He bears a complex personality perceived in different ways by different people. It is analogous to the story of six blind men encountering an elephant for the first time; their perceptions of the animal would vary with the different parts of its body touched by each of them. But we do know that the elephant with an intimidating personality is noble and highly prized for its ivory. I celebrate Anenih, a man of immense value and great accomplishments, for his joining the club of octogenarians.
The beauty of a majestic tree, it is said, would be better appreciated if one is far off the tree; but in Chief Anenih’s case the converse appears to be the truth. Being a man of few words and who is not given to publicity, much of his humanity is shielded from public knowledge. He is an enigma in the manner of a text very difficult to deconstruct. Those who love Anenih love him well and those who hate him hate him well. What is, however, certain is that his reputation is safe in the hands of instructed people.
Yes, there must be adequate skills to access the deep. In Anenih, all the elements are well mixed that it is fitting to class him among the most comprehensively endowed of humans. His mind is like a powerful searchlight illuminating in bold relief anything it is focused. For this reason, he earns the respect of many and commands obedience. He is a consummate goal getter. Those who have been fortunate to relate with him have confirmed that he is one of the most accessible, humble and kindhearted persons they have encountered.
Anenih was born in the small farming village of Arue, Uromi on the 4th of August, 1933. His primary education was at Government School, Uromi from 1944 -1949. He joined the Nigerian Police Force in 1951 and was enrolled in the Police College, Ikeja. Through diligent private study he obtained his GCE ‘A’ Level in English, History, British Constitution and Economics. Buoyed by faith in his ability, he passed the GCE at the Advanced Level. In those days, to pass the GCE ‘A’ Level you had to be “born again”. Chief Anenih was also trained in the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
He was at Hendon and Scotland Yard Training Schools; 1963, Bramshill Police College, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England; 1966 – 1967 and at International Police Academy, Washington DC, USA; 1970 – 1971. He was awarded a Certificate of Merit at Branshill Police College and at the International Police Academy in the USA, he earned a Certificate of Achievement. Anenih, a leader of men, has carved a niche for himself as a family man, police officer, businessman, politician and a philanthropist.
He is, however, better known as a politician for the reason that he is perhaps the only mega politician in Nigeria who has maintained undying relevance. There is no civilian president in Nigeria since 1979 to date that Anenih did not contribute significantly to the success of his election to power. His party, the PDP, has benefited immensely from his conflict resolution and leadership skills. In Edo State, Anenih mentored over eighty percent of the top politicians there. Sincere Binis like me will be eternally grateful to Chief Anenih for the construction of the Benin bypass, the federal secretariat building and the Benin – Warri express road.
The story of the federal secretariat building is very horrifying. The contract for its construction was awarded in 1975 but no stone was put on it until Anenih intervened in the year 2000 when he was the Federal Minister of Works and Housing. The multi-billion naira Benin bye-pass has relieved the city of the excruciating gridlock of vehicles plying the East-West road. This project was executed the same period as the re-construction of the Abuja-keffi road to mention a few.
A friend of mine was amazed when he was shown projects executed by the then Ministry of Works and Housing when Anenih was Minister. He reacted as such because some people had insinuated that Chief Anenih pocketed the N300 billion he was given to put Nigerian roads in good shape. When the then Accountant General of the Federation (the present Governor of Gombe State), Alhaji Ibrahim Damkwabo clarified with records that the actual amount disbursed was less than N300 billion many did not believe him.
It did not occur to these detractors that for the three years he served as Minister, N300 billion translates to N100 billion per year. It was with this amount Anenih was expected to transform the roads in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. Today, both the federal and the state governments spend more than N1 billion on a kilometer of express road.
Many are very ignorant of the cost of making good roads. In Lagos, the sum of N53 billion had been used by the state to construct a 51 kilometer express road. In Benin – City, the state government had expended more than N5 billion to reconstruct the 5 kilometer Airport road. Having taken cognizance of the time value of money, I sum up that the allocation of N300 billion for the period 1999 – 2002 for Nigerian roads was paltry. Many were confounded by Chief Anenih’s presentation when he appeared before the Senate to give account of the fantasy N300 billion.
Having proved that the allocation was below N300 billion (in fact N120 billion was cash backed), he gave comparative figures of the cost of road construction in some West African countries which revealed that it was lowest in Nigeria. He went into minutest details like providing the comparative costs of a 5mm thick of bitumen, laterite and aggregates for a given span of road in these countries. At the end of his presentation, his detractors melted like ice. But why did Chief Anenih hold his word on this matter until it was required by the Senate? The fact is that once he was convinced of the truth, he would not flinch even when you blame him for the fall of the Roman Empire.
A unique attribute of Chief Anenih is that he does not keep a diary of enemies. He is very forgiving while believing that such enemies could be useful to him in the future. This has worked to his advantage a great deal. He has built great men and women in politics who had served and are still serving this country creditably. One of them is the current Minister for Works,
Arch. Mike Onolememen, who is carrying out an excellent transformation of our roads. Chief Anenih has been an astute business man right from the mid 70s when he disengaged from the police force. I do know that as at 1977, he was one of the richest people in the old Bendel State.
He was into the import and export trade, hotel management, farming and pharmaceuticals. His Yakon Group of Companies was involved in the importation of motor vehicles into the country. I remember that as a young boy, some friends and I in Benin City danced the new album of the Brass Construction Band (Changing) at his Nova Night Club in 1977. He remains today the Life Vice-President of the Benin Chamber of commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture.
The philanthropy of Anenih is legendary. In the year 2008 during the wedding church service of one of his sons, the Catholic Bishop presiding spoke glowingly on his unmatched contributions to the growth of the Church and its schools. It was confirmed by other Catholics that the word “unmatched” here was real and not a pleonasm. When the Catholic Diocese of Uromi was inaugurated, Anenih donated one of his houses to the new Diocese.
He gave his wide expanse of land for the building of the Lumen Christi group of schools in Uromi and helped to nurture this project financially. Lumen Christi secondary school produced the best School Certificate result in Nigeria in the years 2007, 2009 and 2011. Chief Anenih has sponsored the education of many indigent students in Nigeria and overseas.
In the year 2012, he endowed the magnificent multimillion naira Chief Tony Anenih Geriatric Centre at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. The Centre, with an Admission Ward, Operating Theatre Complex, General Outpatient Complex and a General Purpose complex is the first of its type in West Africa. He is providing employment to many Nigerians directly and indirectly in his farms and companies.
I am inspired by the selfless service of this great Nigerian. Many have wondered why none of his many children has benefited from any political appointment at the state or federal level. The fact is that he lives for all. He is unarguably a man of honor. He is a worthy recipient of the national honor of the Commander of the Federal Republic, many chieftaincy titles and University honorary degrees. On behalf of my family and the great people of Nigeria, I wish the Iyasele of Esanland, good health and more prosperous years.
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