By Law Mefor
A brand new Anambra State is rising before the eyes of the world. Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, came into office well-prepared with his ambitious desire to turn Anambra State from a departure lounge to a destination of choice. It has been a praiseworthy work-in-progress turning Anambra into a liveable and prosperous smart mega-city where people can long to visit, live, learn, work, relax, and enjoy.
The concrete steps taken by Governor Soludo to put the requisite infrastructures in place have earned him the lofty title of “Oluatuegwu” from all the zones of Anambra State, even as he retains the humble mien of his natal sobriquet: Charlie Nwamgbafor!
A lot of people may have forgotten that before Charlie Nwamgbafor came into office, eight local government areas, namely Aguata, Ekwusigo, Nnewi North, Nnewi South, Ogbaru, Orumba North, Orumba South, and Ihiala, were under siege by the vicious “Unknown Gunmen”. Soludo created a functional security architecture in the state that sent the criminals packing. The running away for dear life of the criminals was portrayed in popular parlance as “Oso Soludo”. Mr Governor did not just go after the crooks – he also arrested their crooked native doctors and put them on trial. With his putting in place of Agunechemba and Udo Ga-Achi, security has been given its due pride of place in Anambra, and the state is fast regaining its lost status as the safest state in Nigeria.
For Soludo, the rule of law is of singular essence. In the sphere of justice administration, where the promotion of law and order and the speedy dispensation of justice are on the front burner, Soludo put in place automated court systems and Small Claims Courts, among others. The governor also put into effect and amended landmark laws, notably, the ASWAMA Law, the Traditional Rulers Law, the Prohibition of Open Grazing Law, the State Land Law, etc. There is in place a comprehensive legal governance framework for a modern state that Governor Soludo is building.
The comprehensive economic transformation of Anambra State by Governor Soludo is on course. Regenerative agriculture has been adopted as a state policy. The policy aims to produce healthy, nutrient-dense natural foods in ways that are efficient and sustainable. Procurement and distribution of choice economic trees such as Ukwa, Ogbono, Akilu, Guava, and Soursop statewide, alongside the massive procurement and distribution of coconut and oil palm seedlings to Ndi Anambra as poverty alleviation and economic growth initiatives, have been sustained for two years running. Farm-to-feed (Ugbo azu uno) is the rule.
Soludo has ensured a new lease of life in the industry sector with the launch of the Export Emporium. The drug market at Oba in Idemili South is a project designed to move the popular wholesale drug market at the bridgehead in Onitsha to a permanent site. It is poised to become the biggest drug distribution centre in Africa. The 200-hectare Anambra State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Hub in Ogboji, in Orumba South, will house over 100 pharmaceutical companies, a pharmaceutical school, etc.
Fulfilling the promise in his People’s Manifesto, Soludo has accelerated the development of critical infrastructure. He declared a state of emergency on the road and has completed a staggering 600 kilometres of roads within three and a half years to last at least 20 years. With the construction of the dual carriageway from Amawbia, through Ekwulobia and Uga to the border of Imo State, and four other dual carriageways that make up the beltway that Soludo has created, Anambra is steadily being transformed into a sprawling one-city state. New dual carriageways are linking the entire sections of the state, particularly the four major cities. The Ekwulobia Flyover and bus terminal are standard-bearers in modern construction. The Arroma Flyover, connecting old and new Awka is a watershed project.
Through the Charlie Nwamgbafor magic, Anambra State can now count on having an ultra-modern Government House and Lodge known as Light House. The expansive wonderland includes over 60 structures made up of a state banquet hall, an Executive Council Chamber, a theatre, a governor’s lodge and office, an office complex, a presidential lodge, and more within the perimeter fence measuring 2.22 linear kilometres and other internal works such as driveways, parking areas, walkways, drainages, water supplies, green areas, etc.
Soludo’s education drive in Anambra State has ended the era of schools without teachers with the recruitment of 8115 teachers. The crucial aspect of this achievement is the recruitment of the most qualified people from 18 states in the country through a competitive, transparent system without the accursed “man-knows-man”. Anambra State teachers and students have won reputable national and international awards, too many to be counted here. Free education from nursery to senior secondary school has been seamlessly put to work.
For the health of Anambra State, it has built five brand new general hospitals. Soludo ended the era of hospitals without doctors and other medical personnel through the recruitment of multiform medical personnel to run the government’s medical facilities, such as medical doctors, officers and consultants, nurses, pharmacists, lab scientists and technicians, radiographers, etc. Free delivery and antenatal care have been offered to the pregnant women under the watch of Soludo. The upgrading of the general hospitals at Ekwulobia, Enugwu-Ukwu, and Umueri followed in due course. The Okpoko slum, near Onitsha, now has a general hospital as well as well-paved roads, pipe-borne water, schools, and other facilities that have transformed Okpoko from the largest urban slum to a haven.
Soludo created the record of being the only governor in the history of Anambra State to visit Olumbanasaa in Anambra West and constructed the tarred road to Nzam, which was perhaps the only local government headquarters in the Southeast without tarred access road. The governor has built a hospital there, alongside other dividends of governance.
The Solution Fun City is an unprecedented leisure centre in the annals of entertainment in Anambra, and Ndi Anambra and Nigerians at large are pleasurably welcome alongside visitors from the Diaspora. Potable water is free and running in major urban centres via the Soludo charge.
The One-Youth Two-Skills Solution (1Y2SS) has served the purpose of transforming the participating youths through its empowerment initiatives to deal with vexed issues of youth unemployment and insecurity. This will eventually guarantee a great future for the state and country.
Soludo’s vow to make Anambra State a destination place instead of a departure point is coming true before our very eyes. The laudable reforms of Charlie Nwamgbafor in showcasing Anambra State as African-Dubai-Taiwan-Silicon-Valley are becoming a reality with these foundations firmly laid. Actual building on these foundations will continue in Soludo’s second term. Anambra is indeed rising under Soludo, and if it’s not broken, don’t fix it, as the Americans would say.
Law Mefor, PhD, is Anambra State Commissioner for Information.
