By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has said that there is nothing to celebrate in his one hundred days in office, saying that it has rather been bumpy and challenging with a red treasury.

He made the statement on Saturday during a state broadcast at the Governor’s Lodge in Amawbia, even as he noted that he is not so particular about calling for celebration.

Soludo maintained that within the short period the administration had embarked on addressing fundamental issues towards ensuring a livable Anambra State where law and order thrives.

His words: “We just clocked first hundred days in office since you employee me and Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim as Governor and Deputy Governor respectively. I am not a fan of this fad about this hundred days, I prefer to give a comprehensive annual report and look forward to the first one in March 2023.

“Government has been faced with the daunting task of insecurity aimed at routing criminal elements, priority for youth empowerment, redefining the character of government, cleaning mountains of refuge, efforts at massive road construction, recruitment of teachers which would take greater vigour after the rainy season and several other policy programmes aimed at repositioning the state.

“To be sure, the last hundred days has been bumpy and challenging as expected with insecurity and red treasury being the most impossible. Since February 2022, the contribution of oil revenue from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to the federation account has been zero and many states have difficulty paying salaries,

“The declining revenue and the context of insecurity and over N20 billion in the areas of gratuity to pensioners since 2018 vis a vis the sky high expectations from you our employers, since then some fundamental disruptive tendencies are then inevitable.

“We have spent the last hundred days addressing some key foundational issues, part of which are to make some key appointments, mobilize the people of the state to take back the state from criminals, domestic and comprehensive attack on criminals, reverse the 2022 budget, declaration of State of Emergency on roads and traffic and preparation to flag off over 220 kilometers of road constructions amongst others across the state.”

Governor Soludo assured that massive road construction and rehabilitation would commence at the end of the rainy season, even as he continue to wait for the State Assembly to pass the budget.

The N170 billion Supplementary budget was presented to the state House of Assembly by Soludo last month.

He decried the worrisome zero oil revenue to deal with the humongous challenges in the government and governance systems in the state.

Soludo added: “So far, so bumpy and so good, we are unrelenting. Despite the challenges, the people are united in collaborating with the state government as well as security agencies in fighting criminal elements to rid the various forests, bushes and houses of criminals.

“No forests, bushes and houses will be safe for criminal elements. We will smoke them out. Criminals invaded us and they are mostly not from Anambra State because money is involved. Anybody that tells you that he is agitating for anything is false because they are doing whatever because of lucrative criminal enterprise.”

The governor explained that thousands of teachers would retire between this year and next year, hence the reason for recruiting teachers as well as doctors and nurses for the health sector.

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