But for the gibberish written by Soludo’s media aide and Publicity Secretary of the defunct All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) this piece would have been unnecessary. This much is the truth. For once I am content to take the same view as majority of ndi Anambra in calling Soludo’s government desperate. This may seem rash, but there is no better assessment of a government that has become unnecessarily paranoid about its citizens.

It may be difficult to appreciate a media team that is serving a government that pollutes itself with every unlawful indulgence. Such team is prone to avoidable mistakes and risks being made the fall guy and sacked with ignominy. Already the axe of sacking (and redeploying after sack) is fiercely dangling in the governor’s hand, waiting to consolidate the embarrassing sack (and redeployment after sack) of the manager of the State Radio and the Information Commissioner. Any aide therefore that does not bear good fruits is sacked and “redeployed” to the street to have a feel of unemployment. With this the aides, especially those in the media have no choice, but to insult and tell lies at will. This media aide had once insulted the charismatic priest of the Adoration Ministry, Uke, Reverend Father Emmanuel Obimma and Dr. Sam Amadi, former chairman of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) who incidentally is from the same community with him.

He claims Soludo is prudent and fiscally transparent. He probably is because he pays peanuts to his appointees and wears akwete. But ndi Anambra know better and can point at his bag man even in the dark. It is sad when a government thinks its citizens are daft and incapable of seeing through its veneer of deception.

On inception, Soludo who, by the way, thinks he is more intelligent than every Anambra person, said he will establish a portal where the state’s inflows and outflows will be accessed. He has yet to do that two years into his administration and like the deceptions of his government writ large he has continued to create the impression that the state is in dire straits. He micromanages everything, including security, leading to the parlous state of affairs existing in our dear Anambra. The precarious life in the state was last witnessed during the Mbadinuju era – if not worse- which made that government to seek recourse to obnoxious method of crime-fighting in the state. No governments before this time has been as lax in security as Soludo’s to the point that people are abducted and killed at will. Life is not worth much in the state any more. It is clear even to those who work in his government that Soludo does not know what happens around him and needs a lot of help. His pretenses to the contrary notwithstanding, the odds are stacked against him. It would not have mattered the overwhelming odds he faces if his actions and inactions do not affect the people. But the “omniscient” economics teacher who feels the only way to enforce tax collection in the state is by empaneling an amorphous group of tax men known as SASA to go about breaking citizen’s shins, skulls etc must be told that ndi Anambra are only tolerating him.

He may decide to promise wage increment because of the coming elections, but that in itself is not enough to guarantee him anything, and not enough to assuage the pains he has exposed the people to. His media aide may be blind to this (after all the young man has been over the moon and fawning on the administration), but ndi Anambra have been in regrets since his government. SASA harassment and abuse coupled with insecurity have forced ndi Anambra to wonder aloud if this was the Dubai-Taiwan Soludo promised them during campaign. The violation of the Anambra State Civil Service rules by appointing junior officers to head their superiors has kept the state workforce in disarray. The haranguing of members of the state Executive Council members and talking down on them has forced almost all of them to complain bitterly. The shabby treatment of his sponsors, politicians, the church, journalists on whose back he rode to power has continued to cause some disquiet. All of these and more are enough warnings that the Soludo government has lost enormous goodwill and is only struggling.

His stripling of an aide may decide to write insulting pieces from now till tomorrow, but it does not change the fact that Soludo’s government is drowning.

Emeka Oramali

The President of Osisioma Foundation, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, has expressed dismay at the mixed reactions trailing the recent Edo State governorship election, saying that the observations and outcome of the poll underscored his advice to Mr. Peter Obi.

