Tag: Anambra State

By Christian ABURIME

In the academic sphere, economic world, and Nigeria’s vibrant socio-political landscape, the name Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, continues to shine with unparalleled brilliance. As the incumbent Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Soludo’s extraordinary achievements have once again been recognised on a national stage. Newly honoured with the “Governor of the Year in Infrastructure and Rural Development” at the 2023 Champion Annual Awards by Champion Newspapers, Prof. Soludo’s acceptance of this accolade is a further authentication of his tireless obligation to game-changing leadership and sustainable development.

Prof. Soludo’s journey is a compelling narrative of academic excellence and relentless service. His academic prowess was evident from his days at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he graduated with First Class Honors in Economics, bagging numerous departmental, faculty, and university prizes. This was followed by an impressive array of short- and medium-term courses and fellowships at world-renowned institutions like Cambridge, Oxford, and Warwick, as well as significant stints at the Brookings Institution and the United Nations.

At the youthful age of 38, Soludo was already a Professor of Economics, and his scholarly influence extended to Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania as a visiting professor. However, his academic and intellectual contributions were not confined to lecture halls and classrooms. As a co-founder and the founding Chairman of the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), Prof. Soludo’s expertise has been a source of inspiration and innovation in financial circles across the continent.

Read also:Gov Soludo Receive Champion Newspaper,Governor Of The Year Award.

Nationally and internationally, Soludo’s career as an itinerant scholar and consultant has seen him traverse 45 countries, providing his insights to 21 financial and developmental institutions, including the World Bank, IMF, and African Development Bank. In 2003, he was summoned to serve Nigeria as Chief Economic Adviser to President Obasanjo and Deputy Chairman/CEO of the National Planning Commission. His tenure as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria is particularly noteworthy; under his stewardship, the Nigerian banking sector witnessed an unprecedented transformation through the famed banking consolidation initiative, the effects of which are still felt today.

Soludo’s tenure as CBN Governor was marked by monumental achievements: maintaining single-digit inflation, appreciating the Naira to an exchange rate of N112 to the dollar, and amassing foreign reserves from $10 billion to a historic $63 billion. These feats earned him numerous accolades, including being declared “Nigeria’s Man of the Year” by six national newspapers in 2006 and receiving international recognition as Africa’s and the world’s best Central Bank Governor multiple times.

Since assuming office as Governor of Anambra State on March 17, 2022, after a resounding electoral victory, Prof. Soludo has embarked on a mission to redefine governance and development. The foundation of his administration is anchored on Anambra’s 50-Year Development Plan, which he played a pivotal role in crafting, and the People’s Manifesto, famously known as the “Soludo Solution.”

Under his leadership, Anambra State has seen a dynamic focus on five critical pillars: Security, Law and Order; Infrastructure and Economic Transformation; Human Capital Development and Social Agenda; Governance and Value System; and Environment and Urban Regeneration. This holistic approach has already yielded impressive results across these domains. The state’s infrastructure, especially in rural areas, has been revitalised, enhancing connectivity and stimulating economic activities.

Despite inheriting lean financial resources, Soludo’s administration has demonstrated remarkable fiscal prudence. Eschewing the temptation to borrow despite having legislative approval to do so, he has steered Anambra to be ranked among the top five states in fiscal sustainability by BudGit, a proof of his intuitive and pragmatic approach to public finance management.

The recognition of Prof. Soludo as the “Governor of the Year in Infrastructure and Rural Development” is a fitting tribute to his relentless drive to uplift Anambra State. His administration’s accomplishments in just over two years are a harbinger of greater things to come, positioning Anambra as a model of progress and development.

In a world where leadership is often marked by fleeting moments, Prof. Soludo’s enduring impact and the significant strides made under his governance affirm that indeed, “The Solution is Here.” Anambra State stands tall, getting re-invented by a leader whose vision and action continue to inspire hope and promise of a brighter future for all.

By Christian ABURIME

In the labyrinthine world of political discourse, truth and falsehood often dance a perilous waltz, and the pen is said to be mightier than the sword. Yet, when wielded by those with malicious intent, the pen can become a tool of deceit rather than enlightenment, and truth can become a captive of manipulation. Such is the case with Janus-like Prince Ikenga Tony Ezeimo, a man who has proven time and again that he is unworthy of the princely title he so boldly flaunts.

