My dear Ndi
Anambra, I bring you warm greetings as we enter into a new year. We
should be grateful, individually and collectively that God saw us through 2014
and ask for Divine guidance in 2015. Fellow citizens, the New Year presents us
a chance to look inwards to re-appraise ourselves and look outwards and renew
our faith in God. Indeed, it is a time to make resolutions and rededicate
ourselves to the values that define us and the challenges and struggles that
shape our evolving society. Above all, the New Year is a time to freshen up our
convictions on the ties that bind us together as one people who must break
through the limitations of time and resources to lay a solid foundation for
hope. 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.
Ndi Anambra,
we look back at where we are coming from to where we are today and where we are
heading to in the future, we can all see that our tomorrow will be greater than
our yesterday. Our state is now in its 23rd year. Although this great
state may not have started out strong, it has over the last couple of years
picked up momentum. We are committed to taking the state to greater
heights with our articulated Blue Print.
Ndi Anambra,
looking back, we can all see that 2014 was a phenomenal year in all respects.
It was the year when after a glorious 8-year tenure of my predecessor, former
Governor Peter Obi, our beloved state witnessed the smoothest transition from
one administration to another without the usual rancor that marked such
changeovers in the past. That transition opened a new vista in the evolution of
our democratic culture and restored our faith in our collective ability to be
masters of our own house.
Year 2014
in Retrospect
Ndi Anambra
the out-gone year was indeed a year of great beginnings for my administration.
We began on a consultative note – holding extensive consultations with critical
segments of the society and finally holding a stakeholders forum with our
distinguished citizens. From these consultations, we collectively resolved to
build a free and prosperous society that we will be proud to bequeath our
children.
Our first
focus was on the security of our state with a view to creating an enabling and
secure environment for our people and for investors. Following a very
successful Security Summit that attracted some of the most notable experts in
the security business from across the world, we commenced a blistering offensive
against crime and criminality in Anambra State. The launch of the Joint Task
Force on security, otherwise known as Operation Kpochapu marked the beginning
of the journey to wipe out kidnapping, violent armed robbery and the trade on
hard drugs in Anambra State.
Ndi Anambra,
since April 2014, we have proved that with determination and focus, we can
emancipate our dear state from vicious criminals that have made life miserable to
our people for ages. In so doing, we have successfully opened the floodgates to
the investment community and attracted a massive inflow of investments into
Anambra State. In the outgone year, my administration attracted $1.63bn
investments into Anambra State. In This year, our goal is to triple that figure
and establish a solid foundation for the growth of a buoyant domestic economy.
We remain faithful to our mantra, to make Anambra the first destination of
choice for both foreign and domestic investors.
In
furtherance of this, we have set up various committees that will provide the
critical thinking in key socio-economic areas of the state and advise
government on the best approaches to solving our numerous developmental
challenges. These committees are made up of experts and highly resourceful Anambra
indigenes with track records of excellence in their areas of expertise in
Nigeria and abroad. Every modern government works with structures such as these
to achieve set objectives. I have no doubt that when we begin to implement the
recommendations of these committees, our dear state will eventually take-over the driving seat of Nigeria’s fastest growing
states.
My dear Ndi
Anambra, in the past year, we also took several bold steps including one
which envisions an ultra-modern capital territory for our beloved state. The
new Awka Capital Development Authority (ACDA) has successfully conducted a
comparative study of three model cities across the world with a view to
fashioning out a modern city that will reflect our great cultural heritage, our
well-known drive for excellence and our readiness to compete in a fast changing
world, in one fell swoop. In addition, the ACDA Board has concluded extensive
consultations with the various stakeholders, traditional rulers, community
heads, notable associations and opinion leaders within the designated areas to
win their support to the project. I have no doubt that with the support of
these stakeholders; our dream of a befitting capital city will come true in a
peaceful atmosphere.
Ndi Anambra,
in the outgone year also, we kept our campaign promise of 4Cs ... to continue,
complete, commission and commence a set of new initiatives that will change our
beloved state for good. Along this line, we have continued all the projects we
inherited from the previous administration and flagged off new ones that will
enlarge the scope of our quest for accelerated development.
We launched
a new cultural identity and brand for our people and gave Anambra a new Anthem,
logo and flag that succinctly capture the identity and promise we hold out as a
great people. We also took a bold step to engineer a new ethical order with the
introduction of the new Anambra Core Values into the school system. We have
expanded the boundaries of freedom for our people and brought back nightlife to
our cities. Above all, we capped the year up with an amazing holiday season --
a Christmas; celebrated with fanfare and in an atmosphere of unfettered freedom
from the usual traffic snarls and insecurity that made previous Christmas
Seasons a miserable experience for our people in the past.
Our
Aspirations in the New Year
My dear Ndi
Anambra, our world, country and dear state cannot escape the challenges that
are part of everyday living. Many experts predict that 2015 will be a tough
year to Nigeria due to falling oil prices. Despite this scenario, our
aspirations this year are bigger than the past years. Umunnem, our hopes and
dreams shall not fall with the falling oil prices. With our enormous human and
material resources, we shall not surrender our ambitions to the dwindling oil
prices in the international markets. We shall draw on history and our past
accomplishments to stretch the scope of our vision and expand the boundaries of
our possibilities.
Ndi Anambra,
when we took over the reins of leadership in March last year, our Internally
Generated Revenue stood at N500m a month. In less than one year, we grew it to
over N1bn. This year, we shall triple that figure. This will insulate us from
the shock of falling oil prices and a possible dip in federal allocations to
states. Therefore, the same determination with which we have pursued our
security challenges is what we will bring to fighting the leakages in our IGR.
I urge you all to pay your taxes and other statutory levies and fees as good
citizens of Anambra State. Let me assure
you that we have now harmonized the taxes collected by the State and Local
Governments to eliminate multiple taxations for the same revenue windows.
This year
too, 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. Our investment in security shall
be more robust this year as we intend to re-invigorate and refocus the security
network in the state to ensure a rapid transition to crime detection and
prevention. We shall continue to maintain a zero tolerance of crime in Anambra
State.
In other
aspects of our programmes; we shall develop new markets and re-organize and
upgrade existing ones. We shall also direct more investments to the Oil &
Gas sector to make a strong case for our inclusion in the NDDC and to be listed
among Nigeria’s oil producing states. In addition, we shall expand our current
capacity in the Agricultural Sector and ensure the implementation of all the
MoUs we signed in the sector in the outgone year. As adequately captured in our
budget for this year, all the Enablers like Education, Healthcare and other key
segments of society will get a deserved attention.
Ndi Anambra,
this is a year of hope and fulfillment. This year, we shall work for a new
social and economic order in Anambra State. We shall build strong families to
ensure the emergence of stronger communities. We shall force positive change on
various aspects of our collective life that have been resistant to our
collective march to progress.
Ndi Anambra,
this year is an election year. It is a very important year in our national
history. We all have a collective responsibility to play an active role in the
coming elections. We must all strive to get our Permanent Voters Cards to
enable us participate in the voting process. Those of us who have yet to get
their cards should do so within the available window in this New Year. We must
remember to vote for all APGA flag-bearers in the coming elections. Let us also
remember to vote for President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in the Presidential
Election. President Jonathan is our candidate and we must vote for him.
Ndi Anambra,
before us lies an awesome year! This year, 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!
God bless
Anambra State that we love!
God bless
the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Happy New
Year to you all!
Chief
Willie Obiano
Governor,
Anambra State
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