“Catchphrases such as “solution is here” or “Soludo solution” have successfully replaced those of the past, such as “Odera, o de go” or “Willie is working” among many others.” —Ebuka Onyekwelu
It is today exactly two years since Prof. Chukwuma Soludo assumed office as the executive governor of Anambra State, amidst exceedingly high expectations from the people. Halfway into his four-year tenure, what has stood out for the government? On the other hand, how has the government failed to meet the expectations of the people, just so far?
By the government’s admittance, governor Soludo’s achievement can be classified into road construction, employment, and welfare package. Under road construction, the governor has been going about parts of the state in the past few days, to commission some completed intra-city roads. For employment, teachers and health workers recruitment are readily mentioned, if not over-referenced. Then for welfare, you have free education and free pregnancy care. Judged by average or routine expectations of governors in the past, road construction, employment and a few welfarist programs might suffice. However, for Governor Soludo, those are not and cannot help him scale above a mere average performance. Prof. Soludo in a way came to power on the strength of his ability to lead a revolutionary government that would not only extensively explore Anambra’s commercial and industrial potentials, but create or at least put into motion an iconoclastic model of state governance that is not only novel, but also radical in the sense that it is a departure from the old order. With huge commercial activities in Onitsha and Nnewi now threatened by new challenges such as security, and foreign exchange, among others, the governor needs to be more creative to help the state maintain its comparative advantage. Businessmen in these two cities have continued to find new cities where they move their businesses. The industrial component of these huge commercial activities in the state is gradually grinding to a halt. Every part of the state is doted by failed industries, amidst excruciating unemployment and underemployment.
Yet, two years on, Prof. Soludo’s led government is celebrating road construction as some of its major results. The Anambra State government under Soludo had in the past two years embarked on massive road projects within cities. Upon assumption of office, many intra-city roads in Anambra were in very bad shape. It does appear from every possible assessment that these intra-city roads instantly became of primary focus to the government. However, there has not been an ambitious inter-city road project such as a super highway linking nearby urban towns and the state capital. At least, two years on, the government has none of such ambitious road projects to show as part of its two years achievement. In this regard, Soludo’s government has not shown to be significantly superior or assertive as many expected of the governor two years ago.
The government also emphasizes its employment of teachers and health workers as part of its two-year achievement. Measured against the very low standards of government performance in Nigeria, in which governors count payment of salaries as achievements, this may pass. But against real standards of government performance, those would not count. Training and preparing selected Anambra indigenes to become employable globally, as well as positioning them to take advantage of an existing opportunity in the global market, is a far better achievement. If the government can train and export its human capital, that is surely an ambitious achievement. In this instance, the one youth, two skills program comes close as a landmark program, if the beneficiaries have been prepared to create real values from that process. But employing people on the strength of their qualification for the job, and for a job which monthly takes home cannot even pay their transport fare for the month, is certainly not an achievement. Most certainly not an achievement that Governor Soludo, a professor of good reputational standing and former CBN governor, should be brandishing after two years of office.
The welfare package of the government like free education and free antenatal care and delivery, are both basic and the minimum standards. Education and healthcare are two essential needs of the governed. Both are at the base, for any government that is worth the toga of government. What is basic cannot therefore be exalted to become the major. The government simply did the needful that any government ought to do.
In terms of infrastructure, the most ambitious work of the government is the ongoing construction of the Government House and Governor’s Lodge. This will strengthen governance in Anambra State in the long run.
In terms of perception, sadly, the government has gone on to continue on the path of personalizing government. Catchphrases such as “solution is here” or “Soludo solution” have successfully replaced those of the past, such as “Odera, o de go” or “Willie is working” among many others. This is a sad commentary and a reminder that Governor Soludo has not been modest in distinguishing himself from the government of Anambra State. He has further strengthened the African model of democratic leadership, in which leaders boldly appropriate the state to themselves. A cursory look at the implications of this would show the existence of a barrage of official entities trying to bear “solution sycophantically” or have it attached to its name. Where this was not the case, they always end any message with the same sycophantic inscription, “solution is here.” This might only be happening because it is what the governor wants. There is also a strong public impression that the government is abusive and this is based on several records of brutalisation of citizens by officials of the government without consequence.
On appointments, the government has a reputation for the same or similar experience in the past, where people from the governor’s side of the state take over major offices. It does now appear that this government is setting a new record. For instance, all occupants of strategic positions that have to do with public money management, collection, or disbursement are from the governor’s Aguata bloc, including those in the management of markets in the state, which is a major source of revenue. The Chairman of Anambra State Internal Revenue Service, The Accountant General, and the Commissioner for Finance are all from Aguata. The Finance Commissioner is the governor’s brother. This doesn’t look like a departure from the old order.
On the flip side, the governor has done well in managing the denominational religious tensions in Anambra state. In this regard, he has done well in relaxing the tensions better than his past two predecessors.
In local government administration, the governor had promised to conduct a free and credible local government election in his first six months in office. It is now two years and there is no sign of having a local government election in his first four years. Instead, he has reverted to the perpetual use of transition appointees in managing the local government system in Anambra State. This was what Ngige did. Peter Obi did the same until three months before his exit, while Obiano unapologetically used the transition model till the end of his tenure. Governor Soludo is now doing the same despite his commitment to conduct local government elections. And so, local government funds under his government remains largely unaccounted for, in the last two years.
In the final analysis, except Governor Soludo’s government decides to stand and begin a grand process of doing things differently as he early postured before office, his would end up in the next two or six years, as one of those regular state governments in Nigeria, with absolutely nothing spectacular.
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2 comments
Okaey Ukachukwu
March 17, 2024 at 2:29 pm
The article was too kind to a flailing government. Consider our hopes failing as Governor Soludo ‘s administration is failing on all measures. The road so-called construction or rather flagging off of repainted projects are not associated to a coherent scheme or linked to a larger picture for the state. A previous governor worked with a global agency and had such a projects linked to a scheme for poverty alleviation with real trackable measures associated to MDG; meaning that road construction were for roads that led somewhere meaningful – farmers were connected to markets, bridges provided pedestrian safety in communities plagued by road incidents and better, wider roads connected big cities to industries and attracted industrial investments and in turn employment. I am disappointed because I had great expectations of nwa Mgbafor. I was hoping he would make good on his soliloquy and try to impress his international colleagues by delivering good governance. My assessment at this time is that “Willie worked better” and that’s saying nothing since all that Obiano did was squander state resources for his private parties, thank God we got a cargo airport before Willie was booted. I wonder if we will get anything by chance out of Soludo ‘s term(s).
Chidiebere Chukwuma
March 17, 2024 at 9:17 am
You have said it all. Those who claim to be better supporters would not know that governance improves with critical observation devoid of sentiments. Unfortunately, what we have been seeing around the government house are sycophants who would never tell the governor the truth.