Before he became governor of Anambra State, Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo had tried severally and failed. What was a man who was once the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) looking for in the unchartered waters of Nigerian politics? Would he be able to swim with the sharks, the crocodiles and make something of time spent in office as governor? Well, on March 17, 2022, Soludo was sworn in as the executive governor of Anambra State and it was dream come true for many who saw him as the one and anointed king to redeem Anambra State.
Governor Soludo has so far, demonstrated that he is faithfully committed to the positive transformation of Anambra State. For example, he is currently reforming the road taxation system in order to ensure that money generated from it enters government coffers. The reform aimed at stopping touts from molesting and extorting money from commercial drivers is one that will not only raise the IGR of the state but that will also make the roads and streets in Anambra free of touts and criminality.
Frankly, the tax reform has not gone down well in many quarters. Some have criticized it as draconic and insensitive. But the criticism was not altogether unexpected. Change, especially of an exploitative system is not easy and the Soludo administration is patiently walking the people through the need for this reform. Hopefully, in time those resisting the reform will come to understand that the Governor meant well.
Another area where the administration has initiated far-reaching reforms is on Anambra cities planning system geared towards the removal of illegal structures across the major cities in the state. Many illegal structures have been demolished and the administration is moving ahead with its determination to get these cities to their original plan, checkmate erosion and flooding.
Here also, there have been cries of insensitivity and the call for Soludo’s head but again the administration understands that change is not easy. It will take months and years for people to understand why these reforms are necessary. The Governor is not taking the protests personal. Rather, he is taking his time to negotiate and dialogue with those affected by these demolitions.
More so, knowing that education is the cornerstone of national development, Prof. Soludo on assumption office swung into action to fix the shortfall in the number of teachers needed in Anambra primary and post-primary schools. The teachers’ recruitment exercise conducted in the state, was severally praised by the people as one based on merit not on political patronage and clannishness. Hiring young, knowledgeable, and competent teachers to teach in the primary and post-primary schools is one of the ways by which the government intends to shore up the standard of education in the state.
While the recruitment exercise is still praised for giving opportunity to merit rather than political patronage, people are beginning to wonder why the successful candidates have not resumedduties. It was assumed that the new teachers would resume with the new academic calendar that started in September. The fact that this didn’t happen has even made some people to intensify their question on what exactly Soludo’s administration was doing with the teachers’ recruitment exercise. Could it be one of those “419s’ Nigerian governments are known for? In any case, it isdoubtful that a person of Prof. Soludo’s academic pedigree would stoop so low to deceive on matters of great importance. The area the administration can be faulted is that it has kept mute allthis while. Knowing that the people who scaled through the examinations would anxiously be waiting for the call up, the administration should have constantly updated the people on the matter.
Furthermore, upon resumption of office, Soludo had called on all criminal elements in the stateto give up their weapons and come out of hiding, promising to grant them amnesty. Crime was high before he came to power and worsened in his early days in office. Criminals intensified their onslaught to the point of beheading prominent people even after collecting ransom to release them. Then, came the beheading of the lawmaker representing the governor’s constituency in the state assembly, Hon Okey Okoye. This incidence angered everyone and sent shockwaves across the state and beyond.
In the speech he made during the celebration of his 100 days in office, Soludo spoke about the series of victory he scored against insecurity: “As promised, we hit the ground running from the first minute after swearing-in; working for eight hours and 45 minutes on that day, starting with a three and a half hours meeting on security. Since then, I go to the office every day and literallyworking 24/7 to make you proud. The last 100 days have been bumpy and challenging as expected, with insecurity and a red treasury being the most potent. We created a new Ministry of Homeland Affairs (for homeland security) to signal the emergency and utmost priority on homeland security. We embarked upon massive consultation, mobilization and sensitization of the citizens and critical stakeholders— including security agencies, the clergy, traditional rulers, town unions, youths, civil society organizations, businessmen and women, agitation groups, etc. We worked with South East Bishops to organize prayers; offered amnesty/carrot to repentant outlaws; etc. The people are united in fighting against the lucrative criminal enterprise and its idolatrous energizer which held the entire South senatorial zone plus Ogbaru local government hostage.
The criminals masquerading as agitators have been exposed, and the nexus between crime, idolatry and hard drugs has become evident. The narrative is changing and the people are seizing the conversation and initiative. We have zero tolerance for criminality and drug abuse, and havedeclared war on all criminals in Anambra State. No forest, bush or house can accommodate criminals in Anambra and government is determined to do sustained battle with them. It took some years for criminality to take deep root in parts of the state and we have a longer-term perspective on sustainable solutions.“ Soludo said as he reeled out some of his strides in the fight against insecurity. “We do not need to know your name; we do not also need to know you. All we want is for people to call us and tell us about activities of criminals around their areas and we will work with the information.”
Although Soludo has constructed N57 billion worth of road infrastructure, embarked on massive recruitment of teachers and doctors and kick started the oil palm and coconut plantations entrepreneurship schemes have also been applauded, his desire to acquire N100billion loan saw him severely criticized. His earlier statement on the poor financial health of the state at the inception of his administration was scorned by some citizens. Their response to that update (and repeated updates) following the governor’s loan request approval to the state House of Assembly was cynical. Following the signing of a revised budget for the state for 2022, as approved by the state House of Assembly, Soludo told the state legislature:
“My first reaction as I signed the revised 2022 budget was gratitude to a responsive and responsible legislature. I thank them for a strong partnership, which of course is a fundamental pillar of our quest for good governance. I feel deeply grateful to the leadership of the House for being able to deliver the revised budget on time. In a world where this kind of process is fraught with under-hand dealings, I can beat my chest to say the Honourable Members of the House of Assembly did their work with integrity.
Out of the N250 billion required per annum to fill our critical infrastructure gap, we have settled for N100 billion which we hope to roll over to next year’s budget. For every kobo of this borrowing, we will channel it to meet our critical infrastructure needs. We have chosen a multi-strategy approach, first is bringing prudence to public expenditure, boycotting all unnecessary spendings, and ratcheting up our internally generated revenue. We are also cleaning our wage bill, increasing focus on paying off the backlog of pensions and gratuity arrears, including those of local government workers. The journey towards a livable and prosperous homeland has only begun. Ndi Anambra will get value for every kobo of this budget. With a state of emergency on our public finances, we are determined to take painful, but necessary steps to rebuild our Homeland.”
So far, Soludo may not have made a mind–blowing progress in the eyes of many during this his short duration in office. However, what appears certain is that he knows his way around his goals and duties as a governor and he will get to them as gradually as he is ridding the state of criminal elements. Although, constructive criticism is the hallmark that drives accountable leadership, what Soludo needs most at this critical juncture is the support of Ndi Anambra to enable him deliver on his campaign promises. Rome, they say was not built in a day. With patience and perseverance, and support, Soludo will get Anambra State to that Eldorado he promised.
