Soludo to Ndi Anambra: Return to Hard Work and Honest Wealth

Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State has called on Ndi Anambra and the wider Igbo community to return to the age-old values of hard work, enterprise, and integrity as the path to genuine and sustainable wealth.

Speaking in Lagos during the presentation of his three-year scorecard, Soludo urged the people to reject the growing culture of sudden and dishonest wealth that threatens the Igbo heritage.

“We must go back to the first principles of hard work and integrity by which our people are known,” he said. “Today, many of our youths are abandoning our legacy for shortcuts like yahoo yahoo, ritualism, and kidnapping.”

Soludo lamented that Igbo youth are being edged out of traditional business spaces, as outsiders now dominate the apprenticeship scheme once uniquely Igbo—where mentors train and empower future entrepreneurs.

A Call to Invest in Homeland

Soludo appealed to Ndi Anambra to support government efforts in rebuilding and modernizing the state through investment and tax compliance.

Comparing the Igbo to the Jews before 1948, he said, “We build wealth and infrastructure across the world, yet neglect our own homeland. That has to change.”

Key Infrastructure and Economic Projects

Soludo highlighted several major projects and policy decisions, including:

1. Sky Train Project linking Onitsha, Nnewi, Ekwulobia, and Awka, with a projected cost of $1.4 billion.
2. Free Economic Trade Zone status being pursued for the state’s industrial city.
3. Africa’s largest shopping mall planned on a 5,000-hectare site.
4. Urban renewal: 700km of roads awarded across 21 LGAs, with 410km set for commissioning.
5. Erosion control across critical areas like Ebenator, Nnobi, and parts of Onitsha.
6. New Government House, hospitals, and water schemes underway.
7. 1.4 million capacity electricity meter plant facilitated in Oraifite.

On Refusing a N44 Billion World Bank Loan

Soludo explained his administration’s decision to reject a N44 billion World Bank loan, saying it didn’t meet his two criteria: concessional terms and project financing.

“It was negotiated at an exchange rate of N406/$, but with the naira now over N1000/$, the real cost would be outrageous,” he explained. “Besides, most of the loan was meant for consumption, not infrastructure.”

Fiscal Discipline and Human Capital

According to the governor, Anambra has spent 65% less than the 2013 expenditure while refusing to borrow since he took office. The state also continues to pay down inherited debt.

On human capital, he listed:

• Recruitment of 5,000 teachers, with 3,000 more being enlisted.

• Launch of a “two-skills-per-person” vocational training programme with N1 billion seed funding.

• Access to N2 billion in working capital through the Anambra Small Business Agency.

Security and Peace

Soludo also emphasized restored peace through initiatives like Agunechemba Security Network and Operation Udo ga Chi aimed at curbing insecurity in the state.