Remarks by the Governor of Anambra State, His Excellency Chief Willie Obiano at the 10th Chief Emeka Anyaoku Lecture Series
Remarks by the Governor of Anambra State, His Excellency Chief Willie Obiano at the 10th Chief Emeka Anyaoku Lecture Series, Thursday August 12, 2021 held at Prof Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka.
“In Anambra State, my team and I have made great efforts to carry the lamp of excellence…
Protocol
On behalf of the good people of Anambra State, I welcome you to the peaceful city of Awka. This is a very important day for Anambra State. Today is made special because not only have we come under the shadow of the greatness of one of our icons; but we have also come under the powerful influence of the ideals and philosophies that formed the foundations of his entire life’s work and remarkable career that changed the interface between nation states.
The theme of this year’s edition of the Lecture Series is “Leadership and Good Governance in Nigeria.” This event could not have come at a better time. Anambra is on the brink of change. A serious political whirlwind is blowing across Anambra State at the moment. I have no doubt that a lecture on Leadership and Good Governance will help to remind Ndi Anambra that their number one consideration should always be about which party and candidate would give us
GOOD GOVERNANCE!
As governor of Anambra State, I have continued to draw inspiration from the towering legacies of Your Excellency in public service. I have always said to myself, if Chief Emeka Anyaoku could lead the Commonwealth of Nations with all the diversities and complexities that came with it, then the least I could do is to offer good leadership to Ndi Anambra. I am often inspired when I remember that as Nigeria’s alternative representative in the United Nations Special Committee on Apartheid he drafted the resolution that changed the way the world treated political detainees in South Africa during the Apartheid era. He was 30 years old then. Instructively, that marked the curve in a historic career that has inspired successive generations across continents, cultures and religions. That is the true meaning of impact!
Here in Anambra State, my team and I have made great efforts to carry the lamp of excellence which Chief Anayaoku had lifted very high on the international stage with dignity and honour. We have sought innovative and effective ways of touching lives and changing the landscape with good governance. We have rolled out policies, programmes and projects that have become monuments to our vision and mission in government. Now in our final year in office, we can hold our heads up high and proudly look at how far we have come. But today is not a day for long speeches.
Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen; as you settle down to listen to the lecture and the discussions that will follow shortly afterwards, I urge you to take a close look at the life work of this illustrious son of Anambra State; this great Nigerian, great African and global citizen whose legacies have reshaped our world.
I have no doubt that this Lecture will offer a deep insight into some of the ideals that set his career in public service apart.
It is on this note that I welcome you once again to Anambra State!
Nnonu o!
Willie Obiano
Governor”
