Soludo Inaugurated for Second Term, Shettima Hails Gov’s Contributions to Nation Building

• Gov: Anambra back to winning ways 

•Obasanjo, Jonathan, Anyaoku, Ngige, Ooni of Ife, others present

Deji Elumoye in Abuja and David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

The Anambra State governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, yesterday took the oaths of allegiance and office as he was sworn in for a second term at the Dr Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka in the presence of guests comprising prominent Nigerians from within and outside the state.

Soludo arrived the venue of the swearing in ceremony in the company of top dignitaries, including Vice President Kashim Shettima, former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, among others, all of who witnessed his inauguration.

The event was also attended by elder statesmen, like former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, and prominent traditional ruler, Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

Soludo took the oath of allegiance at 11:50am and proceeded to the oath of office, which took about five minutes.

He was accompanied by his wife, Dr Nonye Soludo, who stood beside her husband as he took both oaths. He quickly proceeded to sign the oaths in the presence of Chief Judge of Anambra State at 11:55am amid applause.

The event marked the beginning of a four-year journey that would terminate in 2030.

Shettima hailed Soludo’s contributions to nation-building, saying he has helped in fostering unity and strengthening the nation’s political, economic, and social institutions with his practical commentaries on the state of the nation.

He described Soludo as a man of ideas and honour who, despite coming into office at a time many politicians had started mortgaging integrity for relevance, and sowing seeds of discord, had remained committed to national growth and development.

Shettima spoke on Tuesday when he represented President Bola Tinubu at the inauguration and swearing-in of Soludo and his deputy, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, for a second term in Awka, the Anambra State capital.

The vice president said Tinubu’s policies had benefited immensely from Soludo’s constructive advice.

According to him, “The policies of His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, have benefited from the candour, specialist insight, and patriotic counsel of this distinguished economist, this restless thinker, this public intellectual of uncommon range, both in open fora and in private conversations. And that is how it should be.

“That is what it means to be in the business of nation-building. It means placing the welfare of the federation above the vanity of partisan fences. It means understanding that Nigeria is too precious a vessel to be abandoned to the storms simply because the rowers wear different colours.”

Observing that Soludo’s convictions transcended seminar halls, the vice president said the governor was “a reminder that leadership can unify without shouting, persuade without humiliating, and stand firm without surrendering its soul,” especially in a season of needless divisions.

He added, “It is, therefore, no surprise that his people have welcomed him again and entrusted him with another term to hold the rudder of this great state and guide it farther into safe and prosperous waters.”

Shettima declared that “the people of Anambra are today renewing not just a mandate, but a covenant with competence.

“And as Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim takes this oath once again beside him, the state is also affirming that leadership is not only about the brilliance of the man at the top, but also about the steadiness, loyalty, and discipline of those who help translate vision into order, and order into progress”.

Shettima identified some of the lessons learnt from Soludo, including “that differences in political parties need not be invitations to hostility” but opportunities for collaboration.

“Professor has shown, too, that it is possible to see beyond the dangerous shenanigans that so often pass for politics in our clime, and to keep faith with the higher calling of public life,” he said.

On the governor’s “practical commentaries on the state of the nation,” the vice president stated that whether on the economy or political matters, they “have become such permanent tenants in the media space that, once the professor clears his throat, half the country reaches for a pen and the other half braces for impact”.

He pointed out that Soludo’s maturity of purpose had nurtured a “cordial and productive relationship between Anambra State and the Federal Government.”

Shettima said the outcome had been a stability of engagement that had allowed the governor “to demonstrate that he came not to be consumed by the old habits of power, but to prove that genuine change is possible in a land where many others only gamed the language of change”.

Under Soludo’s watch, according to Shettima, deliberate effort had been made “to restore order to public life, strengthen security, and confront the criminality that had cast a shadow over parts of the state”.

He expressed confidence that Soludo’s second term would be a return to consolidation and building higher on foundations already tested.

Shettima assured that the “Federal Government remains committed to partnering with states led by men and women who understand that the ultimate meaning of power is the improvement of human life.”

Soludo, in his acceptance speech, gave a rundown of his tenure so far, and declared that his first four years was for foundation laying, and state had returned to winning ways.

He said the foundation for infrastructure, tackling insecurity, and also chasing away ritualists and other native doctors who encouraged wealth without enterprise, had been laid.

He said, “Four years ago we were sworn in and we started working immediately in Okpoko; the largest urban slum in Nigeria. We made a solemn promise then to make you proud.

“Barely three years in office we have delivered over 90 percent of our manifesto. Many of the projects we delivered including Ekwulobia flyover, the new government house were not in our manifesto. We are happy that it was Anambra people that started confessing and proclaiming us as ‘Oluatuegwu’, meaning – the man who does not fear work.

“We are here at the refurbished and expanded Dr Alex Ekwueme Square not just for swearing in but to celebrate you who made it possible. We will never take your support for granted.

“I extend a hand of fellowship to my fellow contestants. Politics is over and it is time for governance and we must enjoin all to join hands to build a better Anambra. I shall continue to be governor of all.”

Soludo stated that his first four years was dedicated to tackling insecurity, urban regeneration, breaking the jinx of not having a befitting Government House in the state. He added that he had also invested in building leisure and entertainment centres to make the state liveable.

Soludo stated, “Suffice it to say that Anambra is now back to winning ways. 64 criminal camps have been dismantled and the debilitating Monday sit at home is over. Traders have returned to market and civil servants are back to work.

“Over the next four years, we are changing to gear four for the prosperity of the generation yet unborn.”

Speaking on the 2027 presidential poll, Soludo said he would be happy to see an Igbo man in the country’s seat of power, but insisted that the timing wasn’t right. He extolled Tinubu, describing him as cerebral, while calling on Ndigbo not to waste their votes on anyone else.

Dignitaries who attended the inauguration included Obasanjo; Jonathan; Anyaoku; former Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chris Ngige; Deputy Governors of Delta, Kaduna, Enugu and Abia States, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, among others.