Anambra 2025 : Soludo, A Sacrificial leader Says ASMATA Campaign director

By Julie Sylvia, Onitsha

As arrangements are in top gear to return Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State for second tenure in office, the Soludo Campaign Director, Anambra State Amalgamated Traders’ Association, ASMATA, comrade Peter Okala, Monday, in Onitsha, described the governor as a metaphor

Stressing the need to ensure he is voted for second tenure, Okala stated that, “It takes a prophet to see when the bush is burning, a true Leader is sacrificial and always ready to lay his or her life to step on toes in order to ensure that the led is protected.

Okala however, commended the Special Adviser to Governor Soludo on Trade and Markets, Hon. Evarest Uba and the President General of Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders’ Association, ASMATA, Chief Humphrey Anuna, for their contributions for the peace in the markets and increase in the revenue base, Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, of the markets.

On Soludo he stated that, “He is an erudite Professor of Economics, former Presidential Adviser on economic matters, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) an award winner of the best CBN Governors in the Continent, a great prophet and manager of human and material resources.

“Man who saw tomorrow, who the entire Continent of Africa will remember for not only bringing stability in her economy but also regulating all human activities towards a sustainable and stable economy.

“In 2016, Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo CFR, as former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria called the Federal Government to obey all the Court orders for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, knowing the negative security implications not only in the South East but to the entire country at large, threw his weight and connections but to no avail.

Till now, Governor Soludo is till on top of the matter proffering political solution to the issues even when Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is from Abia state, the rest is now history,” Okala stated.

He recalled that Soludo on assumption of office brought an unusual innovations into governance by cutting costs inorder to conserve enough resources to tackle numerous needs of the people and first started with Okpoko, the slum where no Governor in the history of the state has ever visited .

According to him, Soludo was first governor to develop the area and recently announced the termination of the nine roads contract awarded for the good of the people that were 55 per cent completion, adding that without this foresightedness of the prophetic Mr Governor the calamity of health hazards and insecurity that would have befallen Okpoko residents and Anambrarians would have been better imagined than experienced.

Okala stated that the Governor has a huge package for the Okpoko residents which include, general hospital and recreational facility adding that shortly on assumption of office had millions of high bread palm and coconut seedlings shared to Anambrarians to prepare them to fight an upcoming monster called hunger.

“The Igba boi apprenticeship scheme which is the main secret of the success story of Ndi Igbo in trading all over the world has not received the attention of any governor that has ever governed any state in Igbo land, but Mr Governor prophet did not take it for granted but injected power, wisdom and funding for all the qualified Umuboi, numbering over 5,000 persons as an annual program,were settled by Mr Governor prophet with huge sum of money being the first in history , it’s incredible!

“The torny communities of Obaofemili, Olumbanasaa,Umueje, Akpu, Oneh, Ikenga and all the ancient communities of the State that were only remembered during campaigns by successive regimes were turned into a huge construction sites with well over 500 Kilometers of concrete stone based quality roads with side gutters and street lights scattered all over the length and breadth of these communities , tackling erosions, building bridges and flyovers.

“The Internally Generated Revenue IGR, got a geometric increase, Anambra State Market internally generated revenue rose from the pantry four hundred million naira (#400m)to a whopping three billion naira (#3bn) annually without any increase.

“Those IGR scavengers using the state funds to celebrate government functionaries during burials, weddings, birthdays and Chieftaincy conferments to the detriment of Ndi Anambra has vanished, everything is now history.

“Mr Governor prophet recently during the burial of his beloved father came out clean to obey the entire laws made by his predecessor governing burials in Anambra State, setting a historic standard for prudent spending not only in burials but in any other monetary activities implies that the economy of the state runs inside the pockets and Bank accounts of the citizens.

“Mr Governor prophet had to openly face the confrontation of a highly reverend cleric and became the first governor in history that fought for the well-being of his people even before the altar of the church, when a popular cleric did spent billions of naira to bury his mother in Anambra State which was condemned by the governor on the spot and resisted by the bishop who questioned the jurisdiction of the governor in the church, making ostentatious living the monster eating up our people from the altar of the church.

“The historic decongestion of all the roads in Anambra State to help speedy movement of economic activities in every nooks and crannies of our roads has encouraged the fight against insecurity as motorists could now move faster on the roads in Anambra

” Ndi Anambra could not forget in a hurry what we were passing through at Building Materials Ogidi/Ugwunwasike junction, gate way to Niger Bridge Head Onitsha, Nnewi-Nnobi road junction, Eke Awka round- about and almost all the important roads in Anambra State have been decongested and citizens enjoying free movement, the rest is now history.

“Mr Governor prophet has within the two years in office marketed made- in-Anambra Products to the whole world by making use of foods, drinks and gift items manufactured in the State to entertain all levels of visitors to Government House.

Not only that Mr Governor prophet is practically showcasing the clothing, footwears and even vehicles but have made it a compulsory instrument for all the government functionaries as a way of projecting our home made products inorder to encourage local manufacturers,” he disclosed.

On employment he added that instead of retrenchment of workers, he employed more than ten thousand workers in the state payroll that included both teachers and health workers to lessen the burden of unemployment in the State, adding that these employments cut across citizens and residents of Anambra.

“Mr Governor prophet saw cleanliness as next to Godliness, hence the government sees management of our environment as an emergency, to that effect desilting of drainage facilities and involvement of trusted and capable hands to manage our wastes which saw Anambra State graduating out of flood prone states in no distant time,” he further affirmed.