Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has charged the newly inaugurated chairmen of the state’s 21 local government councils to prioritise accountability, environmental restoration and effective management of public resources.
The governor gave the charge on Sunday during the swearing-in of the elected council chairmen and their deputies in Awka, urging the new officials to treat their positions as a call to service.
The inauguration was conducted by the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Tobechukwu Nweke, in the presence of other government officials, including the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Ifeanyichukwu Ezeaka.
Soludo urged the council bosses to regularly revisit their oaths of office and study the handover notes left by their predecessors to understand the assets, liabilities and challenges they had inherited.
He also asked them to explore the provisions of new laws allowing councils to pool resources for common payments and other areas of joint administration.
The governor noted that the All Progressives Grand Alliance had dominated Anambra politics for about two decades, resulting in several candidates going virtually unchallenged, but urged the new mayors to maintain the state’s governance standards and comply with existing laws and processes.
Among the newly inaugurated council chairmen is the returnee chairman of Orumba North, retired Captain Chinonso Nwafor, who pledged to strengthen security, agriculture, healthcare, education and youth development in the area.
Nwafor said he would draw on his military experience to work with the police, other security agencies and local vigilantes to improve security.
He also pledged to support Soludo’s environmental emergency initiative and maximise available land for agricultural production and self-sufficiency.
At Ekwusigo, the new chairman, Ifeanyi Onuchukwu, said the governor’s “liveable and prosperous Anambra” agenda would provide a framework for development at the grassroots.
Onuchukwu promised to mobilise stakeholders to harness the area’s human, material and mineral resources for the benefit of residents.
In Idemili South, newly inaugurated chairman Oluchukwu John Ilogbenu declared environmental renewal an immediate priority, citing flooding, erosion, blocked waterways, poor waste disposal and inadequate sanitation as major concerns.
Ilogbenu announced the establishment of an Environmental Emergency Action Committee to coordinate interventions across communities.
He said the council would focus on clearing drains and waterways, improving waste management, preventing flooding and erosion, planting trees and beautifying markets and public spaces.
“Our administration will be driven by measurable results, accountability, community participation and disciplined deployment of public resources,” Ilogbenu said.
He also announced plans for a baseline assessment covering infrastructure, primary healthcare centres, schools, revenue opportunities, environmental and drainage conditions, and security.
On security, the Idemili South chairman said he would convene a stakeholders’ summit involving security agencies, traditional institutions, town unions and community security structures.
He also promised closer cooperation with the state’s Homeland Security architecture, including measures such as strategic solar street lighting to improve safety.
The 21 newly inaugurated mayors are Kingsley Ezeagu (Aguata), Ifeanyi Chinweze (Anambra East), Tony Obierika (Anambra West), Paulinus Okafor (Anaocha), Thankgod Anago (Awka North), Chinedu Okafor (Awka South), Mgbechi Igwebuike (Ayamelum), Clement Ozumba (Dunukofia), Ifeanyi Onuchukwu (Ekwusigo), Stanley Nkwoka (Idemili North), Oluchukwu Ilogbunam (Idemili South), Anayo Orjiakor (Ihiala), Ikechukwu Okakpu (Njikoka), Anazodo Echezona (Nnewi North), Ezeogidi Vangeroge (Nnewi South), Nnamdi Ifejika (Ogbaru), Ibekwe Albert (Onitsha North), Peter Moufunanya (Onitsha South), Chinonso Nwafor (Orumba North), Mufunanya Ikechukwu (Orumba South) and Igbem John Elochukwu (Oyi).
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