On 17th March, 2026, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, the incumbent Governor of Anambra state, was sworn in for a second term in office. As traditionally expected on a day like this, Mr. Soludo apparently appeared armed with his supposedly fully loaded inaugural speech on the stage. Ordinarily though, as conventional wisdom demands, one would expect that an inaugural speech for a second-term Governor would largely capture, highlight or dwell on, inter alia, how the incumbent strictly adhered to full implementation of his party manifesto. But, conversely, this was not the case in Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s second term inaugural address – a man who always wants all and sundry to believe that he is often right and almost infallible at doing things.
Apparently in a patent show of stark ignorance and gross display of l-know-it-all mentality, Prof. Soludo impetuously asserted that: “indeed, several major projects we delivered were not in our manifesto (e.g. new Ekwuluobia, Fun City, light House, e.t.c)”.
Truly, this is a Prof. of Economics, and not that of Political Science, speaking, pontificating and blabbing over what he would have thought he knew much about, when indeed he merely wallowed in ignorance and only ended up displaying the fact of doing so, so disgracefully for that matter, without knowing it during the inaugural address.
In a sane clime, no rational public office holder or sagacious political leader would dare make boast about deviating from implementating the core of his party manifesto, knowingly or unknowingly, no matter the exigencies that might have occasioned such development. But here, in our own part of the world where anything goes, we are almost cursed with the ilks of rulers like Prof. Soludo who are inclined to brag about how convenient they find it to ditch with reckless abandon virtually all-important things promised the people and the electorate alike and only to embrace instead the delivery of those white elephant projects that pander to the wishes of the ruling and sucking elite class.
Taking as good instances the building of the Solution Fun City and the Light House, supposedly a big Club House and a lavish Government House, which the Governor by his own admission confessed were not in his party manifesto, one therefore wonders what rational thought could have propelled Prof. Soludo to settle for such priority-misplaced decision to build a clubbing center (disguised as Solution Fun City) a lavish ruling elite House ( masqueraded as a befitting Government House) both for the ruling and sucking elite class, other than the Governor’s predilection for hedonism.
Interestingly, this sheer case of misplacement of priority even becomes worrisome when juxtaposed with the fact that there are many people-oriented projects desirous of urgent attention and interventions from the state government that are completely ignored by the latter, which Prof. Soludo should have judiciously channelled the funds expended in building such Club House and the so-called Light House into them. For one, everybody knows that gully erosion is an organic menace in virtually all parts of Anambra state. The state government itself has no illusions about that too, hence It has continued to solicit for assistance from both the federal government and international bodies. Yet, the same state government prefers to wast tax payers’ money building relatively less significant projects that merely appeal to its selfish interests and fancies, rather than addressing the huge erosion problem threatening lives and properties across Anambra state.
Funny enough, uptil now, almost in all nooks and crannies of Anambra state, running pipe borne water and constant supply of electricity have both remained a mirage. And so, no tenable reason whatsoever justifies the priority of building a lavish entertainment center or clubbing rendezvous designated as Solution Fun City by Soludo-led government, in a state where the citizenry still lack access to basic amenities.
As a matter of fact, with the existence of such phenomenon as privatization in this twenty first Century, which largely obviates the need for government participation in certain sectors, it is somewhat curious that Anambra state government under the watch of a Professor of Economics is foraying into an area of business markedly reserved for the private sector. Hence, it remains to be seen how the so-called Solution Fun City will evolve, survive and subsist when Prof. Soludo will have left office as the Executive Governor of Anambra state.
