By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has charged newly-appointed key officials, including the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mrs Chiamaka Nnake, on diligence and service to humanity.
Soludo gave the charge during the swearing-in ceremony of the appointees on Wednesday, March 25, at the Executive Council Chamber of the Government House, Awka.
He stressed that the appointment was “a call to serve” the people of the state and not for personal enrichment or aggrandisement.
Before the swearing in of the SSG and other appointees, the former Solicitor-General of the state, Mrs Ngozi Iwouno, had sworn in the new Attorney-General, Tobechukwu Nweke, who, in turn, administered the oath of allegiance on the appointees.
Addressing the appointees, Soludo welcomed them into the “Team Solution2.0,” stressing that everyone of them had been thoroughly vetted and given a thought process before being assigned portfolios.
He said: “I welcome you all to the ‘Team Solution 2.0.’ Each of you has been carefully vetted through a thorough process and we were very intentional in selecting everyone on this team.
“The plane is on autopilot, and if you don’t get into the plane, you get into the cockpit.
“The team is unfolding. This is the first batch of appointments that is unfolding today; there will be other batches.
“I want to sincerely congratulate all of you and also commiserate with you. I say congratulations because it’s always an honour to serve. Out of the estimated over nine million Ndi Anambra, you have been called upon to serve, and I know each of you will carry the responsibility of Ndi Anambra on your shoulders.
“I commiserate with you because of the task ahead, but you are among the team we are calling upon today to serve; there will be sacrifices, and all I see is a call to serve. It is in the collective interest of the people resident in the state, and when you think of the weight you are carrying, you realise that it is beyond you.
“When people are called to serve, they see it as a means to ‘chop,’ but here, I don’t see any table. For me, I don’t actually see the benefit, yet you are called upon to serve.”
The governor also appealed to the people of the state, especially the families and close relatives of the appointees, to ensure that they do not place many demands on them, as their services were more to the state.
Others appointed by the governor are Joachim Anetoh, Principal Secretary to the Governor; Dr Ben Nwankwo, Chief of Staff to the Governor; Professor Frank-Collins Okafor, State Chief of Protocol; Uzochukwu Okafor, Commissioner for Finance, among others.
