Ever since former US President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt ushered in a new sense of hope for Ameri­cans, who were chaffing un­der the weight of the Great Depression in 1933, with his New Deal to mark his first 100 days in office, democra­tising societies all over the world have come to accept the practice as a useful ba­rometer for measuring good governance.
Faced with an economy that was tottering on the verge of collapse, Roosevelt had rightly divined that America of the early 30s needed a desperate act to save it from the brink. He responded with the New Deal; a rash of 15 acts of the parliament that brought a huge relief to his fellow Americans, who were wallowing in the throes of precarious existence. The concept of marking the first 100 days with a solid proof of ability to perform took on a new meaning from Roo­sevelt and has remained so ever since.
On Wednesday last week, Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State marked his first 100 days in office with a shower of brilliance. Al­though unlike Roosevelt, Obiano had inherited some solid fundamentals from former governor, Peter Obi, he left no one in doubt as to his own interpretation of the historical call to lead Ndi Anambra.  But very much like Roosevelt, Obiano’s re­sponse was just as desperate. While Roosevelt’s America needed financial oxygen to save it from asphyxiation, Obiano’s Anambra needed a tough-talking crime buster to retrieve it from the firm grip of the underworld. Those who are familiar with the enormous human and mate­rial capacities of Anambra State must be aware that in­security has always stood in the way of its becoming what it should be. So, while Roosevelt’s first set of legis­lations was aimed at prevent­ing American banks from imminent collapse, Obiano’s first courageous act was to inaugurate a Joint Task Force on Security, which was later named ‘Operation Kpochapu’ to save Ndi Anambra from criminals.
This decision has since been hailed by even his crit­ics as a visionary step that completely situated the per­ception of the role of the governor as the chief security officer of the state, whose top priority should be the secu­rity of lives and property of the citizens.
His convocation of an all-important security sum­mit, where an Israeli security expert, Moshe Keinan, led discussions on security con­sciousness, signalled his sin­gle-mindedness in pursuit of the goal of ridding Anambra State of crime. He followed it up with loads of tough-talk and the provision of modern crime-fighting equipment to the state police command and 100 days after, 177 kid­nappers are singing different tunes in the various police cells in the state. Before Obiano’s heroics, visitors to Anambra would naturally be surprised at the prevalence of kidnapping in the state. In a recent interview with ‘Nwa Jesus’; a big-time kidnap­per, who built a warehouse in Aguleri for his victims, it was revealed that most kidnap­pers were actually ex-armed robbers. “We found out that there was no money in armed robbery,” he said, pointing out that his resolve to dump armed robbery for kidnap­ping calcified after his gang raked in the sum of N165 million in ransom from the relatives of their European victim. But with ‘Operation Kpochapu’ breathing down their neck, ‘Nwa Jesus’ and his gang have since been wiped out along with their warehouses and glittering mansions built with ransom money.
Interestingly, not many people are aware that Obi­ano’s campaign to cleanse Anambra of crime is intri­cately linked to his vision and mission statements. Obiano’s vision is for Anambra State to become the first choice investment destination and a hub for industrialisation and commercial activities while his mission is to cre­ate a socially stable, business friendly environment that will attract both indigenes and foreigners to seek wealth creating opportunities in the state. Apparently, neither his vision nor mission for Anam­bra could be realised without a fierce fight-back against the lords of the underworld. So far, he has won the war.
A clear indication that Obi­ano has won could be seen in the testimonies of many people, who either live in or have visited the state lately. Upper Iweka used to be the metaphor for crime in Anam­bra State. But lately, myths have been woven around his success in ridding the usually notorious Upper Iweka axis of the Enugu-Onitsha Ex­pressway of fiendish crimi­nals. It was not surprising to hear such legends from the lips of otherwise reticent people like celebrated author and Orange Prize winner, Chimamanda Adichie.
To be continued to­morrow

ANAMBRA TODAY: Willie Obiano: 100 days of excellence