Chairman of IPMAN, Enugu Depot Community in charge of Anambra, Ebonyi, and Enugu States, Chinedu Anyaso, gave the congratulatory message in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Awka on Friday.
Anyaso lauded Soludo’s proposed revitalization of the economy of the state that would be independent of oil, by activating its internally generated revenue base, as well as strengthening its fiscal regime.
The IPMAN boss noted that the exploration of oil in commercial quantities and recognition of Anambra as an oil-producing state provided a propitious opportunity for Soludo to revitalize the state’s oil sector.
“We are happy that Gov. Soludo in his inaugural address showed leadership. With his experience and reach, he has the capacity to help build the South-East economy.
“IPMAN believes that it is an opportunity to develop the oil and gas sector of Anambra and the entire South-East,” Anyaso remarked.
He, however, agitated that the absence of a functional petroleum depot in the zone was posing a serious challenge to marketers in the area, as marketers in the zone now relied on Lagos, Calabar, and Warri for products – with attendant risks and additional costs.
“Right now, we don’t have a functional NNPC depot, tank farm, or refinery in the zone and all these are affecting our operations of sourcing materials.
“So we are hoping that with the oil exploration activities, Prof. Soludo in collaboration with his colleagues in the area will look in the direction of citing a tank farm or refinery in the state; this will not only ease our business but also boost the economy,” he said.
Following his landmark victory at the November 6, 2021 polls under the umbrella of the All Progressives Grand Alliance party, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo was sworn in as Anambra State Governor on March 17, 2022, taking the gubernatorial baton from his predecessor, Willie Obiano, who had spent two terms as governor of the state.
The apex bank chief, loved by many, has been described as the ‘liberator’ of Ndi Anambra, in repositioning the economy of the state, just as the opposition fringe are all fingers-crossed in stark anticipation of his liberationist wonderments.
