“Tinubu, it’s a Goal 2”…“Soludo is making sense now”… Onitsha Marathon, best marathon route in Africa…plus South East Digest…

“Tinubu, it’s a Goal 2”

Of course, the odds continue to favour Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT).  That is not surprising.  He has been working hard at it for a long time now.  Atiku Abubakar may have been longer in the race towards Aso Rock, but one cannot confirm that he has displayed as much relentless focus as BAT.

But that’s not our focus today.   Today we want to look at a new special class created by BAT.  BAT is certainly way above all the other candidates.  He has created a special language (one understood by only himself and perhaps, Festus Keyamo).  Some say it’s “Wakanda”, while some say it is the language of the “Minions”.  See Keyamo’s interpretation of Tinubu’s latest hit below: 

Will he continue to run?  Will he drop out?  Will he be disqualified?  Tinubu also continues to lead in this area of more questions, and yet more questions too!  A viral video showing Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai says BAT believes he is strong enough to run.  Lawsuits and threats of additional suits continue to mount.  

BAT may turn out to be that proverbial cat with nine lives.

“Soludo is making sense now”

You have to be in the spirit of “Generation Z” to understand this headline.  If my guess is correct, a good number of my readers would think that we are about to discuss the
“Soludo-Peter Obi show”.  No way, far from it.

Ndi Anambra can now begin to visualize or glimpse the “livable and prosperous homeland” of Soludo’s vision.  Two things that happened in the last two weeks have zoomed the picture – preliminary works towards setting up an Anambra Development Corporation (ADC), possibly one of the first of its kind in Nigeria, and the second one, SkyTrain!  See stories on both subjects under “Anambra State” below (photos and stories credits: https://ansippang.substack.com/p/ansippa-30-the-new-dawn)

Onitsha Marathon, best marathon route in Africa

Onitsha Marathon which has been assessed by experts as having the best marathon route in Africa will be hosting its second edition next year, 2023.  The first edition took place in 2019 but the Covid-19 visitation and challenges with the recruitment of sponsors have delayed the second edition.

Olusegun Sogbesan, the Director General of Onitsha Business School, organisers of Onitsha City Marathon (OCM0, disclosed this last week during a courtesy call on the Chairman of the Anambra Sports Development Commission, Patrick Onyedum, on possible return of the marathon in 2023.

(A digest of latest reports on the Economy, Industry, Politics, Sports, and developments around the South East of Nigeria)

ANAMBRA STATE

Anambra Development Corporation on the way

Anambra State Government has commenced preliminary works towards the setting up of an Anambra State Development Corporation (ADC) to help drive the Governor Chukwuma Soludo vision.  The corporation is expected to catalyse developments in the areas of Power, Transportation, Tourism, Technology, Financial Services, Healthcare, Education and the Green Economy. 

The Anambra State Investments Promotion and Protection Ageny (ANSIPPA) has commenced a series of meetings with Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), Infracredit and other professional services’ firms to develop a conceptual framework for the ADC. For this year, the Agency plans to finalize the framework guiding the proposed operations of the ADC, appoint transaction advisers and present a draft legislation to the Anambra State House of Assembly for the creation of ADC. 

The proposed structure will allow for the Agency to obtain a credit rating profile, access broader financial instruments and creative funding schemes to help drive infrastructure projects and investments in the State.  The benefits of the proposed structure will be improved transparency, accountability, guaranteed investor confidence and operational effectiveness.

ANISPPA signs feasibility study agreement for proposed Sky-Train project

ANISPPA has entered into a Non-Committal Agreement with China Railway Beijing Engineering Nigeria Limited (CRBENL) to finance and conduct a feasibility study for the construction of a sky-train project for the Onitsha Metropolis. The project hopes to facilitate the movement of persons and services across major cities in Anambra (Onitsha, Nnewi, Awka and Ekwulobia) with modern rail infrastructure. 

According to the agreement, CRBENL will conduct feasibility studies to determine the economic viability and explore potential financing options for the proposed project.  The Sky-Train is expected to boost economic activities, create jobs and modernize key economic hubs in Anambra State.  It will also provide an environmentally friendly mode of transportation to decongest traffic on our roads and reduce carbon emissions.

Anambra State to provide Power to rural communities

Anambra State Government is in talks with Green Village Electricity (GVE) Projects Ltd to develop a solar-backed Independent Power Project to provide uninterrupted power supply to unserved communities in Anambra. This project aligns with the administration’s agenda to explore sustainable and environment-friendly energy solutions to improve the quality of life of ndi Anambra. 

The Managing Director of GVE, Ifeanyi Orajaka, and his team made a presentation to ANSIPPA, the Ministry of Public Utilities and the State Power Committee.

GVE is an industry leader within West Africa’s renewable energy space with over 5.1 megawatts of solar installed capacity across six (6) States in Nigeria.

ANSIPPA to open branches in Abuja and Lagos

Measures are being put in place to expand the role of the State’s liaison offices in Abuja and Lagos.  The offices will serve as key points for investor engagement and partnerships. To implement this, the Managing Director of ANSIPPA visited both offices for preliminary discussions regarding the setup of ANSIPPA branches.  The offices will be charged with the responsibility of building a database of ndi Anambra in these locations, promoting bankable investment opportunities and providing prospective investors with a seamless platform for business engagement with the State.

ENUGU STATE

IMO STATE

Imo State Government Cabinet reshuffle

The Governor of Imo State, Sen. Hope Uzodimma, has approved a reshuffle of the State Executive Council with immediate effect.   In a press release, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hon. Declan Emelumba said the list of commissioners and their portfolios as approved by the Governor is as follows: