Agenda for Soludo

Even before he was sworn in on Thursday, March 17, 2022, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo had attracted much interest and high expectations on his election as the 6th democratically elected Governor of Anambra State. His antecedents, especially as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria recommended him highly to the exalted position. Soludo presented a wonderful manifesto to Anambra people, campaigned in all the 21 local government areas of the state and won resoundingly in the election that held on November 6, 2021.

Now, campaign and elections are over. He has fully assumed office and he has an uphill task of fulfilling his promises and delivering on his mandates. Thankfully, he has shown that he came fully prepared for the job. Unlike the usual practice where governors throw parties and spend millions of Naira on frivolities during their inauguration, Soludo’s inauguration was low-keyed. A handful of people witnessed the ceremony at Agu-Awka, the seat of power. There was no clicking of glasses and gulping down of expensive champagnes. As he put it, people had more than a month to celebrate the historic victory; and there was no minute or kobo to waste in fanfare.

A few hours after assuming office, Soludo went to work, indicating that there will be disruptive change in Anambra. He commenced with serious meetings of Anambra State Security Council, and has also met with permanent secretaries and his Strategy, Execution and Evaluation (SEE) team. The list of his commissioners will be available in less than a week from now.  In his inaugural speech, the governor once again itemised his agenda for Anambra people. According to him, this agenda derives from Anambra Vision 2070 – a 50-year Development Plan; The Soludo Solution: A People’s Manifesto for a Greater Anambra; and The Transition Committee (Combined) Report.

Anambra under Soludo aims to transit beyond petroleum into the digital world of the 4th Industrial Revolution. The governor has envisioned Anambra as an industrial, technology and leisure/entertainment hub of West Africa. Soludo’s detailed plan rests on five key pillars. These are law and order (homeland peace and security), economic transformation, competitive and progressive social agenda (education, health, youth, women and vulnerable groups), rule of law and a rebirth of the people’s value system, and aggressive tackling of the existential threat posed by the environment with the aim of achieving a clean, green and sustainable cities, communities and markets.

One major problem he needs to tackle immediately is the spate of insecurity and the sit-at-home order that have disrupted business and other activities in Anambra in particular and the South-East in general. Soludo regretted that every day there was sit-at-home, the poor masses would lose an estimated N19.6 billion in Anambra alone. He acknowledged that businesses were relocating outside Igboland with growing unemployment and that traders who used to come to shop in places like Aba and Onitsha now preferred going elsewhere. To reinvigorate economic activities and generate employment, he has promised that his government would patronise “Made in Anambra” products and be the chief marketing officer of any standard product produced in Anambra.  “The Anambra State Government will only patronise Made in Anambra products and services unless such goods or services are not currently made in Anambra, then made in Nigeria, Africa, etc in that sequence.” He has already shown examples by wearing Akwete dress in most public functions.

“In sum, this is an agenda for an itinerant tribe in search of a livable and prosperous homeland. Driven by the philosophy of One Anambra, One People, One Agenda, our goal is to build Anambra into a livable and prosperous smart megacity,” Soludo enthused.  Our own agenda for Soludo is to build on the achievements of his predecessors. Anambra has been politically stable and has recorded milestone achievements in the past 16 years and more. He should do more to make a difference. He should select his cabinet from highly qualified people in the state. Fortunately, Anambra has so many talented people in diverse fields of human endeavour. He should treat the entire state as one in terms of infrastructure development and others. Essentially, he should remember his lofty promises and work to fulfill them. Good enough, he is fully prepared for the job and has hit the ground running.

He should extend the Olive branch to other political parties and carry them along. Hence, it is not a period for rancour and vindictiveness. It is time for action and not rhetoric. The expectations are high and he should not disappoint the people. He should be receptive to advice and open to criticisms. He must carry the people along in his programmes and run a people-centred administration. He should know that governance is about the people and that all eyes are on him now.

We congratulate him on his inauguration and wish him a successful tenure.