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Tag: Soludo

  • Anambra traders commend Soludo for removing touts from markets

    Anambra traders commend Soludo for removing touts from markets

    Anambra State governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, and the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Obinna Ngonadi, have been commended by traders in Onitsha for their fight against touts and illegal levy collectors in markets across the state.

    The traders led by an industrialist in the state, Chief Mike Emerah, and traders from the New Auto Spare Parts Market, Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area, stated this on Wednesday while advising the governor not to relent in the effort at totally sanitizing the markets.

    The group dismissed the corruption allegations against the commissioner, describing it as the handiwork of disgruntled elements who want the “business as usual” tradition to continue in the markets.

    Emerah, who is also the chairman, the Board of Trustees of the market, said no amount of blackmail would deter the duo of the governor and the commissioner from taking traders and the people of the state to the next level.

    He said, “This administration sacked touts on the roads, parks and markets and everybody is happy. As far as I know, the commissioner is not one of those you can easily entice with money or any gift item. That is why they are attacking the commissioner for doing the right thing.

    “So when you are ensuring that the right thing must be done, this is the type of attack you get in return for refusing to abide by the business as usual tradition. He should be strong because more of such bullets are coming as they will continue because it is from there that these attackers eke their living.

    “Most of them are defeated candidates in both New Auto Spare-parts and other markets, and the offence of the commissioner is that he stopped the continuation of construction of illegal structures, overstay in office, flawed election, wrong shops enumeration, among others, as he insisted that due process must be followed.”

    In his reaction, the chairman of the New Auto Spare-parts market, Chief Elysius Ozorkwere, described the allegation against the commissioner as frivolous and a figment of the imagination of defeated candidates and saboteurs who orchestrated such allegation to attract sympathy.

    “We have approval from the Anambra State Physical Planning Board and a solid recommendation from the commerce and industry ministry, even before the new commissioner came on board and he merely authenticated the approval after perusal and the project is 30 percent constructed and we hope to get it completed in record time.

    “We assure the genuine traders that their shops are intact and those members without shops will have one, despite the antics of the opposition, what the traders should do is to disregard the few that failed election and listen to the executive that is interested in their welfare,” Ozorkwere stated.

    In his own contribution, the secretary of the market, Uchenna Malobi, said that the documents were there for all to glance and know that the project has the backing of the state government, duely approved by the state physical planning board and endorsed also by the commerce and industry ministry.

    Anambra traders commend Soludo for removing touts from markets
    Professor Chukwuma Soludo

    TheNewsGuru.com recalls that Soludo, during his swearing-in as Governor of Anambra State, vowed to end the activities of touts and revenue collectors in the state.

    Soludo, a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, said this during his inauguration as the governor of the state.

    In his words, “As a new order, many unproductive systems will give way. There will be new and better ways of managing our parks, managing our markets, different and better ways of collecting government revenues, managing waste, and general service delivery to citizens.

    “We must ladies and gentlemen rid Onitsha and all our roads and markets of touts and make Anambra a pleasurable experience.

    “Today, I will sign an executive order to suspend all revenue contracts operating in the parks, markets an roads until we put in place a new system within the next four weeks.”

    According to the governor, from March 18, 2022, no one should pay cash as revenue to the government in the parks, markets, and roads.

    “Market unions must also stop harassing the customers,” he added.

  • Soludo in Aso Villa, reveals master plan to turn Anambra into massive construction yard

    Soludo in Aso Villa, reveals master plan to turn Anambra into massive construction yard

     

    …to prioritize security, power, roads, health and education sectors

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has commended Gov Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, “for the transformational agenda he is bringing to bear in Anambra State…”

    Prof Osinbajo paid the compliment when the Governor visited him in Aso Rock Villa on Wednesday.

    Shortly after the meeting with the Vice President, Soludo during interview with the State House Correspondents revealed plans by his administration to embark on massive action in some very critical sectors of life in the state soon.

    He listed the sectors to include Security, Roads, Health, Power and Education amongst others.

    Though he did not give details of his discussion with the Vice President, but he was able to admit that it was “private”.

    According to the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Christian Aburime, the Governor confirmed to the journalists that the hitherto disturbing level of insecurity in Anambra was now being tamed by the reorganized, reinvigorated and restructured security architecture he has put in place.

    Prof Soludo, according to the statement from Mr Aburime noted that, “… the State is now comparatively safer and peaceful with the security architecture
    being put in place”

    The Governor used the opportunity also to commend the various security agencies in Anambra State and the citizens for their cooperation and partnership in the fight against insecurity in the State.

