The International Society for Civil Liberties & the rule of Law (Intersociety) on Wednesday posed series of questions to candidates seeking to dethrone Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, during the November 18, 2017 election in the state.

The questions were contained in an open letter in which the leading pro-democracy group also highlighted the challenges before the opposition candidates.

The letter was signed by Intersociety’s Board Chair Emeka Umeagbalasi; Head, Democracy & Good Governance Programme, Chinwe Umeche, Esq.; and Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law Programme, Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Esq. It came two days after a similar one addressed to Governor Obiano. The three major opposition candidates for the election are Henry Oseloka Obaze of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Tony Nwoye of All Progressives Congress (APC); and Osita Chidoka of United Progressive Party (UPP).

Intersociety gave the opposition candidates seven days “to inexcusably and publicly provide answers to the mandatory campaign questions” which it listed as follows.

What is the origin of the word-Anambra? Where are the boundary locations, States and communities of Anambra State? Who created Anambra State and when was it created? Who was (a) its first military sole administrator, (b) civilian governor, (c) constitutionally recognized governor, (d) meddlesome interloper or usurper governor and (e) judicially restored popular mandate bearing governor? What are the total square kilometers of Anambra landmass? What are the total kilometers of Anambra waterways? What are the topographic compositions of Anambra State?

Cabinet Size, Wage Bill & Running Cost

What size of cabinet including number of commissioners, SAs (special advisers), SAs (special assistants) is penciled down and proposed to be formed by any of you should you be given a fresh governorship mandate to govern the State? What is the amount of monthly or yearly security votes proposed by each of you should you be given a fresh electoral mandate as next Executive Governor of Anambra State? What is the policy trust or direction of each of you in the areas of human rights, abuse of office/power and corruption should you be given electoral mandate? If given a fresh governorship mandate and on assumption of office, can you holistically take stock of what you inherit from the incumbent Government of Anambra State including assets and liabilities (loans and contractual obligations for ongoing projects and completed ones, if any) and make same public? Will you increase or reduce current alarming overheads and allowances expenditures of the government appointees and machinery?

Land & Water Mobility

Is there any railway line in Anambra State linking the State to other parts of Nigeria? What is the kilometer distance between Omambala (River line) part of the State and the Federal Capital Territory? What is the kilometer distance between Ogwu-ikpere in Ogbaru and Ndoni/Port Harcourt ports in Rivers State? Out of 198,000 kilometers of Trunk A (federal), Trunk B (State) and Trunk C (LGA) Road Network in Nigeria as at 2011, how many kilometers of these three categories of roads are in Anambra State?

Specifically, how many kilometres of State Roads (Trunk B) are in Anambra State? What is the total number of kilometers of LGA and urban city roads in the State? What are the total kilometers of urban city roads in Onitsha: Fegge, Odoakpu, Inland Town, GRA and Woliwo? How many kilometers of Onitsha and environs’ satellite urban city roads are in: Awada and Ugwuagba Layouts, Okpoko and Mkpikpa Layouts, Iyiowa, Onwuasoanya and Odor-Rubber Layouts, Nsugbe and Akpaka Layouts, Odume and Owerre-Aja Layouts, Omagba 1 & 2 Layouts, Nkwelle Layout, Nkpor, Ogidi, Oba and Obosi Urban?

How many kilometres of urban city roads are in Nnewi North, Ihiala, Aguata, Oko, Anaocha, Njikoka, Agulueri, Abagana/Enugu-Ukwu and Awka? How many kilometres of State Roads or Trunk B and urban city roads are presently asphalted, guttered and in good condition in the State and how many have failed? What are the locations of their failed portions? What is the policy direction of each of you in failed roads, water drainages, public gutters and waste disposal in Anambra State?

How many kilometres of State and urban city Roads can any of you reconstruct, complete and commission from the existing roads each year in Anambra State if given a governorship mandate? How many kilometres of virgin roads will be added yearly to the State’s existing road network? Standard or modern road network includes surface or hanging (flyover), earth and underneath (underground) links; any plan and capacity by any of you to introduce these into Anambra Road Network System? Standard road network also includes pathways for pedestrians, animals and physically challenged persons and traffic markings and lights as well as vehicular speed control techniques; are there plans by any of you to incorporate these into the State’s Road Network System? What is the policy direction of each of you in road maintenance and flood control including public gutters, drainages and waste disposals?

Natural Resources

Are there tapped and untapped natural resources in industrial quantity in the State? If yes, where are their locations and names in the State? How many of them are industrialised or untapped?

Industries

How many moribund and functional large scale industries are in Anambra State especially in Onitsha, Nnewi and Awka Zones? How many industrial layouts are in the State? Are they adequate and well taken care of by the present Government of Anambra State? What is the state of government industrial incentives in Anambra State? What is the policy direction of each of you in the capital development of the State?

