General Murtala Ramat Mohammed created Anambra State in 1976 from East Central State, with Enugu as its capital. On August 31 1991, the President Ibrahim Babangida regime created the new state of Anambra with its capital in Awka. The new Anambra was rightly christened – the Light of the Nation.
Delta State, Imo State and Rivers State, Enugu State and Kogi State form its boundaries. The indigenous ethnic groups in Anambra state are the Igbo (98% of the population) and a small population of Igala (2% of the population), who live mainly in the north-western part of the state.
Anambra is Nigeria’s eighth-most populous state and second-most densely populated state in Nigeria. The stretch of more than 45 kilometres between the towns of Oba and Amorka contains a cluster of numerous thickly populated villages and small towns, giving the area an estimated average density of 1, 500 to 2, 000 persons per square kilometre.
Anambra is rich in natural gas, crude oil, bauxite, and ceramic. It has an almost 100 per cent arable soil. Anambra State has many other resources in terms of agro-based activities such as fishery and farming, as well as land cultivated for pasturing and animal husbandry.
It has the lowest poverty rate in Nigeria. In the year 2006, a foundation-laying ceremony for the first Nigerian private oil refinery, Orient Petroleum Refinery (OPR), was made at Aguleri area. The Orient Petroleum Resource Ltd, (OPRL) owners of OPR, was licensed in June 2002 by the Federal Government to construct a private refinery with a capacity of 55,000 barrels per day (~7,500 t/d).
On August 2, 2015, the management of Orient Petroleum Resources Plc said the company planned to increase its crude oil production to 3,000 barrels per day by September 2015, as it stepped up production activities in two new oil wells in its Aguleri oil fields. An indigenous company, Nails and Stanley Ltd, was to establish a gas plant at Umueje in Ayamelum Local Government Area to support economic activities in the oil and gas industry in the state.
Anambra is also known for its leadership in education, science and technology. The literacy rate in Anambra State is relatively high. The state is the home of literary giants like Professor Chinua Achebe, Cyprian Ekwensi, Chimamanda Adichie, Professor Chike Obi etc. The state also produced political icons like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Alex Ekwueme, the first executive vice president of Nigeria. Business moguls like Sir Louis Odimegwu Ojukwu, Sir Cletus Ibeto, Chief Patrick Chidolue, Sir Emeka Offor, Allen Onyema are also from the state. These are too few to compare with the plethora of the state’s indigenes making impacts in the commercial, educational, medical and of course several other industries.
At 31 years, Anambra has solid progress, unwavering impact and much to brag about. At 31, we can beat our chests and proclaim loud and clear that we have come of age! We have experienced the usual motions of growth; rising and falling but as heirs and heiresses to the light of the nation, we have kept hope alive. Even though our collective essence, and the will to succeed may be challenging, but our desire to be a glorious State furnaced and shaped in faith and ready to appropriate the manifold blessings of the Almighty remains resolute and irrevocable.
It is therefore no coincidence that the 31st year celebration of the state coincided with the ordination of Cardinal Okpaleke- the second cardinal from the state after Cardinal Francis Arinze.
As we celebrate our 31st Anniversary, let me once again emphatically state here that the fundamentals of our growth are rock-solid. The tail wind of our development is blowing enchantingly and assuredly behind our back, guiding the navigational aids of our collective flight to becoming truly the Light of the Nation. To this, we give thanks to God whose mercies and blessings have never departed from us and will never depart, because we trust in Him.
From a state that was essentially a geographical boondock, where Awka, the Capital City was essentially a glorified village filled with dusty streets, our profile has been so wholesomely raised to a point and place where we are seen today among Nigeria’s best kept secrets. The dusty streets have given way to beautifully manicured boulevards and modern road networks. The thatched houses that once dotted the landscape today, have given way to magnificent homes that can rival those found in the exotic zip-codes around the world. We owe our past leaders a debt of gratitude and to our current governor, on behalf of grateful citizens, I say thank you for your inspiring leadership.
With Soludo, things are changing. The state is surging and the people are enthusiastic. I urge Mr Governor to continue the good works in the state as we are already feeling the impact of his precision and dedication to dexterous development. With the steady and impactful works on-going currently in major areas of the state, Anambra will remain a force to reckon with in the South-East, Nigeria and the world at large.
In a world of constant drive for economic and fiscal efficiency, individuals and corporations usually seek beforehand, the opinion of relevant tax authorities on the tax incidence and liabilities applicable to specific transactions or commercial arrangements.
This is part of where Governor Soludo is headed; to enthrone a decent system in Anambra State where Ndi Anambra are the ultimate beneficiaries. Just like any other reforms, it comes with challenges and sacrifices.
After embarking on due consultations with relevant stakeholders, the state government is poised to revamp the tax system so that people will get the worth of their taxes.
Against this backdrop, all government levies’ and taxes’ collection must now be done digitally with electronic receipts issued. Enforcement will soon commence, during which, electronic sticker- a quick response, which will employ the use of USSD, will be equally deployed.
The philosophical drivers are One Anambra, One People, One Agenda. The goal is to “build Anambra into a liveable and prosperous smart megacity. The Anambra Stateof Soludo Solution has five pillars: Law and order (homeland peace and security); Economic transformation as Nigeria’s next axis of industrial-tech and leisure; competitive and progressive social agenda (education, health, youth, women, and vulnerable groups). Governance, the rule of law and a rebirth of our value system; and aggressively tackling our existential threat posed by the environment—towards clean, green, planned, and sustainable cities, communities, and markets.
Other elements of the Soludo Solution include: Made in Anambra and concentric circle of patronage. According to Mr Governor, “Anambra State government will only patronise Made in Anambra products and services unless such goods or services are not currently made in Anambra, then made in Nigeria, Africa, in that sequence. We are making a statement when you see me in Innoson vehicles or my Akwete dress with a pair of shoes made in Ogbunike/Nkwelle Ezunaka and Onitsha.”
Governor Soludo has done exceedingly well, given the resources available to move the state forward in all indices of development.
“As the politics of 2023 approach, we must be conscious of moving forward as contained in our state anthem “forward ever, backward never“. Anambra will never regress on peace and security, the state will never go backward on securing the future for our children, and turning our youths into productive citizens.