History was made on Thursday last week as an APGA administration handed over to another APGA government, this time, under Professor Chukwuma Soludo, CFR, and Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim of the All Progressives Grand Alliance. No doubt, God ordained it and we assure Ndi Anambra that the APGA government will continue to work hard every day to make them proud.

We pay special tributes to hundreds of thousands of our friends and supporters who worked tirelessly to see us to this moment. APGA thanks in a special way the out-gone governor of Anambra, Chief Willie Obiano, for being an honourable gentleman and leader. Our national Chairman, Ozonkpu (Dr) Victor Ike Oye is equally commended as well as all our party members, especially the members of the Board of Trustees (BOT), National Executive Committee (NEC), State, LG and Ward Excos, Campaign Committees at all levels, etcetera, for the massive support.

APGA is also grateful to all the stakeholders of the Anambra Project—the clergy and the church, traditional rulers, the media, Association of Anambra Town Unions (ASATU),  labour, market, trade and professional unions, youth and women organizations, non-indigenes associations, businessmen and captains of industry, the Diaspora community, persons with disabilities. For sure, APGA will never let them down.

Admittedly, the All Progressives Grand Alliance is a nostalgic rebirth of the grand alliance of progressives in the First Republic, comprising Azikiwe’s NCNC, Awolowo’s AG, Joseph Tarka’s United Middle Belt Congress, Aminu Kano’s Northern Elements Progressive Union NEPU, etc. As the first true progressive party in Nigeria, our ideology is a combination of Zik’s neo welfarism, Awolowo’s scientific socialism, and Aminu Kano’s democratic humanism, to form what we see as the Pan African market progressivism.

Graciously, Governor Soludo has promised that as a Pan Africanist ideology that integrates the social democratic values with the principles of competitive markets, Anambra under APGA will mirror the ideology.

According to Soludo, Anambra will seek active collaboration and cooperation with the Federal Government, our neighbouring and other states as well as the international community to provide the state truly people-centred governance. Under Soludo, APGA will consolidate the progress made under successive governments to continue Anambra’s upward trajectory.

There is no doubt that hopes and expectations rise up to the heavens. We equally see and feel all the humungous challenges. We also know the lean financial base of the state and the limitations imposed upon a subnational state such as Anambra by the peculiar structure of our federation. However, APGA feels your pulse and for sure, the governor has assured he would make Ndi Anambra and the state proud, which he has started. The APGA government will deploy every kobo of people’s tax money to provide them maximum value.

APGA assures Ndi Anambra that Professor Chukwuma Soludo comes to this job prepared to serve you. For 12 years since 2009 when he first indicated interest to serve Ndi Anambra, he persevered through the turbulent politics and here we are. Once again, APGA presents to you the Soludo Solution—our contract with the people which we intend to vigorously implement, subject to resource availability.

The governor’s contract with Ndi Anambra derives from three seminal documents: (a) “Anambra Vision 2070-a 50-Year Development Plan” which Soludo chaired the drafting; (b) “The Soludo Solution: A People’s Manifesto for a Greater Anambra”; and (c) “The Transition Committee Report”-which built upon the first two.

In sum, this is an agenda for an itinerant tribe in search of a livable and prosperous homeland. Driven by the philosophy of One Anambra, One People, One Agenda, our goal is to build Anambra into a livable and prosperous smart megacity. We aim to transit beyond petroleum into the digital world of the 4th Industrial Revolution, and envision Anambra as an industrial, technology, and leisure/entertainment hub of West Africa.

Governor Soludo’s detailed Plan rests on five key pillars: law and order (which translates to homeland peace and security); economic transformation as Nigeria’s next axis of industrial-tech and leisure; competitive and progressive social agenda (involving education, health, youth, women and vulnerable groups); Governance, rule of law and a rebirth of our value system; and aggressively tackling our existential threat posed by the environment. This will ensure a clean, green, planned and sustainable cities, communities, and markets.

Soludo says he is here to build a society where he would be proud to live in after leaving office.  History beckons. Seize this moment Ndi Anambra, and together, let us make it count.  Anambra: the Light of the Nation shines!

WRITTEN BY SIR NOBERT OBI

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