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By Madu Obi
Security concerns took the center stage as the Anambra State governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo held a crucial meeting with traditional rulers and presidents-general of the 179 communities in the state.
The meeting came barely four days after the gruesome murder of the President General of Umuoji, Idemili North local government area, Chief Silas Onyima in his country home.
At the meeting, a moment of silence was observed in honour of the deceased PG and the victims of the building collapse at Odu-Igbo Market in Ochanja, Onitsha.
Soludo said: "We are waiting for communities to ratify the lists of selected vigilantes in their communities before I sign their monthly payments.
However, the traditional ruler and PG will be held responsible if the vigilantes they select are not of good conduct.
"The pertinent question is, how many of those in charge of community vigilantes reside in their communities? This is a very critical question I throw to you all.
How can the Commander of Achalla Vigilante, for example, be living in Awka or Onitsha? It's not possible, which is why I raise this fundamental issue of command and control".
He also raised the issue of cultism, particularly in Ihiala, stating that his government spends the most on security infrastructure in Ihiala compared to any other local government area.
He added: "Part of the problem we experience is that many of the vigilante operatives took oaths with criminals; they were infiltrated."
"We, as a government, are determined to fix the insecurity situation in Ihiala, but the community must be prepared for that, even if it means reconstituting the vigilante force.
"Communities must show a concerted effort to police their areas and enable them to open on Mondays. They must convince their residents to open businesses consistently, and if this is done persistently, the issue of sit-at-home will eventually die out."
In his remarks, the chairman of Anambra State Traditional Rulers' Council and Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe said that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu hails from Abia State and wondered why there's no sit-at-home in Abia State, while Anambra is the headquarters for sit-at-home.
According to the Monarch, the logic that the sit-at-home was aimed at killing the economy of the South East is a vague argument, adding that Ndigbo are the ones unknowingly killing themselves.
The governor also spoke on the the issue of environment, adding that his administration has abolished indiscriminate sand mining in all communities because it is the root cause of erosion menace in the state.
"Anambra is shrinking due to erosion. If we don't take action today, including desalting our drainages, the situation will worsen."
"We have implemented a building code for Ndigbo building houses in Anambra. This code requires that an area be left for greenery and water channeling to prevent further erosion", the governor stated.
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