By Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu
It was a day like every other day. But it was to be different. Different because Dr. Obiora Okonkwo, the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) candidate in the November 6 governorship election in Anambra, was to be guest to the university community over two separate events.
First, Okonkwo, who is widely expected to clinch the Anambra top job on November 6, was welcomed to the Main Auditorium of the university by an ecstatic crowd of students, lecturers and non-academic staff who had gathered to listen to him discuss his 10-Point Development Agenda for the state with them.
The auditorium was filled to capacity. Many stood on the hallways. Guests fixed themselves to their seats and waited patiently for the arrival of the ZLP flagbearer.
His arrival was heralded by a sweet rendition of ‘on your mandate we shall stand…’ a theme song developed by his campaign committee, which has now gone viral.
Okonkwo took the podium and held his audience’s attention for the next two hours. He started the day humbly apologizing for showing up behind schedule. But the students, academic and non-academic staff did not even notice that they had spent time waiting. They were rather more interested in seeing him, and, hear him speak to them directly. He had fun doing so.
Taking the audience through his 10-Point Agenda, in a delivery that was severally interrupted by thunderous applause, Okonkwo shared his vision for the development of Anambra state, using available statistics to show that people of the state were, at present, getting less than they deserved from the government that had managed their affairs for 16 years.
Unlike other candidates, the ZLP flagbearer updated his audience with facts to show that the state was actually growing below its capacity. He wowed the audience when he said that “the money that will be used to develop Anambra will not come from the taxes that commercial motorcycle operators and market women pay, but from sources that I know about and had taped into”.
He further told his audience, that the money lost to servicing corruption in the state, was enough to drastically address infrastructure deficit in the state education system. He promised to address the issue by blocking loopholes through which such revenue is lost. He also promised to tackle the problem of teacher deficit in the state school system stating that “already, we have commissioned a need assessment team to look into the details and establish exactly what we need to upgrade teaching in the state and make it more attractive”.
The ZLP candidate also informed the university community of his commitment to working with the academia to develop policies that will push forwards the development of the state adding that “teachers training will be accorded the greatest attention”.
While re-stating his promise to conduct local government election within 12 months of assumption of office, Okonkwo shocked the university community with fact that the last time employment into the local government service was conducted in the state was about 20 years ago adding that “conducting local government elections and allowing local government councils manage their funds will open up the state for the revitalization of governance at the grassroot level with opportunities for employment of not less than 10,000 people”. The guests couldn’t hold back their applause.
Thoroughly entertained with detailed explanation of the 10-Point Agenda, Okonkwo, who was treated to several probing questions, which he was at home answering, left the university auditorium to a standing ovation with many participants at the town hall meeting attesting that the ZLP candidate was the first, of all candidates, to consider an engagement with the university community a worthy exercise in the run-up to November 6. He won many hearts!
However, the day was not yet over for the ZLP flagbearer. Leaving the town hall meeting, Okonkwo showed up at the second event of the day -the public presentation of the report of a study into reinvigorating the apprenticeship system (igba boi) in Igboland which held at the secretariat of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at UNIZIK. Okonkwo, had through the Pro-Value Humanity Foundation, which he founded, sponsored the study and fully funded it.
Here, a different audience awaited his arrival. And, he arrived to good company. The university’s Vice Chancellor and other academic and non-academic staff of the UNIZIK Business School, under whose auspices the study was instituted, graced the event.
Okonkwo, who shone like a thousand stars, stood out for acclaim by the University for his decision to sponsor the study. He had said that outcome of the study would help redress the apprenticeship scheme which, in the past, was a vital tool towards job creation and self-actualization.
An elated Okonkwo, who humbly acclaimed the work done by Prof. Nkemdilim Au. Nonyelu and his team, promised to adopt, and implement, recommendations of the study which the research team christened apprenticeprenuership. The study recommends the changing of the concept from Igba Boi to become Nkwado Ogaranya -a name that excited the audience.
He also called on political leaders across the country and development partners including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) etc., to take advantage of the report of the study towards developing new policies that would help to address issues of unemployment.
But Okonkwo was not done. He promised to do more for the uplift of the quality of life of Anambra people. “What we say here is not about what we will do. We say what we had done and will keep doing, whether in government or not, for the good of our people. My foundation, Pro-Value Humanity Foundation, which seeks to help recreate humanity, has been all over Anambra communities, with volunteers, assisting the most vulnerable of our people. Many in this university are on my scholarship. Our efforts, therefore, to reinvigorate the apprenticeship system, now called Nkwado Ogaranya (I like the concept), is another effort towards helping to create jobs for our youths and make them self-reliant. When they become self-reliant, they enjoy the goodness of life and will not involve themselves in crime. We will do more”, he added to another thunderous and standing ovation from the audience.
The day ended for the ZLP candidate on a very high note with more undecided voters matching up behind him and the party.
Uchegbu wrote from Awka, Anambra State