Following the November 8, 2025, Anambra election, the people of the state made an emphatic statement, declaring that there is no vacancy at the newly, well-built Agu Awka governor’s lodge. Prof. Charles Soludo and his All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)-led government clinched a whopping 72.4 per cent of the total votes cast in the election, winning 21 out of the 21 local government areas in the state. For most of the four years that the governor and his team administered the affairs of the state, Anambra has been relatively peaceful.
And looking at a mix of potent variables that could upset the relative calmness enjoyed by Soludo and his team, such as a deadly fight over ‘political structure,’ godfatherism, and all the other shenanigans that played out and continues to fester in some neighbouring states, one can convincingly say that Soludo is here to serve another four years as the executive governor of Anambra State as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic, unimpeded.
A cursory examination of the five pillars in his manifesto, which he sold to Anambra people while seeking for the office of governor, shows a well-structured and articulated plan to indeed transform this corner of Nigeria. But plans are one thing, implementation is another. We have seen people come with well-worded, reasonable but borrowed plans and they never succeeded. Others came with little or nothing and stayed out their tenure with little to show for it.
This time around, a change agent was hired by the Anambra people with his 5-Pillars or buckets of development plan. From what is happening in the state, it is clear that the plans were well thought out, not borrowed, not foisted. As his first four-year tenure is about to wrap up, a recap of his key milestones may be necessary at this juncture.
His first outing to Okpoko, a one-time modern-day slum on March 18, 2022, and the results that followed is an eye opener of where Anambra is heading. Since the Okpoko visit till now, Anambra has witnessed tremendous change. Up to 800km of quality roads founded on paved structural bases have been constructed in the last four years.
The dualization of major Trunk A roads in the state, namely, the AmawbiaAgulu-Ekwulobia road through Uga to Imo State, the Agulu-Nnewi to Okija that joins the federal highway to Owerri, the Ekwulobia-Oko-Ufuma- Umunze road that goes to Imo State and the 33-Aguleri road dualization to mention but a few are clear cases of re-engineering. These roads have hitherto been twoway, constrained width, thinly paved and asphalted carriageways inherited from the colonialists and patched over the years by successive governments.
The completed Amawbia-Agulu-Ekwulobia road is a complete transformation, having full width, a median strip which hosts the lightening medium, fully drained with gutters, with line markings and all other appurtenant elements obtainable in a modern road infrastructure. I incurred the wrath of other drivers in January, who verbally abused and cursed the hell out of me following a near miss to turn right into Awgbu junction coming from a social visit to Nanka. The abuses and near deafness from the blaring of horns for blocking the turn into Awgbu junction, notwithstanding, I will say ride on Mr. Governor.
Other than road infrastructure, the gains in the areas of security, health delivery, economic transformation, governance and human value system and the environments which are all components of the governor’s 5-Pillars of Development are evident across the state. By embarking on the rebuilding of Onitsha Main Market, the governor has banished the fear of fear by going to where no one has dared to think about. Mr. Governor’s urban development initiatives are revolutionising the state’s landscape.
The once touted emerging Awka 2.0 and Onitsha 2.0 as Soludo’s vision for remodeling Anambra’s two main urban centers into modern cities and destinations for commerce and innovation hubs are becoming realities. Likewise, the Anambra Mixed Use City (AMIC) is rising in Orumba. The AMIC combines industrial, residential and recreational spaces with a view to creating a vibrant community.
With the level of development witnessed in the last four years under Soludo’s watch, it is clear that the 5-Pillars of Development espoused by the governor recognizes that despite the swings in the governance of Nigeria, that this is not the time to step away from demonstrating credible economically driven progress for Ndi Anambra. As he starts his second tenure, the governor must ensure that the value driven efficiencies witnessed in his first four years and his mantra of making Anambra a liveable and prosperous homeland remain paramount objectives.
It may be pertinent to ask at this juncture whether we are there yet. Have we made it to the liveable and prosperous homeland dream of His Excellency? The fundamentals of a liveable space are centered on the widespread availability of goods and services, reducing to bare minimum the risk to individuals, both inhabitants and visitors alike and above all, effective infrastructure delivery. A Google search of the most liveable cities of the world throws up the likes of Vienna, Denmark, Melbourne and others among the top ten.
Even the lovely Brisbane City, where I have lived in the past 20 years does not make the top 10. With huge infrastructure deficit, the delivery of up to 800km of quality roads, several hospitals, urban regeneration as per Awka 2.0 and Onitsha 2.0, it still seems like nothing has happened as Nigeria and Anambra State inclusive is an unbuilt entity. Benchmarked on the criteria that threw up the names of the most liveable cities, it is too early to ask ‘are we there yet’ as we are still too far away from enjoying the standards obtained in the world’s most liveable cities.
But we must accept that a journey of a thousand miles starts with the very first little steps. My take on the governor’s mantra of a liveable and prosperous Anambra is anchored on the giant steps he has taken in the four years of his first tenure. The progress made by living and walking his 5-Pillars of Development, his commitment and focus is a testimony that he has not come to check boxes or reading political weathervanes. Mr. Oluatuegwu has indeed come to work, not fanfare.
As the second four-year tenure of Mr. Governor kicks off in the days ahead, to cement the gains of the last four years and leave an enduring legacy on which the dream of making Awka and Anambra the most preferred place to live, invest and work, the governor’s 5-Pillar development plan must remain the focus. A key focus once the governor assumes office should be cementing the gains made on stability and security.
It is absurd that criminal elements still parade sectors of the state’s bushes and engage in banditry, extortion and kidnapping. The governor must make it a cardinal objective to mop up remnants of these criminals in the forests around Ogbunka in Orumba South and Orsumoghu-Lilu axis in Ihiala. As long as these criminals remain, thereby making some sectors of the state no go areas, the gains made so far in pursuit of the liveable Anambra mantra will remain on tenterhooks.
These criminals must therefore be removed at all costs, so that every Anambrarian and visitors alike will be free to move around without fear of risk to life. Other areas of sustainable development that will help in answering a YES to the ‘are we there yet’ conundrum which must be pursued vigorously by the governor and his team include: A long-term sustainable potable water resource. The source must be guaranteed with quantities reasonably measurable. The use of one to two small to medium sized dams should be on the cards for a start.
The use of boreholes should be in the sphere of borehole field and not the current practice of individualised singular boreholes as a resource. The governor must quiz his advisers on the revamped water schemes across the state, including Awka, Onitsha, Obizi, Nnewi, Otuocha, Umunze and Okpoko as the impact of these on a larger scale and their sustainability are doubtful. Power supply being the engine of development must be given top priority.
If the state has not gone the way of Abia State by investing on independent power supply, then we are running late to the party. A gas turbine-based power resource that ensures a 24-hr power supply, targeting critical sectors of the state including the hospitals, institutions of higher learning, the centralized markets, new government estates like Green Valley and key government parastatals must be planned for.
It is often said that health is wealth, so livability must go hand in hand with clean environment. Till today, it appears that there are no systematic, well programmed waste management arrangements in the major cities like Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi and Ekwulobia. With thick clay deposits having permeabilities in the non-Darcian category which are known to occur along Isiagu, Mbaukwu and Awgbu axis, such areas could be targeted for developing waste transfer and landfill facilities.
The governor must also recognise that the gains made under his administration must be consolidated after his exit from office and as such a credible succession plan must be in the cards. With his re-dedication to service and renewed efforts in the four years ahead, his mantra of making Anambra the most preferred place to live, invest and work and not a departure lounge will in time be a reality, not a lofty dream.
