During an interaction with journalists on Saturday night, Labour Party chieftain and governorship hopeful stated that he is not satisfied with Soludo’s performance in the last two years in office.
He hinted that because of that, he has resolved to contest the Anambra State governorship election in 2025, but added that henceforth, he would begin to hold Soludo accountable for his promises.
Ozigbo may have already gone to work with a reply from one of his supporters to Soludo o er his achievements.
Re: Unveiling Ozigbo’s Political Puppetry: A Response to Baseless Criticisms of Gov Soludo’s Administration: The journey has just begun
By Jude Obiora
The above piece by one Akunne Chimezie in response to Mr Valentine Ozigbo’s comments on Gov Chukwuma Soludo’s two years in office is not surprising in the least, given that political aides must put up something to earn their pay.
However, it is pitiable that some people can actually believe that Soludo’s performance in two years have shaken the earth. For a man who has always shouted from the rooftops about his intention to turn his state to the Dubai-Taiwan of Africa, what we have seen in two years has been nothing but ordinary. Nothing has given the faintest semblance of a deliberate desire to catapult the state to the top by the Soludo administration.
Nothing, unless some people are telling us that by merely building roads we would overnight turn to Dubai-Taiwan.
For a fact, construction of roads is a basic requirement of any administration in Nigeria which should not attract any noise and for a state which 12 years ago was known as one with the best road network, such noise as we hear now is laughable.
The writer cried about the comparison between Anambra and Abia but failed to see the reasons for such. Whereas the Abia Government has been using known contractors to do roads, what we have in Anambra is the use of unknown contractors who are afraid not to be dictated to; a situation that some people have described as the government using “Soludo and sons” companies to execute Jobs.
Any surprise that we often see the governor dramatizing the termination of some contractors’ contracts and expecting applause for what’s actually a waste of tax payers’ money.
In Abia we have not been hearing such drama simply because Gov Otti has been using such renowned companies as Julius Berger.
Till date, there have been no controversies coming out from Abia State where the governor has been quietly working and doing wonders. There have been no complaints about over taxation or stories of market women being pursued everywhere by government agents. It’s as if touts don’t exist in Abia too.
But in Anambra where the governor once called the shots at the Central Bank, it’s been tales of woe by the citizenry over government’s crippling tax regime.
As former CBN governor, one expected that he would be seamlessly enjoying the cooperation of donor agencies as was the case during Peter Obi’s regime. Then, many donor agencies flooded the state and eased the financial burden of government, translating to non-harassment of the citizenry over tax payment.
Today in Anambra all hell has been let loose, with traders being harassed, bullied and beaten by touts in the name of taxation. It makes you to therefore wonder what manner of CBN governor Soludo was, especially given his boasts of international connections.
Today many poor traders have lost their means of livelihood amid the present economic hardship owing to the destruction of their shops by Soludo. Yet, all the government can boast of is the construction of roads. Is this how to achieve the famed Dubai-Taiwan that was and still is, the governor’s sing song?
It is therefore clear that in two years the state has not moved from where it was. This is why Mr Val Ozigbo is unhappy with the state of affairs, knowing we could have done much more. Ozigbo believes in fully maximizing the potentials of the state to set it on the path of economic bliss. You cannot claim to be empowering the people while daily destroying their means of livelihood as Soludo is doing.
We cannot be clapping for a driver who gets us to Ogidi from Awka when he should have gotten us to Onitsha. It is either those clapping for him are ignorant or are used to mediocrity.
This is what Ozigbo is coming to correct as somebody who’s been part of the business world.
Again the writer kept insinuating that Ozigbo was speaking for some people but was rather scared of calling their names. This is what I call chasing of shadows. Ozigbo is his own man even though he enjoys the support of many great people.
Having excelled in the banks and at Transcorp, Ozigbo has always shown the sterner stuff he’s made of and it’s little surprise that when he coughs some people get jittery. Let them not worry, for the journey has only begun.
