An open letter to Charles Chukwuma Soludo

BY OLASUPO ABIDEEN

Dear Governor,

We have been conditioned to believe for a long time that it is easier to walk a camel through the eye of a needle than find a technocrat with an astute academic background holding an executive office in Nigeria. Only an insanely small number of determined, highly educated, well-traveled, and very grounded persons like yourself have been able to achieve this. For that, I want to congratulate you on your emergence as the executive governor of Anambra state; for being a beacon of hope to so many young Nigerians, technocrats, and as a signal to the old guards that the future has started.

Sir, it goes without saying that as a governor in one of Nigeria’s troubled regions, there is a lot of work to be done. But your emergence, nonetheless, is a tell-tale sign that just maybe, future elections in Nigeria may start to follow the direction of the Anambra election.

Your campaign towards your emergence is people-focused and meets the 3Cs of competence, capacity, and character. This drive is also being imported into the first days of your administration as seen in the setting up of your transitional team. This method of selecting commissioners in Anambra state will save time, ensure that only the best and most qualified are eventually tasked with work, and those who cannot stand, will have to walk away without the opportunity to squander state resources.

As a Nigerian who has equally served locally and internationally towards ensuring fair representation in governance for all groups, and advocated passionately for the achievement of the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs), I would like to make some pertinent recommendations to your administration.

Inclusive governance is no longer a want but a necessity for great societies, something Anambra state could benefit from as it transitions under your leadership. Using a quota system that includes 60% indigenes; including women, young people, people with disabilities (PWDs), and other minority communities, and 40% (or less) to non-indigenes who may also be yoked towards the Soludo project for Anambra state. This will allow you to have a broader scope of qualified persons to consider for appointment eventually, instead of only looking at one set of people.

As part of the transition committee and/or the panel of judges, you may want to consider bringing in experienced HR personnel who understands human psychology and can effectively aid in determining people who are playing a script to get the job and people who are truly interested and qualified in the roles they may be tasked with.

In policy-making, having an inclusive scope will also help to carry along different persons who will be beneficiaries of your administration’s decisions.

Sir, it would be of good advantage to the Soludo Solution to launch the SoludoMetre to keep track of all active government projects, campaign promises, and level of execution for the projects. As citizens continue to demand transparency, this will serve as a good vector to effective communication between you and the people of Anambra state.

Your excellency, while you have proven over time to be capable, running your government will be easier if your appointees benefit from leadership and communication training from time to time, so they are in synchronisation with your ideals.

The work of the Soludo administration will be lighter through heavy investment in a data-driven economy. This way, your administration can understand the needs of the people of Anambra from each ward, local government area, and town. Continuous data gathering will also help to keep the government in the mind of the people when your administration is able to key into the necessity of the grassroot.

While your administration continues to look into local ways to solve local problems, it is essential to not be too divorced from pressing issues on the international scene. The execution of both the UN SDGs and AU Agenda 2063 (especially for your vision 2070) should factor into the decisions of your administration. These are areas where bringing in people other than Anambra citizens will be important.

Mr. Governor, there are Herculean tasks ahead but you have proven time and again to be a master of your tides. May the good people of Anambra experience good governance through you.

Abideen is an international development consultant and SDGs expert. He tweets @opegoogle and can be reached via [email protected]