Throwback:‘Peter Obi Did Not Use Personal Friends, Politicians As Commissioners’
By Treasure Otiti
LAGOS DECEMBER 28 (NEWSRANGERS)-About 60% of them were not close to Peter Obi prior to his being the governor and they were not. politicians.
He never met some of them one on one but their competences found them. His Secretary to State Government Oseloka Obaze, he brought him from UN. He was the one that drafted Anambra Integrated Development Strategy (ANIDS) a draft that ensured simultaneous development of all sectors of the state economy. He is not a politician in the strict sense but he helped in drafting Labour Party Manifesto.
His Health Commissioner Late Prof Amobi Ilika was a Consultant with Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital. He was Obi’s Commissioner for 6 years. He doesn’t care what politicians are doing but he knows his job as commissioner and Obi was okay with that. He went back to his professional calling the day he left Obi’s government. Obi does not betray emotion but he cried profusely when Prof Ilika was buried about two years ago.
Engr Dr Patrick Obi was his Commissioner for Housing and Chairman of the State Tenders Board. He was taken from Dept of Electrical Engineering, Anambra State University. He went back to teaching when Obi left office. But he remains Obi’s close confidant. Ditto for Prof Chinwe Okunna who was taken from Dept Of Mass Communication, Nnamdi Azikiwe University. The man that follows Obi everywhere he goes today, I mean the man that sits in the same car with him Chief Joe Martins Uzodike was his Commissioner for Information. Ditto for his SSA Media Valentine Obienyem.
The truth is that, if you see most of Obi’s Commissioners today you won’t see any different in lifestyle before they were Commissioners and after. They use one car for 8 to 10 years and nothing to show for it. This is different from those that served as Commissioners for other governors.
Engr Obi told me that when he served under Peter, that the man was not cornering anything for himself and it was difficult for him to corner anything for himself. But he is grateful to him for the opportunity to serve under him because his life became better than when he was a teacher but he is back to Abia State University as a Lecturer. He is campaigning for Obi and where he can afford it, he joins campaign rally.
Even today those shouting Obi this Obi that may not get any appointment when he eventually wins. He may prefer that Otiti that has been criticising every political class all along to those shouting Obidient , but once he is convinced that Otiti has something better to offer Nigeria than anyone he has known for many years. That’s Mr Peter Obi for you.
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