AWKA – In a powerful show of federal presence and strategic intent, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on Thursday pledged decisive action to confront some of the Southeast’s most pressing development challenges — from devastating erosion to energy underutilisation and transportation inequality.
Addressing a mammoth crowd at the Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka during a state visit, President Tinubu declared, “Abandoned federal road projects that link Anambra to Kogi then can become the fastest gateway between Abuja and Anambra South and South-South. I agree.”
The president’s visit, which Governor Chukwuma Soludo hailed as “historic and consequential,” marked a new chapter in federal-state synergy, especially for a region long burdened by neglect in national infrastructure planning.
President Tinubu didn’t mince words on the state’s exclusion from the National Rail Master Plan. “I am standing before you to say that the Ministry of Transportation is aware and will include the connection in the Master Plan and give it attention,” he assured.
Beyond transportation, Tinubu took direct aim at Anambra’s festering erosion problem and the federal oversight that left the state’s abundant gas reserves underutilised.
“We will make the necessary ecological investments,” he vowed, signalling that the state will no longer be left behind in the drive for energy security and environmental protection.
Echoing a nationalistic tone, the president anchored his message in the spirit of unity. “We are one family, a single family, diverse, living in the same house called Nigeria… Our diversity must lead to prosperity,” he said, invoking the national anthem to emphasize shared destiny.
The President praised Governor Soludo’s developmental strides and committed to supporting Anambra’s progress through shared ideological vision. “With our progressive ideological alliance, we will continue to partner with your state to deliver shared prosperity in Anambra and to all Nigerians,” he said.
During the visit, President Tinubu was conferred with the prestigious chieftaincy title “Dikesinba of Anambra State” by the Anambra State Traditional Rulers’ Council, led by Igwe Chidubem Iweka. This came in addition to his earlier 2005 title, “Omenife of Awka.”
He also commissioned several symbolic and developmental landmarks, including the Emeka Anyaoku Institute for International Studies and Diplomacy, the Emeka Anyaoku Boulevard, and key facilities in the Soludo administration’s Solution Fun City, such as a Family Fun House, Water Park, and Amusement Park.
Welcoming the President, Governor Soludo did not hold back: “What you commissioned today, Mr. President, are mere symbolisms of the audacity of our dreams for a new Anambra State. Like the Americans would say, you haven’t seen anything yet.”
Soludo praised Tinubu’s national reforms, including the Second Niger Bridge access roads and ongoing work on the Enugu-Onitsha expressway, calling them “game-changers” for the Southeast.
Reaffirming the region’s progressive alignment, he said, “APGA is ideologically and strategically aligned with the centre… In Anambra, we are firmly and comfortably progressives.”
A chorus of regional heavyweights, including Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Lady Ada Chukwudozie, Sir Emeka Offor, and Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s Secretary-General, Emeka Sibeudu, joined their voices in praise, affirming their confidence in the president’s leadership and call for national unity.
President Tinubu’s visit, is a message beyond Anambra, rich in promises and symbolic gestures, signals more than a routine state trip — it’s a declaration that the Southeast will no longer be an afterthought in national development.
“For the sake of Nigeria and future generations, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must succeed. We are prepared to support him in every possible way,” Governor Soludo affirmed.