    Commenting on his six months in office and the massive programmes especially in the areas of road, health, education, power and other critical sectors, that are presently being aggressively executed, the Soludo assured that in few months time Anambra will be, one big construction site for massive development!

  • Insecurity: Anambra people now know unknown gunmen – Soludo

    Insecurity: Anambra people now know unknown gunmen – Soludo

     

    Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, announced on Sunday night that his people had summoned up courage and helping security agents with the identities of the ‘unknown gunmen’ ravaging the state.

    Soludo made the revelation when he appeared on a popular programme on a national television.

    While giving an update on last week’s attack on the convoy of Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, the former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria declared that the state cannot be a haven for gunmen who he is convinced have relatives in the communities.

    Recall that Ubah’s convoy was attacked around Nkwo Enugwu Ukwu Market area of Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State on his way to Nnewi, his country home on Sunday night.

    The gunmen opened fire on the convoy and left five members of the convoy dead and two policemen injured.

    Soludo said, “No space in Anambra will accommodate these criminals. Of course, they are known criminals. They come from homes, have parents, relatives and have people from the villages and so on.

    But thank goodness, people are now coming forward with information about their identities. And that’s how we have been picking them

    “We are pursuing them vigorously. We have this lead whether this was an orchestrated or pinpoint attack and all kinds of theories as to why this happened. I can bet you, it won’t be too long before we get them. We are not relenting one minute.”

    While taking stock of his six months in government, the governor said eight of the state and local government that were once held hostage have also been raided and taken over with the help of security forces.

    While commending the security agents, Soludo expressed confidence that Anambra has now been relatively quiet and peaceful.

    “We came into turbulence in the area of security with about eight local governments taken over by the criminals in more than 15 camps and held the state hostage. Even during political electioneering, most of us couldn’t campaign freely in all the senatorial zones.

    “As I said, the 15 camps have been decimated, degraded their infrastructure. I don’t think they have the capacity again to come with the kind of ferocity in the past.

    “The operations are ongoing. Even yesterday, many operations went on in parks and many communities now have their New Yam Festival which wasn’t possible in the past, especially in eight of the earlier affected local governments.”

    “I must commend the people of Anambra State including the stakeholders, security forces, police, navy, army, civil defence and the vigilantes for their massive cooperation in dealing with it.

    “Compare to many other places in Nigeria, I dare to say, going by the statistics of the last three months, Anambra is one of the safest places comparatively.”

    This is even as he disclosed that the security agencies have secured about four leads and are hot on the chase of the attackers.

    He said, “I told you there are many leads and we don’t want to be presumptuous. There are three or four leads. One of them, as you said, could be the targeting of senators.

    Another lead is that the attack could have been targeted at somebody else and he ran into them and they opened fire. The security agents are on top of the situation.”

  • Anambra bans use of miniskirts as school uniform

    Anambra bans use of miniskirts as school uniform

    Anambra has banned the wearing of miniskirts as a school uniform in all schools in the state.

    Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, stated in Awka on Sunday that the announcement of the ban became necessary as schools resume on Monday.

    She said the ban had been communicated to Education Secretaries of public and private schools in the state.

    The commissioner condemned the growing trend of wearing miniskirts as school uniform and said it was morally wrong and unacceptable in children of school age.

    “A student should look smart, well groomed, project positive vibes and not be indecently dressed for school.

    “The acceptable length for uniforms in the state remains knee length and not above the knee, which is fast becoming the fashion trend in schools,’’ she noted.

    The commissioner said Education Secretaries had been charged to ensure that schools complied with the directive to salvage the future of students in the state.

    Chuma-Udeh also urged the secretaries to instil the right morals and discipline in students so that they would be well-behaved and grow to become responsible adults.

  • Anambra gov, Soludo reacts to budget padding allegation

    Anambra gov, Soludo reacts to budget padding allegation

    Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo has dismissed allegations of budget padding for some projects by margins as wide as 300 percent in some ministries

    This is contained in a statement by his Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, on Thursday.

    Reacting to an article titled, ” Budget padding scandal hits Anambra State Government”, Soludo said ”criminals” of different types displaced by his government were fighting back with propaganda.

    ‘For clarity, it is important we state that we are not oblivious of the diversionary antics of those whose lucrative criminal enterprise is being smoked out by the renewed fight against all forms criminality in the State, housed in various camps and bushes perpetrating heinous crimes.

    ”Anambra no longer has free money to feed the greed of those whose source of livelihood is government money and patronage as a result of free oil money which sadly stopped while assuring that there will be value for every penny spent.

