The erstwhile Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, represents the Igbo Spirit because of his determination to succeed, despite all odds, Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has said.
In a message to mark Prof. Soludo’s 61st birthday, Governor Willie Obiano said that Soludo has achieved so much despite losing his mother at the callow age of eight and having a father who was a mere driver in a local company.
“This is a typical Igbo story: a determination to not only succeed but also excel in different endeavours”, declared the governor in a statement given to journalists in Awka this afternoon by the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C. Don Adinuba.
On account of sheer brilliance, hard work and God’s grace, said the governor, Soludo became Nigeria’s most successful and revolutionary CBN governor, a full economics professor at 38 and author of several books, articles and conference papers across the globe.
Chief Obiano spoke at a low-key but impressive birthday ceremony for the former CBN governor at his Aguleri residence which had in attendance such persons as the Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Uche Okafor; Professor Soludo’s running mate on the APGA platform in the November 6, 2021 gubernatorial election in the state, Dr. Onyeka Ibezim; the chairman of the House of Assembly Committee on Budget, Hon. Obinna Emenaka among others.
Observed Chief Obiano: “For someone who attended a primary school in Isuofia, then a rustic town without basic amenities, and later High School in Uga, both in Aguata Local Government Area, it is an achievement of great proportions that he became the only African thinker and scholar chosen as a member of the United Nations Panel of Experts to Review the Global Financial System in the wake of the 2008 global recession”.
Chief Obiano remarked that Professor Soludo remains very humble in spite of his international achievements, recalling how he served as the returning officer at his village development union election after being the CBN governor.
Obiano praised Soludo for ever being home conscious.
“He brought a CBN branch to Awka, and as a result not only helped to develop our state capital but also saved our people the time and resources and risks of going to places like Benin and Enugu to bring cash to banks in the state.
“Yet, his reason for bringing the CBN branch to Anambra State was not nepotism. There are more bank branches in Onitsha than in most other cities in the country, but our state was neglected in siting CBN branches for unfathomable reasons”, he added.
The governor also praised Soludo for hiring a number of Anambra persons as CBN employees and consultants purely on merit.
In response, Prof. Soludo thanked Chief Obiano for making Anambra about the most competitive state in the country.
Referring to figures published by the National Bureau of Statistics, Soludo noted that Anambra has the lowest poverty index and the lowest unemployment rate in the whole country.
“As far as education, rate of rice development, immunization, security, the fight against COVID-19 and other areas are concerned, Anambra State has no serious rival”, he stated.
Soludo, who is the Chairman of the Anambra State 2070 Committee developing a strategic plan to make the state a fully developed economy by 2070, pledged to build, if elected in the November 6, 2021 poll, on the “great foundation for rapid progress built by Governor Obiano like the Anambra International Cargo and Passenger Airport, the Anambra International Conference Centre in Awka which is the biggest in Africa, the Awka City Stadium and the Agulu Lake Golden Tulip Hotel, all built without borrowing and without owing.”
Photo: APGA Governorship candidate in November 6, 2021 Anambra State Gubernatorial election and former Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo.
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