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By Dickson Okafor
Dr. Uche Ifediba, National President, Advocacy for Transparent Governance and Promotion Initiative (ATGPI) has said the achievements of Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State within three years in office will earn him a second term in 2025.
Ifediba gave his assessment of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s one year in office among other issues.
As President Tinubu marked one year in office, how would you rate the performance of his administration?
So far, it has been continuing expectations by Nigerians that things will be better but under the one year of the present administration led by Tinubu, there is gross economic hardship in the country. Prices of food stuff and essential items have gone beyond the reach of most Nigerians due to unexpected removal of fuel subsidy. So, for the past one year, families are in pains because of economic hardship. I urge President Tinubu to re-examine his economic policy so that Nigerians can heave a sigh of relief.
What is your take on the recent meeting between former vice President and Presidential candidate of PDP in the 2023 Presidential election, Atiku Abubakar and his counterpart Peter Obi of Labour Patty which is geared towards realignment of the main opposition political parties to merge and wrest power from the ruling APC in 2027?
That will be a formidable step if it comes to fruition for us to have a strong opposition party that can keep the ruling APC in check. Also, it will prevent Nigeria from sliding into one party state. A strong opposition party will help to strengthen democracy in the country. So, it depends on the electorate to decide in 2027 if they are satisfied with the ruling APC or they want a real change, time will tell.
As an exponent of reelection of Governor Charles Soludo in 2025, what are some of the achievements of the governor in Anambra State that has endeared him to the people which you think will make them reelect him?
If going by the huge amounts he has invested in human resources development, you will think that Governor Soludo has spent all the state funds on education and giving employment to the citizens, then wait and see what he is doing in the modern city transformation and in the infrastructural sector. Soludo’s selling-point became clear on assuming office, he promptly declared a state of emergency on roads in the state, and with the spirit of providing ‘Solution’ he quickly followed it up with matching action. He flagged off the construction of hundreds of kilometers of roads across all the Local government areas of the state and most of them have been completed. One unique thing about his projects is that they are evenly and fairly distributed to all parts of the state. No community needs to lobby or have influential personalities before their areas could attract government projects. With Governor Soludo, every community is important, every area is strategic. He builds bridges and flyovers, and constructs new roads while widening and dualising some of the existing ones. For instance, several streets in Onitsha, the commercial nerve center of the state, have, through better road construction and lighting been transformed into facilities befitting a modern city. Needless to mention, Awka the state capital has witnessed greater infrastructural augmentation in the last two years. It is fast assuming the prestigious status of the capital of a bubbling smart mega city that Anambra is on transit to. So far, the state has become a huge construction site as massive road work simultaneously goes on in every part of the state. While constructing durable roads, the government is also making unprecedented strides in erosion control.
Many may not see these as being spectacular considering the fact that they are replications of what former Governor Chris Ngige began in 2003 which former Governors Peter Obi and Willie Obiano sustained, do you see these as enough performance that will guarantee Soludo’s reelection next year?
Yes, the achievements are spectacular and so far has met the needs of people. You may be surprised that since its creation in 1991, Anambra State has not got a permanent Government House or a Secretariat except the make-shift arrangements that all the past governors had managed with. Perhaps because of the gigantic nature of those projects and the huge cost involved, they had all shied away from them. All the same, the present government’s vision and mission cannot be realized by evading such big and vital projects. Thus, the multipurpose ‘solution’ had, once again, to be applied with decisive certainty. Before clocking two years in office, Governor Soludo embarked on holistic housing development first with the construction of Government House and Government lodge including the expansion of Commissioners’ Quarters as well as making impressive progress in housing the judiciary, and so on. These are enough progress and performance by Governor Soludo that will warrant the people to reelect him in 2025. Without doubt, Governor Soludo has come to lay the foundation of Anambra State after thirty-two years of its creation. Looking at the massive structures put in place in these areas, many have continued to wonder how the funds for these and other numerous projects are generated. However, the huge success actually lies the ‘Solution’ which to me, is the judicious deployment of state resources for problem solving and prevention purposes with expert managerial prudence and zero tolerance of corruption.
But some political heavyweights have declared interest to contest the governorship position; they include Sen Uche Ekwunife, Sen Ifeanyi Ubah and Sen Andy Uba and others and with these caliber of politicians in the race, do you think Soludo stands the chance to emerge victorious?
