Anambra Government completes upgrade of State Assembly buildings

By Chizoba Okeke/Anastasia Agunwa/Gloria Abugu

Anambra State Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Pauly Onyeka says the upgrade of the Anambra State House of Assembly has been successfully completed for effective use.

The commissioner gave this hint when he inspected the upgrading work with the ministry’s team of building professionals.

Four members of the House of Assembly who were around during the inspection, namely Mr. Noble Igwe (Ogbaru 1), Mr. Emma Nwafor (Orumba South), Mr. Anayo Okpalaeke (Aguata 1) and Mr. Tony Muobike (Aguata 2) praised Gov. Chukwuma Soludo, the Housing commissioner and the contractor for job well executed.

Speaking during the inspection, the commissioner said the project was targeted at strengthening the legislative arm of government to be able to make good and people-oriented laws in the interest of the citizens of the state.

He recalled years of infrastructural dilapidation which also affected the morale and productivity of the legislators as well as the legislative staff.

According to Onyeka, by the time we finish with the phase two, everyone will know that Mr. Governor never jokes with his campaign promises.

Onyeka also lauded the leadership quality of the current Speaker, Mr. Udeze, which is helping to turn things around positively.

“A good and conducive working edifice like this will enable the house members turn out wonderful laws. In their offices, their thinking faculties will be at the greatest level of alertness.

“They will work very effectively and efficiently. They won’t have any environmental hindrance. Remember that popular saying by the Chinese, ‘good thinking, good products’. That’s the essence of this intervention”.

“As an all-round solution provider, Mr. Governor felt that our legislative house should not look the way it was. So, he gave my ministry the task to upgrade it.

“Today, we have turned very dilapidated structures to edifices. Every house member around has testified to the quality of the work done by the contractor. We thank God and our dear working governor for deciding to do this at this point in time.

“This project-structural upgrade-is hundred percent completed as the clerk and the contractor testified but phase 2 will soon commence this year by the grace of God. The phase 2 has to do with the externals such as landscaping, grassing, fencing, among others.

“The Speaker has performed marvelously well as the head of the legislative arm. I was once here but for the first time, I see a house sitting every time by 11am on the dot, not a matter of house sitting by 1pm, 2pm or sometimes they don’t even know the time that the house will sit.

“It is very unfortunate that all those things were happening those days. But, we have the right peg in the right hole and things have changed for good,” Onyeka noted.

The Acting Clerk of the House of Assembly, Mr. Okechukwu Nwobi, who represented the Speaker, Somtochukwu Udeze agreed with the commissioner that the upgrade would enhance productivity of both the lawmakers and staff of the legislature.

“We thank his Excellency, the solution governor, Professor Charles Soludo for the great works he has been doing and will continue to do across the state.

“You can see that this place has been turned to another important edifice and this will translate to greater efficiency. This is now a state monument,” he concluded.

The Managing Director of the contracting firm, Hemebs Construction and Maintenance Nigeria Limited, Mr. Henry Onyeibo said, “I have been doing works in Anambra State for quite some time now but I thank his Excellency, Mr. Governor for giving me the opportunity to handle this project.

“His Excellency is doing very well in Anambra and we are happy. I encourage him to continue doing what he is doing for our people,” Onyeibo concluded.

The writers are of the Anambra State Ministry of Information