Salute To
Courage; Salute To Followership
Being the
Valedictory Speech by the out-going Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chris
Nwabueze Ngige, to the people of the state, yesterday.
March 16, 2006
My dear good people of Anambra State, it is with deep appreciation and sense of
responsibility that I address you today as I take a bow as your Governor. I
regret my inability to present this address physically as I had to keep an
urgent medical appointment abroad. Nevertheless, permit me to address you,
perhaps for the last time as your Governor, as we enter a new phase in our
struggle for an egalitarian Anambra State devoid of acrimony but filled with
milk and honey.
As you are already aware, the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu yesterday March
15, 2006 failed to uphold my appeal against the Justice Garba Nabaruma-led
Tribunal verdict, which declared Mr. Peter Obi of the All Progressive Grand
Alliance (APGA) as the duly elected person in the Governorship Election of April
19, 2003. Consequently, I am expected to relinquish the Governorship seat, which
I occupied since May 29, 2003, following my declaration as winner of that
election by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), for Mr. Obi to
be sworn in as our next Governor. The road to today has, no doubt, been tortuous
for both my humble self and Mr. Obi. For me, today is also not the time to talk
about who won and who did not win the election or whether the distinguished
Justices of the Appeal Court gave their verdict freely and without coercion from
powerful quarters. What is important is that a court of competent jurisdiction
has delivered its verdict and as a law-abiding and responsible citizen, I will
abide by it in the interest of peace and orderly development of our State.
Respect for the rule of law and the sanctity of the judiciary are critical
ingredient we must cherish and honour if we are to advance as a civilized
society and practice democracy in its true, pure form and be respected among the
comity of nations of the civilised world. People in authority should endeavour
to obey court rulings, no matter how unpalatable they may be. Doing otherwise is
certainly an open invitation to anarchy and lawlessness and our nation can ill
afford this.
I salute Mr. Obi for his
doggedness and determination, which saw him pursue his case to a logical
conclusion. I also congratulate him for being my successor in office while also
wishing him good luck and God's guidance in his new assignment. I call on you,
my dear good people of Anambra State, to give him your maximum cooperation, much
more than you gave me, to enable him succeed in his new assignment so that in
the end, all of us will be beneficiaries of his stewardship.
It might, perhaps, be necessary
for me to use this opportunity once more to do some stock-taking, while at the
same time thank you, the good people of Anambra State, for your courage and
steadfastness as manifested in the granite support you gave our Administration
these past 33 months. Your will recall that when we came in on May 29, 2003, we
promised to give you qualitative and purposeful leadership such that will
regenerate confidence in government business in order to make you shirk off the
despondency and cynical look noticed on most faces in the State - a feature
noticed among teachers, workers and pensioners whose salaries and allowances
were not regular. The latter category of people were owed many months of unpaid
pensions and gratuities. Dearth of infrastructure, especially dilapidated roads,
stared us in the face. Housing and water projects were non-existent. Primary and
secondary schools' buildings/furniture were utterly neglected, not to talk of
the only newly established University - the Anambra State University - which did
not benefit in terms of any development. I am happy to say that after 33 months
on the saddle, all these have changed for good in the first year, for better in
the second year and for best in this third year.
We have built over 24 State and
Federal roads totaling 800 kilometres and spanning all Local Government Areas in
the State, 14 township roads in Onitsha, 10 township roads in Awka with the
on-going massive dualisation of the main Nnamdi Azikiwe Avenue, Awka. All the
roads are accompanied by concrete drains and erosion checks to make them
last.