His scorecard is an evidence that the people want him to continue the good work he is doing. For instance, the health sector is not left out in the development and transformation spree. The government has announced that it will build one strong General Hospital in each local government area, and work has commenced. While it has built and equipped eye Care Centres in some of the existing ones, the governor has declared free antenatal care and free delivery to all pregnant mothers in the state. Nevertheless, Soludo has embarked on the renovation of three General Hospitals in the state which include Ekwulobia, Enugwu-Ukwu and Umueri. The human face of the government is also glaring, particularly considering the immediate measures it took to cushion the hardship brought by the recent fuel, subsidy removal in the country. Governor Soludo has among other things, removed tax payment by business owners with less than a hundred thousand Naira operating capital. He also reduced the taxes payable by transport operators like Keke, bus and truck drivers.
Moreover, he ordered that Okada riders should not be required to pay any form of tax. So, with all these cuts on internally generated revenue (IGR), one would naturally expect a slowdown in the implementation of his vibrant policies. Rather, work goes on. So, I’m sure that with the practical evidence of what Governor Soludo has done, that is the reason why the people will vote for him again next year to complete these ongoing projects.
He has just sacked Local Government Sole Administrators just as his predecessors did not conduct local government election and this has prevented local governments to fly which is not good for democracy, what is your take?
Local governments in Anambra State are flying under the watch of Governor Soludo and that is the reason why he emerged as the Governor of the Year on Infrastructure and Rural Development by The Champion Newspapers recently. These, he achieved in two years in office without borrowing a dime. However, the numerous achievements mentioned above would have not sufficed for a less ambitious leader, but not for the economic Professor, instead of relaxing, he came up with yet another staggering proposal: to build a railway that would traverse the entire state. Kudos to him for always selecting the best brains to work with. Most of his political appointees are determined and exceptional who are all doing marvelously at the governor’s penchant for the superlative. So, Soludo’s achievements will earn second term in 2025 because Anambrarians can’t wait to see what the state would be transformed into by the end of Governor Soludo’s second term in office.
The governors have opposed the minimum wage demanded by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) because some of them are unable to pay the present N30,000 minimum wage but from your highlight, it is expected that Soludo will be able to pay whatever figure NLC and FG arrive at?
The negotiation for the new minimum wage between NLC and the Federal Government is still on. And I’m sure Governor Soludo won’t disappoint workers in the state when both parties finally agree on the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers. For it has become very clear he wins the heart of the people not by deceiving them, but by rendering services that meet their needs and often exceed their expectations. Having successfully headed the Central Bank of Nigeria, and now being a different kind of governor, Prof. Charles Soludo has approached leadership in ways that inspire public confidence. The most significant feat to the people is the great accomplishments of Soludo in the education sector. The governor has truly repositioned the Anambra State education sector for quality manpower development. Delivering on excellent human capital development is hinged on a trio of factors, namely good and well equipped schools, adequate number of qualified teachers and willing students. The government has touched on all the three aspects simultaneously. Within one year in office as governor, Soludo recruited 8000 new teachers in the public schools and capped it up by announcing free and compulsory education from nursery through primary to junior Secondary education in all public schools in the state and it took effect immediately. He did not wait until he was about to leave office before declaring this. Since 1999, we have not seen this type of action in the state, that is, a governor making such a massive employment at the very beginning of his tenure. This shows sincerity, and was an early indication that he really meant business. So, with these achievements, Anambra workers have no doubt on Soludo’s performance.
Don’t you think that Soludo not supporting the Peter Obi candidacy during the 2023 Presidential election may affect his chances from being reelected in 2025?
As an advocate of good governance and promotion of democracy in the country, I fall behind competent leaders who have delivered the dividends of democracy to the people and one of such creditable leaders is Governor Charles Soludo. However, what matters to the people of Anambra State is performance and that is what Governor Soludo has done and will continue to do. That is why I have continued to highlight his achievements and what he would do if reelected next year. So, whatever issue he had with Peter Obi to me is in the past. Initially, some people wondered whether government would be able to meet up financially with this new responsibility vis-à-vis other gigantic projects it had at hand but the governor has continued to pull pleasant surprises when still far from clocking two years in office. Let me briefly emphasize on this demonstration of the spirit of commitment and responsibility that the governor has exhibited to have embarked on all these in the early life of his administration and not during the last year of his second term as some of his counterparts would do to take the glory for mere declaration and then shift the burden to their successors. It shows the depth of his sincerity. Therefore, the coast is clear for continuity in Anambra State in 2025.
