Governor Charles Soludo has denied claims of ‘budget-padding’ in the state.
Soludo in a statement released by his press secretary, Christian Aburime, said peddlers of the claim were those who have lost out in milking the state treasury.
The Governor who noted that his administration is not oblivious of the diversionary antics of those whose lucrative criminal enterprise is being smoked out by his renewed fight against all forms of criminality in the state, announced that he has declared a state-of-emergency on Anambra roads and infrastructure.
According to him, his government is giving priority to infrastructure development. Soludo said he has allocated about 64 per cent of the capital budget for infrastructure and has an ambitious target of flagging off at least 220km of roads as soon as rain abates.
The statement read;
“These are the handwork of losers and detractors. The misinformation should evoke pity for the purveyors in the light of the manifest ignorance boldly couriered in every paragraph of the hasty piece of distraction.
“Bad as it is, no credible reporter has signed this off, establishing it for what it is; lazy propaganda.
“We want to make the state a livable and prosperous smart mega city by confronting head-on the infrastructural decay, such as in the area of roads that is clearly in deplorable situation.
“With this ambitious program and knowing fully, that failure does not exist in our determined minds, the detractors are at loss and are raising the battle cry with the sole aim of trying to scuttle our determination with all manners of blackmail.
“They claimed that the commissioner for works refused to appear before the state Assembly to defend the budget. This again is the figment of the imagination of the unknown writers with the intent of creating rancor between the executive and the members of the House of Assembly.
“The Commissioner for Works and infrastructure was, indeed, the first commissioner to appear before the House Committee on the first day of the budget defense exercise being 29th of June, 2022 at about 10.00AM. This is on record and was captured by the Press.”
It was built on waterways – Gov Soludo speaks on demolition of Odumeje’s church
The Anambra State governor, Charles Soludo, has confirmed it authorized the demolition of the church of popular Pastor Chukwuemeka Odumeje.
In a press release signed on his behalf by his Chief Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, Gov Soludo said Odumeje’s church and other buildings marked for demolition failed to comply with the government directive to remove the illegal structure built on waterway.
The press release with the title: Anambra State Government begins demolition of illegal structures in Fegge, reads;
“Following the expiration of the more than two weeks notice beginning from April 2022 served on developers and building owners who built several illegal structures along the waterway in Fegge and environs within Onitsha, Anambra state government has begun demolition of such structures.
The exercise which is being carried out by a joint government task force, commenced the exercise from Bida Road by Modebe Avenue, Fegge Onitsha.
The affected buildings include Mountain of Holy Ghost Intervention Deliverance Ministries, shops and other perimeter fences
The structures were marked since April, 2022 and all developers and building owners were served notice to remove such illegal structures”