After a tough week of hunting down kidnappers and armed robbers and flagging off new roads to open up the agricultural belt of the state, the Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano took his foot off the pedal at the weekend to commiserate with various families in Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state who recently lost their beloved ones to the cold hands of death.
The most affected of the families the governor visited was the Okechukwu family of Ochuche which lost five of its members to an auto-crash. The deceased were said to be returning from a wedding at Ekwuru Mmiri when the vehicle they were travelling in crashed into a truck, killing six people out of which five were Okechukwus. The other affected family is the Nwadialu family of the same village.
Demonstrating a rare compassion uncommon among Nigerian leaders, Governor Obiano visited the waterside village, largely populated by farmers and fishermen to condole with the bereaved families with cash donations and soothing words.
Earlier in the day, the governor had attended the funeral mass of Mr. Mathew Akubeze of Akili Ozizo in the same Ogbaru Council Area along with top functionaries of his government at Saint Theresa Catholic Church, Akili Ozizo where he had prayed God to grant the deceased’s survivors the fortitude to bear the loss.
Recalling the deceased’s legacies, Governor Obiano pointed out that Mr. Akubeze had served Anambra State meritoriously in his time as a staff of Ogbaru Local Government Area and left a good name for his children.
Speaking to journalists after the visits, the governor explained that it was a basic component of the philosophy of his administration to devote as much efforts to building lives and repairing the social fabric of the communities as he devotes to building roads and bridges.
“We have set aside a day in our busy schedule to look into the soft issue of governance. It is a day when my team and I move closer to the community to console the bereaved and to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our people. It is a conscious effort by my administration to build things and build lives simultaneously,” Governor Obaino explained.
It would be recalled that since he assumed office in March this year, Chief Willie Obiano has paid a close attention to the need to put a human face to his administration through various acts of kindness that humanize governance.
A few days after he was sworn in as governor, Obiano left the weighty issues of state to visit some school children from Umuokpu, Awka, who were terribly injured in an auto accident and were recuperating at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, Nnewi.
The governor followed that up with a visit to the victims of the Nyanya Bomb Blast in the outskirts of Abuja as well as to the Vice President, Arc. Namadi Sambo, who recently lost his younger brother in an auto accident.
Governor Obiano also visited some farmers in the state who were badly hurt by marauding Fulani herdsmen in a bloody clash at the agrarian Ayamelum Local Government Area of the state.