Obiano makes touching farewell speech, lists achievements
Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State said he stepped on many toes and lost several friends in the course of his eight-year stay in office as the governor of the state.
The governor who disclosed this during his farewell speech on Wednesday pleaded with those he offended to forgive him, stressing that his actions were for the good of the state.
“Brothers and sisters, as your governor, I worked under extreme pressure. I took many hard decisions. I stepped on toes. I didn’t answer some phone calls. I lost some friends on account of these,” he said.
The governor, whose tenure ends March 17, will hand over to the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Charles Soludo on the same day.
Mr Soludo won the governorship election held in November.
Messrs Soludo and Obiano are both members of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).
“Umunnem, I’m also aware that I did not fulfil every promise I made. But no government in the world has ever kept all its promises or solved all the problems of its time. However, my intentions were pure and my ambitions sincere. Let history be the judge,” Governor Obiano said.
Achievements
Giving an account of his stewardship, Mr Obiano said his administration organised Nigeria’s first international conference on security which he said resulted in the setting up of “a revolutionary security architecture” against crime in the state.ⓘ
The governor also said his administration’s economic stimulus package has given rise to the ‘N20m Community Choose-Your-Project Initiative.’ He said through the initiative, the administration successfully touched all the 181 communities in the state with choice projects.
“As a result of this, all the communities got projects worth N40 million each from my administration,” he stated.
The governor said the establishment of a Court of Appeal in Awka, the state capital, is one of the major achievements recorded by his administration noting that it ended the usual trips to Enugu State by residents of the state who seek justice.
On education, he said his government made huge investments in the off-shore training of teachers to expose them to global best practices.
He said his administration equally made cash donations of N2.8 billion to both mission and public schools in the state.
He said the administration built 1,000-room hostels in 12 technical colleges across the state and also offered scholarships to over 300 students.
“A direct outcome of this is that both our school children and their teachers won impressive awards under my watch.”
The former banker said he had bequeathed legacies in the health sector to Anambra State residents, saying “with only N12,000 per year, residents of this state can access high-quality healthcare as they like” through the Anambra State Health Insurance Agency.
The governor, who described the International Passenger/Cargo Airport at Umueri and the International Convention Center, Awka, as his “monumental projects”, listed other achievements in agriculture, disaster-control and infrastructures.ⓘ
“Eight years ago, when I gave my inaugural address, I shared my vision of a greater Anambra State with you. To some people, it sounded like a dream. Umunnem, today, most of those dreams I shared with you have come true,” the governor said.(Premium Times)
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