STATE OF FINANCES
When we came in on May 29, 2003,
we met an empty treasury and there was not a single kobo to run Government
business, not to talk of paying salaries. We owed banks and other financial
institutions. The State could not even service her counterpart funding for
various projects. It was not until the end of June 2003 when money trickled in
from the Federation Account that we engineered the finances that enabled us pay
staff and at the same time start payment of pensions at 142% rise, the first
State in the entire South East to do so. We have also from the consistently
allocated N150 million monthly defrayed the huge accumulated gratuities, which
had piled up from the old Anambra State, up to 1991 when the new Anambra State
was created and beyond. Today, I am proud to say that we have entered the 2001
gratuities and it is being liquidated. As I leave the saddle of governance of
the State today, we have in the State coffers as State funds about N12.8
billion. This is made up of a Strategic Reserve of N7.5 billion for road
construction, N1.5 billion for the development of the new Anambra State
University. This from the Excess Crude savings and is designed for the
infrastructural development of the three campuses of the university at Uli, Alor
and Igbariam. Another N1.3 billion for the housing programme and N2.5 billion in
the Recurrent Account for salaries, wages and pensions. These are aside from the
N3 billion in the State/Local Government Joint Account dedicated for the
construction of inter-local governmental roads. Every member of the State
Executive and Honourable members of the State House of Assembly made sacrifices
for the State and shunned profligacy, which enabled us save this quantum of
money. I, therefore, plead with the in-coming administration in the name of God
not to "fritter" away these painfully gathered savings as they are already tied
to specific projects such as the following:
Onitsha - Atani - Osomalla - Ogwuikpele road with a spur to Ozubulu, one of the
most dilapidated roads in the State (contract for this already awarded.)
Amawbia - Ebenebe - Orba Ofemili road which has already been awarded.
Anaku - Ifite Ogwari - Omasi road, also already awarded
Umueze Anam - Orom Anam - Nzam road
Nibo - Umuawulu - Awgbu - Amaokpala - Oko road, already awarded.
These roads were already slated for flag-off before the verdict of the Appeal
Court It will, therefore, be appreciated by all peace-loving Anambrarians if the
incoming administration pays special attention to these roads and also uses the
funds judiciously to pay for the certificates that would be generated by the
various contractors handling the road projects. This will keep the tempo, which
we have started in top gear. In addition, we have left some N2.5 billion in the
Recurrent Account to help make sure that salaries and allowances of civil
servants and other perks of office are addressed as and when due without waiting
for the Federation Account. Due Process and Accountability have been enthroned
in doing Government business and I urge the Obi Administration to maintain this
high tempo. I have no doubt in my mind that governance is all about service to
the people and that my successor will complete all the projects started by my
administration and go further to even do more for the people of Anambra State
within the seemingly short period left. Our Health Care Financing Scheme,
Educational and other social services are on course and should be sustained. In
the health care sector, we have two 40 feet containers filled with medical
equipment valued at N350 million and awaiting distribution to the various
General Hospitals and Health Centres. Water supply is also receiving serious
attention with work on-going in Onitsha and Awka. In the Onitsha water supply
scheme, water has started running from dry taps after many years of dry
taps.
Finally, let me use this medium
to thank all dedicated men and women who joined us to form the Government of
Anambra State, for their display of extreme patriotism to their State. I wish
all of them well in their next endeavour. I thank the Deputy Governor, the
Speaker and the distinguished members of the Anambra State House of Assembly for
their support, courage and exemplary followership without which the milestone
recorded by my Administration may not have been possible. I am also profoundly
grateful to the members of the National Assembly from the State who stood by us
and the truth. I salute my brother Governors, party leaders and political
associates and friends for their support and solidarity to my Administration in
its trying times. I will not forget members of the State Executive Council and
other political appointees who worked tirelessly with me through out the
duration of our tenure. You are indeed all quality men and women. My sincere
thanks also go to the Judiciary in Anambra State for standing firm in the
discharge of their functions. I thank Traditional Rulers, the Civil Society,
Organised Labour, the Church for their prayers, which sustained us in the face
of a vicious opposition mounted by a tiny cabal determined to ensure we did not
last a single day in office. I thank the media for their resilience and positive
coverage of my Administration and urge them to extend same to
my successor as he takes over the reins of power in Anambra State.
For now, I take a bow and leave
the stage in order to take my well-deserved rest till service to our fatherland
beckons again!
Thank you and God bless you
all.
Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige, OON,
KSJ
Governor, Anambra State
March 16, 2006.
