Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, has assured Anambrarians that their hopes and dreams for a prosperous 2015 shall come true despite falling oil prices in the international market.

In his New Year Message titled ‘Stretching to a New Height of Excellence’, Obiano observed that the future of any society lies in its capacity to look beyond the darkness and doubts of today and see a glimmer of hope in the shadows of tomorrow.

He said that though many experts have predicted a tough year for Nigeria in the face of plummeting oil prices, such forecast would never dampen the aspirations of Ndi Anambra. The Governor declared that with the enormous human and material resources available, the state will not surrender its ambitions to dwindling oil prices in the international market.

“We shall draw on history and our past accomplishments to stretch the scope of our vision and expand the boundaries of our possibilities,” he said.

Obiano explained that his administration had made bold efforts to triple the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from the present N1.1bn and will still push further with more determination this year.

According to him, that will help insulate the state from the shock of falling oil prices and a possible dip in federal allocations.

The Governor appealed to the people of the state to ensure that they pay their taxes regularly and on time as that would give him enough headroom to undertake capital projects and complete them on schedule.

While promising that his administration would change the game of purposeful leadership in Anambra State, Governor Obiano of his goals for this year: “We shall complete many landmark projects like the three flyovers in Awka and the six-lane stretch of road from Amawbia to Amansea.

“We shall also complete and commission the Agulu Lake Hotel Resort and other critical road projects we inherited from my predecessor.

“We shall flag off more projects covering the Four Pillars of Development of this

administration and lay the foundation for an ambitious economic growth and will bring to stop the leakages in our IGR.

“We shall force positive change on various aspects of our life that have been resistant to our march to progress.”

The Governor also reiterated his administration’s commitment to the war against crime in the state, assuring that further investments in security would be robust as the state would continue with its zero tolerance of crime this year.

Describing 2015 as a year of hope and fulfillment, Governor Obiano assured that his administration shall work for a new social and economic order in Anambra State aimed at springing up strong families to ensure the emergence of stronger communities.

He also reminded the people that the New Year was an election year and urged them to participate more actively in the electoral process and to cast their votes for APGA and President Goodluck Jonathan in the coming elections.

In his final lines, he said: “Ndi Anambra, before us lies an awesome year and in it, we shall stretch to a new height in our pursuit of Excellence and prove to the world that Anambra State can be great again. Let us build a land of progress and lift our homeland high.”

•Photo shows Governor Obiano.