Soludo’s Deputy, Mefor, Ubaoji Urge Anambra Residents to Embrace Value Reorientation

The Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, has praised the organisers of the Kay Anyi Dozie Anambra Volunteers and Ambassadors Network (KADAVAN) for initiating a platform aimed at promoting value reorientation in the state.

He gave the commendation on Friday during the official inauguration of KADAVAN in Amawbia, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State.

According to him, while the governor and commissioners are working to provide infrastructure and develop the state, residents must take ownership of government projects and ensure their proper use and preservation.

“This is the kind of forum where we ask ourselves what we want to do because posterity will never forget you,” he said.

Ibezim said the value system in the society had deteriorated, stressing the need for value reorientation, as people could not continue doing the same things and expect different results.

“We are now living with animals in Anambra. That is why I like this kind of organisation because they value change,” he said.

The Deputy Governor charged the people of Anambra State to support all the laudable projects of Governor Chukwuma Soludo across the state.

He said the governor was working to give the people a new orientation because things were getting worse and society was gradually decaying.

“I came to encourage you to do more. We have not come to do bad but to do what will help the state” he added.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr Law Mefor, said Anambra State was making history with its renewed drive to reform societal values.

Mefor noted that the inclusion of “Value Reorientation” in the ministry’s mandate was deliberate, adding that the initiative was aimed at addressing some of the challenges confronting the state.

According to him, Ndi Anambra must cooperate with the government to build a better state, adding that it was time for citizens to stand up and be counted as part of the movement for positive change.

He said the reorientation became necessary because “a lot of things have gone wrong” in the state .

Mefor said there were practices and abominations that had lingered for too long and needed to be addressed for the state to achieve a better society.

The commissioner warned that Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s investment in physical infrastructure would be wasted if the people failed to use and maintain the facilities properly.

He also expressed concern over the high number of non-indigenes among apprentices in Onitsha Main Market, attributing the development partly to Anambra youths’ preference for quick money.

He described the situation as a major concern to the governor.

Mefor said the ministry had set up a technical committee that would adopt the “carrot and stick approach” to restore the virtues for which Anambra was known, describing the state as the home of great figures such as Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu and Chief Emeka Anyaoku.

“I was happy when this organisation paid me a visit, indicating interest in the value reorientation of Anambra State.
“The objective of this group is the same as that of the ministry. Let all of us join hands to rebuild Anambra State.
“We are talking of value reformation and reorientation in this government because a lot of things have gone wrong. And we cannot allow them to continue if we want to make progress in the state,” he added.

Mefor further expressed concern that the craze for wealth had nearly taken over the minds of many youths, warning that the trend could not be allowed to continue if the state wanted to build a better and progressive society.

“We need to tell our youths the truth, the need for value reorientation. Our youths no longer believe in hard work but in quick wealth, and it is destroying our value system.
“We will go after those who work with fake certificates after dealing with the fake pastors and native doctors.
“We must compel the youths to accept the reality of hard work.
“We have to rescue Anambra State from this wrong value,” he said.

The Dean of Student Affairs, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof. Kingsley Ubaoji, who was the guest lecturer at the event, called for unity and collective action as the panacea for building a greater Anambra State.

Ubaoji, who was also the keynote speaker at the event, spoke on the theme, “Together We Build a Greater Anambra.”

He said the development of the state depended on the commitment of all citizens to discipline, innovation and service.

According to him, “A greater Anambra can only be achieved when we put aside differences and work together for the common good.”

He said the problem lay in the inability of the people to take a decision to fix Anambra.

“The problem of reforming Anambra is because we have not yet taken a decision on that.
“It takes consciousness to develop Anambra. We must all be conscious of developing Anambra; otherwise, it will not be achieved. Nobody will make it by accident,”

“All the problems we have in the state are self-inflicted. We are all culpable in what is happening in the state,” he said.

Ubaoji said many of the things younger people were doing had been learnt from someone, especially from the older generation.

“Our problem today is that we have not agreed to fight the rot in the state. Any day we all agree, we will get it right. Any day we make the decision to reform our values, we shall have it right.
“We are not ready to put Anambra State right. All we are doing today is window dressing.
“If we are not conscious, we cannot reform Anambra State. Nobody makes changes by accident; it must follow consciousness.
“Any day the elders of Anambra State want to change the state, they will, but today they have not decided,” he said.