Anambra state bu Isi Igbo, the light of the nation……the embodiment of the entrepreneurial spirit that distinguishes the Igboman.

Anambra State is a Beacon of hope for the Igbos and for Nigeria in general.

 

Anambra state is the home of many venerated Nigerians of the past……..a state that produced the likes of Sir Louis Phillip Odumegwu Ojukwu, a man of significant accomplishments, the first and founding President of The Nigerian Stock Exchange. Our proud son, who dominated every business space of the early 19th century Africa with unequalled skills in wealth creation.

Legends have it that his Rolls Royce was borrowed by the Nigerian federal Government to drive Queen Elizabeth II around the country on her first Royal visit to Nigerian in 1956, a gesture which later earned him an MBE by Queen Elizabeth Il.

 

Anambra state produced Dr. Nnarndi Azikiwe, the first Nigerian president, who was considered a driving force behind the nation’s independence from the British, and who’s often rightly described by scholars as the father of African independence. Zik was one of the foremost black Africans who studied in the United State of America in the early 19th Century.

 

It was Anambra state that produced Prof. Chinua Achebe, the renowned storyteller whose Things Fall Apart introduced Igbo culture to the rest of the world. Prof. Achebe, the Pen of the gods, whose literary works mesmerized and left gobsmacked, the entire world of literature.

 

It is Anambra state that produced Phillip Emeagwali, the Computer scientist whose application is used for computational fluid dynamics for oil-reservoir modelling.

 

Anambra state produced Cardinal Francis Arinze, the first African to be considered papabile before the 2005 papal conclave, which elected Pope Benedict xvi.

 

It is Anambra state that produced Chief Emeka Anyaoku who was the third Commonwealth Secretary-General and then Vice-President of the Royal Commonwealth Society.

 

It was Anambra state that produced Dr. Alex Ekwueme who served as the first elected Vice-President of Nigeria, from 1979 to 1983.

 

It was Anambra state that produced Prince Abyssinia Akweke Nwafor Orizu, Nigeria’s second Senate President from 16 November 1960 to 15 January 1966, during the Nigerian First Republic.

 

Anambra state produced Dr. Chuba Williams Okadigbo, a one time President of the Senate of Nigeria.

 

It was Anambra state that produced Ernest Okonkwo, the intercontinental ballistic missile of the African football commentator whose golden voice dominated the Airwave of African sports commentary of the eighties.

 

It was Anambra state that produced Dora Akunyili who blazed the trail as the Director-General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of Nigeria from 2001 to 2008.

 

Anambra state produced Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the shining star who dazzled & is still dazzling the world with her literary works.

 

It is Anambra State that produced all these giants. It will therefore not be an exaggeration to say that the state has made a meaningful contribution of human capital towards the development of Nigeria in particular and the world at large. There is hardly any corner of this Earth or sector of life, where you will not find a thriving Anambra indigene. If there is no Anambra man in that place, please run for your life they say. This is the reality of our present human existence. This is the story of Anambra state.

 

We really have a lot to be proud of in Anambra State and many reasons to be grateful to some of our past leaders, especially those who played substantial roles in developing the state.

 

While we recognise their efforts to better the lives of Ndi Anarnbra, we must confess that a great deal of work is still needed to be done in many areas of development in the state.

 

So much needs to be done to optimize our primary and tertiary educational infrastructures in the state.

 

Our civil servants needs to be reassured that their years of service to their state wouldn’t be in vain, that their pension fund is guaranteed, and will be adequate to take care of their retirement.

 

Parents need to be certain that their efforts to put their children through education will be rewarded with good jobs when they graduate from school.

 

Our medical facilities in the State are work in progress. It will require a total overhaul to be able to meet up with the health challenges of tomorrow and the medical needs of Ndi Anambra at the moment.

 

As I have said earlier, given the level of human capital development of Anambra state, it will never be overemphasized to say that with good leadership, Anambra should be turned into a medical tourist centre for other African countries and the rest of the world.

 

A lot needs to be done to better secure the lives and properties of the law abiding indigenes of Anambra state. Cases of armed robbery and kidnappings, and the menace of the marauding armed herdsmen causing havoc in our state deserve more serious attention.

 

Ndi Anambra in the diaspora are tired of diverting their investments and development efforts to other neighbouring states (such as Asaba in Delta, Enugu, etc) owing to lack of confidence in the state of infrastructure and the security situation in their own state. We have many of them in South Africa, United Kingdom, Silicon Valley in the United State who are yearning to come back home, if only they can find a visionary leader they can trust to provide the right infrastructures and enabling environment for them to repatriate their investments and expertise, to help further the development of Anarnbra state.

 

One can only imagine what could happen in Anambra state if only one third of these Anambra indigenes with an overdose capacity should come home to invest in the State. Certainly Anambra will be receiving more than enough of her needed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from her indigenes abroad. This is a fact that needs no disputes.

 

So, who can win the trust of these our wealthy diaspora brothers and sisters? Who could bring them back for us, to the benefit of their fatherland?

 

Who, amongst the many aspirants to the governorship of the state has the capacity to change the fortunes of the state for good?

 

Well, we thank God that all hope is not lost. We still have great people in Anambra who are willing to make sacrifices, to avail themselves, and to serve Anambra state.

 

One such icon is Prof. Godwin Maduka, a refined Harvard trained anaesthesiologist and with over six medical centers spread across the United States of America.

 

Prof. Godwin Maduka is a rare gem. He’s once again, a proof that Anambra state is indeed a heaven for raw talents.

 

He has made it in life not just for himself but for the benefits of his kinsmen. A man with a heart of gold, who has shown his type by using his hard-earned wealth to transform the most obscured village of Umuchukwu, his home town in Orumba South, into an ultra-modern city with a first-class world medical infrastructures and other amenities.

 

“Prof. Godwin Maduka (The Okeosisi of Orumba), an honour bestowed upon him by his people, is a perfect example of what Anambra state can achieve when given an opportunity”.

 

Today, Prof. Godwin Maduka is asking Ndi Anambra for an opportunity to serve his state, to help Ndi Anambra take their rightful place in Nigeria and to restore the state to its rightful position as the true “Light of the Nation”.

 

For better appreciation of his story, every Anambra indigene may need to visit Umuchukwu in Orumba South to see for him or herself, what a determined single individual have achieved for his people with his own personal wealth. One would then begin to imagine what such individual could achieve for the state at large, using the state’s resources if given the opportunity.

 

We need a leader now, not a ruler. Anambra state need to be reengineered and we need someone to motivate and inspire Ndi Anarnbra, to bring out the bests in us.

 

We need someone to show us that it can be done. We need someone who knows not just how to do it like many others but someone who has done it somewhere for all to see. We need Prof. Godwin Maduka to lead us.

 

Our people must realize that the primary responsibility of government is to provide security, take care of their citizens and better their lives with our commonwealth. We cannot miss this opportunity to do the right thing this time around.

 

I thank you.

 

God bless Dr. Godwin Maduka
God bless Ndi Anambra
God bless Nigeria

 

Mr. Azu Okparaugo
(Admin/Protocols)
ANAMBRA DIASPORA FOR MADUKA (ADM) South Africa.