His recent garbage rant, framed as an “Open Letter to His Excellency, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Governor of Anambra State” and titled “Anambra is Bleeding,” is a glaring example of his penchant for falsehoods and duplicity, a fact that becomes all the more evident when one examines his track record.

With the notoriety of a Machiavellian schemer, Ezeimo has woven an epistolary tale of parody and fallacy against Governor Soludo, making wild spurious claims and passing flawed verdicts, seeking to manipulate public perception for his nefarious ends. It is a dance we have seen before, an all-too-familiar charade that must be unmasked.

But first, let us provide a conceptual background for Tony Ezeimo’s duplicitous misadventure. In 1513, over 500 years ago, the Italian diplomat, philosopher, and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli published a controversial seminal work in political theory, titled “The Prince”. Basically, Machiavelli’s emphasis is on the notion that the ends justify the means, making ‘Machiavellian’ a term synonymous with political cunning and manipulation.

In “The Prince”, Machiavelli speaks of those who achieve power through deceit, who cloak their true intentions behind a veneer of respectability. As a noteworthy universal theme, “The Prince” seems to take it for granted that depraved acts are justified if they can help attain political gains. Prince Tony Ezeimo is such a Machiavellian prince steeped in intellectual and moral depravity for selfish political and pecuniary ends.

The reason is obvious: his latest attack disguised as a letter to Governor Charles Soludo is a recycled litany of falsehoods, a near-carbon copy of his October 13, 2020 diatribe against former Governor Willie Obiano titled “Anambra is Sinking”, published online on Odogwu Blog. The striking similarity between the two articles, with mere alterations in names, dates and other details, exposes Ezeimo’s depraved agenda.

Shamelessly or shamefully, lacking any real mental depth or tangible case against Governor Soludo, Ezeimo set out with pathetic self-regurgitation. Let’s see a few examples of his lazy copy-and-paste effort that renders his entire “Anambra is Bleeding” tirade a disposable trash. In his 2020’s “Anambra is Sinking” letter to former Governor Obiano, Ezeimo’s opening statement “Sequel to your reelection bid, there were high hopes in Anambra State. Many Ndi-Anambra believed that your second tenure will be far better than your first tenure” becomes addressed to Governor Soludo in 2024 as “Sequel to your election bid, there were high hopes in Anambra State. Many Ndi Anambra believed that your reign as a Governor will put a permanent end to a couple of misdeeds of the poor governance we experienced under Akpokudike Aguleri and his brothers.”

He goes on. “Your Excellency, Anambra State of today, is everything short of what it should be. Anambra is sinking!!!” becomes “Your Excellency, Anambra State of today is everything Anambra should not be. Anambra Is Bleeding!!!” Lies. Then, Ezeimo goes on to copy and paste other endless false ramblings: The legacy of the revered Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu is being “polarised, bastadized, mesmerized and privatized” Lies.; Local Government elections not conducted. Twisted; MOUs signed by the government are not effective. Clueless.; Lack of projects. Is Ezeimo blind?; Government officials are extortionists for collecting taxes. Dumb assumption; and so on.

Aside pathetically rambling on other copy-and-paste trivialities, Ezeimo also mischievously criticised Governor Soludo on security, the African Dubai vision, roads, and education. On security, his statement “Your Excellency, Anambra before your coming was better secured. Our lives and properties were safe under Chief Obiano” exposes a brazen lie and self-contradiction. It was open knowledge that Anambra before Governor Soludo was under the vicious grip of daredevil Unknown Gun Men who perpetrated all manner of atrocities. This was the first challenge Governor Soludo decisively confronted when he assumed office as he drastically reduced criminality and made life safer in Anambra. Then, how disingenuous of Ezeimo to have denigrated Governor Obiano’s era as “Anambra is Sinking” in 2020 and now declared “Our lives and properties were safe under Chief Obiano” in criticism of Governor Soludo’s government? Is someone thinking straight here?

