Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, on Thursday, said the state did not feel the heat of dwindling resources in the country because he foresaw that oil prices would drop.
Obiano, who recently increased workers’ salaries by 15 per cent in the state, said the drop in oil prices was a blessing in disguise as it enabled his administration to look inward and restructure the state’s Internally Generated Revenue.
The governor, who was elected on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, said this in Lagos during the Distinguished Lecture Series organised by the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University.
The Dean, School of Media and Communication of PAU, Dr. Ike Obiaya, said the lecture was organised to nurture a culture of robust debate on significant national issues with a view to instilling right attitude and ethical values in leaders.
Obiano, who spoke on the topic, “Sustaining the legacy of growth and development in Anambra State,”said it had not been easy governing Anambra State because “everybody is wise in our state.”
He said, “We analysed the Nigerian economy and foresaw that oil prices would crash to about $55 per barrel in less than one year. We foresaw that if oil prices crashed, it would bring down our revenue by 50 per cent. Having figured that out we began to work on improving our IGR by restructuring our revenue sources.
He said, “I still think that in Anambra State, we have yet to evolve the culture of patience and forbearance with our leadership class. It is important that our elites realise that only one man can be the governor. Until we realise this cold fact and begin to support whoever the people have chosen to lead them, we may always succeed as individuals and fail as a group. We all know that group failure makes individual success meaningless.
“We sought to win by giving governance a human face and clearing pension owed senior citizens. We also responded to the cries of the civil servants by raising their salaries by 15 per cent at a time that oil prices were crashing and states were grappling with the reality of shrinking revenues. These gestures are the software of governance because they are just as important as building bridges and roads.”
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