sunnewsonline/new/?p=69175 Obiano: It’s 100 days of mkpochapu in Anambra Today, it’s 100 days since Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano mounted the saddle, as governor of Anambra State. In his inaugural speech on March 17, Obiano said his administration would tackle governance of the state through a four-point agenda, which he called four pillars: Agriculture, oil & gas, trade and commerce and industrialisation. The four pillars, he further said, would be propelled by 13 enablers, including security. The inaugural speech reads in parts: “In the area of security, Anambra will be different under my watch. Not only shall we redraft the operational manual of the entire security apparatchik of Anambra State to ensure a lightning-quick response, we shall also re-orient our people to see that every citizen has a role to play in the security of our communities. The concept of community policing or what is better known as the vigilance groups, has worked well in Anambra State. “The next challenge however, is to re-train, re-equip and refocus them to meet the dynamics of our time. Along the same line, we will strengthen the police and other law enforcement agencies in the state to enhance their efficiency and response rate to distress calls. “Fellow Anambrarians, your clamour for a Capital City that fully reflects the essence of our people will be addressed by my administration. We shall re-design and remodel Awka to meet the structural and aesthetic requirements of a 21st Century city that we can all be proud of. We shall also faithfully implement the master plans for Onitsha and Nnewi. “Ladies and gentlemen, my administration shall launch Anambra into a new economic phase through what I call the four pillars of development. They include: Aggressive mechanised agriculture: We shall engage in a serious production of cassava, maize and rice, where we have a comparative advantage. In addition, we will re-train, re-equip and organise our farmers into cooperatives to enable them share resources and attract funding from donor agencies and financial institutions. These efforts will lead to massive increase in food production in the medium to long term and the emergence of agro-based industries in the area of storage, processing, manufacturing and packaging. That will create a lot of jobs for our people. “Oil & gas: We will provide the enablement for oil & gas companies to prospect for natural resources in our state and set up a refinery within one year of my administration. Commencement of a refinery will attract oil & gas ancillary companies to come to our state. This has a lot of job creation potentials for our people. “Trade & commerce: We shall provide an enabling environment for our traders to switch from importation to manufacturing the goods they currently import to Anambra. We shall introduce e-commerce and build ultra-modern markets and Shopping Malls and revamp existing ones with new amenities. “Industrialisation: This state hosts a large number of industrial clusters. My administration will strengthen this advantage with an appropriate policy framework that will boost our indigenous capacity in this sector. This will have a direct impact on wealth creation in the state and bring down unemployment. “Ladies and gentlemen, these are the four pillars of the Anambra wheel of development. They constitute the treasure box of Anambra State and the ignition through which we shall light up the enablers like education, health, the environment, youth and sports development, security, transportation, infrastructure, housing & urban planning, women and children and social infrastructure among many others.” Indeed, in the last 100 day, the Obiano administration has done a lot in so short a time. The strides he has made are the these areas, among others: Security Aware that 100 days can take anyone by surprise, the governor moved into action immediately with one of the enablers, security, being convinced that no tangible development could take place without it. Obinao had, during his campaigns, told stories of what he went through in the hands of criminals in Onitsha earlier in life and promised that if he got elected security would be paramount to him. Now looking back in his 100 days in office, one could not but commend his exploits in it. Before his assumption of office, his predecessor, Mr. Peter Obi, tried to curb insecurity in the state by procuring many vehicles for the police. Now Obiano has gone a step further. Indeed, before the present administration in the state come into office, hardly a week passes without one or two incidence of kidnapping or armed robbery taking place in the state. Fortunately for Obiano, his fight against criminal elements, code named “Operation Mkpochapu,” is yielding a visible result to the admiration of residents in and visitors to the state. The operation, which is being handled by a joint task force of police, army and navy and security agencies, including the Directorate of State Security (DSS) and local vigilante services has in the last two mounts ransacked the nooks and crannies of the state, especially the flash points and hideouts of the criminals and the results are heart warming. Discoveries and arrests made by the joint task force have been, to say the least, astonishing, as one of them is kidnap suspect, Okechukwu Nnaegbo, from Agu-Ukwu Nri, in Anaocha Local Government Area of the state, who was tracked down inside a South African-bound commercial flight about to take off from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, where he was consequently arrested. While it is not possible to give the accurate number of criminals already arrested or killed, the true position in the state today is that Anambra is safe, to the extent that you can work around Onitsha now in the night. One resident summed it this way: “You can now walk around Onitsha both day and night without any molestation and you can now forget something somewhere and return there and find it and it is like that all around the state. We are happy with this development and hope it continues this way.” Agriculture In agriculture, the governor started by appointing state chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Sir Nnamdi Mekoh, as Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development and in line with his agriculture police, he has awarded contract for construction of roads in all the areas that contribute massively in agriculture, just as he upgraded Agriculture budget from N1.6 billion his predecessor gave it to N5 billion. According to the Mekoh, Obiano has approved that the 150 tractors ordered by his predecessor would be working for the farmers in the state for free, just as he has approved the procurement of cassava, rice and other seeds free for farmers. The government has also brought Israelis to boost fishery in the state and has provided land for them at Mgbakwu. They are said to be poised to produce fish that will serve the entire West Africa. Farmers are being giving credit facility with the N1.2 billion from Bank of Agriculture presently being distributed among the farmers and another N2 billion that will soon be shared. Already, some youths from the state are in Owerri undergoing training in agriculture. Oil & gas Given the interest in oil & gas and the need to get Anambra State into oil producing state, Obiano has awarded the construction of 42 kilometer Aguleri-Uno-Oil Rig road, so as to enhance the activities of Orient Petroleum. He is also working with other stakeholders in the state to ensure that Anambra gets the status of oil-producing area. Roads As part of opening up the entire state, Governor Obiano has, in the 100 days, flagged off the construction of 14 roads across the state totaling the length 167.494 kilometers, just as he has continued all the ones Obi started, including the Enugu-Onitsha expressway from Amansea to Amawbia junction. Information With former Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Sun Publishing Limited, Chief Tony Onyima, as commissioner for information, Obiano is serious about repositioning the state media houses. This efforts towards this has commenced with the interview for a new Managing Director of Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) conducted. Also plans are on to refurbish ABS with new and modern transmitters, studios and an Outside Broadcast (OB) van. Also, the operation Mkpochapu has seen the State Signage Agency clearing the roads and streets of billboards that did not meet the standard, clearing posters and insisting on the law prohibiting posting posters without permission from the agency. Obiano through the agency, led by Mr. Jude Emecheta, has introduced a new type of billboard called Backlit to give Awka the befitting signage as a state capital. Commerce & tourism Obiano has continued work on the state hotel in Onitsha, with the shopping mall the same place started by Obi and also the shopping mall at Agu-Awka, in the state capital and the Agulu Lake Resort project. He has however, visited Ogbunike and promised to turn it into an international resort centre, which he already started with the flagging of the construction of the road leading to it and others in and around it. Transport & sanitation This is another area operation Mkpochapu has been visible. People can now pass Onitsha without knowing it, as the Ministry of Transport, under Hon. Chuma Mbonu, has worked assiduously to carry out the governor’s directives that all roads be cleared of immoveable vehicles or broken down vehicles and street traders/hawkers, thereby making way for free flow of traffic. Also, the state is beginning to wear a clear look, as the Environmental Sanitation Agency (ANSEPA) has worked hard to clean up the state. The governor donated four coaster buses to the civil servants to move to and from office. Meanwhile, it is a good mark for Obinao for these 100 days in office for starting well, but the people are still skeptical of the continuation and maintenance of the standard now.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 14:37:32 +0000
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