On Governor Soludo’s vision of transforming Anambra into an African Dubai, Ezeimo, just like his fellow clueless critics, fails to grasp how vision translates to reality. The thriving Dubai that we know today took decades of laying critical foundations to arrive. Modern flourishing Singapore took much longer. And so are other prosperous global economies. What Governor Soludo has done within over two years is laying the foundational fulcrum of infrastructure, human and governance transformation upon which the Anambra of a Dubai nature will emerge. Does Ezeimo expect the Dubai-Taiwan vision to arrive in only two years?

The vision is being constructed in a strategic manner, brick by brick with reforms in security, road infrastructure, energy, education, healthcare, industrialization, ICT, investment, environment, urban regeneration, agriculture, transportation, and so on. For more details, critics willing to learn the truth can find records of Governor Soludo’s many foundational achievements online. Just a little search puts the lie to Ezeimo’s inanities.

On roads, Ezeimo first thanked and commended Governor Soludo for constructing roads. Then, in a fit of mischief, he turned around to disparage the roads being constructed as “substandard”. This sounds like the exasperations of a confused mind. Can Ezeimo mention which of the constructed roads are “substandard” instead of making a sweeping general statement of falsehood? Or perhaps, is Ezeimo also a civil engineer who could technically ascertain the standards of roads in addition to his expertise in engineering propaganda and fallacy?

On education, Ezeimo once again betrayed either crass ignorance or willful distortion of reality in questioning Governor Soludo. Hear him: “Your Excellency, as a member of the Academia and an Erudite Professor of international standard, can you tell us how many Anambra students have you sent to various developed countries of the world on fully funded scholarships to learn the newest technological innovations as your Northern counterparts do?? Don’t you know that if these students are sent abroad to learn and compete with their mates across the globe, they will come back to generate technological innovations that will put Anambra State in a world map.” Plain ignorant questions!

Was Ezeimo living under a prehistoric cave when news after news of Anambra students winning national and international academic competitions keeps flooding in since last year? Did he not read or hear about how Anambra students went to Malaysia, leading Team Nigeria, to beat other contestants from different nations in a competition? Or how three female students from Anambra recently won a national ICT challenge in Abuja?

Since Governor Soludo came to office, he has been intentional about unleashing the prodigious potential of Anambra State students to enable them excel nationally and globally. The governor last year hired 5,000 teachers at a go for schools across the state and he is recruiting many more. He has also abolished fees and other fees in public schools to ensure every student has access to education and to relieve their parents of financial burdens. ICT equipment and resources are being invested in for our schools, while many other educational infrastructure are being upgraded. So, what exactly is Ezeimo griping about?

Obviously, Ezeimo is simply waltzing in tomfoolery while thinking he is playing the music of de-marketing for Governor Soludo. In concluding his lazy copy-and-paste garbage, he asked Governor Obiano in “Anambra is Sinking”: “Finally Your Excellency, do you think that your beautiful daughter; Dr. Gechi Obiano will be proud to come back from America to live and work in Anambra because her Father; the Governor has put Anambra State in the global plane of civilisation???”

In “Anambra is Bleeding”, Ezeimo said, “Finally, Your Excellency, do you think that your ‘wonderful’ Son Ozonna Soludo will be proud to come back from UK to live and work in Anambra because his father; the Governor has put Anambra in the global plane of civilization???” This lazy recycling of misinformation underscores not only Ezeimo’s lack of originality but also his lack of respect for the intelligence of his readers.

Ezeimo’s modus operandi is transparent: he is a mercenary propagandist, his pen for hire to the highest bidder. This became evident when, on June 26, 2021, he also penned a sycophantic piece on Notch News Online titled “Ifeanyi, Son of Ubah: A Child Destined to Save His People.” In this article, he lavished praise on Ifeanyi Ubah, a political rival to the incumbent Governor Soludo. The stark contrast between his vitriolic attacks on Soludo and Obiano and his sycophantic adulation of Ubah lays bare his duplicity and the forces behind the Ezeimo’s mask.

So, the allegations Ezeimo levels against Governor Soludo in “Anambra is Bleeding” are as baseless as they are repetitive. By regurgitating his past accusations against Obiano, Ezeimo reveals a lack of originality and an overreliance on smear tactics. His claims are not only unfounded but also a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and tarnish the reputation of a governor who has demonstrated commendable leadership.

