The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Reverend Mathew Kukah, on Sunday, advised Anambra State Governor Prof Chukwuma Soludo to compete with himself alone by remaining focused on his people-driven governance pattern and not concentrating on surpassing benchmarks set by his predecessors.
Bishop Kukah advised in a homily during a thanksgiving mass held at St Patrick’s Cathedral Awka to mark Soludo’s third anniversary as Governor of Anambra State.
Soludo was sworn in on March 17, 2022, taking over from his predecessor, Chief Willie Obiano.
During the homily, the fiery prelate commended the state government’s efforts in education and health, noting that the governor has opened a new lease of life for state citizens through these efforts.
He noted that when so many state governors have borrowed their states into huge debts, it is commendable that Soludo has not borrowed any dime, yet delivering dividends of democracy to the state’s people.
Speaking on the need for Christians always to live a life of gratitude, Bishop Kukah noted that for leaders, gratitude to God can come in the form of dedication to the service of God and humanity.
He stated that given the experience, exposure, and strong will that God has gifted the governor, he has no reason to fail, and he is urged to sustain his governance style to continue to work for the growth and development of the state.
Addressing the gathering, Governor Soludo clarified that he has not stopped working since he was sworn in three years ago, trying to deliver his promises to the Anambra people. He noted that his dream of making Anambra the African Dubai-Taiwan Silicon Valley is still underway.
The governor posited that for him, there is one Anambra, one people, and one agenda, and this has driven his efforts to spread development across all parts of the state, especially those that have been hitherto neglected.
“When we assumed office, we took off with a visit to Okpoko, the biggest slum in Nigeria as at the time, with a promise to transform the place. Today, that place is wearing a new look, with a state-of-the-art health facility, schools, road infrastructure and many other basic amenities.
“What drives my administration is the need of the people, empathy, and compassion, and every decision I make is driven by the collective Anambra dream.
“Also, we have the ‘leave no one behind’ mantra of the APGA, which is also a driving force for us.
“When we envisioned a new Onitsha that will be the commercial hub of Africa, it is in line with our plan to turn Anambra from a departure lounge to an investment destination,” he said.
The governor insisted that his administration was not competing against anybody except the timeline it had set for itself in terms of what it envisioned for the people.
According to him, the target is why his government has been on its toes since inception, working to deliver on its promises.
He said, “We are not competing against anybody. We have set a target for ourselves and our evaluation of ourselves is against our manifesto, the target we have set for ourselves in terms of working for the people.
“Our investment in education is in comparison with the plans we set for ourselves in the Anambra Dubai-Taiwan dream.
“The one youth two skills programme is being replicated across various states of the state and has produced young billionaires, who are now training others in the same skills, because we believe in our vision that Anambra has all it takes to become anything it wants to be.”
The governor maintained that his mission in the past three years was to lay the foundation for the state to begin achieving its dream of becoming the African Dubai-Taiwan Silicon Valley.
He revealed that his government had broken the state’s 34-year-old jinx of not having a Government House and Governor’s Lodge, adding that in the next few days or weeks, the Government House and Governor’s Lodge will be commissioned, alongside other infrastructure, including the Solution Funcity among numerous projects.
