Straight talk By Obinna F. Nwachukwu
For many weeks and months, a lot has been said and written about the transformative policies of the Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR, administration in Anambra State – some are very brilliant writeups, some are very critical of the administration while some are feather weight commentaries, lacking in depth and richness of facts.
To ascertain the truth and nothing but the truth, I recently took an unscheduled trip to the state to see things for myself. What I saw baffled me. I saw massive people-oriented projects completed and ongoing. I saw a remodeled Anambra State House of Assembly, wearing a new tantalizing look befitting of a parliamentary building. The complex has some of the best facilities in the world.
I saw solar street lights working 24/7 illuminating the streets of Awka, Amawbia, Onitsha, Nnewi, Ekwulobia, Aguata, and other major cities in the state including village and community roads. I saw the ongoing construction of a purpose built shopping mall in Awka (Market Square) with Cinema Hall, a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project almost completed.
I saw the Ifitte Bridge which connects Ifitte to Amaenyi across the Onitsha-Enugu ExpressWay. I saw the Solar Powered Inverter Boreholes at Aroma Overhead Awka with 2m litres storage capacity plus a Reservoir. There is also another one at ABS Awka, two at Onitsha, one in Nnewi and another one in Aguleri all working perfectly. That is not all, I saw the Alex Ekwueme Square renovated and remodeled with all the attractive features. The square could be likened to the famous Eagles Square in Abuja and the Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos, respectively.
Also in Anambra, I saw the “Tower of Light” with the 21 Local Government Areas represented on the Tower (the name is culled from the state slogan “The Light of the Nation”).
I saw a huge Cenotaph with portraits of prominent Anambra State indigenes such as Kenneth Dike, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chinua Achebe, Margret Ekpo amongst others. On top of the Cenotaph are symbols of Igbo culture associated with Ndi Anambra.
I equally saw the newly built and commissioned Anambra State Government House, a multi-purpose edifice commissioned recently by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. The complex houses the Governor’s Office, Medical Centre, Governor’s lodge, Banquet Hall, Theatre Hall, Deputy Governor’s Office, Office of the Secretary to the State Government and other personal aides of the state governor.
Other facilities are visitors’ car parks large enough to accommodate 100 cars. Guest Houses, Sports Complex, Fire Service Station and recreation centres. The clinic is fully equipped with modern facilities.
In Anambra, I saw the dualization of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) road which has been remodeled and renovated with street lights. I saw and marveled at the sight of the Anambra State FUN CITY with lots of good, state of the art facilities such as the Anambra State Country Club, Sports facilities, Game House with two Cinema Halls, an Amusement Park and entertainment centre. The hundreds of children and adults milling around the facilities and savouring its allure are testimonies that Prof. Soludo made the right investment decision.
I saw the dualized Amawbia-Akokwa Imo State Road with street lights under construction. I saw the SOLUTION Market and Park in Ekwulobia. I was told it was there before Soludo became governor but has been modernized, organised and well-structured with state-of-the-art facilities.
I also saw the beautiful Ekwulobia flyover and the ultra-modern business park and mall (it was formerly a bus terminal). Of all the facilities visited, the most amazing was the Ikenga Village Road constructed by the present Solution Government. This is because that was the first time people living in that part of the state would witness a tarred road.
The above facilities were what I saw in Anambra State in one day as time constraints could not allow me to visit all the local governments and communities in the state. But definitely, those were not the only projects successfully executed or ongoing in the state in the last three years of the Soludo government. They litter the nooks and crannies of Anambra State.
Indeed, those I spoke to in the state told me that it was extremely difficult to narrow down the many achievements of the Chukwuma Soludo-led administration in the last three years. Governor Soludo will be marking his fourth year in office as the governor of Anambra State on March 17, 2026. Before then, the governorship election to determine whether he would rule for the second and final term of another four years or not would be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on November 8 this year. From every indication, Soludo would be returned with massive votes.
So far, the state has become a huge construction site as massive road work simultaneously goes on in every part of the State. While constructing durable roads, Soludo’s government is also making unprecedented strides in erosion control and mitigation.
There is an ongoing road revolution in Anambra State. The administration has awarded contracts for the construction of over 400km of new roads and has steadily maintained a pace of fully completing an average of 28km of these awarded roads every month within the dry season period. The 400km of high-quality roads being constructed with stone base and cement stabilization – a technology that is rare in the history of road construction in Anambra because of its cost implication – is exclusive of the 392km of roadways that have been made motorable as a result of the governor’s routine road maintenance works, erosion control works and the flyover project in one of the state’s major cities – Ekwulobia.
