By Jude Atupulazi
Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s victory in the November 8 Guber Poll in Anambra State, on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has been attributed to his big achievements in his first tenure. This was disclosed by the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Lake Petroleum, Chief Cletus Mbaji.
Mbaji who spoke with Fides in Awka last Monday, said Soludo’s victory was boosted by what he described as the giant strides of his administration in all sectors of development such as health, education, transport, environment, commerce and industry, sports, youth, as well as agriculture, power and water resources.
Chief Mbaji recalled that Gov Soludo had initially assured the people of the state of his resolve to serve efficiently and purposefully to attain goals such as improving the quality of life of the people of the state and transforming the state to his promised Dubai-Taiwan of Africa.
The business executive, who is also the Ide of Achina in Aguata LGA of Anambra State, recalled that only Mr Peter Obi of all the other past governors did as well as Prof Soludo.
‘The high tempo of multi-sectoral development being witnessed under Soludo tells of a truly serious and determined government that is ready to serve the people. His government has positively affected the state. No section of the state has not benefitted from community development.
‘The capital city of Awka, the urban and rural areas, are being developed simultaneously for the good of all,’ he said, noting that Anambra State citizens voted overwhelmingly for Soludo because they believed in what they saw going on in the state,’, listing some of them as in education, health and road infrastructure; including the Ekwulobia and Aroma-Awka flyovers. ‘It is all this that Anambra people saw and voted for him in all the 21 local government areas of the state.
He said that one thing that was striking about Soludo’s leadership style was its mode of appointments, with all of them listening to him. ‘They are united and dedicated to duty. The manner the chief executive appointed his commissioners, advisers and heads of boards and non-ministerial agencies shows the chief executive wants the best brains.
‘We remember how he told the best brains who were interested in working with him to apply and show why they were suitable for the positions they wanted,’ Mbaji said.
He said this peculiar manner of recruiting his team was a contributory factor for the success of Soludo’s regime as he recruited sound and brilliant minds, a development, he noted, which resulted in high performance.
‘Even the civil servants rally round this administration as he pays their salaries and allowances, gives them promotion and even silently approving a salary increase after the Federal Government did theirs.
‘It is this type of governance that is touching lives and visiting the people to feel their pulse that the masses want. This is why they voted for him across all the local government areas.
‘This overwhelming victory clearly says that the masses are not fools and cannot be easily deceived. That is also why the so-called vote buying may not influence election results because the people are wiser,’ Mbaji said.
He remarked that in a country like Nigeria that was battling with poor economy, abject poverty, hunger and unemployment, as well as general frustration, the people would be very happy with a governor who had recorded huge achievements. He said this reflected in the last election in the state which Prof Soludo won.
While congratulating the Governor, Mbaji called on the people of the state to continue to support Soludo’s administration and noted that with such support, Soludo’s leadership would do more in his second term.
