INTERVIEW: Soludo has given enough to Anambra’s education – Dr Nwabufo

The newly appointed Permanent Secretary to the Office of Anambra State Secretary General Dr Nwabufo Nwankwo has called on the good people of Anambra state to support Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s administration. The renowned Youth Activist, and one time Chairman of National Youth Council of Nigeria stated that Governor Soludo is boldly redesigning the landscape of Anambra state with massive infrastructural developments. 

Dr Nwabufo said this during an interview with the Publisher of HARDCORENEWSNG.COM Online Newspaper, Dr Chuma-Odili Harris, he speaks about his new office among other relevant topics.

Congratulations on your new appointment, can you tell us what your new office is all about? 

Well this appointment came to me as a challenge, Mr Govenor, in his ways of doing things, likes to do things in a disruptive manner. So, my appointment as a Permanent Secretary, not that it came as a surprise, But I didn’t see it coming.  It came so soon than I expected, be that as it may, it’s also a challenge to me. I have been around governments, I have served like five governors. So, I know how government operates. It’s not about how young, but how well. For me being a young man who was appointed Permanent Secretary at age less than 50 years, and coming to stay in this saddle, this office is the fulcrum of government. You know everything that happen in government, you can talk about everything that happens in government. It’s a challenge to me, to be vast in governments processes, and promises of Mr governor. You see, Mr Govenor came prepared, like he used to say, he has an agenda with a deadline. And, when you look at his agenda; social capital development, education, works, etc. He has tried to make a mark in everything he has touched. So, for us who are in the Civil Service, what we need to do is to support him very well to make sure that his agenda for a livable and prosperous homeland is met. He can’t be everywhere, we need to support him to achieve what he has set out to do.

Talking about supporting Mr Governor to achieve his set goals, you mentioned education as part of this agenda, in the past two years, what are the top achievements of your government in terms of education? 

This government as you know, is the first government that came to power, and within a few months in office, was able to attract thousands of people to Civil Service; employing over five thousand teachers. And, at the moment recruitment of teachers is still going on in both primary and secondary schools. You know people have different ways of doing things. Some people would say when I’m leaving office, I will employ more people, but Mr Governor came into office, and in his first year, he employed five thousand teachers. This is the first time in the history of Anambra state. Then look at the infrastructure, he has given a lot of money to schools to update their infrastructures. He has also supported Mission schools both Catholic, Anglican, and Pentecostal. All these he is doing because he knows that basic education is key. You know his father is an educationist, he likes to catch them young at a formative stage. That’s why our schools are winning awards both nationally and internationally because he has keyed into MDG scope, that all basic education is free. In that area, he has done everyone. Just last month, he doled out about two thousand laptops to teachers for free making them to be tech freaks. You know we are in a digital era now, teachers who cannot use laptops, I wonder what they are teaching. 

Let’s talk about Civil Service in Anambra State, in the past two years, what would you say has been the achievement of Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo led government in Civil Service?

Thank you very much, well, with the appointment of New Head of Service Barrister Mrs Theodora Igwegbe, we have seen positive turn around of things. Like you came here, before 8am, I was in the office, putting things in order. He tells us now that this job is our own. You know the popular saying “ndi olu oyibo, ndi olu oyibo” it’s our own. The governor taught us to own the Service. So, the attitude of nonchallancy Civil Servants were known for is fast changing. And, Mr Govenor appointed 18 new permanent Secretaries, of which I’m a beneficiary. It is part of the effort to rejig the Civil Service. I thank him for that because when you appoint new people into office there’s a new zeal, and hunger to deliver. 

As the new Perm Sec, what would you say is your biggest challenge that could pose as a treat towards delivering on your job description? 

Yeah, what is important is how effective and efficient you are. SSG office is not a normal office, it’s an “abnormal office”. So, in whatever you do, there must be efficiency and effectiveness. Use your time very well. There should be efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery, and this is the hallmark of this office. As the new Perm Sec, I want to bring in efficient system that is effective, that has value for time to support Mr Governor’s vision. As a youth, we come with energy and vigor. And that energy is translated into what we do, when you bring efficiency and merge together with effectiveness.