By Onyiorah Paschal Chiduluemije:
As Prof. Chukwuma Soludo is beginning to wind up his tumultuous first term in office as the Executive Governor of Anambra State, it has now become more of an every-minute conversation in the state, and even beyond, among Ndi Anambra and non-Anambra people alike regarding the question of his unlikely re-election and return to the office of the Governor of the state—if his lackluster performance so far is anything to go by.
From the busiest and more cosmopolitan parts of the Anambra Central Senatorial District, through those of the Southern Senatorial Zone, to all the nooks and crannies of the Northern constituency of the state, this conversation has continued to gather momentum as the days pass by, featuring in and dominating individuals’ and groups’ gatherings—and sometimes causing tempers to flare up unnecessarily in extreme situations.
Just like the renowned African writer Chinua Achebe once aptly noted metaphorically, while writing in a different context, though, the conversation about the unlikely re-election and return of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo to the office of the Governor for a second term has, for some obvious reasons, “become the subject of our small talk in much the same way as the weather is for the English.” Of course, the reasons for this are not far-fetched.
In the first instance, the conversation is largely propelled by Prof. Chukwuma Soludo’s antecedents vis-à-vis the hitherto high expectations and possibilities he once represented and, more importantly now, the dashed hope and political disaster he has fully become as an elected Executive Governor of Anambra State.
Arguably, though, prior to his election as the incumbent Governor of the state, not a handful of people had looked upon him as someone who would leverage his pedigree, international exposure, and experiences as the erstwhile Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to not only provide quality leadership to Ndi Anambra but also to turn the state around using his Taiwan-Dubai campaign blueprint.
For one, many are quick to point out that the credit for the operation of the modern-day banking system in Nigeria that aligns with the demands and trends of the 21st century—which saw the real introduction of the Automated Teller Machine (ATM)—cannot be taken away from Prof. Soludo, if not for anything else.
Also, that this singular transformation has brought with it other innovations and improvements to the banking sector in Nigeria is no mean feat anybody can afford to deny credit to Prof. Soludo.
Little surprise that the erudite professor was thus perceived to have done the best his competence at the time could offer, which most probably aroused the interest of many of Ndi Anambra in him at that time.
For sure, it is basically against this backdrop that one could begin to situate the rationale for the prevalent disillusionment and deep-seated resentment being harbored today by Ndi Anambra towards the outgoing government of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, a man hitherto thought to be all-knowing and with good native sense.
This and more invariably attest to why the question about his unlikely re-election and return to the office of the Governor of the state for a second term has intensely become a vexed “subject of our small talk” in the state.
In other words, coming from a richly sound academic background crowned with successful work experience—especially as former CBN Governor—to win an election, to form and lead a government hitherto welcomed with a warm embrace, high public expectations, and in high spirits by Ndi Anambra, only for the same government to subsequently begin to falter and fritter away the initial goodwill and mammoth political fortune it once enjoyed from the people on the altar of elitism, ineptitude, maladministration, and petty displays of political immaturity cloaked in acts of foolhardiness mistaken for bold or courageous acts of being fully in charge, largely details why Ndi Anambra are palpably disenchanted with the Prof. Soludo-led government—a further reason why the ongoing conversations around the question of his unlikely re-election and return to the office of the Governor of the state for a second term are increasingly rampant.
As a practice the world over, an increase in taxation and/or the revenue generation of any state naturally impacts on a reflective increase in the provision of infrastructural development of such a polity.
This, incidentally, is a well-known global practice that operates in and survives any system of government.
But, regrettably, this immutable global practice is today apparently elusive in Anambra State under Prof. Chukwuma Soludo’s watch.
Funnily enough, since the creation of Anambra State, no administration, whether under military or civilian settings, has ever realized the stupendous sum of money accruing from taxation and other levies into the Anambra State coffers like the incumbent administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
Meanwhile, by its own admission—nay, confession—the Soludo-led government once noted that “the state’s monthly IGR increased from ₦2.2 million in 2023 to ₦5.2 billion in 2024.” What an unprecedented development, one may ask.
By implication, therefore, this is a government that has earned more via taxation—much more than any of the past administrations in the annals of the history of Anambra State—and in so short a period of time.
Yet, most unfortunate of all, this is also the same government that cannot, in genuine sincerity to itself, boast of having any people-oriented project of significance on the ground that is already completed, commissioned, and delivered to the pleasure of the largest number of people in the state, almost four years now to the end of the life of the administration.
To date, beginning from its ascension to power, every project purported to have been awarded under the watch of the Prof. Soludo-led government has either remained ongoing or is alternatively approaching thirty, twenty, or ten percent completion.
Besides, none of the so-called world-class projects articulated during his political campaign are anywhere to be found in the state.
Similarly, not even those white elephant projects that are purportedly under construction—such as the so-called building of the new Government House, the befitting Governor’s Lodge, the new legislative building for the Anambra State House of Assembly, the Solution Fun City, and a host of other hedonistic pursuits that used to make Soludo’s government too talkative to a fault—are still receiving the old usual undue publicity nowadays.
One, therefore, wonders whether all is still well with the fate of these projects.
As for the frequently mentioned Ekwulobia flyover—apparently a major pet project of Soludo’s government on social media—what many have realized is that this project is not worth the fuss being made about it.
