By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has said that his government has been able to save over N1.5 billion following his cutting of the monthly office cleaning bill from a staggering N137 million to N11 million.

He described the drastic reduction as a symbol of responsible governance and extraordinary prudence and responsible governance, citing his administration’s commitment to ethical leadership, transparency, and prudent management of public resources.

This he stated while delivering a convocation lecture titled “Ethical Leadership, Security, and Sustainable Development” at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), his alma mater on Saturday

Going down memory lane, Soludo recalled that when he assumed office, he discovered that N137 million was being spent monthly on office cleaning.

He constituted a committee to review the expenditure, which initially reduced the figure to N70 million, then to N30 million.

"I still found the figures outrageous and insisted on further reduction.

"After re-evaluating the costs,, I calculated that hiring 200 people at the minimum wage of N30,000 would cost N6 million, adding N4 million for consumables, totaling N10 million.

"I directed that the cleaning bill be brought down to N11 million, achieving a monthly savings of N126 million and over N1.5 billion annually.

On the issue of sanitizing Anambra State and ridding it of criminal elements, Soludo regretted that some native doctors were using the oke-ite scheme to deceive young men into believing that one can make quick money without working hard.

While using the Igbo adage "Aka Aja aja na ebuta onu mmanu mmanu (meaning, no food for a lazy man) to elaborate the core Igbo ideals, The Governor said that his government decided to go after the native doctors that were promoting the get rich quick ideology as a way of tackling the canker worm from the root.

He said: "Immediately we arrested someone of them, others took to their heels. They are in custody and anyone found guilty by the law will go to jail.

"We are not against traditional way of worship but it should be properly done. If you want to perform four corner ritual, you can go to the back of your back of your, draw the four corner road and drop it there, not coming to mess up the roads.

"If you are an Eze Nwanyi and you want to pray in the river, buy a water drum, fill it with water and do your prayers, you will still get your results. We don't want anybody going to mess up the waters, if we catch, you, we will be arrest you and you will go in for it."

"When I was sworn in as the governor, 8 local government areas were under siege, including my own local government area. Infant, during the campaigns, there were some Council areas that were off limit. The Governorship aspirant of the Labour Party (LP), Agbasimalo was kidnapped while on his way to a campaign ground and he was not found till today.

"But today, the story is different. Have you heard of "Oso Soludo'. It is real and they are on the run. We are very intentional in what we are doing. We want Anambra State not to be a departure lounge but a place where people will love to live and operate from.

"We have broken the 34 years jinx of the state not having a befitting government house. The state has been using a make shift government house where contractors that worked on Enugu-Onitsha Expressway were occupying, but today Anambra has a befitting government if not the best in the country. It houses Governor’s Lodge, Presidential Lodge, Deputy Governor's Office, hospital and a lot of other offices. As progressives are building a silicon valley that would be habitable for all."