By Jude Atupulazi
There’s this thing I find disturbing about our governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, one of the most brilliant minds among his contemporaries. And this thing makes it look like he’s vain. That thing is his penchant to taking personal glory by naming virtually everything after himself. Normally, modesty demands that one allows others to glorify them, especially when they’re leaders and still in office.
Thus, we often see institutions and facilities being named after past leaders, even if posthumously. Many roads and facilities are today named after such people as Nnamdi Azikiwe, Michael Okpara, Akanu Ibiam, Chinua Achebe, among others. But while those facilities where not named by those people listed above, they were mostly named after them by other leaders long after those other ones had gone.
But today, in Anambra, you see a serving governor naming everything after himself. ”Solution this and Solution that is becoming the order of the day now and the most bizarre yet was the naming of the state football team, “Solution FC”!
Before someone tells me that the governor’s name is not “Solution”, that person should know that the name is his alias or a known attached to him. Every past governor in Anambra had such an alias.
Mbadinuju’s was Odera; Ngige’s was Onwa; Obi’s was Okwute; Obiano’s was Akpokue and today we have Soludo’s alias Solution.
Now, back to the naming of the state’s football team, Solution FC.
Imagine if all the previous governors had floated teams for the state and given them their aliases. Thus, we would have had Odera FC, Onwa FC, Okwute FC, Akpokue FC and now Solution FC.
Now, these names would have come as a result of each succeeding governor changing the name of the state team to his as it is not expected that a governor will be funding a team that belongs to the state but bearing another man’s name. Imagine how chaotic that would have been and how the rest of the country would be laughing at us.
Imagine also, Governor Mba of Enugu State, changing the name of Rangers to Mba FC! To me, that’s all shades of vanity and pettiness. I’m aware that some knowledgeable men in football matters had tried to dissuade the governor from naming our state team, “Solution FC” but were rebuffed. An unconfirmed report had it that the governor was like, “If I’m going to be funding it, I’ll choose whatever name I want. If you don’t like it, then go fund it.”
This was what someone told me but I can’t confirm its veracity.
Nevertheless, if the governor had brave advisers they should have prevailed on him to change the name to something like “Anambra United”. If he was bent on putting his name there, it could be this way: Anambra United, a.k.a. Solution Boys. Even though it is still wrong, it would have been tolerable. But in naming the team “Solution FC”, does he think he’ll be governor for life? Does he think future governors will allow the name to stand, especially if an opposition party takes over the saddle?
Methinks it’s immodest for a serving leader to be naming everything after himself. Today we have Solution Fun City too. We know he built it and we thank him for that, but for goodness sake, it’s not modest to have it bear that name.
We used to have Polo Park in Enugu built by someone but it never bore the name of the person. Before now, there was no facility in Anambra that was named after a governor that built it when such governor was still in office. It didn’t mean those governors didn’t like taking glory. But perhaps they saw that over doing it could trigger controversy.
I even hear that the Commissioners’ Quarters in Awka now bears the name, “Solution Quarters”. This is absurd. Going by what I’m seeing, we’ll soon be having “Solution Govt House” and “Solution Roads”. Eventually, Anambra will be named “Solution State”.
I’m not trying to deny the governor credit for whatever he’s done or is doing, by way of provision of infrastructure, but he should please be told to apply modesty in certain things he does because there will be life after him. Any time I see this Solution FC, I weep, knowing how much of an aberration that name is.
Football clubs that bear the names of their founders are usually privately owned clubs but it is in Anambra we have a club bearing the name of the Governor of the state.
Then Spartans of Owerri which later changed to Iwuanyanwu Nationale were privately owned and thus bore the name of the late Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu that was the founder. In the past we had Abiola Babes owned by the late Moshood Abiola which was equally a privately owned club.
Those not privately owned but owned by the state include Enugu Rangers, Enyimba, Kano Pillars, etc. none of them bears the name of their state governor. But in Anambra we have a state club bearing the name of the governor. That is not the norm.
Before I sign off, let’s imagine the Super Eagles being renamed “Asiwaju Eagles”; Eagles Square renamed “Asiwaju Square” and Aso Rock bearing the name, “Asiwaju Rock”. How would that sound? What happens when another president comes on board? Does it mean the new president will be happily funding facilities bearing the name of his predecessor, especially when they are not from same party?
There is still time for Soludo to change the name of the club and save himself this embarrassment. And going forward, he should also stop personalizing public facilities by giving them his name. There is simply no defence for this and it sounds petty and vain.
Let me again make it clear that this is not a personal attack on Soludo as I know some people in government’s payroll will see it. It is simply an attempt to have things done the right way and should be seen as a constructive criticism.
But then if anyone decides to see it differently and decides to attack me, that will be their own headache. Our own is to see and talk and it is left for those being talked about to listen to the voice of reason and make amends.
Soludo is not doing a bad job, even if he is not the best governor. Anambra is not a failed state. Things are normal and the governor is doing what we expected and still expect him to do. But then, this penchant to name public facilities after himself is a hubris he should cure himself from.
Indeed, if you ask many people today who are neutral but who know much about what is going on within government circles, how they will describe Soludo, I’m sure quite a few will use the word, arrogant. Today in the streets that is what many believe. They see him as a Mr-know-all who brooks no dissenting voice.
It is this attitude of his that has perhaps refrained him from hearkening to the cries of his people for him to rein in those touts in Onitsha who maim people with pestles (aka odo) in the guise of enforcing discipline.
Despite the outrage following the activities of these people which have left some people with broken limbs and spines, the governor has not lifted a finger to rein them in. They still go about with pestles in broad daylight in Onitsha, breaking bones and constituting themselves into instruments of terror.
Only an arrogant man can hear all the complaints against such people, see victims of their viciousness and still keep mum. If he cannot listen to such complaints, is it the ”little” matter of personalizing public facilities that he will listen to?
It is actually possible he doesn’t think himself arrogant and we can understand. Many do not know how they are or how they are perceived, but it takes the courage of those around them to speak out and tell their boss the truth. Indeed, sometimes, it is good for a leader to call his people and ask them how they see their boss. Even Jesus called his disciples and asked them to tell him who they thought he was.
Really, if I were a leader, I would make my appointees to tell me through secret means where I am going wrong or right and what they think I can do to be better. If Soludo does this, I’m sure he will be shocked by some of the answers he will get. I’m very much aware that this my piece this week will not make me a hero among government circles but I have only stated the facts as I see them.