As the next gubernatorial election approaches, it is imperative for the people of Anambra to remain vigilant against the machinations of deceitful writers like Tony Ezeimo, especially now that he has been appointed an aide to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, courtesy of Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, an APC guber aspirant. His pattern of attacking incumbents and eulogizing rivals is not a coincidence but a calculated strategy to serve the interests of those who seek to undermine genuine progress for their political gain.

In conclusion, Prince Tony Ezeimo stands unmasked as a vacuous, hired prince. Governor Charles Soludo’s accomplishments speak for themselves, and no amount of baseless attacks can diminish the positive impact of his administration on Anambra State. The people deserve better than Ezeimo’s recycled falsehoods; they deserve the truth. We call on Ndi Anambra to always seek the truth from credible sources. It is through informed scrutiny and critical analysis that we can discern the truth from the fabrications peddled by mercenary writers. The truth is that Anambra is not bleeding; it is thriving under the transformative stewardship of Governor Soludo.

Aburime, Press Secretary to Governor Soludo, writes from Awka

By IfeanyiChukwu Afuba

Every politically conscious citizen of Anambra State knows that Senator Ifeanyi Ubah is seized with the ambition of becoming the next Governor of the State in 2026. What no one seems to know is what developmental ideas Ubah, who presently represents Anambra South Zone in the Senate, has about governing the State. Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, who often looks vacuous, has not professed any socioeconomic vision for the State. If indeed, the controversial politician has sat down to think through a development framework, he has not shared it with the public.

But whereas the Nnewi born citizen has been wanting on governance perspectives, he has shown notable capacity in political advertisement and mobilisation.

Ubah’s restlessness over the first citizen’s job which he had failed to clinch in two previous attempts, has seen him busy coupling and inaugurating all sorts of support groups across the State.

Whether as a strategy to make their task easier or as article of their faith in the rule of power, the Senator’s managers and canvassers tell you unapologetically that their principal is the anointed Governor come 2026. This posturing is amplified by loud logos of the Senator on social media. If the basis of the boast is unclear to anyone, then it means you’re unable to factor in Ubah’s recent photo opportunity with the President, Bola Tinubu during a visit to Aso Rock Villa, April 3, 2024; his strategic closeness to Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and APC Chairman Umar Ganduje’s personal attendance of Ubah’s empowerment scheme at Nnewi, 18 March, 2024.

But this card of the heir apparent, supposedly an ace is an explosive game, often with damning consequences. By it’s very nature, the concept of a superior candidate to whom other aspirants, nilly willy, must bow, generates backlash. It ends up stigmatizing the perceived beneficiary.

The history of Anambra State governorship is decidedly that of progressive politics rooted in social justice. This is so, given Christianity’s influence on Anambra society. Added to a cosmopolitan outlook, the principle of fundamental freedoms is widely shared. Consequently, the arrogance of anointed candidate is resented and resisted as much. Subscribers of this palace mentality have mostly lived to regret their effrontery.

In the original transition process of the Babangida dictatorship slated to end October 1990, Ben Ossy Umunna, the chosen one of a group of power brokers, fizzled out before the race started, notwithstanding the visibility his primed office as Chairman of Rangers Football Club gave him. For the extended transition programme governorship election of December 1991, enlightened and popular opinion preferred Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife to assume headship of government. But the motor park dimension of Nigerian politics threw up a counter candidate, Mr Okey Odunze in the Social Democratic Party primaries.

The selection process was corrupted, thus, producing magical victories for Odunze. The counter candidate and his henchmen considered their coronation a foregone conclusion irrespective of the anger in the land. The political elite moved to avert the danger and through the instrumentality of the National Electoral Commission, indicted aspirants were disqualified from the race. Ezeife was subsequently elected Governor.

The power speculators would appear to be more daring at each new turn but so also the resolve of Ndi Anambra not to surrender.

As the transition programme of the general Sani Abacha junta appeared to gather steam in 1997, Joy Emodi a member of Congress of National Consensus (CNC) was touted as having been endorsed by Aso Rock to become the next Governor of Anambra State.

Mercifully, it was said that the deal had been done and sealed by the wife of the ruling general, not the dictator himself. And the candidate herself began to parade as Governor in waiting. The first indication of rejection of the plot came in the form of trivialisation. A rush of female aspirants was suddenly noticed in the five political parties of the era.

