* Strengthen town unions for development
* Urges residents to pay taxes
Anambra State governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, on Wednesday, made a commitment to develop the State in the mold of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
More importantly, he vowed to secure the State against criminal elements.
Soludo made the promise during a town hall meeting held at the Prof Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre in Awka, the State capital.
The meeting was attended by traditional rulers, Presidents-General of town unions, as well as youth leaders. There are no fewer than 180 town unions in the State.
Promising equal development of all parts of the State, Soludo announced plans by the government to restructure the community union administrations through a legal framework.
The idea, he said, is for the communities to play greater roles in the development. In other words, the communities would be given a free hand to make choices of projects dear to them.
The model, he further disclosed, would entail putting project funds in the hands of the communities.
Nonetheless, the governor urged residents of the State to be up and doing in payment of their taxes, saying that projects would be largely tax revenue driven.
He, therefore, tasked the Chairman of Anambra State Internal Revenue Services, Mr. Richard Madiebo, to fashion out strategies to bolster the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the State.
On security, the governor reminded the residents that there is nothing like ‘unknown gunmen’, insisting that the criminal elements are known. “They live with us,” he noted.
And to make the residents alive to their responsibilities of joining hands with the government to secure the State, the governor provided telephone numbers (07039896429 and 09017280990) for reporting security issues.
The governor announced plans to engage more teachers and healthcare personnel.
He also spoke about returning the State to nature, urging the residents to plant trees especially commercially viable palms.
Present at the meeting were the deputy governor, Onyeka Ibezim; Secretary to the State Government, Prof Solo Chukwudobelu; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Ernest Ezejughi; Obi of Onitsha, Prof Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, as well as the President of Anambra State chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
A cross-section of participants at the town hall meeting
