The former Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has advised the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to concentrate more on tackling insecurity and massive road construction and rehabilitation in the state.
Ngige said as a former governor of the state, he embarked on massive road infrastructure targeted to last for 25 years.
He added that 20 years after he left office as governor of the state in 2003, the roads he constructed are still intact while the ones his predecessors constructed have washed away.
The former minister stated these on Monday, during the second Ofala festival of the traditional ruler of the Ojoto community in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Igwe Gerald Mbamalu.
He said what Anambra people expect from Soludo now is to rehabilitate the dilapidated portions of the roads and then construct new ones to enable the people to enjoy the dividends of democracy.
On security, Ngige accused some state Governors of pocketing the security votes of their respective states.
Ngige said, “Security votes are meant to be spent by state governors to stabilise security in their different states. Security votes are not pocket money but some governors have converted them to personal money.
“It is meant to maintain the security equilibrium of their states or homeland.
“However, Soludo is trying on security but I have told him to do more. Security is like information, publicity, when you are spending money on publicity you won’t see it, it is not tangible, but you will see the effect. If you put stability in your security you will see prosperity following it because there will be economic activities.
“Economic activities have been destabilised in the South-East zone for the past 18 months due to sit-at-home and all these activities by the State actors hide under the camouflage of Nnamdi Kanu, to perpetrate criminality.
“So our governor in Anambra is trying. He has also infrastructure. challenge, he is trying but I will advise him on maintenance culture just like prevention in medicine. If you prevent a disease you don’t spend much money than curing somebody.
“If you construct roads and maintain them, they will last more than 20 years. The roads I constructed are 20 years old now and they are still serving the people.”
