Rethinking Soludo

MAZI EJIMOFOR OPARA, KSM 

Every thing about Soludo’s administration is intended towards the poor and vulnerable. That very thing he said died in him during his 2009 campaigns at Okpoko when a little boy raced to him urging him to give him some money (Soludo choro m ego) is actively regaining some life as he now feels more compelled than ever to be accountable to the bottom line of the people — those who without compassion their life would find no meaning.

“Agbero ga ana” (touting must end) is one of Soludo’s audacious declaration during and after the campaigns. Of course he possesses the ultimate power to decide this by the barrel of the gun. But, a Soludo would not imagine such brute action without first providing alternatives so that those who were forced into such inglorious endeavor can have opportunity to choose between meaningful livelihood and the sword of Justice. This, fundamentally, is the driving force behind the “one youth, two skills” program. When this is done, together with the recalibration and rejuvenation of the Onitsha urbanscape starting with a drastic change in the purpose clause of the upper Iweka axis, a revolution is sure upon outlaws parading as “Agbero” (touts) on the streets of Onitsha.

It was in Okpoko, few months after Soludo declared a State of emergency on the environment, that testimonies emerged about how well dangerous flooding that hitherto took lives had been controlled such that parts of Onitsha and Okpoko now enjoy a hitch-free rainy season without having to mourn avoidable deaths occasioned by flooding. This was made possible by the timeous clearing of the Sakamori and Nwangene flood channels by the Soludo administration a day after its inauguration.

As at today, it is both an offense and a mortal sin to contemplate collecting any form of levies or taxes from petty traders and artisans. Soludo continues to declare this with fierce enforcement against defaulters — the poor must breath.

It wasn’t so much of a surprise that a Soludo would declare free basic education for students in Nursery 1 to JSS 3. As a private citizen he adopted one of the public primary schools in his local community about 13years ago, committing his personal resources to providing free education for all the pupils there; including text books, note books, uniforms, games wears and sandals.

Today also, women in Anambra enjoy free antenatal and free delivery services. This is a gradual connection of the dots of social security. In the days ahead, as the State’s revenue improves, more of Anambra’s vulnerable population will be dragged into free comprehensive healthcare delivery services, especially the old and elderly. To sum this, Soludo is reputed to be the first Governor since our nascent democratic journey who has secured approval from the State House of Assembly to access a 100billion Naira loan, and 2years after he is yet to borrow a penny of the one hundred billion. Yet, visible infrastructural transformation dot every part of the State. This alone speaks to fiscal responsibility and prudent management of public resources — a rarity in today’s political estimation.

For Soludo, Ndi Anambra must gain maximum value for every penny committed to government coffers. If not empathy and sincere understanding of the people’s plight, nothing else explains this depth of affective leadership. Like Ndi Anambra would say, “May Soludo succeed”!