By Julie Sylvia, Onitsha
The President General, PG, Building Materials International Market, Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area, Anambra State, Chief Jude Nwankwo, has commended Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, for the aggressive road rehabilitation currently going on in the State and urged him to also intensify efforts in his war against crimes and criminality in the state.
He made the commendation and appeal while scoring him high mark within his one year in office adding that, “We are moving forward, Anambra state is developing, successful democracy is better than military government.”
“I want the government to improve more on the area of security, Gov. Soludo is performing wonders in the area of roads, he had awarded more than 200 km roads since his assumption of office as the governor of the state. He is also doing very well in security, but have to do more so that these insecurity in the state will seize.
“On roads, I want him to come closer to my market, to do pedestrian bridge because we are witnessing many casualties along this express road,” he pleaded
On compensation to those whose structures were demolished he stated that, ” I call it compassion because our people build anyhow, recklessly but I want to plead with our Governor at least to start compensating our people because houses of most of our people were demolished, let him have compassion and compensate them because nobody built without government approval.
“Most government parastatals that sold lands to them might not have proper documentations, let him please have compassion on our people, they did not just build, they must have paid before allowed to build. If you allow them to build, because of this economic hardship, you have to compensate them.
On Monday sit-at-home exercise, he disclosed that market executives agreed that markets will be opening on Mondays as Monday is a very important day in business transaction.
“Our people are scared because of sit-at-home, this is another area I want the government to improve on, for eastern governors to unite together, go to Abuja for the release of Nnamdi Kanu because he did nothing wrong. He was only pleading for freedom, he has the right for that, so that this insecurity will stop and sit-at- home will seize naturally.
“We have been fighting, the governor has been trying In providing security, but still our people are scared because of their lives and properties. I commend the governor because he has been fighting alone, I want him to unite with the other four Southeastern governors, senators and Houses of Representatives.
“If they unite and fight for it, Federal Government must do something.
I must commend the governor because since he came in, all the elections in the markets were free and fair and I urge him to follow that route of democracy.
“Soludo came in and according to how he did it, all motor drivers, Keke should be paying digitally, he doesn’t want cash, touting and he maintained it. In markets, there is no government tolls again, none, unless you don’t pay, the taskforce will arrest you.
“The governor performed wonders when he came in as the governor, refuse dumps everywhere, even in front of our markets, but now they are no longer there, let the ASWAMA collect levies and do their work, let us pay our levies and taxes. It is done everywhere In the world, Anambra state will not be an exception.
“He also stopped the levies being collected from hawkers, truck and wheel barrow pushers, vulcanizers among others.
“I hate the language palliative, not from the Federal and State governments, let them do the needful, what they are doing is not good, in the midst of plenty we don’t have anything to show for, let them do what they are suppose to do, build refineries before removing the subsidy.
” How can we get our crude oil from the ground, go outside and refine them, bring it and buy it back, saying we are doing palliative, nothing to show for all the resources we have in this country, people are dying of hunger. I am not happy with the government of Nigeria. As an igboman, we are hardworking people, we don’t like giving us peanuts as palliatives, #8,000,#10,000, let me pay my taxes and you give me quality governance, service.
“Had it been they did something right, if they build refinery, this fuel will come down, dollar will be cheaper because we are going to be exporting oil and getting dollar, exchange rate, this fuel would have been #100 per litre instead of #600 or #700. This government will have more resources to tar our roads, repair our hospitals , give employment to people.
On the Garbon coup he said it was a welcome development, adding it was a good thing that happened to Africa but lamented that an African president has stayed in office up to 53 years.
“Has he no children, just like in Nigeria, after being the President, they become Minister, they don’t want to raise our children, youths cannot enter into governance. At 70,80 years people are still coming down to become the president, ministers.
“That coup is the right step at the right time, moment, the one that happened in Niger Republic, I want Nigeria to remove their hand from anything coup, let them come down in Nigeria and solve our problem, no peace in Nigeria.
“Some are agitating for Biafra, Oduduwa, Arewa, if you reconcile your country, you can make peace in other countries,” he stated.
Pic shows the market PG
