By Izunna Okafor, Awka
In what appears to be a surprising administrative shake-up, the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has announced the replacement of Dr. Chukwudi Okoli as the State’s Accountant General — a position he held for barely three years.
This development, which has continued to raise eyebrows and generate speculations, was formally announced through a press release issued to newsmen on Thursday, July 24, by the Governor’s Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Aburime.
According to the release, Mr. Joachin Chinedum Achor has been appointed as the new Acting Accountant General of Anambra State. Achor’s emergence, the statement emphasized, reflects his consistency and merit-based advancement within the civil service system, having risen through the ranks from an entry-level officer to Director, Permanent Secretary, and now Acting Accountant General. His appointment takes immediate effect.
Recall that Mr. Achor, who hails from Abia State, was one of the two non-indigenes among the 18 persons appointed as permanent secretaries in March 2024 by Governor Soludo. The announcement of his permanent secretary role at the time sparked discussions about inclusivity and meritocracy, especially after the Governor’s spokesperson, Mr. Aburime, disclosed that the process leading to their appointments was based on merit and thorough evaluation, which involved computer-based tests, a rigorous search process, and one-on-one interviews with the Governor himself.
Given the latest elevation by the Governor, Mr. Achor now leaves his Permanent Secretary role to act as the state’s new Accountant General.
The meritocracy of the appointment process notwithstanding, what remains unclear and uncertain is the actual reason behind the sudden replacement of the former Accountant General, Dr. Chukwudi Okoli, a seasoned financial expert and technocrat, whose appointment by Governor Soludo on March 17, 2022, was seen as a strategic choice aimed at stabilizing the state’s financial management in the early days of his administration.
Dr. Okoli officially assumed office as state’s Accountant General on March 22, 2022, taking over from Mr. Hilary Obigwe who served under the immediate-past administration of Governor Willie Obiano.
Prior to his appointment, Dr. Okoli served for over two decades as Director of Finance and Accounts at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi. And upon assumption of office barely three years ago, he quickly swung into action by convening meetings with Heads of Accounts from various ministries, departments, agencies, and sub-treasuries under the Office of the Accountant General, a move that signaled his readiness to drive financial discipline and transparency in the state.
This background, the financial feats and prudence, as well as other commendable scores so far recorded in the state under his time as Accountant General make his replacement even more surprising, especially as other appointees announced the same day with him still occupy their respective positions.
When this reporter contacted the Governor’s Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Aburime, to ascertain the rationale behind Dr. Okoli’s sudden removal, he did not know and had no information regarding that.
However, multiple attempts by the reporter to contact Dr. Okoli for comment on his removal also proved abortive, as he neither picked his calls nor responded to a message of inquiry sent to his phone.
As at the time of this report, the actual reason for his replacement remains shrouded in uncertainty, giving room to speculations, especially given the silent and sudden nature of the replacement.
Meanwhile, the new Acting Accountant General, Mr. Achor, is expected to hit the ground running, particularly in consolidating on the financial reforms being championed by the Soludo-led administration under the Solution Agenda.
