A leader is always a leader, come rain, come shine. No matter the thickness of the forest, an iroko tree always stands out tall in the midst of other trees. This assertion is absolutely true in the life of one of the most outstanding Nigerian charismatic political leaders of our time, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).
Anyim, unarguably, is a most illustrious son from the East who has accomplished so much in the services of the nation with indelible marks. His public service profile has endowed him with commanding heights in terms of infectious conviviality, national contact and clouts.
He is a highly experienced and a well sought-after diplomatic workhorse, a man whose overwhelming political, social and cultural influences transverse every nook and cranny of the country, especially in the South-east. He is a detribalised Nigerian, a leader with notable charisma, even after he left office.
That is why it is not surprising that Anyim was recently appointed as the South East Coordinator for the Renewed Hope Initiative by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Anyim entered into politics and joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar transition. He was elected as a senator and he was eventually elected as President of the Senate in August 2000.
Anyim is a man of overwhelming experience in leadership. He rose in public service to the top as the former president of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly, Federal Republic of Nigeria, between 2000-2003. He was also appointed as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011.
As the SGF, he was saddled with the responsibilities to coordinate policy design and formulation by MDAs for approval by government; serving as Secretary to the Council of State, the Federal Executive Council and other constitutional councils, which are chaired by the president; coordinate the activities of MDAs on the implementation of government decisions, policies and programmes.
Others are dealing with constitutional, political and socio-economic matters as may be referred to the presidency; administrative tribunals, commissions and panels of enquiry; coordinate national security and public safety matters, among others.
The appointment of Anyim, in this new role, is critical and timely. By this appointment, he will be leading the South-east zone in terms of coordinating, promoting and projecting the undeniable impacts of the Renewed Hope Initiative of Mr. President.
As the South-east Coordinator for the Renewed Hope Initiative, he is expected to bring to bear his wealth of experience gathered over the years in order to achieve this onerous task before him. This therefore carries so much weight that should not be ignored or treated casually.
It is imperative to underscore a salient point – the significance of Anyim’s appointment as the South-east Coordinator for the Renewed Hope Initiative, especially what it means for the people of the Eastern region.
Anyim, without any iota of doubt, is a worthy, intelligent, experienced and celebrated ambassador of the Igbo nation who knows the critical needs of the South-east. He is a man who carries the historical, social and political experiences of the Igbo nation in his heart, and he is willing, ready and armed with relevant resources to use his relationship with Mr. President to address them.
Anyim wants to work together with other Igbo leaders to reinvent the mainstreaming of the South-east into national politics and consciousness, all for the development of the zone.
Anyim wants to link the South-east with Tinubu’s nationalist and pan-Africanist visions. He wants to rebuild a new geopolitical order in the South built on equity, justice, friendship and fairness.
It would be recalled that in January 2010, Anyim led a delegation of 41 eminent Nigerians that called on the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua to urgently transmit a letter of his incapacitation to NASS in order to salvage the nation’s democracy from danger.
But in order to achieve the objectives of his current task, Anyim knows that the East needs to reconnect with the centre on a strong footing. He recognises the need to rebuild new alliances and strengthen the existing alignments for the benefit of the East.
The industrialisation drive, economic expansion campaign and development efforts for the East cannot be achieved in isolation. This is the vision and passion that drives Anyim in his new assignment
The Renewed Hope lnitiative is meant to stimulate economic growth and stability within the zone and, by extension, Nigeria. It is also meant to achieve industrialisation of the zone, especially with the help of trade zones in the area, political stability, and job creation for the teaming youths. Anyim is expected to harness the opportunities existing in the zone and integrate it together with the task giving to him by Mr. President.
It is this reason, and more, that the leadership of the Organisation for the Enhancement of Transparent Leadership threw its weight behind Anyim for his Renewed Hope lnitiative mission in the East, while urging him to stand firm and remain focused on his assignment in the interest of the Eastern people and Nigeria at large.
It is another high level call for national service at the time the country is battling vices such as banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, armed robbery, etc. Anyim is a round peg in a round hole for this job. He is therefore advised to engage in wider consultations with critical stakeholders of the zone in order to make his task easier.
The OETL is therefore urging all stakeholders to join forces with Anyim in coordinating the Renewed Hope lnitiative in the South-east. Industrialists, leaders of thought, traditional and religious institutions should join hands with Anyim for the success of this new assignment.
All people from the zone, irrespective of party affiliations, should also join him to achieve huge success. The civil society organisations are also not left behind in this task.
The conclusion of this intervention is that all and sundry should ensure proper coordination of this initiative in order to achieve the desired objectives for the region and country.