The new Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo taking the oath of office in Awka earlier today
Prof. Charles Soludo has been sworn in as Governor of Anambra State. He succeeds the outgone Governor Willie Obiano who has held sway in the past eight years.
From all indications, it does appear that a new dawn has beckoned on Anambra State because while delivering his acceptance speech at his inauguration, Prof. Soludo disclosed that every money spent on the low-key inauguration ceremony were personal expenses, and not from state purse.
Dressed as he had earlier pledged in Akwete cloth, an indigenous fabric popular with Anambra people, Soludo gave a clear roadmap of his socio-economic plan for the state anchored on backward integration,
The new Anambra governor roused the small crowd and the entire state via electronic transmission to a new consciousness and orientation of responsibility. He promised to spend the state funds with a high degree of probity, urging the citizens to pay their taxes and levies. He warned persons who collect taxes and levies in cash to stop, branding them as criminals.
The professor of economics, and former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), said he would work hard to ensure that foreign direct investments flow into the state. He charged traditional rulers, the clergy, and residents of the state to take up active roles in the peace and security of the state; saying “if you see something, say something and do something.”
After the brief inauguration ceremony, Soludo marched to his office for a short prayer with some clerics after which he said, “we will start work immediately.” Meanwhile, a cross section of Awka residents had expressed dismay over the restriction of the public from attending the March 17 inauguration of Prof. Charles Soludo as governor of Anambra.
Soludo’s inauguration took place at SSG Conference Hall within Government House, Awka, as against the popular Dr Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka where previous event was conducted. However, some residents of Awka, who spoke in separate interviews with News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday expressed sadness at the arrangement, describing it as strange in the political history of the state.
