Awka: Dr Law Mefor, Anambra Commissioner for Information, has urged non-indigenes in the state to expose evildoers around them to ensure their safety.
Mefor appealed to the leaders of the Anambra State Association of Non-Indigenes Welfare in Anambra State (ANISA-ANIAS), who paid him a courtesy visit in Awka on Wednesday.
Mefor said that the state government had treated the residents as one body and had also provided an enabling environment for them to live safely and conduct their businesses without bias.
He also noted that they had contributed meaningfully to the state’s economic growth and development, advising them to maintain peaceful coexistence with the state’s indigenous people.
He urged them to support the government’s fight against insecurity to make Anambra a safe place by reporting their members of questionable character while advising that efforts should be geared towards the state’s security.
” You people know that you have benefited immensely from the Anambra government, especially Soludo’s inclusive governance in various areas, including security, employment, infrastructure, healthcare, education, and youth empowerment, among others,” he said.
He also disclosed that available data in the state showed that most of the criminals apprehended were non-indigenes.
He urged the association to do its best to support security interventions to rid the state of criminals and redeem its image.
“The issue of security is very important; put it on your agenda. I am telling you that available data shows that the majority of the criminals we have are non-indigenes.
“They are spoiling the names of those of you doing genuine business and good behaviour.
“We have to come together to work with the governor to ensure that the bad eggs are shown way out of Anambra,” he said.
He assured the association that 1Youth 2Skills and the Solution Innovation District (SID) are open to all residents of Anambra.
He advised the group to take advantage of the programme to become better individuals in society, disclosing that the governor had trained more than 30,000 people, settled and empowered them.
He assured that anyone in the group who wanted something to do should come and participate in the skill acquisition exercise.
“I can use my office to place anyone interested in the skills in SID; criminality is bad, and we must all fight against it,” he said.
Mefor further assured that the ministry would be willing to partner with the group in promoting the state government’s good works to achieve stability in all sectors of the economy.
In his remarks, the traditional leader of the non-indigenes association in Anambra, Igwe Amos Nkwuda, said that their visit was to commend and align themselves with Soludo’s visionary leadership.
Nkwuda described the government’s request to partner with the association to combat insecurity as apt and acceptable.
He assured the government that they would search inward, and if any member were found to be involved in ignoble acts, he would be exposed.
Nkwuda also felicitated with the commissioner on his 60th birthday anniversary and pledged their support to good governance in the state.
He said that the soil of Anambra had blessed the association’s members and assured them that the body would work for the governor’s re-election bid.
Chief Ikechukwu Ugwuoke, the President General of ANISA-ANIAS, reiterated the association’s commitment to supporting good governance in Anambra.