And the explanation was none other than that Aso Rock vowed a female Governor for Anambra State without personalisation; so it could be any of them. However, the bluff was more firmly called with the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP), a major political party with powerful sponsors at the Villa, pressing on in the governorship race. And the female Governor in waiting never became a Deputy Governor to this day.

At the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1998/1999, PDP was the dominant party in Anambra State. But it’s loss of power in the 2003 election started from attempted imposition of a gubernatorial candidate in 1998. Professor Alphonsus Nwosu was believed to have an understanding with the State leadership of the party to emerge the governorship candidate. The perception instigated a crisis in the party, which itself, produced the climate for Dr Chinwoke Mbadinuju to bulldoze his way as the eventual candidate. Predictably, the contradictions of Mbadinuju’s stormy ascension snowballed into the quest for political alternative in 2003.

Months before the April 19, 2003 election, it was common knowledge that APGA’s Peter Obi would win in a fair contest. It was also common knowledge that a band of power speculators headed by a so – called godfather were hellbent to foist their choice as Governor.

APGA won handsomely but was declared loser in a show of national shame called 2003 general election. The Obasanjo presidency deployed a climate of intimidation to suppress outcry of electoral fraud, oblivious of the limits of temporal power. With invocation of divine intervention however, things fell apart in the usurper leadership, allowing successful prosecution of Obi’s election petition.

Restoration of APGA – Peter Obi mandate was a watershed in Anambra’s, nay, Nigeria’s political history. It was a feat that shocked the rice and sauce wing of Nigeria’s political class who had made a religion of incumbency politics.

Although humiliated, these traditional, career politicians were not about to give up. They fought back first, with the jungle impeachment of Peter Obi in November 2006, and on it’s nullification, with Andy Ubah’s wretched, 17 day governorship, as well as subsequent attempts to reverse the Supreme Court judgment of June 15, 2007 upholding Obi’s four year tenure. Ndi Anambra were united in resisting Ubah’s imposition on them as Governor because the very idea was insulting, enslaving, anti development. Conceding Ubah’s power delusions would have amounted to betrayal of their Christian civilization. Still not learning the lesson that power comes from God, not from presidential connection or transactional politics, Ubah got no sympathy when his purported nomination as APC candidate in Anambra’s 2022 governorship poll was invalidated by the courts.

For his part, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah appears unmindful of the mood of Ndi Anambra. The clamour is for continuation of the Soludo administration’s track record of modernisation, infrastructure provision and frugal spending. While acknowledging Ubah’s right to run for Governorship, many wonder what he intends to bring to the table. Displaying little enthusiasm for discourse on development issues, how would he engage Ndi Anambra on governance conversations? Some ponder what assures the attitude that his antecedents will not be taken into account in the governorship race. Surely, scrutiny of the background of aspiring leaders is a legitimate public exercise. The controversies arising from business deals with two prominent kinsmen are in the public domain and quite revealing. There is also the bitter complaint on the showy undertaking of Nnewi Diocesan Cathedral building which left the project abandoned for many years. A leader of society should be someone that can be trusted, not one who habitually breaks agreements. As it were, analysts consider that Ubah’s governorship ambition lies between compulsive electoral candidacy and power – game of anointed candidate.

Indeed, the first shot against the plot of crown prince may have been fired from the APC itself. In New Telegraph story of January 10, 2024, with the caption “We’ll Not Allow Strangers to Destabilize Anambra APC, George Moghalu, the man who shattered Senator Andy Ubah’s triumphalist toga of the ultimate candidate, hinted on the attitude of old brigade members to new members of the party such as Ifeanyi Ubah, clinching the governorship ticket. To the question, “the 2025 governorship election in Anambra State is more than two years away but some people who recently joined the party (APC) are being tipped as candidates already”,

Moghalu responded: “That’s what I call desperation. Someone just left his or her former party to join another party just for the selfish purpose of getting the ticket. What that implies is that those people have not come into the APC to help build the party but just to contest election.”

If the sensitivity on spoilsport candidates can be so much felt at party level, the consciousness promises to graduate into a movement with the Anambra voting public in the main election.

Afuba is Director, Public Administration Circle, Awka.