One of the impressive milestones of Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s government will be changing the narrative at community levels. For a state such as Anambra where community level governance is built to be as strong as the fourth arm of government, any government that comes into power must recognize its importance to not only reach the people with dividends of democracy but as well to generally succeed, receive positive perception and be legitimized by the people.
Successive administrations in the state have maximized this power to deliver highlevel cooperation and buyins into their policies while harnessing the community level governance to advance security of life and property. Whereas the Peter Obi administration supported local security with funds and logistics that were controlled by the traditional rulers and presidents general, the Willie Obiano administration took an indirect social welfarist approach to ensure stability at the community level. Communities, through the Community Choose your project Initiative, initiated, owned, and delivered projects of needs particular to the community while using one hundred percent community effort, material sourcing and human resources. However, despite the success of these two, leadership bickerings in town union elections and Igweship tussles remained their undoings and drastically made it difficult to implement basic government policies.
As some communities raged in leadership tussles that took their tolls, several analysts wondered at the strategy any new administration in the state would take to address some of these crises, embed peace and sustain security in such communities. But, upon closer look, one could have seen what would become and what is today Professor Chukwuma Soludo’s approach. The spotlight was shone on it on August 14, 2021 when he received the title “Dikeudo Isuofia”. The choice of the title “Dikeudo” was not for lack of names or mere coincidence but symbolical considering the roles he played in resolving the community crisis in Isuofia community that lasted well over twenty years.
In 2017, Professor Soludo led well meaning members of his community to convene the Isuofia/Isuanaoma Peace Summit which resolved the age long crisis that split the community. At the summit, he was reported to have said, “If there is anybody who feels offended that needs me to kneel down for him, I will do that. I believe we will do better if we stay under one united Isuofia town as we used to be, before the crisis that split us into Isuofia and Isuanaoma communities.” This, among other steps he took with the 22-man committee selected at the summit led to the unification and return of peace to the community today.
This gives credence to his choice on assumption of office as Governor of Anambra State to ensure that peace returned to many comminities in the state. He identified different forms of crisis and took several steps for them to be resolved so that development and progress would be made. Governor Soludo insisted and suspended for sometime all attempts to conduct elections to fill in vacancies in traditional rulership stools and town union executives until all parties were brought to the table and all issues of conflict were resolved. Today, through the state Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, several crises in a good number of communities have been resolved and elections conducted peacefully without any form of rancour. Election results are accepted by all parties involved and the communities forge ahead in unity to build their collective common wealth. In other communities, conciliatory moves and reconciliations are taking place.
If he is “Dikeudo” Isuofia, why wouldn’t he be “Dikeudo” Anambra?
Also notably is the decision to not only continue with the Community Choose your project initiative but to even review the facility upwards to give communities funding to the tune of twenty-five million naira to implement an infrastructural project of choice. This is apart from the strong involvement of communities in the state government’s regenerative agricultural policies designed to influence positive changes in the agricultural value chains and boost the state economy from the non-oil sector.
Governor Soludo’s model in local governance is well thought out to strengthen stronger participation at community levels by resolving existing conflicts and ensuring that development is entrenched. We also sing it, “ebe ịhụnanya dị, ebe ahụ k’udo n’oganiru na adi!”
WRITTEN BY DAVID OKPOKWASILI
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