With the rate Governor Soludo is building new roads and maintaining existing ones, he has set an unprecedented record in the South East. Apart from Julius Berger Nigeria Ltd (JBN) which built the one-billion-dollar Second Niger Bridge using a prestressed concrete technology – a technology which allows for the construction of long span bridges, I am not aware of any state government in the South East that has built or is building a concrete bridge or road in the zone. The Ekwulobia Flyover in Anambra, which will be commissioned this year, is a prestressed concrete bridge.
On security, the governor has received a thumb up from stakeholders in the state and those that ply their trade in the South East. When the administration assumed office in March 2022, unknown gunmen were on rampage in the state. Eight local governments were under siege. Today, the administration has liberated these local government areas and has made Anambra one of the safest states in the country. As a result of the robust security architecture in the state, perpetrators of any crime in Anambra are apprehended within days unlike before where criminals, in some cases, were never caught.
In another development, massive urban regeneration works are going on in the state. Just like many cities in Nigeria, the major cities in Anambra have not followed a well-thought-out and designed masterplan. At the moment, the designs for the masterplan for Anambra Intercity Railway Network and three new cities – Awka 2.0, Onitsha 2.0 and Anambra Mixed-Use Industrial City – are almost completed. With these proposed brand-new cities, the current remodeling of the existing cities in the state, the proposed 4-star hotel in Awka and the Awka Fun City are envisaged to make the state a preferred destination for businesses. The effect of this on the GDP of Anambra State will be enormous
Since the creation of Anambra State in 1991, the state has not got a permanent Government House or a secretariat except the make-shift arrangements that all the past governors have managed with. It is most exhilarating to disclose that, before clocking two years in office, Governor Soludo embarked on holistic housing development first with the construction of Government House and Government Lodge including the expansion of Commissioners’ Quarters as well as making impressive progress in housing the judiciary, and so on.
These are substantial progress and excellent performance that will warrant the people to re-elect him this year.
Looking at the gargantuan structures put in these areas, many have continued to wonder how the funds for these and other numerous projects are generated. More importantly, the humongous successes actually lie in the “Solution” which, to me, is the judicious deployment of state resources for problem solving and prevention purposes with expert managerial prudence and zero tolerance for corruption.
His scorecard is evidence that the people want Governor Soludo to continue the good work he is doing.
The health sector is not left out in the development and transformation spree. Governor Soludo has announced that he would build one world class General Hospital in each local government area, and work is in progress.
Additionally, the government has built and equipped eye care centres in many of the existing General Hospitals. Also, Governor Soludo declared free antenatal in the state. Nevertheless, his government did embark on the renovation of three General Hospitals in the state which include Ekwulobia, Enugwu-ukwu and Umuleri.
It is not therefore surprising that a few months to the November 8 election, people of the state irrespective of their political affiliation have started to endorse and campaign for him. One of such endorsements was by the Anambra North stakeholders, culminating in the conferment of the now famous Oluatuegwu chieftaincy title, which marks a pivotal moment in Anambra State’s political landscape.
According to Mr. Christian Aburime, the Press Secretary to the Governor, the cross-party show of support, featuring traditional rulers, current and former officials, and grassroots leaders, reflects a rare consensus in Nigerian politics, especially in the context of the state’s often fractious electoral history.
Said he: “The testimonials from both APGA and PDP leaders highlight Governor Soludo’s infrastructural achievements and his reputation as a ‘transformer’ who was fully prepared for the job.
“Also, the unanimous affirmation of the zoning formula demonstrates its entrenched role in Anambra’s politics, providing a framework for orderly succession and regional inclusion. Stakeholders’ insistence that Governor Soludo ‘must complete his second tenure’ signals a collective commitment to political stability in the state”.
Indeed, the CPS could not be wrong. The presence and vocal support of opposition figures, notably from the PDP, provides another rare moment of bipartisan alignment in Anambra politics. This not only neutralises potential divides but also amplifies the legitimacy of Governor Soludo’s all-embracing candidacy.
“What is a politician or a candidate without strong roots where it matters most? That can only be a lightweight contestant, which Governor Soludo is not”, Aburime said.
By consolidating support across party lines and reaffirming the zoning principle, stakeholders have not only strengthened Governor Soludo’s re-election prospects but have also signaled a collective aspiration for sus
tained development and political stability in Anambra State.