By Chukwudi Nweje
Prof Chukwuma Soludo, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) was announced Governor-elect of Anambra State in the early hours of Wednesday, November 10 after the November 6 election went into a supplementary poll on November 9. His election came after two unsuccessful attempts to pick his party’s ticket to contest the governorship election in Anambra State. He spoke in this first interview monitored on Arise News.
You are widely known as an economist, manager of the nation’s resources, Chief Economic Adviser, former CBN governor, member of the Economic Advisory Council among others, but being governor is an entirely different game. What significant shift should we expect from you?
You are asking me to give my inauguration day address and that will not happen for now, but I can tell you that our 72-page manifesto outlines our contract with the people of Anambra State, which is part of continuity, consolidation and transformation agenda to continue to build on the foundation laid by our forebears including Governor Willie Obiano who has given us an airport and relative improved security and the people trust him. The governor very humbly told the people during the campaign that the person he is supporting as his successor will do better than him, that is a very rare act of magnanimity and humility but that also places a lot of pressure on me. In the days ahead, we will get down on the transition process and we are not coming to learn on the job; we will hit the ground running from day one.
What are the priorities of your inauguration committee?
We have between now and March 2022; the transition is actually in March, so it is a long process but the good news about the transition is that you have experienced people there. I was the de facto Minister of National Planning, I ran six parastatals even before going to the CBN, so I understand how government works and the institutions and bureaucracy. We expect a seamless transition, most of the people who will be on the transition committee are already part of the government. It is an APGA government in place; we are just looking at a change of baton in leadership; the structure, institution and personnel are basically there.
We saw a picture of you as a schoolboy on social media; you lost your mother at a tender age and your father practically raised you; he was at one time kidnapped and at age 90, he has seen you become governor-elect. Looking back at all these, what does it mean to you?
It is this moment that you look back at and have nothing but gratitude to the Almighty God for seeing us this far. I have said that I am a child from a humble beginning but has the grace of God upon me even from my mother’s womb. During my campaign, the brand that was used to project me was (Charlie nwa mgbeafor), Charlie the son of Mgbeafor. She died but life continued and God has been eminently kind to me that I literally accomplished everything there is to accomplish in my 30s. I became a professor in my 30s; I consulted around the world before I was asked to come back and join the government as Chief Economic Adviser and then later I became Head of National Planning, then 10 months later CBN Governor. God has been merciful, offered me the platform and it is what has been driving me. I can only continue to serve God by offering myself as a vehicle to leave this place better than we met it. I actually posted several pictures on our Uga Boys Secondary School platform about two years and I was surprised when they started appearing on Facebook. I was a pioneer of the school and Senior Prefect for two years in my Class 4 and Class 5. I will say it is a journey that has been of a divine plan.
You reached out to other contestants after you were declared winner of the election, but has anyone of them called to congratulate you?
Yes, I have received calls from some of them. Even before the result was officially announced on Tuesday, some of them had called; the candidate of the NNPP actually called to congratulate me and assured his cooperation. I have received a call from the Boot Party candidate. I have also tried to reach out to some of them, I called Valentine Ozigbo and sent him a text even before the supplementary election and he returned my text, I’ve called Andy Uba, I’m reaching out to all of them. We need to come together because there is enough room for everybody to serve and offer his service. In 2013, I was disqualified from contesting the primary but I remained in APGA and congratulated Obiano as my friend, the governor of my state and the leader of my party.
Will your transition committee be all-inclusive or it will be a winner takes all?
I will involve them more in the actual governance than in the transition committee. My hand of service is always out; I will reach out to them to come with their own idea. I have my own ideas with regards to my manifesto and contract with Anambra people but when it comes to execution, you will benefit from continuously seeking other ideas. We are stronger together, when you aggregate all the different ideas from all the different candidates, we can only get better. I am looking at this book, ‘A Team of Rivals’ you know the kind of team that Abraham Lincoln put together in his government,I am looking at an all-inclusive government. My major focus is value. Everyone who can help us solve the problem of the people of Anambra State is welcome and will be given a chance to help us solve those problems; it is about problem-solving and value creation.
What are the guarantees that there will not be any quarrel between you and Governor Obiano after you take over?
My relationship with my governor is not a mechanical relationship; it is a relationship founded on deep mutual respect for one another and this is a transition that has lasted for five years. It is not easy for relationships to last that long; we have bonded together and worked together and for these five years, I think new relations have been built and I don’t expect anything less going forward. He is there first as a friend, second as the governor of the state and third, the leader of the party. For these years, he has been telling me why he wants me to succeed him; he said something that touched me, he said that of all the people he has seen angling to become governor that he has not seen anyone that can take the state from where it is to a higher place.
What are your plans for women, youth representation and people with disabilities in your administration?
Our population is a youthful population. I am focusing on problem-solving and if it is all women that will get it done, fair enough. During my time at the CBN, those responsibilities that required trust were given to women and they never disappointed. But you have to look at the gender bias in Anambra; it is a place where people don’t think much about discrimination against women; it is not part of our DNA. 92 per cent of teachers in our primary schools and 87 per cent of teachers in the secondary schools are women. About 56 per cent of government employees are women. You cannot deliver on the agenda we have without the public sector and the public sector is dominated by women. When you look at it from these angles, you will see that it is not about including women because they already dominate the place. It is about how we are going to maximise their contribution. On the youths, we are not just going to appoint anybody based on age; it is about what you can offer. We want to move Anambra to a higher level and anybody who has something to offer will be given the opportunity. What the people want is service.