Obi to el-Rufai : Only Anambra people can assess me!

By: 

 Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka

Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State yesterday said he had laid a proper foundation for the solid growth of the state and could only be assessed by  Anambra people.  Obi was reacting to issues raised by former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, in a national daily, describing Anambra as the poorest state in the country, educationally backward with poor infrastructural development.

 Fielding questions from journalists, Obi said only those who had poor knowledge of the state’s recent history could say what el-Rufai said.  He stated that his government had nothing to hide and had always been open to assessment, which was why the state became the first in the country to hold peer review mechanism where it threw its doors open to independent assessors.  He said, “We need people to help assess and validate what we’re doing. We’re on course and we’re doing the right things.”

 He lamented the resistance of those averse to changes he introduced. Reeling out some of the revolutionary strides his administration had achieved, he maintained that Anambra State could now boast of having the best road network in the country, while education and health sectors had also witnessed unparalleled development. 

 He cited the handover of schools to their former missionary owners and the take-off grant of N6 billion for their infrastructural development as a major feat that was replicated in the health sector with handover of hospitals to mission.

 He, however, regretted that some people preferred to sit in the comfort of their homes to comment on what they did not know, and not making effort to know.