By Chidinma Olivia Patrick
The President of the Anambra State Town Union Council (ASTUC), Youth Wing, Comrade Ken Okoli, has called on residents of the state to embrace and practise the 12 core values of Onye Anambra as a pathway to achieving good governance and restoring the state’s position as the “Light of the Nation.”
Okoli made the call while expressing solidarity with the leadership and members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Anambra State Council, during the September Congress of the Council, noting that the media has a critical role to play in holding leaders and public servants accountable.
According to him, the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo is anchored on five key pillars, including: security and law and order, infrastructure and economic transformation, human capital development, governance and value system, and environment.
He said his concern as a youth leader was particularly centred on the fourth pillar, governance and value system, stressing that good governance could not be achieved without a clearly defined value system.
“Anambra State is the Light of the Nation and, before that, it was home for all. This is reflected in the Anambra State Anthem, which is a prayer of a person who believes so much that he or she is the Light of the Nation and the state,” Okoli said.
He identified the 12 core values of Onye Anambra as fear of God, patriotism, self-reliance, discipline, truth, liberty, justice, community, dignity of labour, religious tolerance, ethnic tolerance and love. Okoli said the values should not merely be preached but actively practised, drawing an analogy from the biblical commandments.
“It is not in knowing the Ten Commandments that God said He would bless the Israelites, but in the doing of the commandments,” he said.
He explained that rather than continually complain about the challenges confronting the state, Anambra youths had decided to take ownership of their destiny by participating actively in governance and promoting values that define the people of the state.
“We decided that we would join the government and not keep complaining. We would identify values that would be our articles of faith, and I was humbled to be the one to plant the seed on behalf of Anambra youths,” he said.
The youth leader disclosed that the group had begun a campaign across the state to promote the 12 values, noting that it has already visited nine local government areas and was working to mobilise people of substance who would champion the initiative.
He said the campaign is also aimed at encouraging young people to identify and emulate individuals who exemplify positive values, while distancing themselves from negative influences.
Okoli further commended the state government for using the instrument of law to tackle individuals allegedly involved in activities that negatively affect youths, including the promotion of illicit substances and criminality.
He stressed that the concept of “Onye Anambra” should not be restricted to people of Anambra origin, but should include everyone who lives in the state and upholds its core values.
“Let the message of our values go into the nooks and crannies of our state. The message is clear: We are Ndi Anambra,” he said.
Quoting Governor Soludo’s message during the commemoration of Anambra at 35, Okoli urged residents to move beyond identifying problems to taking concrete action.“If you see something, say something, but more than that, do something,” he quoted the governor as saying.
He challenged residents to consider what they were doing in their families, businesses, schools and communities to promote the 12 core values of Onye Anambra.
“The solution we are looking for in our system is here with us as Ndi Anambra. If we can uphold these values, we are upholding Anambra to take its place as the Light of the Nation, which it is,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the NUJ, Anambra State Council, Comrade Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, PhD, commended Okoli for what he described as his eloquence, intelligence and consistent advocacy of the values of Anambra State.
Odogwu described Okoli as an important youth leader in the state and disclosed that he would be recognised as the most influential youth leader in Anambra State, with the award-gibing scheduled for December.
