The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, has commended the Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, for his leadership style, describing the administration’s progress and achievements as testaments to the trust Anambra residents have placed in it.
Kukah stated this during the thanksgiving mass celebration to mark Soludo’s three years in office as governor, held on Sunday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Awka, the state capital.
The cleric used the event to urge the governor to refrain from comparing or competing with others while urging the people to support the governor in his aspirations to make the state livable and prosperous.
He emphasised that governance is not about competition but about consolidation, saying that successive governors in Anambra have all contributed to the growth and development of the state in their unique ways and styles.
He further lamented the growing insecurity across the country, noting that about 240 priests have so far been abducted, while some have been killed in various parts of the country.
He said, “The governor should not see himself as been in competition with anyone, governance is not about competition, but about consolidation. Successive governors in Anambra have all contributed to the growth and development of the state in their unique ways and styles.
“I am happy that you are consolidating on the achievements of the greatness of your people and the past leaders of the state. Please, I urge you to compete with yourself and don’t try to compete with anyone and don’t try to break other people’s record but break your own record.
“Anambra State is special because this is a state that has been growing and improving from stage to stage, and this is a state where former Governor Chris Ngige said his opponents are campaigning on the roads that he constructed.
“All those achievements you have made so far in the past three years without taking loans are commendable, and you did not take the loan because you know the consequences of taking loans.
“There are some governors that kept taking loans, would continue to take loans, and in my state Kaduna, I don’t know how many years it would take us to pay back those loans.
Responding, Soludo, who acknowledged that he is not in competition with anyone, emphasised that he needed to improve on the achievements of his predecessors.
He noted that he has been working around the clock to deliver his mandate for Ndi Anambra with empathy and compassion.
He said, “My Lord Bishop, we are not in competition with anyone. What we are doing is to improve on what the past governors have done, not to compete with them.
“We are contesting against Dubai-Taiwan revolution. When we employ over 3,000 teachers, it is not to compete against our past, but to compete with the revolution going around the world. When we employed over 8,000 teachers, we did not ask them where they came from.
“Anambra has all it takes to be all we want it to be, and that is what we are competing against. Anambra will quickly achieve the Taiwan-Dubai dream. When we came, our vision was to connect all the areas that were neglected, and we started doing so.
“Now, people can drive from Amansea to Ufuma under 30 minutes; these were places that were not accessible.”
According to the governor, Anambra is the only state in which the government house is outside the state capital, adding that it has been like that for over 34 years.
He emphasised that in three years, his administration has only spent about 65 per cent of what was spent in three years of the past administrations.
“Anambra is the only state in which the government house is outside the state capital, and it has been like that for over 34 years, and we are breaking the jinx. Anambra must continue to build upon subsequent generations.
“We are leading in the area of education, health and other critical sectors. Out of the 102,000 women that have received free ante-natal, free delivery in Anambra, only 52 per cent of them are from Anambra while the rest are from neighbouring states.
“The state government decided to do for them what they can’t do for themselves. These are the things that must be in a state inhabited by the people.
“We are taking the latest fight against insecurity by tackling it from the root; as we get to the foundation of it, we are cleansing them from the bushes, and our law courts are fishing the fake native doctors and eze nwanyis; we no longer need them in Anambra.
“Anambra is known for its enterprise spirit, and that is where we are going. If you know any criminals anywhere, just whisper to us, and we will come and pick them up. The Dubai-Taiwan city we are building must be inhabited by decent people..
“In three years, we have spent about 65 per cent of what was spent in three years in the past,” he added.
