Boniface Okoro in Umuahia The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidate for Abia State in the 2027 election and a special guest at the South East Zonal Summit of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Dr. Kelechi Anosike, has called for deliberate institutional reforms to transform the South-east into a united regional economic and political force. Delivering the keynote address yesterday at the Zonal Summit in Enugu, Anosike, said the region’s future depends less on politics and more on strong institutions, professional management, and a new culture of accountability. “And the questions our children will ask us years after, ‘what did you do when this happened’, may be that we played our part and did our best to ensure that our region is strengthened, institutions are energised, and we are able to build our individual entrepreneurial success into a collective regional bargaining power,” he told delegates. He argued that institutions outlive elections, and that no region can outperform the quality of its bureaucracy. According to him, the South-east civil service remains hampered by weak digital systems, bureaucratic delays, low performance culture, and lack of measurable outcomes. To address this, the public policy expert proposed “Performance Governance” where public institutions and political appointees are judged by clear metrics. He said NIM should take the lead by producing an annual “South-east Governance Report Card” to assess governors on ease of doing business, infrastructure, fiscal responsibility, security innovation, and digital governance. Anosike said such a scorecard would create healthy competition among states. Citing Enugu State’s recent launch of a digital surveillance control room, he noted that innovation like that should be rewarded and replicated across the zone. He also tasked NIM to function as the South-east Governance Think Tank, offering policy direction to governors and training for commissioners, Special Assistants, Personal Assistants and local government officials. “Most of them get to work, they don’t know what to do. Who is training them?” he asked. On entrepreneurship, the keynote speaker identified what he called “four entrepreneurship deficits” in the region, starting with the huge informality gap. He said artisans, electricians, plumbers and mechanics operate largely outside any regulatory framework, costing the economy billions yearly. To fix this, he announced plans to establish Abia State Informal Sector Development and Regulatory Agency (ASISDRA) — if elected. The agency, he said, would certify artisans through 3-month refresher courses in partnership with big firms like Julius Berger. The international commercial lawyer recalled how Nigeria missed out on a Canadian recruitment drive for skilled tradesmen two years ago because most Nigerian artisans lacked certification, while Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda benefited. “Money follows value. With certification, they gain value and can price their services better,” he said. Anosike also raised alarm over the “succession crisis” killing family businesses in the region. He said many businesses collapse after the founder dies because children raised abroad do not understand how the wealth was made. He cited a client who took his 85-year-old father to a Harvard course on family business succession. Six years later, the son had grown the business exponentially. He urged the summit to develop programmes to teach business owners how to carry their children along. On education, he called for a shift “from certificate economy to productivity economy.” He lamented the collapse of technical schools and said the region must rebuild skills training to produce certified, professional workers. A major proposal was the creation of Young Managers’ Clubs in primary and secondary schools. He said “if we teach children mathematics and science early, we should also teach management, fiscal responsibility and leadership early.” “It is faster and cheaper to develop a child than to repair an adult,” he said, sharing how schools in Scotland teach compassion by asking pupils to donate for children in crisis zones. That, he said, is why budget performance abroad hits 96 per cent while Nigeria struggles at 30-40 per cent. He further urged NIM to partner with the South East Development Commission, establish a South East Management Excellence Academy, drive digital governance, and lead ethical leadership campaigns across the zone. ADU Women’s Wing in Lagos Takes Free Medical Outreach to Amuwo-Odofin Community The Asaba Development Union (ADU) Women’s Wing Lagos will on Saturday, 22 August 2026, hold a Community Service Medical Outreach for its members and residents of the Amuwo-Odofin community in Lagos. The
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