Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has said the problems in the state are daunting, but not insurmountable.
The governor also revealed that the last administration kept N300m in the coffers, but left over N100bn in debts as of December 2021.
Soludo made the disclosure on Tuesday during an interview with Arise TV.
The governor’s revelation came after the Economic and Financial Crimes arrested his predecessor, Willie Obiano.
The former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor stated that other financial transactions of the state from January to date were not yet available.
He said, “First, in terms of finances, there is an audited account of Anambra as of December 31, 2021, which is a public document that anyone can access. Between the audited accounts as of the end of the year 2021, everyone knows that the state finances are not quite robust.
“In terms of debt, it is in the range of over N100bn and then cash, which the state has is N300 or N400mn, but we are still going to have all the reconciliations and all the accounts from January to the date when we had the handover.”
Soludo assured the people of the state that his administration would be people-oriented and focused on delivering the dividends of democracy.
The governor, who spoke on a number of issues, asserted that his government remained irrevocably committed to improving the welfare and standard of living of the common man in the state.
He reiterated that the problems to be solved were daunting but not insurmountable.
He stated that with the support and cooperation of the resourceful people of the state, the problems would be surmounted and a liveable and prosperous homeland would become a reality.
Soludo lamented the lean resources of the state, but promised that every effort would be made to improve the financial base of the government.
He maintained that the government would reform the revenue collection system following the ban on the illegal activities of touts, who had been collecting revenue indiscriminately.
“In terms of the debt I inherited, it runs into hundreds of billions of naira. That of cash, we met about N300m only. In fact, let’s not talk about it. Our treasury is funny. But I hope we shall make money henceforth to help us fulfil our promises for infrastructure and development of the state. But in terms of what I met in our coffers, my brother, it’s pathetic. Please, let us not go there. God will help us,” Soludo stated.
On his historic visit to Okpoko, the governor said, “The community will be cleaned up with good drainage to avert the perennial flooding, which the area usually experiences anytime it rains.
“We will emphasise our home-grown economic philosophy with higher demand for Akwete clothes and improved patronage of other locally-produced goods
“The issues of insecurity and the weekly sit-at-home syndrome will be adequately addressed. The first major meeting I had when I was sworn in was on security issues.”
He also condemned the sit-at-home as anti-people, especially on the downtrodden and daily business owners, who suffer losses, and pledged that the issue would be resolved.
“Anambra State intends to have a transparent public finance management where we are going to publish our accounts so that everyone will have knowledge of what is there and what is missing and what funds have been used for what,” Soludo added.
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