneurs.
