By Jude Atupulazi
The immediate past President and Group CEO of Transcorp Plc, and Gubernatorial Aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr Valentine Ozigbo, has accused Anambra Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, of hoodwinking the people of the state with what he calls media optics in the guise of progress in the three years of his governance.
While welcoming President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Anambra on an official visit, Ozigbo who described the visit as a moment of pride and a sign of national unity and shared purpose,’ however described Soludo’s three-year record as a glaring theatre of missed priorities, misplaced ambitions, and media optics, masquerading as progress. Ozigbo questioned the wisdom of showcasing projects such as an amusement park, dubbed Solution FunCity, while essential public needs remained ignored.
His words, ‘Governance is not a film trick. Governance is not about cutting ribbons on facades while the foundation rots.’
It will be recalled that among the projects commissioned during the President’s visit were a new Government House, an amusement park, and Emeka Anyaoku Institute for International Studies and Diplomacy at Nnamdi Azikiwe University.
But to Ozigbo, those were monuments to image management, rather than substantive development.
‘In over three years in office, Governor Soludo has delivered zero public housing, zero real investment inflow, and zero structural transformation of our economy,’ he said, while noting that the amusement park tagged ”Solution FunCity” should have been left to private investors in a healthy economic climate, even as he queried what critical social problem the park would solve, such as hunger, unemployment and fear.
Ozigbo went further to describe the commissioning as an act of political cowardice after reports surfaced that APGA members were instructed not to wear party-branded clothing to the event, allegedly to avoid negative optics before the President.
‘What a betrayal. If your policies are strong and your house is in order, why hide your colours? We deserve a government that builds lives, not just lodges. A leadership that puts people before propaganda. A Governor whose work speaks louder than his PR,’ he stated.
Ozigbo also drew attention to what he described as Anambra’s persistent economic and social woes, especially the housing crisis, lack of transport infrastructure, and unaddressed insecurity.
‘Most civil servants in Awka; the same people whose taxes fund this carnival, cannot afford to live in the city,’ he noted, citing annual rents of ₦1.3 million for two-bedroom apartments and stagnant wages.
‘As I have always said, Anambra is not short of talent or promise; we are short of leadership that puts the people first.
‘I do not believe in politics as performance art. I believe in politics as service, rooted in compassion, driven by vision, and measured by real change in people’s lives,’ Ozigbo concluded.
