As the race towards getting a successor for the incumbent governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, hots up, one person stands out among aspirants jostling to replace him. He is former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr Chukwuma Soludo.
Soludo is the only one among the aspirants who has consulted for 20 international financial and development institutions, including the World Bank, IMF, African Development Bank, UNDP, USAID, UK-DFID, European Union and even founder of Africa Finance Corporation with over U$6 billion investment in Africa.
In post covid-19 era with fall in oil price and drastic fall in allocations from Abuja to states, Anambra needs someone like Soludo who is uniquely connected around the world to mobilise project and development financing to transform Anambra State. He has also advised many countries and institutions, there is therefore the need to bring all those knowledge that the world is paying him for, to transform his home state.
Soludo had lived in Ethiopia, United Kingdom and USA and travelled to 43 other countries in all the continents of the world. No one has 1% of Soludo’s international connections and exposure among those jostling to occupy the Anambra Government House.
The pandemic era is not the time to start trial and error. Through the NEEDS and banking revolution, all designed and executed by Soludo, tens of millions of jobs were created in Nigeria. His tenure witnessed the highest growth rate of the economy in over 40 years. He has proven to be a big thinker and doer, with results which Nigeria, Africa and the world have celebrated. No wonder, Nigeria has awarded him the third highest national honour, CFR; and the world has celebrated him as the best governor of central bank in the world; and also one of the 100 most influential Africans. No other contender has the experience!
Soludo is also the founder of the African Heritage Institution (formerly African Institute for Applied Economics), Enugu, a think-tank since 2001 which has been providing economic development research and advice to federal government and state governments in Nigeria, especially the South East.
As the Chairman, Planning and Strategy Committee of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide since 2017, Soludo had initiated and started building CBN South East regional centre of excellence which cost over N7billion at the University of Nigeria Enugu campus union.
He built CBN branches at Awka, Asaba, Umuahia, Abakiliki, and completed the building at Enugu branch.
He established CBN’s N500 million Entrepreneurship Development Centre, Onitsha, managed by University of Nigeria, Nsukka and trained thousands of young entrepreneurs.
Soludo facilitated the inclusion in Federal budget the release of funds for several federal roads in the South East, including the Ekwulobia- Umunze- Ibinta road; Nnobi-Ekwulobia road.
Empowered many contractors from the South East
Over 66,000 jobs were created in the commercial banks due to Soludo’s banking revolution and thousands of them from the South East.
Under Soludo, CBN licensed over 1,000 microfinance banks and hundreds of them in Anambra/South East
Under Soludo, CBN issued licenses for Bureau de Change, and hundreds of them were from Anambra/South East
He is currently, Chairman: Anambra State 50 -Year -Development Plan (Anambra Vision 2070)
Soludo has always refused to advertise his charitable causes. According to him, he does not play politics with, nor need public advertisement for helping the poor. He insists that it is his own way of thanking God for His blessings. However, due to popular demand, some of them are listed below:
At age 20, and as undergraduate student, he organized extramural studies for secondary school students in Isuofia during the long vacation holidays and continued it for four years. At age 26, he started training not only his siblings but also others in secondary schools and university.
As secondary and university student,he was very active in Isuofia Students’ Union and not only played for its football team, but also served as its Secretary for several years
From year 2000, he instituted a scholarship scheme for his Umunna (kindred) that no person should fail to go to University because of financial constraints.
From 2001, Soludo became the Chairman of his village Education Trust Fund to which he was the highest donor, and which granted scholarships and bursaries to students in higher institutions;
About 10 years ago, he adopted a primary school in his village, Amoji Primary School, Isuofia to give all children there free and qualitative education. His objective is to give opportunity to the children of the poor the quality of education available to the rich in private schools. Everything is provided to the children and no parent is expected to contribute a penny, uniforms; footwear; games wear; all writing materials; all textbooks; furnished classrooms; employed additional graduate teachers; solar-powered computer laboratory with 40 computers; and other facilities. For years, there have been over 850 pupils per year, coming from over 12 neighbouring communities and 18 states of Nigeria as people from all over Nigeria living around Aguata took their children there to benefit from the qualitative but free education. It is arguably the best public sector primary school in the state. He also pays for facilities in other primary schools in Isuofia and especially pays salaries for the PTA teachers.
Scholarships/Bursaries and payment of SSCE and JAMB Fees
Every year, Soludo pays the fees for JAMB and SSCE for hundreds of secondary school students, and certainly for all students at the Holy Child Secondary School, Isuofia. Also, hundreds of graduates have benefited from his scholarships/bursaries.
For over 14 years, he instituted revolving interest-free micro credit fund with women organizations in the church parishes in Isuofia as well as others such as Umuada, etc amounting to tens of millions of Naira.
During the period he was CBN Governor, most of Igbo brothers and sisters got the opportunity to secure Bureau De Change licences
A revolving purchase of motorcycles for Okada riders until 49 motorcycles purchased and distributed to beneficiaries, free of charge.
N3 billion 120-bed Hospital Project were facilitated by Soludo.
In spite of the fact that those that pledged to contribute to the hospital project failed to do so, Soludo has mobilized funds to embark upon an even bigger project than originally envisaged.
He tarred some 4.5 kilometres of community road in Isuofia.
He convened and mobilised the entire citizens of Isuofia to resolve a 20 years old crisis and re-united Isuofia into one united and peaceful community in 2017.
On contribution to churches and evangelism, let’s leave this between him and God, but he has made immense contributions!
***Joe C Anatune, a media consultant, writes from Lagos.
