Anambra State has witnessed an unprecedented surge in development projects, covering a wide range of sectors, including infrastructure, education, healthcare, and agriculture under the leadership of Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, former presidential Economic Adviser and Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria.
One of the development projects is the Ekwulobia Flyover, a four-level flyover that is currently under construction. It is expected to be completed in 2024 and will help to ease traffic congestion in the busy Ekwulobia junction. The state government is also rehabilitating and constructing several roads in the commercial city of Onitsha, to improve its condition and make it safer for motorists.
The state government is also rehabilitating and reconstructing several roads in Awka, the state capital. More than 400 kilometres of roads are under construction by the state government within the first 18 months in office of Governor Soludo, with most nearing completion.
A befitting new Government House and Lodge is under construction, to be delivered by next year. For 32 years, Anambra State has operated without a real Government House. Governor Soludo is changing that narrative.
In education, the state government has offered free education and abolished all manner of levies and charges in all public schools from primary 1 to JSS 3. The state government also offered a grant of N1.524 billion to all Mission primary and secondary Schools in the state to improve infrastructure and quality of education. It employed 5,000 teachers during Governor Soludo’s first nine months in office and is currently recruiting another 3,000 teachers exclusively for public schools in the state to end the era of PTA teachers and schools without teachers.
To enhance health care delivery, the state government renovated all public hospitals in the state to improve their infrastructure and medical equipment. It is also providing free antenatal and delivery services for pregnant women in all public hospitals to give birth to their babies free of charge.
To end the era of lack of doctors and nurses in public hospitals, the state government employed 300 healthcare workers last year and is currently recruiting more.
Anambra State Government under Governor Soludo has become the first in Nigeria to provide telemedicine to its citizens to improve healthcare in the state.
In the agricultural sector, the state government launched a new project to boost production and create jobs. This includes the supply of over 1.1 million coconut and palm oil seedlings to over 100,000 households in the state. The state government is also providing training to farmers on modern agricultural practices.
Governor Soludo has voted N2 billion as startup grants for 5,000 participants who completed the pilot phase of the One Youth, Two Skills scheme, designed to help young people develop the skills they need to be successful as entrepreneurs. It is designed to reduce unemployment and poverty among young people.
The Governor has embarked on massive electrification of the entire state with 25,000 solar-powered street lights already in place. This has saved the state government a whopping N600 million in diesel expenditure monthly.
Prior to Governor Soludo’s assumption of office, about eight local government areas were under siege, controlled by hoodlums also referred to as “unknown gunmen.” However, they have since been decimated by the security architecture of the Soludo administration.
The State Government launched the Anambra State Security Trust Fund which is used to support the security agencies in their efforts to maintain peace and security in the state.
The state government also launched the Anambra State Security Hotline which allows members of the public to report crimes and security incidents to security agencies.
The Soludo administration also launched several initiatives to combat crime and make the state safer for its citizens.
Anambra State clinched a coveted position among the top five states in Nigeria with exceptional fiscal performance according to the latest BudgIT report on the overall evaluation of states’ fiscal policies. The state government is not owing workers’ salaries, gratuities, or pensions. It has increased workers’ salaries and pays them promptly on the 24th of every month.
The state government under Governor Soludo has also done a lot in the area of administration of justice. It established Small Claims Court, designed to transform the resolution of liquidated money demands in the state. It has also introduced the publication of electronic law reports in the ministry of justice, a move set to change how legal information is accessed and utilized in the corridors of justice.
The state government established the Anambra Bureau of Missing Persons, first of it’s kind in Nigeria, to systematically receive, document and act upon reports regarding individuals who are missing, disappeared or unaccounted for within the borders of the state.
These are just a few of the many ongoing development projects in Anambra State.
In addition to the projects listed above, the state government is also working on the:
📌Development of a new industrial park in Nnewi,
📌Construction of a railway line that will connect major business hubs in the state, including Onitsha, Nnewi, IgboUkwu, Ekwulobia, Oko and Umunze,
📌 Development of Anambra Pharmaceutical hub at Ogboji,
📌 Development of Onitsha river port, and
📌 Development of green village electrification.
Anambra State is a state on the rise. The ongoing development projects in the state are a testament to Governor Soludo’s commitment to improving the lives of the people of the state.
The selection of Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo as The Top10 Magazine’s State Governor of the Year award is in recognition of his outstanding performance cutting across in all sectors of Anambra state within less than two years as the Governor of the state.
