By Micheal Nnebife
The Anambra State Commissioner for Culture, Entertainment and Tourism, Mr Don Onyenji, says his principal, Governor Chukwuma Soludo, has done well in all sectors and is transforming the state into a tourist centre.
Commissioner Onyenji who said this in a media programme recently, in Awka, said before Governor Soludo took over the leadership mantle in the state, many of the state’s roads were in very bad conditions but now over 600 kilometers of roads had been built to standard.
The Commissioner identified Amansea-Awba Ofemili Road, the ongoing construction of Amawbia-Ekwulobia dual carriage way, among other numerous roads constructed by Soludo’s Administration, as indispensable aids to tourism, enhancing what he described as transport and agricultural tourisms.
Onyenji, who also argued that a market was an aspect of tourism, disclosed that Soludo’s Administration had approved a design for a new Onitsha Main Market.
According to him, when the construction of the new market is completed, it will create room for rebuilding the old one.
He also said the construction of another world-class market was ongoing in a place he referred to as Oduigbo, also in Onitsha.
The Culture Commissioner said all food items, including vegetables, would be sold in the market, which, he said, would have a neat environment as obtained in the developed world.
‘Soludo is reforming all the markets in Anambra State to be tourism inviting,’ he said, adding that his ministry was working for rural tourism, and had profiled some heritage sites, as well as tourism centres, in the state for transformation under a public-private-community partnership development model.
‘We have commissioned an international agency, proficient in tourism master plan, to give us a business case for five tourism centres in Anambra State,’ Onyenji further said.
He disclosed that in the next two months the agency would come up with recommendations which the ministry would also send to tourism investors.
He appealed to communities to approach the government with their heritage sites for discussion on how the sites would be developed.
The Commissioner noted that tourism had a lot of economic potentials, noting that it was why the state government emphasized it.
‘Before now, there was no intentional approach to it,’ he said, disclosing that in a couple of weeks, the Solution Fun City, Awka, would be ready for operations.
While recalling what he called the Anambra core values, Onyenji said that Governor Soludo promoted Igbo Cultural Heritage.
According to him, the state organized Anambra New Yam Festival in which the Governor had rewarded the best yam farmers with 2 million Naira and 3 million Naira in 2023 and 2024, respectively, among others, was to encourage ndi Anambra to farm.
Onyenji applauded his principal, Governor Soludo, saying the Governor was transforming the state across all sectors simultaneously without borrowing a dime.
