Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State paid a visit to Okpoko, the state’s largest urban slum.
The governor said his visit to the area will kick off his administration’s urban revitalization initiative and projects, according to a post on his Facebook page on Friday.
According to Soludo, Okpoko has been labeled as the state’s weakest link, and residents of the area have been neglected for far too long.
Anambra: As Soludo Visits Okpoko, Residents Welcome Him With Heap Of Refuse
The governor went on to say that the area needed more care right now than any other section of the state, and that it is his administration’s top priority.
“Why Okpoko?” he wrote.
“One of the hilarious retorts I’ve gotten since I announced my intention to leave Okpoko is, “why Okpoko?”
A few people appear to have a sense of self-centered prioritization, believing that there are more serious matters than going to Okpoko on a rescue operation. When you dig deeper to understand their criticism in context, you’ll find that we all have the naïve wish to “begin charity from home.” This isn’t always a terrible thing, especially if we can all agree on where home is or should be.
“It’s One Anambra, One People, One Agenda for me.” If this is the case, the often-assumed but true axiom that “any system is only as strong as its weakest link” must apply. This makes Okpoko a priority for starters, and it should concern every Onye Anambra about how a state that prides itself on being the nation’s light would keep a deafening silence as Okpoko dies, while spreading infectious social, economic, and environmental malady that leaves Onitsha as a city on the verge of collapse.
What Anambraians Should Expect From Soludo As Governor – Peter Obi
“Ụmụnnem, ife dị na Okpoko; the Genius, the unemployed and the criminal. The challenge before us is to decide whether to continue ruing the ugly situation or turn the flipside that will provide us enormous opportunities for the development of our Homeland.
“Okpoko is the largest Urban slum in Anambra State. Therefore, we have to begin our urban renewal effort from our weakest link. Like my now 16-year-old daughter once asked me when she was just 14, “it is not enough to wish change or show the will to cause a change. How are you sure, Daddy, that the people themselves want to change?”
“Of course, this is not so easy a question to be answered without far-reaching consultation with the people. So far, the people of Okpoko and residents, from Ndikpa to East Niger, are more in a hurry for a change than we can ever be.
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“That trip I made in 2009 to Okpoko where I was accosted by a little boy, who raced towards me and audaciously demanded, “Soludo nyem ego” still occupies a better part of my memory. That boy, and millions like him need much more than money. They need a life. May God help us!”
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