Chances are that Anambra State may not be your choice of a viable state if that decision is put to vote. A lot of oil-rich states, as well as Lagos with long history of development, will outvote her. The enormity of wealth accruable to these states through nature's benevolence makes it almost impossible for states not as blessed to compete favourably. Though Lagos is not among the oil-rich states, nonetheless, it has enough potential to make the list of healthy states. Being once the administrative capital of Nigeria and still playing the role as her emporium automatically provokes in many the thought of Lagos as a healthy state. Unfortunately, it is not. The state was categorised along some others as tolerable. Only about four states are healthy and capable of independent existence. Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra and Jigawa, were considered healthy by the Senate Committee on National Planning; States and Local Governments Finance, after careful examination of all the 36 states of the Federation. Whatever considerations used by the Committee to arrive at this conclusion, the fact remains that many of the states are barely keeping afloat. The minimum wage bill unwittingly opened the states up for public enquiry. In the end, states were categorised according to the level of their financial standing. There are the healthy, the unhealthy, the tolerable, the critical and the distressed. Just like the banks before the tsunami (performance evaluation), most of the states were thought viable until the inquest. It wasn't until Sanusi carried out unfettered review of banks' performances that them were found to be mere Ponzi schemes. Today, the existence of many of the states is rather spurious. Expectedly, some of the affected states have continued to kick against the verdict. Most have denied the charge. The flippancy of our political leaders makes such denial irrelevant. After all, official denial of statements makes them rather believable. The failure of some of the states to make it to the healthy category is not just strange but shocking. Out of the nine oil states, only Abia and Akwa Ibom made it to the healthy category. The remaining two states of Anambra and Jigawa, out of the four that are healthy, achieved the feat through uncommon statecraft of their governors. The Senate recommended among other things, merger of states in dire straits while suggesting financial bailout for others, including those their governors insist are viable. The emergence of Anambra as a state capable of independent existence would surprise many for obvious reasons. Here is a state whose political stock since creation can best be described as middling. At some point, violence and thuggery rent the political space, making development difficult. The level of impunity in the state was such that the media had a field day reporting the state in less glowing terms. Its political profile was low that investors and international donor-agencies could not come to the state. Those already there closed shop and fled the political onslaught. Today, the state has regained her stride but not without some cost. After 20 years of existence, many sectors are beginning to experience development. Through the diligence of the Peter Obi administration evident in the ANIDS concept, many sectors and sections are being developed simultaneously. But like I said, it took the coming of the administration for certain challenges to be tackled. Otherwise most of them were in deplorable state. Any wonder Mr. Obi has since made a lot of firsts in the provision of basic amenities in the state. For example, the issue of workers' Secretariat which ordinarily should provoke any responsive government to action, was left undone. Workers had to make do with the lone secretariat provided by the federal government on creation of the state. Needless to say that it was grossly inadequate as workers were squatting in buildings within and outside the state capital. The Obi administration has since arrested that situation while breaking new grounds in many others. It is a fact that the state under his watch has built about 500 kilometres of road, thereby making Anambra about the only state with the best road network. Beyond physical development of the state which some may squawk about when Onitsha end of the Bridge head is in view, or Awka taken in comparison with older state capitals like Enugu and Owerri, the state has done fairly well under Obi. The structural plan for the development of cities of Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi, amongst others, is already secured. But what I consider as one of the greatest achievements of the Obi administration is the ability to steer the state away from the path of crisis whenever the need arises. Politics is no longer played with cavalier concern. Neither is governance wrapped in an eerie veil of mist. Governance now percolates to the grassroot through the involvement of town unions.Ejike Anyaduba wrote in from Abatete, Anambra State.
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