Fides Media Living the Faith
By Jude Atupulazi
The Anambra State Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN, Ambassador Surveyor Obi Emeka Chukwudi, has urged Ndigbo to leverage their numerous human assets to assert their relevance in the country in order to build a much more developed and economically viable Southeast.
Comrade Chukwudi spoke with newsmen in Awka on the state of affairs in Anambra concerning what he described as the strategic steps taken by the State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo in the past one year to advance the development of the state.
He said Governor Soludo had always been a great asset to Ndigbo whose foray into the politics of the state had marked the introduction of ‘his transformative ideologies into the state governance.’
Chukwudi said those ideologies were already setting Anambra State on the verge of becoming a reference point in terms of holistic economic transformation, people-oriented governance, world-class infrastructure, public-private partnership, among other positive accomplishments.
‘As Soludo’s Anambra vision thrives, there is the tendency that it will engender a disruptive change in the way leadership is perceived and run in the Southeast, and as such, set high standards for his co-governors in the region.
‘The Southeast Region boasts of one of its greatest assets in Governor Chukwuma Soludo, especially with his responsive system of governance in Anambra.
‘In Soludo, we are again seeing a visionary in the mould M.I. Okpara, who put the region first and took strategic steps that the people are enjoying today,’ Chukwudi stated, pointing out that when he heard Soludo talk about building a livable and prosperous homeland, and his vision for Anambra to become a preferred choice for investment, leisure and commerce, he saw a man who believed in Ndigbo as a unique tribe.
‘That is evident in his belief that the true renaissance of the black race can actually begin in Anambra, proceed to the Southeastern Region and then transcend to Nigeria and the continent,’ he surmised.
The Anambra youth leader believed that there was a lot, the region would achieve if her other governors adopted what he termed the Soludo model of governance, which, he said, placed emphasis on the growth and development of the Igbo homeland.
He further said this would completely eradicate the negative governance patterns that had plunged some states of the Southeast into backwardness, economic bankruptcy, lack of confidence in government, among other negative indices.
‘As Ndigbo, we must begin to have a genuine handshake across the states and that can only be possible if the handshakes are for the right reasons.
‘A situation whereby the governor of Abia or Enugu or Imo for instance, takes a cue from Anambra’s development blueprint that is working and vice versa, is what is required for the region to flourish,’ said the youth leader.
He said the renewed enthusiasm of many people in the state to fulfill their civic obligations was influenced by their conviction that Soludo would make their money work for them.
‘They have seen quality roads that will stand the test if time springing up here and there and they feel obliged to be part of the growth process. That’s the Soludo magic that is restoring the people’s confidence in government.
‘Parts of the state that were hitherto, under siege by criminals are now being reclaimed and the natives are returning back home. The health, education, works, entertainment and commerce sectors are being repositioned and sustainable reforms being implemented. These are foundational steps being entrenched by Governor Soludo and in the coming years. When the fruits will start coming, Ndi Anambra and indeed Ndigbo, will have every reason to celebrate,’ he said, noting that it was the reason the youth of the state were backing Soludo.