Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, has recounted some of his administration’s major achievements in education, agriculture, oil & gas, infrastructural development, public utilities and security, which he said has enabled the Anambra State Investment Promotion & Protection Agency (ANSIPPA) to attract foreign investments which currently stand at over 3.2 billion dollars.

He stated this during an interactive session with members of the State Correspondents’ Chapel, the Government Press Crew and managers of the broadcast stations in the state held recently at the Governor’s Lodge in Amawbia, Awka South Local Government Area of the state.

In his speech,

In his words, “Before I came into office, I used to come around to check on my investments and then, we used to enter through the back door because of security issues. The police couldn’t communicate among themselves because there were no communication gadgets but my administration has changed that and added security cars to help them perform their duties well. We have also added helicopter surveillance and the movement of the hoodlums can be trailed.

“The various MOUs signed with the various investors are actualised and within the 1 - 2 year gestation period, Anambra State will be on its way to becoming the economic hub of not only the South East but the whole Nigeria.”

Obiano observed that despite the economic crunch experienced in the country as a result of the fall in oil price, that the state still pays the salaries of the state work force as at when due.

On the issue of abandoned projects, Obiano said that his administration has not abandoned any project he inherited as being speculated, saying that he remains committed to his government’s mantra of three Cs and S of his administration, which means Continue, Complete, Commission and start a new project.

On the ongoing flyover projects, the governor said that despite the meagre resources available to the state, that the project which he noted cost below N10B will be completed in May to help ease traffic in the state.

He said: “Times are hard and the slump in oil price requires that states should become more proactive in revenue generation. Journalists need to help spread the ‘pay your tax’ message everywhere. We intend to increase the State IGR to N2.2B to assist us in getting some job done but we will not task anybody.

“Like the biblical David, I was in the wilderness when I was called to do this job without my angling for it and I intend to do it to the best of my ability. I am not here to steal state money but to work, I was very comfortable before I came into office.”

He also noted out the 500 youths that have been trained on agriculture, 60% of the take off grant will be given to women who took part in the training.

Governor Obiano hailed the good works of Anambra State correspondents, saying that their spot-on reportage of events in the state has helped to promote and propagate the good works of the State Government.

He extolled the courage of journalists and media professionals in Nigeria over the years, urging them to always verify their stories with relevant government officials before publication to avoid feeding the public with the wrong information and causing unnecessary rift in the process.

Continuing, Chief Obiano said he was highly impressed with the quality of reportage from the journalists, saying that with them information is made available to people wherever they may be.

Earlier in her speech, the Commissioner for Information, Culture & Tourism, Dr. Uju Nwogu, thanked the governor for hosting the media professionals. She also commended the journalists for supporting the state by promptly publicising the various activities of the State Government.

In his remarks, the Chairman of Anambra State Correspondents’ Chapel, Mr. Emma Ndukuba, praised the governor for taking time off his busy schedule to rub minds with the correspondents in the state.

While urging him not to relent on the good works he is doing for the state, he observed that the state had never had it so good, adding that journalists will always ensure that they are positive and fair in their reports.

Ndukuba pleaded with the governor to provide a vehicle for the Chapel to aid the correspondents in running around especially in times of project monitoring to which the governor nodded to.

•Photo shows Gov. Obiano.

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