Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State highlighted his frugal approach to governance and accomplishments during an interdenominational service marking his second year in office.
Soludo emphasized that he does not draw a salary from the state, and his wife, Mrs. Nonye Soludo, refrains from using official cars, opting instead for his old vehicles.
Addressing the crowd at the International Convention Center, Awka, Soludo stressed his commitment to managing Anambra’s finances efficiently, avoiding borrowing and demonstrating prudent use of resources.
“Today we have come to report some aspects of what we have been able to do within these two years. Anambra people are our employers, you elected me and my deputy, and we took office exactly two years ago as your chief servants.
“Today I tell you that Anambra is strong and getting stronger. We are intentional about doing more with less because we are facing extraordinary times in Nigeria, but tough times are for tough leaders who are innovative. Banks have been offering to lend to us, but we decided that these two years, we will show that we can do more with less and we choose deliberately not to borrow.
“Having been governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and managing the finances of the entire country, I needed to demonstrate that some things are possible. Today we are managing the finances of Anambra and we need to show what we can do. From henceforth, we are changing gears.
“Anambra has not seen anything yet. Every kobo of Anambra’s resources entrusted in our hands, we will show you where we put it. When we borrow, and of course you can borrow when you have good reason to, and when we do, we will show you what the money was used for, and we will borrow to invest in things that can pay back the investment. But you will never see the kind of borrowing we saw before.”
He touted achievements like constructing 240 kilometers of roads in 24 months and initiating projects to improve infrastructure and healthcare.
Despite challenges such as dwindling resources and the need for power generation solutions, Soludo expressed optimism and determination to address them.
“We have built 240 kilometres of roads in 24 months. What this means is that for every month we have been here, we have constructed 10 kilometers. Even if you put the entire state resources in one local government, you will still not finish every road, but we are picking strategic roads.
“We are working on the Anambra State Government House and Governor’s Lodge. Anambra is the only state created over 30 years ago that does not still have a permanent government house. Soon, the new Anambra Government House will be commissioned soon.
“We will commission roads in Okpoko tomorrow. Okpoko is one of the biggest slums in the entire West Africa, and for the first time a general hospital has been built there, and we will commission it tomorrow. Anambra wide water scheme is now being test run. Ours is an agenda with a deadline, and we are not relenting,” the governor stated.
Former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, praised Soludo’s tangible achievements, while the Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Rt Rev Paulinus Ezeokafor, commended his transformative efforts in socio-economic development.
Soludo’s governance style reflects austerity measures blended with visible progress, shaping Anambra’s landscape and governance ethos.
