On 5 mega projects executed by Soludo without borrowing a penny

Governor Chukwuma Soludo has been in office for 29 months and within this period, Governor Soludo has aggressively executed infrastructural and human capital development projects that have impacted every sector of Anambra’s economy, but 5 mega projects stand out in the opinion of this column.

Actually, there are hundreds of big projects going on, but this column is going to focus on only 5 high-impact projects that will be commissioned in the coming months. There are some mega projects not on this list because of the kind of space constraint problem a columnist would have in a 1,224-word article. For example, signature projects such as the Awka 10-story hotel complex whose piling works has commenced, the Solution Innovation District (SID) and the over 350km of fully constructed roadways around Anambra in the last 2 years are not on the list. Also, Governor Soludo’s footprints on healthcare and education infrastructure are not on this list because of the same reason: space constraints.

First on the list is the Awka Fun City Project, also known as the Solution Fun City. With this project, the plan is to make Awka a city where families from around the country can come to play, enjoy and relax. This project is anticipated to impact the GDP of Awka through tourism. The Solution Fun City is sited beside the Awka Township Stadium and it comprises of outdoor and indoor amusement and waterpark parks, as well as state-of-the-art indoor arcade games and bowling facilities. It has a 38m high ferries wheel and probably the biggest roller coaster and drop tower in Nigeria. Of the 7 swimming pools in the facility, 3 are Olympic-sized swimming pools. The pirate ship in the facility mimics that in Disney Land in Paris. As at today, the project is over 70% complete and all the fun attractions have been procured. (Yesterday, the Anambra State Government, through ANSIPPA, issued an advert inviting experienced leisure and hospitality management firms to submit their expression of interest in managing the Solution Fun City). And all these international procurements were achieved despite the headwinds from the depreciating value of the naira.

Second on the list is the new Anambra Government House and Lodge Project. Anambra State has been using a makeshift government house since its creation in 1991. Many civil servants in the current government house do not have decent offices and this impacts on their productivity. In fact, Anambra is about the only state in Nigeria where the governor’s official residence – which is also a makeshift – is not exactly in the state capital. The current Government House is in Awka and the governor’s residence is in Amawbia. But today, Anambra’s new Government House, which is being constructed by Governor Soludo is over 80% complete. Anambra’s new Government House is on 23 hectares of land with over 2km length of fencing. The internal road network comprises of a total of 3.2km of dual carriageways. It has a befitting high-rise secretariat building, warehouse, government house building, governor’s lodge building, clinic, fire station, fuel dump, industrial kitchen, deputy governor’s office, sports complex, amphitheater, computer server building, banquet hall and residential apartments where civil/public servants will reside. The quality of buildings in this complex stands out. It has well planned lawns, parking spaces and high-speed fibre optic infrastructure crisscrossing the 23 hectares facility. One interesting story about this project is that the current premises of this project was almost washed out by gully erosion and, thus, the Soludo-led administration spent billions of naira in erosion repair and control works before the commencement of this project. When this project is completed later in the year, it is likely going to be the greenest government house in the country as it has thousands of economic and ornamental trees in its gardens and perimeter. One environmentalist even remarked that the 23-hectare facility will be carbon neutral.

Third on the list is the Ekwulobia flyover project. For those not familiar with Anambra, the state is one of the few states that its capital city is not its biggest in terms of GDP. The GDP of Onitsha is bigger than that of Awka. The state has 4 mega cities: Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi and Ekwulobia. (Nnewi is home to some of Nigeria’s biggest manufacturing companies). In Ekwulobia, a 6-span flyover with each span having a length of 33 meters is almost complete. This flyover solves the perennial traffic gridlock problem that Ekwulobia was known for. To the best of our knowledge, the Ekwulobia flyover is the only prestressed concrete bridge built by a state government in the south east. Prestressing technology allows for the construction of very long span bridge girders. There are also massive bus terminals being constructed in the vicinity of this project. This project will be completed in a few weeks from today.

The fourth on the list is the 34km dual carriageway linking Anambra to Imo State – i.e. the dualization of Amawbia – Agulu – Nanka – Ekwulobia -Uga – Akokwa Road. Despite the fact that this is a federal road, the Governor Soludo-led administration decided to dualize this road because of the massive impact this road has on the economy of Imo and Anambra State. This project was awarded in May 2024 and as at today, contractors are aggressively attacking its earth works, drainage works and the required relocation of obstructions in the road alignment. The plan is to complete this road as soon as possible.

The fifth on the list is a collection of urban renewal works in Anambra. Today, Okpoko which used to be the biggest slum in the south east has taken a new look. The community now has high-quality roads, hospitals and schools. Ochanja roundabout – a location in the heart of Onitsha – which used to be a refuse dump now has a water fountain. And to cap it all, there will be Anambra’s equivalent of the Eiffel Tower in front of the new Anambra’s Government House. This monument in front of the new Government House – which has the potential of increasing Anambra’s tourism earning – will be completed in a few months from today. Procurement have commenced on the Onitsha CCTV (Upper Iweka) project and general urban renewal projects in Onitsha. Onitsha is work in progress. (In a few months, the mega plan for the Onitsha Main Market will be unveiled).

All the projects listed above are being aggressively attacked by Governor Soludo without borrowing a penny despite the headwinds from inflation and currency devaluation in the country. This shows the level of prudence in Governor Soludo’s administration.

It is important to note that projects such as the construction of a new city in Awka (Awka 2.0), a new city in Onitsha (Onitsha 2.0) and the Anambra Mixed-Used Industrial City (AMIC) are not on this list (AMIC will make Anambra a manufacturing hub in Nigeria). These are projects that would change the economic trajectory of Anambra forever. The only reason that we have deliberately refused to put them on this list is because of space constraints and the fact that we have selected only the projects that would be fully commissioned in a few months from today.

Anambra is changing and with Governor Soludo the future is very bright!

Nwankwo is the special adviser to Soludo on special projects.