Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has commissioned a newly completed three-kilometre road project constructed by the Ekwusigo Local Government Council under the leadership of its Mayor, Hon. Chimezie Obi.
The road, constructed to a high standard, features sub-cement stabilisation, stone-base laying and asphalt finishing.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the local government chairman, Obi said his administration was committed to driving the council’s development agenda through projects and programmes that directly impact residents and communities.
He listed several community-focused projects executed by his administration, attributing the pace of development in the council to the leadership and governance model of Governor Soludo.
Obi said his administration had been guided by the governor’s development blueprint and the aspirations contained in the people’s manifesto.
Commissioning the road, Governor Soludo described the project as a landmark achievement, saying he doubted whether any local government in Nigeria had constructed a road of comparable standard in the past 20 years.
The governor said the project demonstrated that the local government system in Anambra had regained its capacity to deliver meaningful development at the grassroots.
“Today in Ekwusigo Local Government, we’ve come to commission three kilometres of road, completed with sub-cement stabilisation, stone base and asphalting by a local government administration under the able leadership of the Mayor, Chimezie. I want to congratulate you. I commend you,” Soludo said.
He attributed the development to deliberate reforms undertaken by his administration to restructure and strengthen local government administration in the state through appropriate local government laws.
According to him, the reforms were designed to improve the financial capacity and sustainability of local councils and enable them to meet their responsibilities to residents.
Soludo said the era when local governments struggled to meet basic obligations, including the payment of primary healthcare workers, pensioners and gratuities, was over.
The governor also addressed a long-standing salary arrears involving some primary school teachers in Ekwusigo, who he said had been owed for 16 months dating back to 2001.
He explained that although previous administrations had made partial payments, his administration had commenced a fresh recertification exercise to determine the outstanding beneficiaries and amount, which he put at more than N400 million.
Soludo assured that payment would commence immediately after the recertification process was completed.
He described the Ekwusigo road as a “proof of concept” of what empowered local administrations could achieve, adding that he would embark on a tour of local government areas in the coming weeks to commission projects completed by various mayors.
The governor said the development drive of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)-led administration had made Anambra a huge construction site, with more than 137 roads and other projects awaiting commissioning.
“The people’s money is working for the benefit of the people,” Soludo declared before formally commissioning the road.
After the ceremony, the governor took a drive along the newly constructed road and commissioned a legislative building within the Ekwusigo Local Government premises.
He also presented cash gifts to selected students and schools participating in skills acquisition programmes under the empowerment initiative of the Ekwusigo Mayor.