    ”The claims that the commissioner for works refused to appear before the House of Assembly to defend his ministry’s budget on June 29 is false.

    ”We owe it as a duty to Anambra to ensure that every penny of our borrowed funds is accounted for, and deployed to building quality infrastructure, and not for consumption.

    ”On the cost of the road per kilometer, it is funny that the unknown writer is using propaganda and deceit to hoodwink the unsuspecting public.

    “How do you start talking about the cost of contracts for roads currently being designed and contracts not awarded, of course people always judge others by their own standards,” he stated.

    Soludo went further to provide cost trend of road projects executed in the state which he said ranged from above N200 million to as much as N1 billion per kilometer in 2018 when diesel was N120 per litre and a tonne of asphalt, N18,000

    He said though the cost of diesel and asphalt had risen to N850 per litre and N65,000 per tonne in 2022, his administration would deliver quality and durable roads at the cheapest possible price.

    The governor said the roads under design were planned to last for at least 15 years under heavy axial loads.

    “It is important that we place it on record for the purposes of our employers and to whom we are accountable, that the previous administrations awarded roads with the cost per kilometer varying from above N1 billion to a little over N200 million.

    “It is also on record that none of our predecessors awarded any road for less than N200 million per km.

    “Of course, one can even get a road for less than N1 million by spreading sand and lean asphalt on it to be washed away within one rainy season.

    “The losers of the new order will continue to try desperate acts to fight back but we remain focused, during the dry season, Anambra will see the mass action on their roads and Anambra will continue to win,” he stated.

  • Soludo declares 6pm to 6am curfew in Anambra

    Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra on Wednesday imposed an indefinite dusk-to-dawn ban on the movement of motorcycles, tricycles, and shuttle buses in eight local government areas of the state.

    In effect, those vehicles are not to operate in the local government areas between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

    Seven of the local government areas are in Anambra South Senatorial District while the eighth one is in Anambra North Senatorial District.

    Soludo announced in a state broadcast that the ban on movement takes effect from May 26,

    The affected local government areas are Aguata, Ihiala, Ekwusigo, Nnewi North, Nnewi South, Ogbaru, Orumba North and Orumba.

    Soludo said motorcycles, tricycle and shuttle buses were banned from operating on Mondays in the affected areas until the “Sit-at-Home’’ order imposed by the proscribed Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) completely stopped.

    The governor said the decision became imperative in the face of growing insecurity which was threatening the existence and economic prosperity of the state.

    The governor also announced a four-week deadline within which all fuel stations in Anambra must install 24-hour Closed Circuit TVs.

    All commercial transport vehicles, tricycles and motorcycles must also re-register with biometric details to reflect the real identities of their operators.

    “All transporters, bus drivers, shuttle drivers, tricycle (keke) and commercial motorcycle riders must immediately report any suspicious passenger.

    “This exercise shall immediately be commenced and anyone who defaults in complying after four weeks from Wednesday would be treated as a suspect and adequate measures taken against him or her.

    “All hotels are directed to obtain the means of identification of their guests and keep an inventory of all guests in their hotels and management of the hotels should immediately report any suspicious persons or group of persons checking into or converging on their hotels.

    “Immediate sanctions would attend any dereliction in that regard, including possibly shutting down or demolition of such hotels,’’ the governor announced.

    Soludo noted that the phenomenon of the so-called ‘unknown gunmen’ who attacked his campaign rally in March 2021, claiming lives of three policemen, had continued to threaten the peace and progress of the state.

    He stressed that it was no longer acceptable.

    The governor said the gunmen are not spirits but human beings who lived with or occupied forests in communities.

    He called on town unions, market leaders and youths to provide information on the activities of the gunmen.

    He warned that owners of hotels, landlords of houses and communities where criminal gangs hibernate who refused to disclose their presence to the government would have their properties and lands confiscated.

    According to him, the ‘unknown gunmen’ are a tiny minority of less than 0.1 per cent of the population.

    He said they would not succeed to redefine the people by attacking their age-long values of enterprise, Christianity and hospitality.

    Soludo said while the State Security Council planned deploy kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to end the menace, sustainable peace and security could not be achieved without the cooperation and solidarity of the people.

    He said also that government had done all that was possible to assuage genuinely aggrieved agitators including organising peace and security dialogues, granting of amnesty, setting up of peace and reconciliation and meeting the leader of IPOB.

    He noted that criminal elements masquerading as freedom fighters refused to abide with the withdrawal of the Monday “sit-at-home’’ regime imposed by IPOB to continue to kill and to destroy properties of those they claim to be fighting for.

