My Contract With Ndi Anambara

Our manifesto derives from a firm belief that despite the defects of the current federal system, there is sufficient room to manoeuvre and fully exploit synergies and complementarities with the FGN, and other states, Development Financial Institutions (DFIs), and private sector to build a liveable and prosperous state. It is also based upon the belief that the Igbo, as a nascent global tribe, need Nigeria, Africa, and the world to maximize their economic potential. As a Pan Africanist (dreaming of the United States of Africa), I see infinite possibilities and opportunities for Anambra State especially in the context of the new African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA--- with a market size of over US$3.2 trillion, and over 1.2 billion consumers), and other global opportunities which favour the exceptional enterprise of Ndi Anambra.

In some ways, our future is in our past.  We aim to build upon the foundation of our founding fathers and immediate past and current leaders to leapfrog Anambra into a post-oil/ digital world of the 4th Industrial Revolution. As an ideology for framing our vision for the state, I am a Pan-African neo progressive—a centrist ideology that combines some ennobling principles of the left and the right. The Igbo is ostensibly individualistic - republican but with social and communal conscience and duty. He is at the same time global, urban but local in terms of consciousness to his heritage and homeland.  As a cosmopolitan and mobile tribe, its economic framework is built around creative destruction and adaptation and always searching for an ecosystem that rewards talent, ideas, productivity and collaboration. African neo progressivism believes in market principles to create sustainable wealth. Its foundation is the adaptive, albeit largely conservative social and religious agenda, with emphasis on strong families as the unit of the open society. As a product of, and believer in, this neo progressive ideology, I subscribe to a responsible market economy that promotes competition and value-creating opportunities for all, and which is also humanized by a developmental state to ensure sustainable communities and responsible citizenship. This ideology underpins our Plan for Ndi Anambra.

Our primary target is sustainable and inclusive wealth creation with jobs, jobs, and jobs. We target at least 130,000 private sector jobs per annum for our youths and 1,000 youth millionaires per annum in the medium term.

We envision Anambra as an industrial-technology hub to lead Africa’s export market under AfCFTA; strengthen our dominant status as the shopping centre of West Africa; orchestrate the traffic of millions of visitors per annum as we position to become Africa's number one destination for entertainment, leisure and creative economy.

We plan to position Anambra as a centre of excellence for human capital development and proactively leapfrog our students/youths as Africa's digital tribe; actively ensure planned cities, communities, and markets, and a more sustainable, clean, green, and liveable environment; and a mainstreaming of the core Igbo values of integrity, hard work, competition, compassion, and morality.

We envision a public service that truly delivers timely and efficient service to the citizens, and a target as the state with guaranteed rule of law and property rights such that commercial disputes are settled within 30 days, etc. I also envision a compassionate society in the true sense of neo progressivism as embodied in APGA’s manifesto. APGA’s motto is: ‘Be your brother’s and sister’s keeper’, (Onye aghana nwanne ya) and we will formalize specific programmes to give content to this progressive philosophy by caring for the elderly, vulnerable widows, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, mainstreaming crowd charity, and formalizing the "Adopt A School" programme.

 We seek a framework for compounding the state wealth and ramping up fiscal revenue with the target that after eight years, Anambra would not need federation account allocations for its basic needs. Indeed, after four years, Anambra should generate more than 100% of its recurrent expenditure.  To sum it up, we envision Anambra, whereby our homeland population will have no incentive to migrate to other places in search of opportunities, and the itinerant population will have a proud homeland to return to.

Our servant-leadership seeks to mainstream a developmental state that is driven by transformation agenda. Every kobo of Anambra's money will be devoted to working for Ndi Anambra.   I sincerely believe in integrity and due process, which means that I will not steal nor waste state resources and will always allow the machinery of government to follow due process. 

I believe in One Anambra, One people, One Agenda. There will be a comprehensive and simultaneous development of all parts of the state. The principles of personal responsibility and community shared ownership and responsibility will be mainstreamed. I believe in equity and fairness, and will consequently maintain a policy of fair distribution of resources, appointments, and amenities across the state and interest groups, and also fairness to non-indigenes of Anambra. Meritocracy will have pride of place and those who demonstrate that they can add value to Ndi Anambra will be given the opportunity to serve. I also believe in the interdependence of all arms of government (Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary). Importantly, I believe in Ndi Anambra and their ability to work together with me to create the future we all dream about for ourselves and future generations.