Soludo: A Man I Do Not Envy

OSSY ONUKO

Expectations on Soludo, if placed on Richter scale, would weigh down the weightiest of gold bars. In the history of Anambra cum Nigeria, there has been no political office holder of any cadre that has been bedevilled with the kind of high hopes and expectations on Cee Cee Soludo. Sometimes I shudder at the thought and I’m bemused with the level of attention that has been placed on Charley Nwa Mgbafor. 

Across the globe, Ndi Anambra regardless of their political or apolitical leanings, are keen on what Charley has to offer. The most challenging part of it is that everyone I have come across on this issue has a peculiar imagination of what Anambra should be under Odenigbo Agauta (Soludo). What Mr. A, has in mind is quite different from what Mr. B, has in mind. The stakes are high and the hopes are intense.

Can Charley do it? Where will Charley get the resources to place Anambra on the kind of pedestal Ndi Anambra have in mind? These and many more questions rattle my mind. Chai! I do not envy Charley Nwa Mgbafor at all. 

The annual budget of Anambra State dangling around 120 – 140 Billion Naira (280 Million US Dollars), is not even equivalent to the budget of a department in New York Police. And we have many “Anambra New Yorkers” who measure governance on the basis of what is obtainable where they are. Do you blame them? No! After all, no one measures performance with failure. These and millions of other well meaning Ndi Anambra are the folks Soludo mustn’t let down. How? Well I do not know. 

If I knew the “how”, probably Charley Nwa Mgbafor, won’t be Governor while I’m there. We are all looking upto the man with the magic wand. The man whose ingenuity has been tested severally, validated severally and unanimously trusted. Soludo may not give us the 10th wonder of the world since Dubai has taken the 9th with the construction of the monumental Dubai eye. 

Upon the declaration of Soludo as Governor-elect, I received a congratulatory call from staunch Soludo promoter and a renowned veteran in the communications industry, Joe Anatune (Onwa na Awa), while we exchanged pleasantries and reminisced about the election, he quickly interjected, “Ossy, I’m not worried about the “how” of this work, Soludo over time has dumbfounded me with performance, even when I least expected it”.

For me, the most important catalyst for development is the conviction of the leader. A leader that is out to develop his state will find the means, even in odd places. That conviction is what I know that Soludo has 100%. Never has he been in doubt or bemused about what he’s coming to do in Anambra. He has been precise on the kind of policies and programs a Soludo Governor will undertake. It now behoves on Ndi Anambra to give him maximum support. 

I am precisely and selfishly concerned about the state capital territory, and I am not alone with such disposition. My big brother and leader, Chief Clem Nwogbo, once told me that developing the state capital territory is a priority for him as an individual, and should also be for any Government. He told me that going by the provisions of brand marketing, the true reflection of Anambra is how her state capital is. This is true because the port of call of any investor is the capital of the state. This is the moment of Truth for Anambra 

Beyond my yearnings and aspirations for the state capital, Anambra roads, healthcare, education and investment drive, are ready and waiting on Soludo. 

Unfortunately, I do not envy Soludo!