    “We visited Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and he reiterated that he never authorised the senseless “Sit-at- Home’’, and absolved his organisation, IPOB, from the crass criminality, especially the barbaric enforcement of the Sit-at-home and the kidnappings and spilling of blood.

    “Despite the above, the criminal gangs are unrelenting in their desperation to maintain their very lucrative criminal enterprise and expand their other agenda of domination.

    “These criminals causing mayhem in Anambra, albeit of disparate groups and gangs, are Igbos (dominantly from other Southeast states) whose real objective is lucrative criminality and foisting their idolatrous religion on the region.

    “They claim to be fighting for the people and yet randomly kill the same people, destroying their livelihood, and stopping their children from going to school.

    “What has agitation got to do with kidnappings including kidnapping of priests of God, invasion of churches and tabernacles including desecration of the Altars of God?

    “They have failed, and will continue to fail. Millions of our people live in the northern and other parts of Nigeria, and Anambra people are known for their uncommon hospitality.

    “The criminals are in our forests, communities, and houses owned by individuals, they do not come from the air, and hence are not `unknown’ gunmen.

    “While we continue to commit Anambra unto the hands of God, we as a people must rise up to clean and cleanse our land.

    “These phone numbers are managed in my office in strictest confidentiality, call, text or WhatsApp on, 09017280990, 07039896429, 09167514891, 09076237441, 09168041120, 08093175528, 08124153139 and we will respond expeditiously,’’ the governor said.

    Soludo restated his N10 million bounty for information on those who killed and beheaded Dr Okechukwu Okoye, a lawmaker and his aide Mr Cyril Chiegboka.

    Soludo added that those who provide information on criminals would get N1 million upwards.

    The governor commiserated with families of those who had lost loved ones in the wave of insecurity in the state.

  • What Nnamdi Kanu told me during visit – Soludo

    What Nnamdi Kanu told me during visit – Soludo

    Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo says the detained leader of proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu is unhappy with the killings and enforcement of the protracted sit-at-home order in the South-East.

    The order has always been enforced by groups claiming to act on his behalf.

    But Soludo said this was part of his interaction with Kanu during a visit to the proscribed IPOB leader in his detention facility on Friday in Abuja.

    Mr Christian Aburime, Chief Press Secretary to Soludo who issued a Statement on Sunday in Awka, reported Soludo as saying that kanu was in a stable condition.

    “Kanu is in support of continuation of the search for a sustainable solution to the insecurity in the South-Eastern part of the country,” the statement noted.

    According to him, “Kanu informed me that if given the opportunity, he would make a broadcast that would address the degenerating security situation in the South-East under the guise of agitation.

    “I visited Mazi Nnamdi Kanuo May 13 to felicitate with him and also as part of the wider consultations with critical stakeholders in search of lasting peace and security in the South-East.

    “He was in very high spirit and we had quality and frank discussion in a very convivial atmosphere.

    “He expressed sadness over what he described as ‘sacrilegious killings’ of innocent persons, kidnappings and all forms of criminality, including the brutal enforcement of the senseless sit at home perpetrated by sundry groups claiming to be acting for or on behalf of IPOB.

    “He (Kanu) assured that if the opportunity arises, he will be glad to personally broadcast to his followers to maintain the peace,” he said.

    Since the detention of Kanu more than a year ago, the illegal pro-Biafran group had declared every Monday sit-at-home, in sympathy for their leader.

    The situation had paralysed socio-economic activities in the five South-Eastern states of Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo and Anambra.

  • Anambra gov, Soludo swears in 20 commissioners

    Anambra gov, Soludo swears in 20 commissioners

    Anambra State Governor, Charles Chukwuma Soludo on Saturday swore in 20 commissioners with a charge for them to get ready for service.

    The new commissioners sworn into office were cleared earlier by the State House of Assembly.

    Soludo, who performed the function at the state Executive Council Chamber, Government House Awka, charged them to deliver optimal services to the people of Anambra.

    He said that his administration would declare a state of emergency in all the sectors starting with security.

    “All sectors will be given due attention beginning with security which we have already started doing something,” he said.

    Soludo said that the assignment of a portfolio to each of the new commissioners before the swearing-in was a clear departure to known tradition.

    He said that the commissioners were selected based on their areas of specialisation.

    “More than 22, 000 persons applied to serve, out of which more than 1, 000 indicated interest to serve as commissioners.

