Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano on Wednesday listed International Passenger/Cargo Airport at Umueri and the International Convention Center, Awka, as his “monumental projects”.
He also said that his government made sure all the181 communities in Anambra State got choice projects.
The outgoing governor said he was aware that during the course of overseeing the affairs of the state, he stepped on many toes and lost several friends.
He stated this during his farewell speech, asking those he offended in one way or the other to forgive him, saying his actions were for the good of the state.
“Brothers and sisters, as your governor, I worked under extreme pressure. I took many hard decisions. I stepped on toes. I didn’t answer some phone calls. I lost some friends on account of these,” Obiano said.
His administration will officially come to an end on Thursday, March 17. He will on that day hand over to the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Charles Soludo, who is in the same party with Obiano – the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).
In his farewell speech, Obano acknowledged that he was not able to fulfill all his promises to the people.
He said, “Umunnem, I’m also aware that I did not fulfill every promise I made. But no government in the world has ever kept all its promises or solved all the problems of its time.
However, my intentions were pure and my ambitions sincere. Let history be the judge.”
On his achievements, Obiano, giving an account of his stewardship, said that his governmemt organised Nigeria’s first international conference on security which he said resulted in the setting up of “a revolutionary security architecture” against crime in the state.
He equally said his administration’s economic stimulus package has given rise to the ‘N20m Community Choose-Your-Project Initiative.’
According to Obiano, through that initiative, his administration successfully touched all the 181 communities in the state with choice projects.
“As a result of this, all the communities got projects worth N40 million each from my administration,” he added.
He further told the people of Anambra that the establishment of a Court of Appeal in Awka, the state capital, remained one of the major achievements recorded by his administration, saying that it ended the usual trips to Enugu State by residents of the state who seek justice.
On his achievements in the state education sector, the outgoing governor said that his administration made huge investments in the off-shore training of teachers to expose them to global best practices.
According to him, the state government made cash donations of N2.8 billion to both mission and public schools in the state.
He added that his government built 1,000-room hostels in 12 technical colleges across the state and also offered scholarships to over 300 students.
“A direct outcome of this is that both our school children and their teachers won impressive awards under my watch,” he noted.
Obiano, boasting of bequeathing legacies in the health sector to Anambra State residents said, “With only N12,000 per year, residents of this state can access high-quality healthcare as they like” through the Anambra State Health Insurance Agency.
He described the International Passenger/Cargo Airport at Umueri and the International Convention Center, Awka, as his “monumental projects”.
He also listed other achievements his administration made in agriculture, disaster-control and infrastructures.
He said, “Eight years ago, when I gave my inaugural address, I shared my vision of a greater Anambra State with you. To some people, it sounded like a dream. Umunnem, today, most of those dreams I shared with you have come true.”