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BY SUNNY A. DAVID, AWKA
Anambra State Governor, Prof Charles Soludo has reassured his commitment in fighting crime and criminality in the commercial city saying “if Greater Onitsha doesn’t move forward, Alaigbo won’t move forward.”
Governor Soludo who made the promise in Imeobi during the 2023 Ofala festival of Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe which was tagged “Better, Stronger, Together” said that something outstanding will happen in the State in terms of security so our people should be expectant.
”That’s why we’re embarking on massive road construction in Onitsha and sacking of agberos, even though they keep resurfacing. But we won’t relent until all of them are flushed out.
The Governor congratulated Igwe Achebe on the celebration, describing his numerous achievements in past 21years as unprecedented, especially in the area of youth empowerment.
Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha, in his words disclosed that unemployment, robbery, rape, among others still threatened the Community.
According to the Monarch, Youths unemployment, gangsterism, touting, homelessness, petty armed robbery, cultism, drug addiction, child prostitution, rape, among others still posed problem to the Community.
He also regretted what he described as reactive approach of security agencies towards crime in the area, saying the Community had continued to rely on vigilante services for prevention.
“Our biggest challenge is inadequacy of funding for salaries, equipment, and consumables which is literally borne by the Community, except for the paltry state government contribution of N10,000 each for 10 persons per month,” he added.
Igwe Achebe who doubles as Chairman, Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council, however expressed satisfaction over steady growth of the Ofala festival over the years in terms of scope, social glamour and intrinsic meaning for the people of the city.
“With the strides that it has made, the Ofala continues to receive both National and International recognition.
“In addition to previous endorsement by Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) as major Nigerian festival, we also received a certificate of recognition for Excellence and Corporate Contributions to the development of culture from Federal government.
“Under Community development, we’ve articulated a vision for communal transformation hinged on restoring our value system for lifting the poor and most vulnerable from mere consumption and dependency to production and self reliance,” he further explained.
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