What is more, the claim by Governor Soludo in his inaugural speech that the new Ekwuluobia was not in his party manifesto is, to say the least, as false as a lie told by Lucifer from the pit of hell. For the sake of clarity, before and during his first term political campaign, Mr. Soludo did promise to open up and provide all parts of Anambra state with development, which the idea of new Ekwuluobia is no exception. Thus, there is no way the new Ekwuluobia can be treated or considered now in isolation of Prof. Soludo’s promise of opening up and developing communities in Anambra state as made during his first term political campaign. Moreover, the same idea of new Ekwuluobia can not even be divorced from the broader context of Prof. Soludo’s attempt to replicate his development concept of African Dubai-Tiawan in Nigeria – however poorly perceived his efforts in this regard might seem so far. Therefore, it amounts to being economical with the truth for Mr. Governor to have claimed during his second term inaugural speech that the new Ekwuluobia was not in his party manifesto.
Today, curiously, Soludo is demolishing parts of Onitsha Main Market because he wants to remodel the market thereafter. Also, he wants or plans to build more airports in Anambra state or, better still, intends to acquire and secure large expanse of lands for that purpose and for future development. While doing all of this, Soludo is said to be leaving no stone unturned in an effort to achieve financial prudence for Anambra state, which partly could account for why he had to claim during his inaugural speech that the state under his watch never borrowed a dime from any commercial bank. Though very impressive as all of these may seem, the truth is that for Soludo to wake up one day and once again begin to claim that all the foregoing do not exist in or form part of his campaign promises and his party manifesto by extension will be the height of another record-breaking glaring falsehood invented from the pit of hell.
Besides, Soludo’s claim that he never borrowed from any commercial bank since his ascension to office of the Governor of Anambra state is a very contentious issue – though best reserved for another day’s discourse. However, there are some concerning questions that need to be pointed out for reflection in this regard. First, does the administration of Prof. Soludo even need to borrow money from anywhere in the first place, taking cognizant of how it has been extracting blood from Anambra state indigenes and residents alike (working and earning a living in different parts of the state) all in the name paying taxes and numerous other levies into the government coffer? Secondly, with an outstanding and unprecedented increase in the state’s Internally Generated Revenue, is it not somewhat comical that our erudite Professor might have been mischievously playing to the gallery by his claim that his government never went all out for borrowing ever since he assumed office? By the way, why would Anambra state attempt to borrow when the need for doing so is already obviated by its highly increasing IGR? These and more are interesting questions of abiding concern relating to issues of government borrowing in Anambra state.
Till this moment, the bitter truth still saddens Ndi Anambra that the hitherto much-talked-about political promise of setting up and operating a modern railway system connecting all the twenty one (21) local government areas in Anambra state has remained in limbo. This is supposedly a campaign promise encapsulated in Prof. Soludo’s party manifesto which he never deemed it fit to mention during his second term inaugural speech at Dr. Alex Ekwueme square, Awka. Like the fate of a stillborn baby, this political promise of building a modern railway network connecting all parts of Anambra state made by Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo to Ndi Anambra in a broad daylight is now dead and possibly buried. Sadly, the same Soludo-led government still wants Ndi Anambra to believe that it is not heavily burdened by grave political integrity questions.
Overall, no doubt, a second term in office for Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo is a new dawn already running its course. This in itself implies that all the foregoing lies found in the Governor’s second term inaugural speech are more or less inconsequential to him as an individual party member. However, as a group with an eye on power retention in the state in the nearest future, the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), the political party through whose platform Prof. Soludo has been able to access and secure power, must be aware and cautious that whatever karmic accumulations that await to be unleashed by the people of Anambra state in due course – especially in terms of the party suffering future electoral losses and defeat – and in alignment with the above highlighted lies as told by the Governor during his second term inaugural speech, must ultimately be borne by the party itself and not necessarily Prof. Soludo. The simple reason here being that, the failure to uphold the core of a political party’s manifesto does not rest with an individual party member but the political party itself, whose platform such a member has conveniently used to gain access to power in order to be able to manipulate and decive the masses in the long run. To be forewarned, therefore, is to be forearmed. A stitch in time saves nine.
Onyiorah Paschal Chiduluemije, a Journalist, writes from Abatete in Anambra state. He could be reached via: +2348037738607.
