By Vincent Ujumadu
Anambra State governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo said so while receiving a team of Vanguard editors Tuesday night that was in Awka to present him a letter from the management of Vanguard Media Limited, informing him of his award for good governance in 2024.
Chairman of the Editorial Board of Vanguard, Ochereome Nnanna led the Vanguard team during the presentation that took place at the Governor’s Lodge, Amawbia.
Other members of the Vanguard team were the Editor of Saturday Vanguard, Onochie Anibeze, Business Editor, Emeka Anaeto, Deputy Editor of Sunday Vanguard, Charles Kumolu and the Anambra State Correspondent of Vanguard, Vincent Ujumadu.
Speaking during the ceremony, Ochereome Nnanna said the Vanguard Management chose Soludo for the award because of his achievements since becoming the governor of Anambra State three years ago.
He listed the governor’s giant strides to include infrastructure development, particularly urban renewal, improvement in education, and most importantly, rejigging the state’s security architecture, with the setting up of Agunechemba security outfit that is now helping to drive criminals out of the state.
He said that Vanguard holds the governor in high regard, adding that he was among the most focused governors in the country.
In his speech, Professor Soludo expressed delight with the award and promised that it would spur his administration to deliver more dividends of democracy to the people.
He assured that he would personally attend the award ceremony scheduled to take place at the Eko Hotels and Suites in Lagos on April 11, 2025.
He used the occasion to list his achievements which include massive road construction across the three senatorial zones of the state, the world class Solution Fun City and amusement park, the ICT center under construction, the 10- storey building international hotel in Awka, the Amawbia-Agulu- Ekwulobia dual carriage way, with the massive Ekwulobia flyover that has helped to solve the problem of congestion in the area, the new Government House which is nearing completion, achievements in healthcare delivery which attracted laurels for the state at the regional and national levels, and the changing of the face of the Okpoko slum with modern amenities.
The governor also spoke on the security challenges in the state, expressing delight that the problem was being solved holistically. For instance, he said that with the identification of the sources of criminal activities in the state, government is now after those causing the problem.
Soludo added that his administration had not borrowed any money to execute all the projects because he understands the danger of incurring more debts for the state.
