Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and leader of the Oganiru Anambra Movement, OAM, Dr Alex Obiogbo­lu, has carpeted Governor Willie Obiano’s over his leadership style, accusing him of in­eptitude in handling the affairs of the state.

WILLIE OBIANO

Speaking during an Award Ceremony, organized by the Anambra Consensus Project for 57 traders in Anambra State, Obiogbolu said Obiano should forget his ambition of getting a second term in office, saying that his administration is not do­ing enough to protect Anam­bra traders and businesses from what he described as the systematic exploitation by commercial banks and op­pressive government policies.

He said the current admin­istration in the state does not have what it takes to lead An­ambra State to economic pros­perity.

He said that he was happy that at last the immense con­tributions of traders to the eco­nomic growth of Anambra State were being recognized.

He commended the awar­dees for their awards and re­minded them of the enormous responsibility the award had be­stowed upon them.

He advised them to continue to maintain high ethical standards in their business and commercial activi­ties which had brought recogni­tion to the people of the South East.

Dr Obiogbolu, however, ex­pressed concerns that the state government was not doing enough to protect the interests of the traders who contribute so much to the overall socio-eco­nomic development of the state.

He decried the insensitivity of the commercial banks who, in 2015 alone, collected over N370 billion in deposits in An­ambra State and yet extended credits to Ndi Anambra of less than N40 billion.

The PDP stalwart point­ed out that the Anambra State government had not done any­thing to protect the huge depos­it being taken outside the state to empower outsiders at the ex­pense of the industrialists, man­ufacturers and traders many of whom actually need soft loans to finance their businesses.

He further condemned the lack of access to foreign ex­change to these traders for im­portation, lamenting that many warehouses were virtually emp­ty, whilst the government finds foreign exchange for frivolous foreign trips.

He advised the Willie Obi­ano administration to be more responsive and alive to their so­cial obligations to the people of Anambra, saying that the situ­ation where their brothers and next of kin in other states were killed or their property de­stroyed and no one spoke up for them was unbecoming of the re­nowned Igbo unity and doctrine of “Onye aghana nwanne ya”.

Dr Obiogbolu stated that leaders must be alive to their re­sponsibilities and that Ndi An­ambra “do not expect salvation from the federal government as we are currently witnessing but we expect our government to rally our people and lead us to economic prosperity”.

He pointed that there was nothing that can kill the Igbo spirit of per­severance and faith in God and self as 45 years after every adult was given 20 Nigerian pounds irrespective of their wealth, the South East has become the home to the highest number of billionaires per square kilome­tre and has the lowest poverty rate in the country.