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I don’t receive salary from Govt, my wife doesn’t have official car – Governor
Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has said he does not receive salary from the state government
The governor spoke during an interdenominational service to mark his second year in office at the International Convention Center, Awka, the state capital.
Soludo said he has plugged many leakages in government, cut a lot of cost, and has been doing a lot with little. He said as part of realizing the plans of his government, the first lady of the state, Mrs Nonye Soludo, does not drive official cars, rather she drives his old cars.
“Today we have come to report some aspects of what we have been able to do within these two years. Anambra people are our employers, you elected me and my deputy, and we took office exactly two years ago as your chief servants.
“Today I tell you that Anambra is strong and getting stronger. We are intentional about doing more with less because we are facing extraordinary times in Nigeria, but tough times are for tough leaders who are innovative. Banks have been offering to lend to us, but we decided that these two years, we will show that we can do more with less and we choose deliberately not to borrow.
“Having been governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and managing the finances of the entire country, I needed to demonstrate that some things are possible. Today we are managing the finances of Anambra and we need to show what we can do. From henceforth, we are changing gears.
“Anambra has not seen anything yet. Every kobo of Anambra’s resources entrusted in our hands, we will show you where we put it. When we borrow, and of course you can borrow when you have good reason to, and when we do, we will show you what the money was used for, and we will borrow to invest in things that can pay back the investment. But you will never see the kind of borrowing we saw before.”
The governor spoke about his achievements in office, saying, “We have built 240 kilometres of roads in 24 months. What this means is that for every month we have been here, we have constructed 10 kilometers. Even if you put the entire state resources in one local government, you will still not finish every road, but we are picking strategic roads.
“We are working on the Anambra State Government House and Governor’s Lodge. Anambra is the only state created over 30 years ago that does not still have a permanent government house. Soon, the new Anambra Government House will be commissioned soon.
“We will commission roads in Okpoko tomorrow. Okpoko is one of the biggest slums in the entire West Africa, and for the first time a general hospital has been built there, and we will commission it tomorrow. Anambra wide water scheme is now being test run. Ours is an agenda with a deadline, and we are not relenting,” the governor stated.
The governor decried the dwindling resources in the country, saying, “The resources available to the state today are a fraction of what it used to be. If you go by the purchasing power of money then, you will know that we have far less to spend. What we are doing is that we are managing what we have very well.
“I can tell you that I’m not getting salaries from the Anambra State government. My wife, the first lady, does not have any official cars, she still drives my cars. We are cutting waste, and plugging loopholes.”
On power generation, he said: “We are working to crack the power puzzle in Anambra too. We have learnt something from Barth Nnaji. It took him 20 years to deliver the Aba Power project. We have learnt from how he did it, and ours will not take that long. We have assembled experts for that reason. What we can tell you is that we will do it, but I will not stand here and tell you the length of time.”
Former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku who spoke at the event said: “I’m not surprised at what Soludo is doing in Anambra.
“Is it security, human capital development, social agenda or recognizing and reordering the governance value system? What is most impressive about Soludo is that these things are not in the realm of hearsay, but projects we can see. I congratulate Soludo on his excellent performance in the last two years.”
Also, the Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Rt Rev Paulinus Ezeokafor who officiated the thanksgiving mass said: “He is a man who is well known, and the last two years have seen extraordinary achievements in some areas, and acceleration in other areas, especially in the socio economic and infrastructural transformation in Anambra State.”
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Customs disolves border patrol team amidst smuggling, brutality allegations
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced the dissolution of its Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT).
The Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Abdullahi Maiwada, in a statement Tuesday, said the decision was made after due consultation with the office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
The House of Representatives had, on December 11, mandated its Committees on Customs and Excise, Defence, to investigate the operations and activities of the NCS across the nation’s borders over alleged complicity in aiding smuggling and involvement in brutality against Nigerians.
The committees were also directed to examine the role of military personnel attached to Customs patrols in order to ensure their operations comply with legal frameworks and human rights standards.
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The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance by Rep. Sesi Whingan who alleged that rather than prevent smuggling, recent reports showed that Customs’ personnel across the borders were aiding and abetting smuggling.
