Soludo, just like Moses, is on another delivery mission

BY TOCHUKWU ANEKWE

Whenever God mercifully appoints redemption time for His people, He always appoints a Moses. The story of Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo in Agụ Awka would always have indices of liberating reforms in the state; the south-east’s commercial hub. Perhaps, the adopted visionary slogan by the Enugu state government — “Enugu is in the hands of God” — would serve better in Anambra now, given the person in charge.

He’s got the passion to serve his people. He’s got the education and experience to serve them well. He’s got the reputation that would often watchdog his efforts and plans. He’s got everything required for the top job and he’s shown it in just a few weeks. Suffice it to say that Soludo is tailored for Anambra’s current needs.

For the past six months or more, the state’s security formations have deteriorated to a very sorry state, leaving ndị Anambra deadened by terror on daily basis. Within this time, many lives have been lost, there is fear in every city and news headlines are always dirtied by reports of shootings, death, kidnap and so many social unease.

The people of the state have seen their humanity tainted with so much bloodletting that they are almost getting acclimatised to the situation. The sad reality remains that the security condition in the state is far from normalcy and the governor is concernedly aware and he’s obviously not drinking tea over it.

The successfully conducted peacebuilding and security dialogue held at the Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka last Saturday at the governor’s behest shows how much Soludo wants to restore sanity in the state.

His assurance that his government would always be open to engaging with the good, the bad and the ugly, not discriminating against anybody says so much about the kind of peace he seeks for his people. There’s an underlying message in the governor’s assurance; everyone would be given a sense of belonging. This is the quickest way to peace, I think.

The governor has always interwoven peace and progress in his speeches, stressing how the latter is consequent to the former, and with his persistent call for peace, one could see that he truly thinks about, advocates for and architects the state’s progress.

His determination to see Anambra progress is the reason he has been busy since assuming office. It’s no surprise though because he made it clear before now and always reiterates that he would work hard every day. Recall that he scheduled April 2nd to 4th for waste evacuation and drainages desilting in the state, especially badly affected cities of few local governments. As people trooped into the streets for the cleaning exercise, His Excellency joined and played an active part in the cleaning exercise.

The refuse sitting in some cities of the state, though not included in the handover note, are part of what the Anambra state’s first citizen inherited. People had cried out their eyes over the stench they inhaled from the waste. In a recent documentary recorded by Preshdub Media, a market woman sorrowed so much how hazardous it is to trade in such an environment.

Today is the last day of the waste evacuation exercise and I am pretty sure relief from waste pollution is setting in, as fruitful the last Saturday’s peacebuilding and security dialogue would soon become.

Ndị Anambra are gladly dancing “Follow Who Know Road” by Onyenze and just like the Israelites of the old freed from Pharaoh’s captivity, the redemption of Anambra state is signed and sealed because Soludo, just like Moses, is on another delivery mission.

Tochukwu Anekwe can be reached via [email protected]