He disclosed that as a long time friend and senior brother, he had been urging the 2023 Presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) to channel his creative energies to other interests, especially to his concern for the wellbeing of young people, and the overall interest of his immediate constituency instead of continued involvement in Nigeria’s putrid politics.
Obidigbo said he was surprised to hear some commentators chiding Obi for supporting Olumide Akpata, who was accused of breaching the zoning arrangement in Edo State, not minding the democratic inclination of the former LP presidential candidate.
In a statement issued yesterday, the elder statesman regretted that the Nigeria system has been skewed against people like Mr. Peter Obi who will always on doing this the right way adding that the Igbo are usually frustrated by the Nigerian system that upholds double standards and conspiracy.
He wondered why those that criticized Obi for supporting Akpata did not find their voice in 2023 when it was obvious that the power rotation favoured the Southeast.
“Nigerians should have come together to insist in all the major political parties that it was the turn of the Southeast to produce the President. The politicians were not prepared to repeat the 1999 standard that threw up all presidential candidates from the Southwest.
With all the antics of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and the Judiciary the question Nigerians will resolve in 2027 is whether the country’s democracy will continue without an Igbo person at the pinnacle of leadership.
“Northeast is having another four years after previous eight as Vice President. Northwest has had eleven years as President and three years as vice president. Southwest is on another four years after cumulative sixteen years as president and vice president respectively.
“If Nigeria has become a rogue nation that has no respect for the rule of law, fairness and equity, now would be time to review the union. How can there be democracy without respect for the rule of law? When injustice is perpetrated against the Igbo everybody keeps quiet, including the Igbo social political elites”, he stated.
Obidigbo declared that the insult and denigration of Igbo in Nigeria has attained an unbearable turn and it is time for all Igbo to begin to give serious thoughts about this systematic exclusion.
He lamented that politicians from Southeast have been frightened so much so that none of them is bold enough to speak out about the growing injustice and maltreatment of the Igbo in the Nigeria project.
“These Igbo politicians have become mere breadwinners. They are not representing anybody except their bellies and narrow political interest. Look at the case of Nnamdi Kanu, he has been jailed through the backdoor just for speaking up against the growing injustice with serious mistreatment against his people.
“If things are done properly in this country with equity and justice for all, and Ndi Igbo not visited with hate and gang up, Kanu would not be agitating. His quest for referendum is because Nigeria has mindlessly been rubbing salt into the Igbo injury for the past 64 years and counting. The Igbo social political elites are not doing enough to provide adequate representation and protection for their people in a country that does not respect its own laws but then one day, circumstances of life will force them to remember Mama Peace professy that “there is God ooo”, he queried.
The Osisioma Foundation boss said the outcome of the Edo State governorship was a veiled message to Mr. Peter Obi that Nigeria is not yet ready for his kind of politics of nation building, stressing that the nation is doomed when politicians feel no qualms to bribe, conspire, steal elections, and run with results.
He stated: “So, as a friend of Peter Obi for very many years, I urge him to stop further efforts of trying to improve Nigeria’s leadership recruitment process because he is too decent for the kind of duplicity being played in Nigeria. He doesn’t belong there.
“My take is that Peter Obi should channel his vast energy and wide acceptance towards the liberation of his suffering people, rather than waste them on an ungrateful and unreasonably antagonistic people. Enough of these pretenses, Obi has too much to offer to a system that is so lucked in filth.”
While lamenting that the off cycle election in Edo State showed that Nigerians are yet to come to terms with the crucial issues that underpin good governance and responsible leadership, Obidigbo remarked that the system has been skewed against those who insist on doing things the right way and he does not see any change in the near future.
He declared that every political move after the 2023 general election tends to expose a subtle plot against Mr. Obi adding that each balloting opportunity leaves the ugly impression that democracy was deteriorating from bad to worse in Nigeria.
“Nigeria is turning itself into a laughing stock to other African countries that once looked up to this country as a ready example of democratic success. Barely 16 months after the last general election, irregularities like official manipulation, voter suppression, ballot trading and intimidation have continued to feature as the standard operating manual of electoral process.
“It is most painful that both the All Progressives (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have refused to drop the inclination towards impunity, but chose to progress in error. By indulging in all antics aimed at power grab, it is not surprising that corruption must continue to flourish, with no end insight.
“Reports from many credible and highly respected Election Monitoring organisations, including YIAGA Africa and the Situation Room observed that various forms of electoral malfeasance, especially irregular collation, vote buying and vote heist defined the outcome of the Edo election yet APC National Chairman has boasted that the success of Edo election will be repeated in Anambra and Ondo States.
“With this flawed process, it is mindboggling that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refused to make use of the humongous powers granted it by the establishment laws. Rather, some officials of the Commission see election as golden opportunity to gang up with powers that be for primitive acquisition.”
Obidigbo remarked that INEC’s indifference and collusion have combined to enable politicians to impose themselves on the people through crooked means, lamenting that the lawlessness and desperation of political office seekers are setting the wrong examples for the young Nigerians.
He stated: “How can these crop of leaders that get into political positions serve as role models for the youths the acclaimed leaders of our tomorrow? It is becoming a tradition that nobody now wants to do things the right way or follow due process in the quest for public office.
“This is why I urged my junior brother Mr. Peter Obi to leave the stage and stop trying to show what leadership by examples should be because the people are not yet ready for it. The former Anambra State governor has shown that he is too pure and clean for Nigeria. Corruption, lying and cheating have become a way of life for Nigerians such that whoever tries to parade integrity and modesty is looked at as stranger and intruder.”
The elder statesman reiterated that the Edo State election was programmed to serve a higher, but ignoble purpose, stating that the plan was to demoralize genuine voters from participating in elections as well as create the impression that leaders can only emerge through hook and crook.
“But, on the flipside, I think these deplorable electoral practices would help to mobilise Nigerians of good conscience to get ready to make 2027 impossible for INEC and desperate politicians to trample on the inalienable rights of the people.
“This rape of the people’s fundamental rights should stop or Nigerians will redefine the country’s democracy. Experience has shown that whenever security agencies are mobilized for elections, those at the helm try to take advantage of command and control structure in the military hierarchy to carry out their parochial intentions.
“And, with the judiciary dancing to the tunes of the executives or the highest bidders as well, this dangerous trajectory may justify the saying that when constitution fails, compulsion and confusion follows.”

The Abia government announced that it will begin implementing the new minimum wage in October.

Commissioner for Information Okey Kanu shared this update on Tuesday during a briefing about the recent State Executive Council meeting at the Government House in Umuahia.

“Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Abia government will initiate the payment of the minimum wage to its workers starting in October. This initiative will enhance the welfare of Abia workers and fulfill Governor Alex Otti’s promise to the citizens,” he stated.

Mr. Kanu also noted that the minimum wage payments would apply to all categories of workers.

Additionally, he revealed that the state government plans to construct court halls in all 17 local government areas (LGAs) of Abia, a project aimed at improving the timely delivery of justice in the state.

The commissioner announced that on October 2, the governor will commission the pilot road under the RAMP project in Isiala Ngwa South LGA, a road that connects Isiala Ngwa South and Obingwa LGAs

Furthermore, Mr. Kanu mentioned that the governor will soon host members of Nigeria’s Paralympic team from Abia, who distinguished themselves at the last Paralympics. Among those to be honored are gold medalist Onyinyechi Mark and silver medalist Esther Nwogu.

He also highlighted that the governor’s wife, Priscilla Otti, would kick off the enrollment of children, women, and elderly individuals into the Abia State Health Insurance Scheme on Wednesday. This event will take place in Ugwunagbo LGA, alongside a medical outreach for the community.