President Bola Tinubu has promised to revive a gas plant in the South-east and tackle the worsening erosion menace in Anambra State.
Mr Tinubu spoke at the Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka on Thursday when he visited Anambra State to commission some projects executed by the state governor, Charles Soludo.
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The president also promised to address Anambra’s exclusion from the National Rail Master Plan in Nigeria.
Soludo’s requests
At a civic reception organised in honour of Mr Tinubu, Mr Soludo appealed to the president to assist the state in addressing its developmental challenges.
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The governor lamented that one-third of the state’s land mass has been under persistent threat of erosion.
“The resource requirements to deal with this are far beyond the capacity of a state government.
“We are already spending tens of billions of Naira on this, but a lot more is urgently needed,” he said.
He also told Mr Tinubu that the South-east, and Anambra in particular, had been bypassed by the national gas master plan despite abundant reserves of natural gas in the region.
“We are not part of the national rail system.
“The Onitsha River port, commissioned by President Shehu Shagari in 1982 remains a proposal ostensibly because the federal government has been unable to undertake the required dredging,” he stated.
Mr Soludo further appealed to Mr Tinubu to revisit an abandoned federal road project that links Anambra with Kogi State.
“Upon completion, the journey between Anambra, Southeast and Abuja might be shortened to about three hours, down from the current nine hours,” he argued.
Tinubu’s promises
In his response, Mr Tinubu acknowledged the abandoned federal road projects in the South-east.
He stressed the importance of completing the roads linking Anambra to Kogi State to facilitate easier access to the South-south and Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
“Abandoned federal road projects that link Anambra to Kogi then can become the fastest gateway between Abuja and Anambra and South-south. I agree,” he said
Mr Tinubu also promised to address the state’s exclusion from the National Rail Master Plan, assuring residents that the Federal Ministry of Transportation would rectify the omission.
“I am standing before you to say that the Ministry of Transportation is aware and will include the connection in the Master Plan and give it attention,” the president said.
He assured of federal support for ecological investments to tackle erosion and acknowledged the state’s vast gas reserves.
Mr Tinubu further promised that the South-east’s omission from the National Gas Master Plan would also be addressed.
“With our progressive ideological alliance, we will continue to partner with your state to deliver shared prosperity in Anambra and to all Nigerians,” he said.
Fighting insecurity in South-east
In recent times, security has deteriorated in Nigeria’s south-east with frequent attacks by armed persons.
But Mr Tinubu reiterated the commitment of the Nigerian government to collaborate with Anambra State and the South-east to fight the growing insecurity in the region.
“I wish to assure you that the federal government will continue to partner with the (Anambra) state and the South-east to secure our people and their future,” he said.
The president praised Mr Soludo’s efforts in providing security in the state.
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Commissioned projects
Among the projects commissioned by Mr Tinubu were the Emeka Anyaoku Institute for International Studies and Diplomacy at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, an academic centre named after Mr Anyaoku, a former Commonwealth secretary-general.
The president also commissioned multiple components of the Solution Fun City in Awka, including the Anambra Country Club, Family Fun House, Water Park, and Amusement Park, which were built by the Soludo administration.
He equally commissioned the new Anambra State Government House, the Anambra Tour of Light, and the newly completed Emeka Anyaoku Boulevard.
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