By Christian ABURIME
As the 5th democratically elected Governor of Anambra State, Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, remains an enigma to many people. Those close to the governor know him as a workaholic imbued with an unusual energy and a man who loves Ndi Anambra so much that he is irrevocably committed to changing their lives better than he met them.
From the day he was sworn in till this very moment, Soludo has not rested. It has been work, work, and more work. Every action taken by him has been top-notch. First, he wasted no time in recruiting those who were qualified to work in his government, going for the best hands who are value-driven, tested and result-driven!
For a man who describes his government as one of an agenda with a deadline, his only desire is to see results, not just in passing but in concrete terms!
His ultimate vision to make Anambra a livable and prosperous homeland has already taken off in full speed.
He has gradually and systematically restored hope and confidence to the state.
Insecurity which was a major threat has been degraded to the barest minimum. The eight local government areas taken over by criminals before he came to power have been liberated.
Today, the level of criminality in the homeland has reduced drastically compared to what it was in the past.
Soludo's multi-faceted approach to dealing with criminality, with the support of state security agencies, deployment of modern security technology and recent employment of about 2,000 able-bodied men into the Anambra State Vigilante Group to man the 21 LGAs and 179 communities, is yielding positive results.
The Governor has also sanitized the corrupt system of revenue collection in the state by getting rid of touts and illegal revenue collectors feeding fat on government revenue and stealing Ndi Anambra commonwealth.
Today, the finances and Internally Generated Revenue of Anambra State are being well managed with high standards of transparency and accountability which are the hallmarks of Soludo's administration across board.
The traffic jam nightmare that has made economic and social activities very stressful and wasteful for most people has improved significantly.
Today, many major roads, streets, junctions and parks in Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi and other areas have witnessed remarkable improvement in the flow of vehicular traffic.
Thanks to the relentless joint efforts of a rejuvenated Anambra Road Traffic Management Agency, Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra, Anambra State Joint Enforcement Team and others, incidents of one-way driving, abandoned vehicles and other traffic bottlenecks have reduced.
Soludo's government has also modernised levies collection and remittances at the private and public transport parks for drivers of urban buses and shuttles, tricycle riders and commercial motorcyclists.
In a spectacular move, the Governor made history in Anambra State as the only governor to have awarded about 250km of roads in recent times.
With massive construction of roads scattered all over the state, Anambra is now one big construction site with over 250km of roads currently under various degrees of construction and will be delivered within the next 24 months.
Streetlights are also coming back and will be powered by solar energy which is more sustainable and strategic.
The Governor led the campaign in ending the era of hospitals without doctors, nurses and consultants with the recruitment of over 200 personnel in the general hospitals across the state.
Yet again, just few weeks ago, in a manner that has never been seen before, his government recruited 5,000 teachers at a go to teach in the state primary and secondary schools!
The recruitment process was 100% merit based and transparent as the government went for the best, no matter where the applicants came from.
Also, 5,000 Anambra youths are currently undergoing various trainings in a special one-youth-two skills programme and by next year, the government will be empowering the youths with billions of Naira to start their own businesses and create wealth.
As the Governor is empowering the youths to be leaders of tomorrow through quality education and skills acquisition, he is also not neglecting the leaders of yesterday who served the state as civil servants.
For Governor Soludo, pensioners deserve their rewards! When he came into office pensioners had not received their gratuities since 2018.
Today, under his watch, everyone that retired from the Anambra State public service has been paid their gratuities.
And for those who retired since 2018, their payments are gradually being done to restore hope to them as soon as possible.
In the area of Agriculture, the government is working towards ensuring food security for Ndi Anambra by launching the regenerative Agricultural system that will boost massive food production.
As for electricity supply, the government is signing an MOU with the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) to ensure that there is 24-hour provision of power to boost socio-economic activities, especially in the three major cities of the state.
And to cushion the effect of the harsh economic situation in the country, Governor Soludo recently approved an increase in the salaries of Anambra State civil servants by 10%, with a N15, 000 Christmas bonus for every worker.
On all fronts, Governor Soludo has demonstrated a sense of humanity anchored on responsibility, accountability, prudence and transparency.
Now, 2023 promises to be a year of accelerated progress and development while the vision to make Anambra a prosperous and liveable homeland is fully on course under the dynamic leadership of the "Solution Governor", Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo!!
Indeed, Solution is Here!