Chief Willie Obiano is a Nigerian banker, technocrat, politician and the fourth Democratic Governor of Anambra State
Chief Willie Obiano holds a B.Sc. Second Class Upper in Accounting from University of Lagos and an MBA in Marketing also from same university.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and holds a national Merit Certificate for outstanding service during his NYSC(National Youth Service Corps) in Benue State, Nigeria in the 1979/80 Service Year.
Governor Obiano began his banking career at First Bank of Nigeria before he left to join the services of Chevron Oil Nigeria Plc as 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. In 1991, he joined Fidelity Bank as Deputy Manager and head of Audit unit and rose to the position of Executive Director in October 2003 having headed various Groups and Divisions: Inspection and Audit, Operations and Information Technology, Commercial & Consumer Banking, Eastern Market, Financial Control, Risk Management and Transaction Support, Corporate Finance, and Non Bank Financial Institutions. Obiano was part of the great team that saw Fidelity Bank through the Bank’s Consolidation process.
As Executive Director of the Mega Fidelity Bank Chief Willie Obiano was in charge of Business Banking (Corporate Banking, Non Bank Financial Institutions, Treasury, (Naira and Foreign Exchange, Oil & Gas, Telecom & Food and Beverages, Transport and Aviation) and had all Regional Managers of the bank report through him to the MD/CEO.
Chief Willie Obiano has attended numerous banking courses locally and internationally and he is the President AMP (Advance Management Programme) of Lagos Business School for Ten years running. He is also a 2006 BNV (Building New Ventures) CLASS member of Harvard Business School, Boston and Standard University
He left the Banking System to join the Nigerian politics and contested the November 2013 Anambra State gubernatorial elections on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA. That year the personality of Willy Obiano made the difference. He won the election and was sworn in on March 17, 2014 to succeed Peter Obi as Executive Governor of Anambra state
His acclaimed professionalism, discipline and foresight has marked a paradigm shift. He has a vision to make Anambra State the 1st Choice Investment Destination and a hub for industrialization and commercial activities .
He has tackled the security challenges inhibiting investments that today, Anambra is rated by many as one of the safest states in the country. He has established the Anambra state Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA). This Agency has the mandate of attracting investments and fast-tracking the process of investing in Anambra State.
To date, ANSIPPA has attracted investments valued at $3.2billion to Anambra State. All the investments we have attracted so far cut across Agriculture, Trade & Commerce, manufacturing, hospitality, housing, electricity generation, waste management, health and oil and gas.
Agriculture is the leading pillar of his Economic Blueprint. That was why, two months after his inauguration; he launched the states’s Agricultural Revolution in Nteje, Oyi Local Government Headquarters. Ndi Anambra, two years after, the state almost realized this objective. Anambra has become an exporter of farm produce to Europe. Songhai Farms has reached an agreement with SABMiller for the supply of Sorghum, produced in Igbariam for brewing beverages.
He also set up a Committee for Land Acquisition and Mediation. The Committee ensures that all matters pertaining to the availability of land to investors are handled to the satisfaction of all parties. In specific terms, the state so far has attracted $150m from Coscharis Farms Project in Anaku, $50m from NOVTEC Farms Ltd in Ndikelionwu, $160m from Joseph Agro Ltd rice project in Omor, $220m from Ekcel Farms tomato production farm in Omasi and $50m from the Songhai/Delfarms integrated organic farm project in Igbariam.
There are also Grains & Silos with $40m investment in storage facilities, Lynden Farms with the $61m poultry farm in Igbariam and Tricity Integrated Farms with $11.4m ultra-modern abattoir in Awka. Indeed, the fire of agricultural revolution is raging in Anambra State and the future is very bright.
Anambra State blessed with over one billion barrels of oil and 30 trillion cubic feet of gas has an objective to have a fully developed Oil & Gas sector by 2018 through 3 broad areas of intervention – policy formulation & infrastructure development, private sector participation and community re-orientation.
Willie Obiano is the Patron, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (Lagos Mainland District) and National Youth Council of Nigeria, Anambra East Chapter. He is also Patron of groups in the Catholic church amongst whom are St. Anthony of Padua, Catholic Artistes and Entertainers Association of Nigeria, Catholic Women Organisation, Aguleri, Priests and Rev. Sisters of Aguleri Origin.
His community, Aguleri, conferred on him and his wife in year 2000, separate chieftaincy titles for distinguished service. He is currently the president of Aguleri Council of Chiefs.