The flyover and the roads linking it up are still undergoing construction. In other words, the flyover has not been opened for public and regular use.
And so, it becomes prudent for the government and its supporters to exercise patience and wait until vehicles begin to ply the flyover to allow members of the public to objectively assess and determine the quality of work done on the flyover in particular and the linking roads as well.
In the meantime, though, our collective hope is that the flyover shall not be like the ones done in Awka by the immediate past administration in the state, which were once alleged to be under threat of collapse as a result of the plying of heavy-duty vehicles across the flyovers.
Again, whether the Ekwulobia flyover is purportedly the second longest to the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos or not, the fact is that it is too early for Soludo’s government to begin to celebrate such a figment of one’s imagination or to make much ado about nothing.
After all, as the saying goes, the true proof of the pudding is in the eating.
What is more, there is no way a government that prides itself as being responsible and sensitive to the overall yearnings of its people could be in constant altercation with a cross-section of them.
Apart from the simmering war of words between Soludo’s government and the clergy in the state, like Rev. Father Emmanuel Obimma, aka Ebube Muonso, the pernicious display of hostility towards the Igbo Traditional Religion and its adherents—orchestrated under the guise of waging war against criminality in the state—as well as the melodrama between the Soludo-led government and those it believes to be fake and evil native doctors and their Eze Nwanyi counterpart, the government’s novel focus on pastors and preachers of the gospel of Christ is yet another indication of its gross misplacement of priorities.
Granted, the activities of this set of individuals in the market could constitute environmental pollution and could also be hazardous to human health.
But then, come to think of it—what about the noise pollution emanating from the activities of traders themselves, and mobile traders especially, who, like the pastors and preachers in the marketplace, use the same microphones and loudspeakers to advertise their products, such as those selling articles like insecticides?
By the way, if one may ask, what substantially has Governor Chukwuma Soludo done to ensure that some farmers, for instance, who may have turned into preachers of the gospel of Christ, go back to their farming profession?
This question is pertinent given that the government itself has not done enough and is not even doing anything fundamental to properly reset the minds and lives of these overnight-trained pastors and preachers of the so-called “good news,” who might have embraced religion as a last resort.
As it stands now, many link roads connecting communities that facilitate the movement of agricultural activities in Anambra State are all in a bad state.
For example, the roads from Umudun village in Abatete linking up with Ezi-Owelle community down to Umunachi and Afor Igwe market in Umudioka community in Idemili-North Local Government Area of Anambra State have all been in shambles ever since the inception of Prof. Soludo’s administration.
Needless to add that the bad state of these roads has continued to hinder the free movement of people, goods, and services to Afor Igwe market. Sooner rather than later, the rainy season will fully set in, and all these linking roads will be completely shut down.
Perhaps our erudite Governor does not seem to know that some of these pastors and preachers of the gospel earn their daily bread from the “offerings” or tokens some traders dole out to them after showering brief open-door morning prayers upon their givers.
This is nothing but the home truth and not a laughing matter.
Just fact-check me on this.
Probably, it is only because rulers in Nigeria are utterly disconnected from the ruled, and so, that accounts for why they make certain rash pronouncements without first reflecting on them.
Hence, when they realize thereafter the oddities in their faux pas, they typically blame it on the media, often contending that the latter quoted them out of context.
But be that as it may, it is high time Ndi Anambra braced up for a change of leadership.
From all indications, the tumultuous actions and inactions of the Prof. Chukwuma Soludo-led government so far obviously ought to provide us with enough danger signals of what his second term in office will definitely look like.
Indeed, a man who has been largely economical with the truth about aspects of his campaign promises and/or even somewhat deceptive in this regard; and who appears to almost always quibble with a cross-section of people who voted him in as their Governor, and on whose behalf he is supposed to be wielding power and authority in such a way or manner that ought not to offend the sensibilities of anything they hold dear, can no longer be trusted with power—especially for a second term in office as a Governor.
Of course, if Governor Soludo could be so insensitively audacious or dangerously daring in his dictatorial pronouncements nowadays, then only God knows what lies ahead of us Ndi Anambra if he secures a second term in office.
It has been aptly observed ab initio by Lord Acton in his 1887 correspondence to Bishop Creighton that “power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
May it never happen to Ndi Anambra again! But if Ndi Anambra venture to allow it to happen by re-electing and/or returning Prof. Chukwuma Soludo for a second term in office, then it will be tantamount to vesting him with absolute power which eventually shall corrupt him absolutely.
To be forewarned is therefore to be forearmed.
Ndi Anambra will be doing themselves a great service by joining hands to give Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo the boot he roundly deserves.
May Soludo Never Happen to Ndi Anambra Again.
Onyiorah Paschal Chiduluemije,
a Journalist, writes from
Abatete – Anambra State
and can be reached via
234(0)8127033908
Disclaimer:
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NEWSIEEVENTS.COM. Publication of this piece does not constitute an endorsement of the opinions presented.
NEWSIE EVENTS MEDIA TEAM Follow Us On Twitter: @NewsieEvents, Instagram: newsieevents, Facebook: Newsie Events (Subscribe to our YouTube Page: Newsie Eventsng. LinkedIn Newsie Events
Leave a Reply