Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, recently paid tribute to the late Anayo Nnebe, former Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly.
Obi attended Nnebe’s Valedictory Session at the Anambra House of Assembly and his Christian Wake Keep in Awka.
During Obi’s tenure as Governor, he was a member of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), while the 30 members of the House of Assembly, including the late Hon Nnebe as their Speaker, were from the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Despite the party differences, Nnebe’s leadership fostered an exemplary relationship between the legislative and executive branches.
Nnebe supported many of Obi’s initiatives, including the challenging decision to return schools to missionaries in 2010, a move many thought impossible. In the health sector, Nnebe’s leadership enabled the House to support Obi’s administration in collaborating with voluntary and donor agencies to revive and establish several nursing colleges, midwifery schools, and health schools.
Under Nnebe’s leadership, Anambra State achieved numerous milestones, making it the best state in the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) from 2000-2015. Furthermore, it became the first state in Nigeria to establish savings for future generations, allowing the government to save and hand over over N30 billion and $150 million, along with other investments in publicly quoted companies, to the succeeding government.
Nnebe’s commitment to good governance and his significant contributions to societal progress and development will be greatly missed. His passing is a profound loss to Anambra State and Nigeria as a whole. As we mourn his irreplaceable loss, we pray for God to grant him eternal rest and provide his family and all those mourning him with the strength to bear this loss.
