2 weeks Ago By Joy Anigbogu
Prof Charles Soludo, the Governor of Anambra State has embarked on a massive transformation of Anambra State, from the construction of a network of roads, schools, health facilities to driving digital infrastructure for a connected Anambra State. It has been reported that the Governor prioritised digital connectivity, facilitated the laying of fiber optic cables across the state to deploying free public Wi-Fi hotspots. Anambra is said to be the first southeastern state to implement zero Right-of-Way (RoW) charges, ensuring faster broadband expansion and improved access to high-speed internet.
Many other States have followed suit. One thing is of topmost importance to the Governor, which is to ensure that Anambra indigenes don’t just visit home for burial purposes, but make the state a destination centre, not a place they’ll use as a departure lounge. Soludo also noted that upon the massive developments that are going on in Anambra State in the last three years, he has not borrowed a kobo from any financial institution.
The Governor while speaking at a Town Hall meeting in Lagos, where he presented his score card in the last three years, noted that though Anambra is among the least with regards to the revenue allocations from the Federal Government, he has been very frugal in the management of resources. According to him, a lot of wealthy Anambra indigenes now use the state as where they return to, for burial rather than a place to live. He explained the reason he wants to turn the state to a mega city that would be attractive to people in the diaspora to come live and work.
“The vision of my administration is to make Anambra State a destination centre instead of a departure lounge. We are like the Jews. Before the 1948 holocaust, the Jews were prosperous and scattered everywhere but without a homeland.
But after the 1948 holocaust, they decided to have a homeland, a place that they could call their own and that led to the present State of Israel. “Anambra people in the same vein are prosperous and scattered all over the world. They use their home state only as where they return to at death, a burial place.
But I want to change that narrative. I want to build a liveable place for the people of Anambra State. It’s also a personal vision for me because at the end of the day I want to retire to Anambra State.
” Speaking on the incessant misunderstanding between Igbos and their host communities in diaspora, the governor said that as itinerant people, there would always be clashes between settlers and the owners of the land, adding that this is not particular to the Igbos. He said that what is important is that settlers should be thinking home and working towards having a place they would proudly call their own just as the Jews have done. He outlined the five pillars that would help his government to achieve a mega city.
“Because over the last three years, what we have been trying to do, what I might call foundational steps, the first major foundational steps you need to put in place on route to that destination. “So, when we grow them into five pillars, security, law and order, infrastructure and economic transformation, governance and a new value system, then, of course, our environment of human capital, obviously, our greatest resource. These five pillars will defend the key pillars we need to put in place in route to creating that livable and prosperous mega city.
By the way, we envision that Anambra, any place, any city with 10 million and above is called a mega city. “But we envision that Anambra very quickly, if you connect all the dots, if you connect all the parts of Anambra, the population of Anambra globally is well over 15 million. For those residents in the homeland, it’s probably about 8 million or thereabouts.
So soon you’ll have massive migration. “I want to draw your attention to the fact that probably in the next 50 years, non-indigenous population in Anambra might outstrip the indigenous population there.” The governor said that it is very important that Anambra people should begin to think-home, adding that if care is not taken, in the nearest future, non-indigenes living in Anambra State would outnumber the indigenes.
“Most of us had our initial upbringing back there. If this generation does not lay the foundation to change that narrative, is it our children that are fed with indomie, those that are used to school run that would do that? Therefore, having defined the destination, it’s important for us to get to what is the whole essence of this journey. Otherwise having built schools, roads, medicare etcetera, we are just isolated pieces, we need to connect the dots.
According to him, one of the foundational steps is one ‘people, one agenda’. “I am not working with the mindset of Anambra North, Anambra South and Anambra Central. As far as I am concerned, Anambra is one.
I see Anambra as one mega city. For instance, out of the 20 kilometres of road in Okpoko, we have completed 16.I have built five general hospitals and all of them are in Anambra North.
I don’t really see the things that I have done. What I am thinking about is the ones that I am yet to do. The Onitsha 2.
0 which is to make Onitsha an industrial hub and Awka 2.0 which is to turn Awka into a smart city are already in progress. We are looking at building trade free zones.
The Fun City is almost completed and very soon people will be coming to Anambra for holidays from different parts of the world. The truth is that God did not make a mistake by creating us Ndi-Anambra. So, we must all join hands in making it a liveable place.
” Some of the achievements of the governor include the over 739km of roads, now slash across the state, 420km commissioned, gleaming with fresh asphalt, stonebased and cement stabilization. Flyovers rise like phoenixes. Large scale erosion control projects addressing major challenges at critical locations like Ebenator, Nnobi, Ezi-Oko, Akwa, Onitsha-Owerri road in the Oba axis, near Rojeny hotel, while Onitsha-Owerri (Ozubulu axis) is currently in progress.
Others include revival of abandoned projects, renovation of existing public buildings, new urban development initiatives, renewable energy solutions, and expansion of electricity infrastructure. 8,115 teachers were hired in an unprecedented manner in Nigeria, made public schools free, and spiked enrolment by 18.7%.
Out-of-school children. Construction of five new hospitals, 326 upgraded health centres glowing with solar power, 1,000 medical professionals enlisted, and free antenatal care delivering zero maternal deaths. Produced 20,000 tech warriors, earning Anambra “Best State in Digital Technology” Water sector transformation, power meter production, firefighting capability boost and enhanced emergency response, traffic congestion reduction, pharmaceutical distribution and manufacturing hubs, among others.
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