Soludo Charges UNN Students of Ethical Leadership To Drive Progressivism, Economic And National Development

Governor Charles Soludo has called on the students of the University of Nigeria, (UNN) Nsukka, in Anambra State, to imbibe the culture of ethical leadership, which ensures the desired growth in all facets of life, as he delivers a keynote lecture at the institution.

Governor Soludo, who spoke on the topic, ‘Ethical Leadership, Security, and Sustainable Development,’ in his alma mater, said that as academics, students should remember where they occupy in society and try to offer their services with the spirit of ethical leadership to create a positive impact.

Soludo said people with wisdom and knowledge must offer their services to society, devote time to community development, and not shy away from offering their expertise to bring about positive change.

The governor asserted that the students should not shy away from progressive tendencies to make meaningful contributions to the country, as the public requires the intelligence of academics for transformational development.

The erstwhile Central Bank Governor, who reminisced about his banking consolidation exercise, which later made the financial institutions in the country stronger and more effective in their service delivery, attributed its success to him, averred that ethical leadership has its risk implications, relating the threats that almost engulfed him during the reformation era.

“For ethical leadership, you must be committed, with fairness, transparency, sincerity of purpose, with exemplary conduct,” he advised the students.

Concerning the transformation in Anambra, which stems from his ethical leadership qualities, Soludo said it has helped to foster the attainment of set goals in security, economic transformation and infrastructure, human capital development, and governance, which embodies the rule of law and order, and the environment.

He said the numerous achievements of his administration in various sectors of the state are hinged on accountability and fiscal discipline that has engendered the notion of One State, One People, One Agenda.

“In Anambra, I see one indivisible people and not any boundary, with no one untouched,” Soludo explained.

While highlighting how ethical leadership has enabled transparency in governance, Governor Soludo gave instances of how he saved N1.5 billion on a single item for a year, coupled with other activities of monetary expenditure.

Soludo said the visionary leadership qualities, motivated the eight hours of work he did the first day he was sworn into office, and the visit to Okpoko slum the next day, to embark on the regeneration of the place, which was without a hospital, road, drainages, electricity, pipe borne water, and other infrastructure.

“Okpoko is no longer a slum but now called a new heaven,” the governor remarked, stating that the town now has a general hospital and other basic facilities to make it livable.

The governor’s efforts in connecting the various communities together have inspired his vision of turning Anambra into a megacity, with the evolution of new cities such as Awka 2.0, Onitsha 2.0, and the new industrial city, which will spur economic and business activities.

He is gradually turning Anambra into the Dubai-Taiwan Silicon Valley of the country, with infrastructure advancements such as the newly built Government House and Lodge, the building of the Deputy Governor, the Governor’s Office, 24 other structures, a world-class amphitheatre, an auditorium, and an eight-lane dualised road named after Emeka Anyaoku, the former Commonwealth Secretary General, and the Solution Fun City in Awka, the largest in Africa, designed for the people of Anambra to enjoy, relax, and play.

He has built five new general hospitals with telemedicine, with over 1,000 employed skilled healthcare personnel, the construction of 22 smart schools with free education and employment of 8,115 teachers, and the digitization of the state’s judicial system.

Other achievements are evident in the area of agriculture, regeneration of towns, and cities with modern drainages to ease flooding and erosion, provisioning of pipe-borne water to communities across Anambra, effective security operations such as the state’s security system, Agunaechemba and Operation Udo Ga-Achi which has restored peace to the state, digital empowerment scheme for youths, among others.