“To date, there are many reports that students in some of the schools supposedly under the scholarship scheme of the state are still paying school fees. ” —Ebuka Onyekwelu
Recent pronouncements by the governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, very strongly suggest that the governor has fallen into hyperbolic gestures, as a viable tool to foster his political interests. “Political statements” as they are more popularly called, are mere embellishments, deceits, half-truths, or plain lies, mindfully told by a politician to delude and endear unsuspecting members of the public to himself or political interests.
Nigerian politicians employ this to a telling effect, which often leaves the masses with memories of a very long list of broken promises. During campaigns, politicians sometimes say what they think the people want to hear. But once in power, they move on an entirely new trajectory. Elections in Nigeria are synonymous with false promises and pretentious dispositions aimed at mesmerizing the populace in exchange for their support and vote.
Before his election, Prof. Soludo had promised that he would conduct a local government election in his first six months in office. However, he is now conducting the election two years after the expiration of his six-month timeline. Two days before the local government election, the governor declared free education for students in government-owned senior secondary schools. The governor also went ahead to declare that he would commence payment of the newly approved minimum wage to Anambra State civil servants. Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, also made similar commitment to Edo State’s civil servants ahead of the just concluded governorship election in that state. For Soludo, this development underscores a significant shift that erodes what is left of his reputation as a different breed of Nigerian politician. First, he failed to keep his own free will promise to conduct local government elections in his six months in office. Then, he tries to hypnotize the public with another promise of free education and implementation of a new minimum wage just two days before the local government election.
It has to be noted that although this would be the first time in over 10 years Anambra State is holding a local government election, the election has virtually been boycotted by all opposition political parties in the state. The APC, LP, and PDP, the major opposition political parties, have boycotted the election in full or part. They have also all expressed concerns and disappointments in the government’s behavior in the build-up to the election. For instance, the Anambra State Electoral Law 2024 has so far been amended three times under suspicious circumstances in a way generally perceived to have given the governor an undue advantage to manipulate the process. The governor’s refusal to accord Edozie Njoku recognition as the National Chairman of APGA has further deepened his frantic desire for a solution, further escalating concerns of possible manipulations of the electoral process to the advantage of his party. As it stands, the governor’s declaration of free education and implementation of the minimum wage are rightly adjudged as part of efforts to curry public affection.
Earlier, governor Soludo declared an unplanned free education for students in government primary schools. Then later, he similarly extended it to students in junior secondary school. Yet, to date, there are many reports that students in some of the schools supposedly under the scholarship scheme of the state are still paying school fees. This is expected given the poor conceptualization and rushed implementation of the policy. There are also questions about the free education by Soludo, given Anambra’s commitment to universal basic education which guarantees free and compulsory education from primary 1 to JSS 3. The free education declared two days ago by the governor, just like the free education declared earlier, was declared first before plans would now be made to implement it. Is it in line with standard practice that a government or organization first makes a public commitment to a policy, before thinking and making proper plans for that policy’s implementation? More so, the declaration of free education by a government close to the middle of the new term doesn’t show seriousness. Worst still, it is certain that the government is yet to plan for its implementation. It is also definite that this year’s budget now running into the last quarter of the year did not capture the extra expenditure the sudden policy would incur for the government. To put this in perspective, the government cannot implement the two declarations, as it can’t spend money that has not been budgeted. Otherwise, the government would be engaging in illegal expenditure through extra-budgetary spending. The way out is to submit a supplementary budget to the Assembly to capture the new expenditure. But these are fundamental dimensions of such a policy which a government not driven by fleeting public manipulations must carefully put in place before the pronouncement.
Even more, how about the learning environment and the welfare of the teachers? Anambra civil servants are some of the worst paid in Nigeria. A graduate in level 8 within the Anambra State civil service earns a meager sum of less than N40,000. The governor is aware of this and has added to the workforce since his two years and six months on the saddle. Surprisingly, two days before the local government election, he is making a promise to implement the new Federal Government’s minimum wage. Again, how would he get the money with which to pay the salary from next month as he promised? If he approaches the House of Assembly with a supplementary budget, how certain is he that it would be granted on record time to proceed with the minimum wage payment? So, there you have it; another statement for the enticement of the masses, without due diligence.
In the end, Anambra people and residents must now begin to carefully assess the governor’s promise and be able to ask questions about how the governor intends to implement some of his promises. Anambra State governor, Prof. Soludo, has earned the badge of failed promises by regular Nigerian politicians and therefore his politically inspired promises should be subjected to rigorous interrogations.
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