Awards come in various shapes and colours  in Nigeria. Some are rightly earned, some are bargained, while others are thrust on recipients as appreciative gestures.  Last Saturday, Lagos thundered  with applause as the SUN Publishing Limited crowned  Governor Chukwuma  Soludo, “Governor of the Year”, a well-earned laurel carved from his meritorious performance. The SUN editors, sleuths with sharp eyes, scoured Anambra and found undeniable evidence including  over four hundred and twenty kilometers  of roads paved, flyovers including  the one in Ekwulobia hugging the sky, sixty-eight kilometers  of federal highways dualized, all without a borrowed a penny. Awka’s Government House, that has remained a mirage for  thirty-four years is  now  a reality; while water is now  gushing  in Onitsha, Nnewi, and Awka, which is  a lifeline intervention.

The SUN’s hawk eyes also caught  Okpoko, once Nigeria’s grimmest slum, now dubbed “New Haven” with fifteen kilometer of roads, lights and a hospital, has become a modern city rising from decadence. Urban regeneration electrifies Onitsha and Awka, while in fiscal discipline, Anambra is in top-five BudgIT ranking.

Governor Soludo’s fifty-Year Plan and the People’s manifesto are  turning lean resources into remarkable achievements.  His refusal to borrow, despite a one hundred billion naira approval by the State House of Assembly has confirmed his strict fiscal discipline. The editors saw a state reborn, and they affirmed that the Governor  deserved the award .

But Governor Soludo is no stranger to recognition. As CBN Governor, he saved  sixty-three billion dollars  in reserves and earned triple  “Best Central Bank Governor” titles from Financial Times and Euromoney.  “Man of the Year”  in six Nigerian papers in 2006; followed by  a CFR honour . With one hundred and fifty-two awards trailing him, he is a comet of acclaim. Now, Anambra chants “The Solution Is Here,” and Saturday’s award ceremony proved it which is a tribute to a leader who has made infrastructure a war cry.

On Saturday, as Lagos lifted  Governor Soludo high in the limelight of rousing applause, Nigeria saw what Anambra already knows. The Solution mantra is a master sculptor’s tool chiseling Anambra into a masterpiece. The SUN garland is neither charity nor flattery; it is a merited recognition of good governance delivered excellently.

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