Willie Obiano

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Chief
Willie Obiano
Picture of Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State at the Funeral of Bishop Okafor
Picture of Chief Willie Obiano, Governor of Anambra State at the Funeral of the Late Bishop Simon Okafor in 2014.
Governor of Anambra State
Assumed office
17 March 2014
DeputyNkem Okeke
Preceded byPeter Obi
Personal details
Born (1955-08-08) 8 August 1955 (age 66)
Aguleri, Anambra State, Nigeria
Political partyAll Progressives Grand Alliance
Spouse(s)Chief Mrs. E V Obiano
OccupationPolitician
Banker
Websiteanambrastate.gov.ng/executive/governor

Willie Obiano (born August 8, 1955) is a Nigerian politician, banker and technocrat. He serves as the fourth democratically elected Governor of Anambra State.[1][2][3]

Early life[]

Governor Obiano was born at Aguleri, a town in Anambra State, Eastern Nigeria.[4] He received a bachelor's degree in Accountancy from the University of Lagos in 1979 and a Master of Business Administration from the same university.[5]

Banking career[]

Governor Obiano began his banking career in 1981 at the First Bank of Nigeria before he left to join the services of Chevron Oil Nigeria Plc as an accountant and rose to the position of Chief Internal Auditor. In 1989, he was one of the auditors that audited Texaco Refinery in Rotterdam, Netherlands.[6] In 1991, he joined the Fidelity Bank as Deputy Manager and head of Audit unit and rose to the position of Executive Director on October 2003.[7]

Political life[]

Obiano left the banking system to join Nigerian politics and in 2013 contested the November 16, 17 and 30 Anambra State gubernatorial elections on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.[8] He won the election and was sworn in on 17 March 2014 to succeed Peter Obi.[9] On 18 November 2017, he was re-elected as Governor.

Corruption allegations[]

In late November 2021, not long after Charles Chukwuma Soludo was elected as Obiano's successor, it emerged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had placed Obiano on a watchlist so it would be informed if he left the nation; Obiano had flown abroad earlier in November.[10] In response to the EFCC's move, the Anambra Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Don Adinuba, stated that the EFCC had gone to a "new low" by releasing the letter placing Obiano on the list. Adinuba also claimed that it was well-known that Obiano was planning on moving to his residence in the United States after leaving office.[11]

Although the EFCC did not state the reason for the watchlist placement, speculation about potential investigations in alleged corruption led journalists to investigate the finances of the Obiano administration. On 30 November 2021, the Peoples Gazette released an exclusive on bank documents showing that on 29 March 2017, Obiano had withdrawn over ₦4 billion from multiple Anambra security vote allocation accounts with no stated explanation. Adinuba rebutted that "the document...doesn’t appear genuine" and "the figures you quote look extremely ridiculous."[12]

See also[]

  • List of Governors of Anambra State

References[]

  1. ^ "Labour leaders praise Obiano on workers' welfare". Daily Sun. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  2. ^ The Union. "Gov. Obiano's Scorecard 100 Days After". The Union. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  3. ^ Leadership Newspaper (24 June 2014). "Anambra Residents Laud Obiano's Performance In 100 Days In Office". Nigerian News from Leadership News. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  4. ^ "An Open Advice To The New Anambra Governor Chief Willie Obiano, By Chukwuemerie Uduchukwu - Premium Times Nigeria". Premium Times Nigeria. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  5. ^ "100 Days in Office: A Governor Takes Stock, Articles - THISDAY LIVE". thisdaylive.com. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Profile of new Anambra Governor, Willie Obiano". DailyPost Nigeria. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  7. ^ "Obiano at 57: Finally a New Star Rises from the East, Articles - THISDAY LIVE". thisdaylive.com. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  8. ^ "APGA candidate, Obiano, sued for double registration". The Punch - Nigeria's Most Widely Read Newspaper. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  9. ^ Administrator. "Supreme Courts Affirms Gov Obiano's Election Victory". icirnigeria.org. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  10. ^ Sanni, Kunle. "EFCC places Governor Willie Obiano on watchlist". Premium Times. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  11. ^ "I'll relocate to U.S. after my tenure, Obiano replies EFCC". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2021-11-26. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
  12. ^ Olubajo, Oyindamola. "EXCLUSIVE: Bank documents expose how Governor Obiano took N4 billion from Anambra treasury on same day". Peoples Gazette. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
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