By Valentine Amanze
A popular transporter, Chief Godwin Okeke (GUO), has alleged that Mr. Peter Obi, the former governor of Anambra State, was partly responsible for the colossal failure of Governor Willie Obiano in the state.
Okeke made the allegation during the installation of Mr. Chris Ukachukwu as the new President of Onitsha Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OCCIMA) at the Patterson Hall of All Saints Cathedral Onitsha, yesterday.
Okeke pointed out that throughout the eight years of Obi’s tenure as governor he enjoyed massive support from the people of Anambra State.
He said because Obi performed creditably he was granted the liberty to choose his successor, stressing however that if his successor did well or otherwise he would be part of the blame or commendation.
Responding, Obi, who is the vice presidential candidate of the PDP, said that no responsible Nigerian should be happy over how things had turned out in the country.
He called on Nigerians to continue to have faith in the country with assurances that by their [Nigerians] active participation, good governance would be enthroned.
Obi, who regretted the total collapse of infrastructure in the country, especially in the health sector, called on the government to pay attention to basic infrastructure and restore hope in the country.
Using himself as an example, Obi said it was because of his conviction that Nigeria could do well that made him to support the rebuilding of health infrastructure, among others when he was the state governor.
His words:
“Since I left government; apart from attending events at Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the country, I live here in Onitsha. I confidently use Holy Rosary Hospital, Waterside, Onitsha because when I was the governor, I supported the rebuilding of the hospital as well as many others in different parts of the state. When I read about complex heart operations taking place at St. Joseph Hospital Adazi-Nnukwu I feel happy I was part of it. There is one thing our people do not know – when one serves the people very well, which is not about making money, one will feel a sense of satisfaction and fulfilment which is far more precious than money because it is priceless.”
Obi, however, advised the newly installed Chairman of Onitsha Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OCC IMA) to be alive to his responsibilities, especially in the area of restoring Onitsha to a business-friendly town it used to be.
In his own remarks, the new Chairman, Chris Ukachukwu, said that he was overwhelmed by the calibre of people that attended his installation and promised not to disappoint the people of the state.
He said that the thrust of his leadership would be the sustained improvement of the business climate at Onitsha, stressing that his office would also concentrate on capacity building and restoration of faith in Onitsha as housing the biggest market in West Africa.
The newly installed chairman disclosed that they had visited the burnt Ochanja market at Onitsha. He assured that they were working with the market leadership to ensure that the right people were compensated.
Besides, Chief Josiah Unuigwe, reminded Okeke that Obi had been exonerated in the mess in Anambra State because he fought for change during the 2017 governorship election.