But the Customs spokesman explained yesterday that the dissolution of the joint border patrol team was part of the NCS’ efforts to strengthen border management and reinvigorate its 2025 enforcement strategy.
The JBPT, coordinated by the ONSA, evolved from an ex-swift response team to become a tripartite operation comprising Benin Republic, Niger Republic and Nigeria.
The patrol team was tasked with combating smuggling, irregular migration, and other transnational organised crimes along the nations’ borders, among others.
Maiwada said the team’s dissolution would not compromise border security or trade facilitation, but represents a significant step towards modernising Customs’ operations, improving trade compliance and strengthening national security.
The NCS said the move was part of the organisation’s ‘2025 enforcement strategy’.
“This strategy is aimed at removing bottlenecks associated with trade, strengthening border security, combating smuggling, and facilitating legitimate trade,” he said.
Maiwada also disclosed that Adewale Adeniyi, NCS Comptroller-General, had approved the reduction of customs checkpoints across the country to streamline its operations and to ease movement of goods and persons.
According to the statement, Adeniyi said the NCS would shift reliance to intelligence.
“Moving forward, customs operations will rely more on actionable intelligence and strategic risk management frameworks to enhance efficiency and effectiveness,” the statement quoted the CG as saying.
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Nigerians Are In Pains Because We Chose Darkness In Place Of Light — Bishop Kukah
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has stated that Nigerians are pains because they refused to be liberated from “darkness.”
The priest said this in his Christmas message at the Holy Family Cathedral Catholic Church, Sokoto Diocese on Tuesday night.
He emphasised that embracing transparency, accountability, and integrity in public service, politics, and individual conduct could significantly improve the country’s current state.
He said, “Nigeria’s lack of visible and measurable progress is tied to the fact that we have chosen darkness rather than light.
“Imagine if we let the light shine on our public service, on our politics, on our individual, community, and national life, and on our public institutions. Imagine what Nigeria would be like if we chose light instead of darkness.
“They will know we are Christians by our love,” highlighting that the country’s journey to greatness remains constrained by ethnicity, nepotism, and greed.
“We are still unable to embrace the ideals of our national anthem that says: ‘Though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand.’ Diversity is a gift from God. Let us use it effectively as a tool for national mobilization and cohesion,” he advised.
Kukah also lauded the passage of the “Not Too Young to Run Bill” in 2018, which opened doors for increased youth participation in politics.
However, he acknowledged the ongoing challenges, such as the high costs of political participation and issues of internal democracy, which still hinder young people’s active engagement.
He also commended the enactment of the Student Loan Act 2024 and the establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund by the federal government.
These initiatives, he noted, have the potential to expand opportunities for Nigerian youth, including those pursuing vocational and technical skills.
“It is significant that the Act does not limit access to university students alone. We hope this project will be free of bureaucratic bottlenecks and favoritism, ensuring that poverty does not exclude anyone from receiving a good education,” Kukah said.
He encouraged the youth to take full advantage of these opportunities while also expressing concern about the ongoing security challenges in the country, which he described as a persistent obstacle to national stability.
Kukah, however, called on all Nigerians to choose the path of light, unity, and love, stressing that these values are essential for the nation’s progress and development.
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Omole celebrates christian faithful, says this is time for renewal of faith in nation and state
As Christians across the globe celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Foundation of christianity today, the Coordinator of the Osun PDP Dynamic Support Group, Comrade Omole Oluwasegun has called on Christians in Osun State and Nigerians as a whole to renew their faith in our country, insisting that our nation must be great again.
Omole noted that Nigeria is blessed with enormous material and human resources.
He said Nigerians should believe in the greatness of our nation and support the Government to achieve the required dividends.
He called on Christians to use the occasion of the birth of Jesus Christ to rededicate themselves to the advancement of the ideals of nation building. He also called for prayers against societal ills such as terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
Omole said Nigeria and its leaders need all the prayers and support at this time to positively change the fortunes of our fatherland.
“May this Christmas present for you an opportunity to renew and grow your faith in God and our nation, Nigeria. And may you and your family be blessed beyond measure”, he prayed.
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