    “It is from this list that we picked the 20 commissioners and another commissioner nominee yet to be cleared by the lawmakers because I submitted his name after the initial list was sent,” Soludo said.

    He said each of the commissioners would be given his election manifesto, Anambra vision 2070, document and the report submitted by a transition committee before his handover.

    “Each of you must study the three documents because the documents constitute the template best tagged social contract with more than 15 million residents of Anambra and our people in the Diaspora,” he said.

    He appealed to the people of the state, especially the families and close relatives of the commissioners, to ensure that they did not place much demands on them as their services were more to the state.

    Responding on behalf of her colleagues, Mrs Sylvia Ifemeje, the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, thanked God and Soludo for their appointments, adding that they would not disappoint the state.

  • Soludo reveals those behind burning of Aguata secretariat

    Soludo reveals those behind burning of Aguata secretariat

    Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo has revealed that the arsonists who destroyed the headquarters of Aguata Local Government Area are not from the state.

    Recall that the local government secretariat was on Thursday razed by gunmen.

    Governor Soludo reveals that the attack was carried out by fleeing criminals who were chased from their operational camp and hideout by Nigerian security forces.

    According to him, military operations at the borders of Aguluezechukwu and Ogborji communities in the Local Government had led to the dislodging of the criminal elements who he said had been operating in the areas for over two years.

    The governor, who revealed that the arsonists are from other states in the Southeast, lamented why some Igbos chose to harm themselves.

    He said ”They were smoked out, the camp destroyed and as they were fleeing cowardly, they decided to set the Local Government Secretariat ablaze but thank God the police came on time and smoked them out.

    “From the statistics so far, 85 per cent of people arrested come from one of the states in the South East and the remaining 15 per cent from another state in the Southeast.

    ”It is really our people doing this to themselves.”

  • Anambra Assembly confirms Soludo’s commissioner-nominees [full list]

    Anambra Assembly confirms Soludo’s commissioner-nominees [full list]

    The Anambra State House of Assembly has screened and confirmed the 20 persons nominated by Gov. Charles Soludo for appointment as Commissioners.

    The confirmation of the nominees took place through a voice vote conducted during plenary on Thursday.

    Recall that Gov. Soludo in a letter dated March 28 submitted the list of the Commissioner-nominees to the Assembly for screening and confirmation.

    The Speaker of the House, Mr Uche Okafor, listed the names of the 20 commissioner-nominees confirmed by the Assembly to include: Mr Ifeatu Onejeme – Ministry of Finance, Prof. Ofonze Amucheazi – Ministry of Lands and Mr Ifeanyi Okoma – Ministry of Works and Infrastructure.

    Others are: Dr Afam Obidike – Health, Mr Patrick Aghamba – Youth Development, Mrs Ifeyinwa Obinabo – Women Affairs and Social Welfare and Dr Obinna Ngonadi – Commerce and Industry.

    Also confirmed are: Mr Julius Chukwuemeka – Power and Water Resources, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh – Education, Mr Paul Nwosu – Information, Dr Foster Ihejiofor – Agriculture and Mrs Patricia Igwebuike – Transportation.

    Others include: Mr Felix Odimegwu – Environment, Mr Chikodi Anara – Homeland Affairs, Mr Collins Nwabunwanne – Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs and Mr Donatus Onyeji – Culture, Entertainment and Tourism,

    Prof. Chika Ifemeje was confirmed as Attorney-General and Commissioner, Ministry of Justice, Mr Anthony Ifeanya – Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Ms Chiamaka Nnake – Budget and Economic Planning and Mr Paulinus Onyeaka – Ministry of Housing.

    The House Committee on screening had given its report through its Chairman, Dr Pascal Agbodike, during plenary.

    Agbodike noted that all the nominees were screened by the committee and that they all answered the questions put to them satisfactorily and provided all the necessary documents.

    The report of the committee was, however, adopted as the resolution of the Assembly.

    According to reports, the 20 confirmed Commissioners will be sworn in on Saturday.

    Also at plenary, Dr Cater Dike-Umeh representing Aguata Constituency I, rejoined the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

    Dike-Umeh, who had defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in October 2021, announced his return at plenary.

    “I want to inform this Assembly that I have successfully made a U-turn and retraced my steps to my home party APGA.

    “I have tendered unreserved apologies to my party leaders at the national, state and ward levels because I have no justification for leaving the party in the first place.

    “I will like to tell this House that I was well received by my home party APGA,” he said.

    Mr Okechukwu Okoye, member representing Aguata II constituency (APGA), welcomed Dike-Umeh back to the party and the House adjourned to April 12.