Anambra PDP expresses worry over Obiano’s 50-year development plans

The Anambra state chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party PDP has queried the current state government led by Chief Willie Obiano intention on the 50 years development plan for the State.

In a statement signed by its state Publicity Secretary, Mr Nnamdi Nwangwu and made available to Nigerian Tribune in Awka, on Monday expressed worries over the intention of the government in inaugurating a 51 member committee for the project given the governor’s antecedents over the years.

Recalled recently that the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA government in Anambra state under governor Willie Obiano had a few days ago inaugurated a committee headed by the former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria CBN Prof Chukwuma Soludo to put to paper a 50-year development plan for the State.

According to Nwangwu, the PDP sees nothing wrong in planning, both short and long term, but very worried about the intention of the planner given the antecedents of the governor.

“The fact that the very bogus committee of 51 persons is headed by Prof Chukwuma Soludo, who is widely believed to be Obiano’s anointed and preferred aspirant to emerge as the candidate of his APGA in 2021 gubernatorial race in the state, completely gave the intention away”

A deeper look at the antecedents of Obiano gives the whole plot away as another form of jamboree and showmanship aimed at hoodwinking the people further” he said.

According to Nwangwu, how can a party under a man like governor Obiano be trusted to be able to provide a long term plan?

He said, if the APGA government valued planning, how comes it dismantled all the plans it inherited from preceding APGA government for eight years?

“What happened to the UN-Habitat plans for Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi painstakingly procured by Mr Peter Obi from the UN Africa headquarters in Kenya, and already being implemented, handed over to Obiano to follow as part of continuing same APGA government?

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“What of the Anambra State Industrialisation handbook, painstakingly prepared by the preceding APGA government of which, very articulately, mapped out steps to industrialise the six industrial estates in the state?

“Can a party whose governor shocked the watching world by admitting that he squandered over 156 million dollars saved by his predecessor for vision 2020 and asked why should a state save money, be trusted with preparing any future plan?

“Can a party who dismantled a well-structured ANIDS handed over to it to finish MDGs with and kick-start SDGs will be truly serious with providing any meaningful plan to guide a people like ndi Anambra for 50 years?” he stated.

He said, Obiano has clearly failed woefully and he is looking for what to campaign with at the forthcoming election.

Nwangwu wondered on what would be Obiano’s explanation regarding the Umueri Airport project when he mounts campaign podia in 2021 to attempt to install a successor.

He also asked the governor, what he will tell the people about the billions of dollars worth of MoUs in name of foreign investment all over the state.

“How can a ruling party that can only boast of paying salaries and the over-hyped security as their achievements in eight years convince us he loves the state to ever think of securing her future for 50 years?

“How can a government that squandered over N75 billion naira they inherited and already plunged the state into huge debts be truly trusted to have an interest in our future?

“How can a party that allows her governor to take home N1.2 billion every month and wife N250 million every month in name of security votes be trusted to prepare a future for our people?”

“The APGA government knew that it has destroyed all the goodwill it built in the first eight years that guaranteed the second eight years. That goodwill has been destroyed in the second eight years of Willie Obiano” lamented.

According to him, Obiano has admitted that he ran a government without a plan in the last 6years and how can he be trusted to bequeath a long term plan with an emergency committee to cover his monumental failure.

He added that whatever the party was doing now is like catching at straws and Ndi Anambra can’t wait to throw them outcomes 2021 governorship election.