What is the fate of Onitsha Main Market, which used to be the largest market in West Africa? Is it still the largest modern market in West Africa? Is the Market now not over-populated requiring urgent upgrading? What is the policy direction of each of you in direct foreign investments (FDIs), private sector participation (PSP) and public-private-partnership (PPP)? How can Anambra State be moved from import based giant economy to production based giant economy?

Internal, National & Foreign Revenue Mobilisation

Owing to the fact that how far a civil government can go in ensuring good governance especially mobilisation of resources and use of same for public good and general development is fundamentally determined by amount of resources pulled into the State purse from local and external sources and without mortgaging the State to serial indebtedness; what are the plans by each of you to mobilise enough non loan capitals for the overall development of Anambra State if given a fresh electoral mandate? Have any of you carried out an in-depth study into the state of State IGR?

Are the State IGR potentials properly harnessed and generated? Anambra State is one of the least indebted States in Nigeria as at 14^th March 2014; can this enviable feat be sustained by any of you if given a fresh electoral mandate? Is there any recent study by each of you showing public expenditure chart of the incumbent Government of Anambra State and the total accruals into the state purse since March 2014? How much total has this Government spent since then?

Who among you have towering integrity and pedigree to be able to have access to multibillion dollar western basket of development funds and attract same into Anambra State especially in the areas of education, scientific development, sustainable development, environmental safety, agriculture, water and healthcare? Who among you can take Anambra State back to Millennium Dev Goals and Sustainable Dev Goals, UNDP, WHO, World Bank (non loans dev funds), UNICEF, and other regional and international development opportunities?

Public Loans & Indebtedness

What is the policy direction of each of you as it concerns public loans and indebtedness in Anambra State? Was there any recent study by any of you to ascertain who much Anambra State truly owes locally and externally? In reality, is the incumbent Government of Anambra State paying all its contractors for projects (especially roads) completed and certified? If, no, how much total does Gov William Obiano owe the State contractors for fully completed and half completed public projects?

Are the completed projects especially roads and other key infrastructures for which they are presently owed or paid shabbily or solidly done? Can such public projects be physically located and independently verified? Are there also unpaid contract debts associated with road projects with quarter or half completion by the Obiano Administration?

Provision & Delivery Of Social Services

What is the policy direction of each of you as it concerns social services provision and delivery especially in the areas of youth empowerment including skill acquisition, out-of-school children and destitute, education and reading incentives, healthcare, sports, entertainments and tourism? Donation of buses, power generators, distribution transformers, computers, library and lab materials and billions of naira worth of cash to mission, public and private schools, health, sporting, media, entertainment and other social institutions in Anambra State was a routine and a policy direction of the former Obi Administration; what is the policy trust of each of you on these if given a fresh governorship mandate? Mosquito bites and water borne diseases and unsafe drinking water are a nightmare in Anambra State; what is the policy direction of each of you in that regard?

Critical Sectors Of Development

What is the general policy direction of each of you in the areas of agriculture, water resources, environment and waste management, urban and regional planning, industrialisation, foreign direct investments, transport, works, education, health, public infrastructure, budget & planning, human rights and rule of law, justice reforms, Local Government System and Local Government democracy, youth militancy, gun control and gun culture, chieftaincy and communal matters, urban relations and migration, street, cyber and violent crimes; public security, safety and general welfare of Anambra People?

Political Violence & Cultism

What about political violence including gangsterism, thuggery, cultism and killings? In your honour or before God, Man and Law, have any of you been involved in them by way of killing or procuring others to kill innocent members of the public in the course of social and political activities throughout your political and socio-economic careers including your days in school, workplace, business, social leadership and entertainment?

The open letter also contained advice on resource donation on security and crimes that may assist the candidates succeed as governor if any of them happens to win on November 18.

In this regard, Intersociety wrote: “Owing to gross bastardisation of the concept of modern security by present public office holders in Nigeria especially in Anambra State; in addition to lack of technical knowledge about same, each of you is presented with and invited to critically study and analyse the special report contained in the link below. It is titled: the untold story of Ezu River Police SARS Killings in Anambra State.

“The expert report is grounded in modern methods of managing violent crimes especially in the areas of investigation and prosecution of their alleged offenders, taking into account constitutional and other legal rights of the suspects from their point of arrest and detention to prosecution. The special report is here: http://intersociety-ng.org/site-administrator/downloads/category/17-special-report.

“Each of you is also invited to comprehensively study the UNDP’s concept of Human Security and its Seven Dimensions of 1994 (UNDP’s Human Dev Report: 1994). The Seven dimensions are of Human Security are: personal security, community security, territorial security, health security, environmental security, economic security and food security. To UNDP 1994, security is now expanded to include the legitimate concerns of ordinary people and symbolized freedom from needs and fear and protection from the threat of disease, hunger, unemployment, crime, socio-communal conflict, political repression, corruption and environmental hazards. The link to the Special Report of the UNDP is here: http://www.thefullwiki.org/Human_security.”

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