By Emeka Alex Duru
General Editor
At the height of the impasse between former Oyo State governor, Rashid Ladoja, and late Lamidi Adedibu, the famed strongman of Ibadan politics, a particular story made the rounds on the interaction between the two before the Adedibu eventually backed him for the governorship race.
Adedibu was said to have asked Ladoja, if he could swear falsely with the Koran, the Muslim holy book, to which the former governor answered in the negative. He also asked if he could accuse somebody falsely or remove his clothes and fight in the market, to which Ladoja declined.
For not answering in the affirmative, Adedibu reportedly told Ladoja that he could not lay claims to being a politician in the practical sense of the word and therefore needed him for the election.
Ladoja reportedly answered the godfather the way he did because he was too clean to engage in any of such odious acts.
There are indications that if similar posers are raised for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the November 18 Anambra State governorship election, Oseloka Henry Obaze, he would answer in the negative. There are the suggestions that if confronted with such questions, he may even quit the race.
Even among his party members, the former Secretary to Anambra State Government (SSG), is rarely seen as a politician. With a robust academic background and urbane disposition to life, especially in seeking out the fabled optimum good for the society, he interprets politics from the angle of service delivery and not mere acquisition of power for selfish interest.
His marshal plan for service, which he encapsulates into The OHO (Oseloka Henry Obaze) Compact, aims at repositioning Anambra in key areas of agriculture, education, state security, gender/social welfare, infrastructure, employment, investment/savings and youth empowerment.
The agenda also includes, industry, health, alternative revenue, trade/commerce, sports/recreation, energy/water scheme and tourism.
Each of the plans comes with elaborate strategies for actualisation. Accomplishing the targets in agriculture, for instance, would result to zero hunger and food security. The exercise would entail mechanized farming, introduction of state/community niche plantation, encouraging subsistence farmers support group.
The brand of education he has in mind for the Anambra electorate, should be inclusive, equity-based and qualitative. The agenda will entail free education up to Junior Secondary (JS) 3, devotion of 26% of budget to education with 10% to support parochial (Mission and Special) schools.
Uplifting the infrastructure of the state, according to Obaze, will involve building new and social infrastructure, upgrading and maintaining existing ones, creating heavy haulage routes, among other strategies.
Expatiating on his idea for enhanced security for the state, Obaze said, “Government has a responsibility to protect every Anambra person and community. Security encompasses human security, security from hunger and want; affordable healthcare services, addressing unmet needs, protecting fundamental human rights and ordered liberties, and guaranteeing an unfettered environment for pursuit of personal wellbeing”.
He added that securing Anambra must not be achieved through illiberal and coercive means that undermine constitutional and human rights and human dignity.
The state, he said, must support massive investment in education, with a view to producing skilled labour forces, promoting employment, empowerment and equity, if elected. “Our educational and related public policies must be assertive, introspective and developmentally focused”, he stressed.
On value added governance, accountability and integrity, Obaze argued that for any leadership to excel, there must be a clear vision, policy and fiscal transparency, frugality, adding that the people must be carried along. “Such values will attract sustainable investor equity capital needed for development. We will engage our development partners more robustly”, he maintained.
Is the current Willie Obiano-led administration in the state, not living up to these engagements, our reporter asked Obaze. He indicated his dissatisfaction with the trend of events. The human capital development index in the state, he said, is abysmally low, stressing that 70% of the people are unemployed. “We need to close that gap urgently”, the PDP flag bearer said.
He regrets that no city in Anambra can boast of potable water supply. His anger in this instance, is that adequate provision was made for this by the past Peter Obi administration, based on Millennium Development Goals (MDG) initiative, but not much has been done in that direction.
He cites the example of education where the state, had before now, consistently taken the first position in West African Examination Council (WAEC) and other external examinations, noting however that in the three years of Obiano administration, Anambra has dwindled to the sixth position in some instances.
According to him, if the governor had kept faith with the standard established by his predecessor, he (Obaze), would not be running against him (Obiano) on November 18.
In his words, “We had an agenda for equitable distribution of infrastructure; Obiano abandoned that. We had a welfare programme for the weak and elderly; Obiano dumped that”. To correct these lapses, he said, informed his entry into the race.
But he was among those that packaged and presented Obiano to the Anambra electorate, Obaze was reminded. He explained that the governor’s emergence as All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, was circumstantial, stressing that he was more of a compromise candidate in a bid to ensure peace in the party that was then undergoing immense crisis between Obi and the then national chairman, Victor Umeh.
Reminded that his eventual victory and possibility of going for a second term would affect the power rotation arrangement in the state, given that by that, Anambra North, would have had 12 straight years, Obaze disagreed, adding that he would only serve for a term of four years.
“I will serve for only four years. We want to change the narrative that politicians are liars. Not all of us are liars. I will only serve for four years”, he insisted.
He took a different perspective to the trending impression of the November 18 poll being a proxy war for godfathers of the state’s politics. According to insinuations, Umeh is Obiano’s godfather for the race, Billionaire businessman, Arthur Eze for Tony Nwoye of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Obi for him.
Obaze argued that godfather factor in politics, is not entirely a bad idea but for the way it had been mismanaged in recent history of the state. He cited instance of his closeness to the former Vice President, Alex Ekwueme, admitting that he had on occasions, sought advice from him and other well-meaning individuals.
He admitted being close to the former governor, adding that they even had shared values that dated to their attending the same secondary school, though at different times. “Am I close to Obi? Yes, but to say he is my godfather especially with negative connotation, is not the way, it is”, Obaze emphasised.
He dismissed his closeness to Ekwueme being the consideration for the choice of his daughter, Chidi Onyemelukwe as his running mate in the election, adding that it was rather based on his belief in gender mainstreaming. In addition, she met the criteria set for the selection, aside having requisite management experience and sound pedigree. More so, she hails from Orumba, seen as a critical cluster in Anambra voter spread and married in Nnewi, hometown of late Igbo icon, Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu.
What would be his reaction to the outcome of the poll? Obaze said. “I am not clairvoyant. We have institutions responsible for the conduct of the elections. We have the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), we have the security agencies. If all is done very well and I lose, I will stand up and congratulate the winner. I hope they will also do so, if I win”, he stated.
Oseloka Henry Obaze, born on April 9, 1955, is a retired United Nations diplomat who served between 1991 and 2012. Prior to working at the United Nations, he had worked as an international civil servant with the Nigerian Diplomatic Service from 1982-1991.
Among other institutions, Obaze attended the University of Nebraska, Lincoln (USA), where he obtained a Master’s Degree in Political Science and International Relations, as well as Nebraska Wesleyan University, where he read Political Science. He attended certificate courses in world renowned institutions across the world – Italy, Austria, Sweden – where he studied various aspects of international relations and diplomacy, including specialty on Dialogue and Mediation efforts.
Following his resignation from the United Nations, Obaze was appointed Secretary to the State Government of Anambra State, from June, 2012 till June, 2015 by both former Governor Obi and the incumbent, Obiano.
Oseloka Obaze announced his bid to contest for Anambra State Governorship primaries elections on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in November 2016, and emerged the party’s flag bearer on August 28, 2017.