Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has disclosed that his administration has not borrowed any money since he assumed office, attributing the state’s development efforts to prudent management of public resources.

Soludo made the disclosure on Monday while speaking at the Delta State Economic and Investment Summit, where he also expressed optimism about Nigeria’s economic outlook.

According to the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the country’s economy has overcome its recent challenges and is gradually returning to a path of stability and growth.

“Nigeria has stabilised and is on the rise. I haven’t borrowed a dime since I became governor,” he said.

The governor argued that state governments could deliver meaningful development without accumulating unsustainable debt if available resources were properly managed and prioritised.

Soludo also called on Nigerians to embrace locally manufactured products, stressing that the country’s quest for industrialisation and job creation would remain elusive as long as citizens continued to depend heavily on imported goods.

“We cannot create the kind of jobs we want with all of us using foreign or imported goods,” he said.

Looking around the gathering, the governor lamented what he described as Nigerians’ preference for foreign-made products.

“I look in this room, and I see suits from Europe, America and China,” he remarked.

He estimated that deliberate patronage of locally produced goods, particularly clothing, could significantly reduce unemployment and stimulate economic growth.

“If all 247 million Nigerians wear only made-in-Nigeria, more than 10 million jobs will be created,” Soludo added.

The Anambra governor has consistently championed the patronage of locally manufactured products as part of his administration’s strategy to strengthen domestic industries, encourage entrepreneurship, create employment opportunities and reduce the country’s dependence on imports.