Gov. Soludo To Honour Predecessors, Industrialists

Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo yesterday announced plans by his administration to name major institutions after former governors of the state.

He said the International Convention Centre (ICC) would be named after his predecessor, Chief Willie Obiano, being one of his legacy projects, besides the international cargo airport.

Soludo spoke during the maiden Anambra Investment Summit 2023, powered by Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA), with the theme: “Role of Corporate Governance in Building Sustainable Businesses.”

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He said the move was in recognition of Obiano’s contributions to the development of the state.

Soludo, who noted that hard work and entrepreneurship were celebrated in the state and not criminality, said other citizens of the state who had contributed to the development of the state would also be honoured.

Describing the summit as extraordinary, Soludo said it was in line with his quest to transform the state, noting that the summit promised to be an eye-opener for the business community in Nigeria and beyond.

He said: “Our politics in Anambra is different. We play politics of statesmanship. We’ll celebrate our former governors by finding institutions to name after them.

“I appreciate my predecessor, Chief Obiano. We can’t acknowledge him enough. This ICC we’re using was built by him, as well as the International Cargo airport. We’ll name ICC after him if he accepts.

“Time has come to honour every Anambra leader who had made meaningful contributions to the development of the state. We will also find other institutions to name after other past governors like Chief Emeka Ezeife, Dr. Chunwoke Mbadinuju, Dr. Chris Ngige, and Peter Obi.

“We’ll also celebrate those putting in their money, creating jobs and wealth in the state. In Anambra, we don’t celebrate criminality, but hard work and entrepreneurship.”

According to Soludo, one of his visions included converting the state from departure land to destination point, stressing that the summit would offer the state the opportunity to seal deals and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

“Turning Anambra from departure land to destination point remains one of our key visions. It will come to a point if you’ve not been to Anambra; you’ve not been to Nigeria.

“We’re very deliberate and intentional about it. We’ll have plans to reward investors making an impact in the state. We’ll de-risk your investment. We’re not just here to talk, but sealing deals and signing MOUs.”

Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Christian Udechukwu, listed part of his ministry’s mandate to include bringing back dead industries, building weak ones as well and transiting small industries into micro and large enterprises.

“We’ll help strong industries to become stronger, and stronger ones become champions; we’ll support the industries through government policies.

“We’ll encourage made-in-Anambra products to grow their businesses, import to export policies, and to engage importers to manufacture products for export,” he said.