Group Targets Values Reorientation, Youth Engagement in Anambra

By Praise Chinecherem

The Anambra State Government has called for greater citizen participation in governance and development, urging residents to take ownership of public infrastructure and help drive a renewed culture of responsibility, patriotism and community development.

Governor Chukwuma Soludo made the call during the inauguration of the Ka Anyi Dozie Anambra Volunteers and Ambassadors Network (KADAVAN), a volunteer-driven initiative focused on values reorientation, youth engagement, civic responsibility and the protection of public infrastructure.

Represented by his Deputy, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, Soludo said government could not single-handedly deliver sustainable development without the active participation of citizens.

“While the governor and the commissioners are building, we need to take ownership of the projects,” he said.

According to him, the success of the administration’s development agenda depends not only on the construction of roads, schools, hospitals and other facilities, but also on citizens’ willingness to protect and properly utilise them.

“This is the kind of forum where we ask ourselves what we want to do because posterity will never forget you,” Soludo said.

He lamented what he described as the erosion of societal values, saying there was a need for a fundamental change in attitude and behaviour.

“The value system is gone. We can’t continue doing the same thing and expect different results. That is why I like this kind of organisation because they value change,” he said.

The governor described KADAVAN as a volunteer and values-driven network capable of helping to sensitise communities, mobilise citizens and protect government infrastructure from vandalism, misuse and neglect.

He urged members of the organisation to become ambassadors of the administration’s development agenda in their respective local government areas.

“We must counter misinformation and take ownership of roads, schools, hospitals and other public facilities being built,” he added.

Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr. Law Mefor, said Anambra was embarking on a deliberate effort to restore the values that once distinguished the state.

Mefor said the inclusion of “Value Reorientation” in the ministry’s mandate was intentional, stressing that meaningful development could not be sustained without responsible citizens.

“It is time for citizens to stand up and be counted,” he said.

The commissioner explained that the reorientation campaign had become necessary because “a lot has gone wrong” in the state, including practices and social behaviours that had persisted for too long.

He warned that the government’s huge investments in physical infrastructure could be undermined if citizens failed to use and maintain the facilities responsibly.

Mefor also expressed concern over the growing number of non-indigenous apprentices in Onitsha Main Market, linking the development partly to what he described as young people’s increasing preference for quick money.

He disclosed that the ministry had established a technical committee to drive the value-reorientation programme, adding that it would adopt a “carrot and stick approach” to restore the virtues associated with Anambra’s history and notable figures such as Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and Arthur Mbanefo Anyaoku.

He added that KADAVAN had already been enlisted as part of the technical committee.

The Managing Director of the Anambra State Civic and Social Reformation Office (ANCISRO), Sir Chuka Nnabuife, said supporting the governor’s projects should not be viewed merely through a political lens.

He said citizen participation was necessary to ensure that investments in security, infrastructure, youth empowerment and value reorientation translated into lasting benefits for Ndi Anambra.

Also speaking, the Dean of Student Affairs, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof. Kingsley Ubaoji, called for unity and collective action, describing them as essential to building a stronger and more prosperous Anambra.

Earlier, the Founder and General Coordinator of KADAVAN, Comrade Okechukwu Cyril-Nwuche, said the network was established on the conviction that building a greater Anambra could not be left to government alone.

He said citizens, communities, professional bodies and organisations all had important roles to play in shaping the future of the state.

According to him, KADAVAN would mobilise, educate and empower Ndi Anambra at home and in the diaspora to become ambassadors of development, good governance, entrepreneurship, peace, security and values reformation.

Cyril-Nwuche particularly charged young people to see themselves as partners in development rather than mere beneficiaries of government programmes.

“The future of Anambra will be determined by the quality of character, ideas, enterprises and leadership that we cultivate today,” he said.

He commended Governor Soludo for what he described as visionary leadership and for promoting a new spirit of responsible citizenship, innovation and collective participation in the state.

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