I Believe In Strong Institutions, Not Strong Individuals --- Obiano

…As Soludo Throws Weight Behind His Second Term

By Kenneth Orusi, The Nigerian Voice, Asaba
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Strong institutions backed by laws are what determines the strength of a growing state, the Anambra State governor, Chief Dr Willie Obiano, has said.

The governor asserted he believes in strong institutions and not strong individuals, noting that what his administration has put on the ground would sustain any governor and government of the state.

Dr Obiano who disclosed this Friday in government house, Awka, while interacting with Journalists, stated that the Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA), Akwa Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA) and Anambra State Business Agency (ASBA) are institutions put in place by his administration for sustainable development.

According to him, “The Stine/Anambra Rice Mill and Joseph Agro Industries, DELFARMS, Lynden Integrated Farms Limited, Temple SYC Inspection Limited, GRAFIL Group Limited, Global Gaming, Rise Health Corporation, EFAB Properties Limited, DOZZY Investment Limited, RCKLAND Developers Limited, Lake Petroleum Limited, Business Link Limited, Anambra Bonded Container Freight Terminal and TOPWIDE Ventures Limited are proactive measures entered to ensure food security and lasting development, stressing that the state government encourages farmers to engage in mechanized farming even as he noted that the Anambra rice has no single stones in them and is gradually entering the larger market.

He said Anambra at the moment consumes about 350, 000 tone of rice, adding that the Stine/Anambra rice processing mill has the capacity of producing 245, 000 tone while Ufuma has the production capacity of 90, 000, thereby making rice available for consumption in the state and possible exportation.

He also stated that a cooperative society has been sent to Lagos State for capacity training, “we export about 500 tubers of yam to the United Kingdom and by the next two to three weeks, we will supply yams to all shopprite in Nigerian”.

On the power sector, Obiano said his government was doing all within its powers to ensure that power supply reached rural communities, “we were able to draw power through 37 communities to Orunba north and south and a community in Aba State”.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Education in the state, Prof Kate Azuka Omenugha, who conducted journalists round Loretto Special Science Secondary School, Adazi-Nnuwu, the best secondary school in the 2014/2015, said school children in the state have been exposed to global education.

She said the Obiano-led government has aggressively transformed technical and vocational education in the state, revealing that examination malpractice has been brought to the barest minimum.

She also noted that the World Bank has immensely supported the state educationally while research base programmes are been funded, “we have embarked on girl-child, education, performance and aggressive campaign on bring back our girls to school”, lamenting that some school children trek more than 20 minutes to school.

“This has also informed us to locate schools closer to them. And we also locate schools in every market”, stressing that Anambra State has become a reflex point in terms of education even as she said, “government has supported schools across the state with subvention to the tune of millions, “Anambra has highest number of informal education and less drop out of school.

She also said to bring standard to education, volunteers has also come up to monitor the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) to get reports from independent bodies, “in 2016, we took our students to partake in debate in Singapore and our student won their counterparts over there. And out f the 11 technical schools, four have been accredited.

On Information Communication Technology (ICT), the Education Commissioner said, “we have 38 per cent of our teachers who are ICT literate, we took them for Microsoft base examination and I can tell you that teachers in Anambra are Microsoft certified. While the state government has also put in place aggressive training for primary school teachers. And in 2018, we are putting plans in place to see that all students have palmtops”.

The tour was also taken to the Stine/Anambra Rice Mill and JOSAN Rice Mill where journalists were conducted round the facilities.

Meanwhile, the former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo openly endorsed the second term bid of the Governor Obiano, after delivery his keynote lecture at the event.

Prof. Soludo reeled out a number of indicators and factors to support his claim that Anambra has made remarkable progress in Obiano’s first three years compared to the first three years of any of his predecessors.

According to Prof. Soludo, “Anambra is fourth largest economy in Nigeria in this order; Lagos, Abuja, Rivers, Anambra”.

Soludo continued that, “Nigeria’s annual budget if divided among its population leaves each Nigerian with just N34, 000 per capita income, “Private sector must play a role to shore up our earning”, he said.

Anambra government must insist on FG finishing the second Niger bridge and all federal highways in the state come rain come shine, Obiano must JumpStart the Anambra cargo airport project, Anambra must be assessible through air, land and sea to truly attain the status of international city. Its false argument to say that a state must be connected to national grid through party to benefit. Show me any state that has gotten more than its worth in allocation or other because it is same party as federal?”

On his call to join the guber race, he said, “many people are calling me to come and contest, but the point is, if Anambra has not broken, why mend it? This is a time of crises, and you don’t change a general in the middle of a war. Anambra, Obiano is your general. All of you planning to spend billions to contest governorship, please bring your money and come and open factories and industries here to support the state economy. There will only be vacancy in Anambra government house in the next four years”, Soludo declared.