We trust Tinubu to make a major difference in S/East – Soludo

2026-03-17 - 17:45

By Vincent Ujumadu Anambra State governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo has described President Bola Tinubu as a cerebral, courageous, and a patriotic Nigerian, saying that the people of the South East trust him to make a major difference to the zone. Speaking after taking oath of office to commence his secure tenure in Awka, Soludo thanked the president for the ongoing federal projects in the Southeast, especially the Enugu-Onitsha expressway and the adjunct to the 2nd Niger Bridge. “During his state visit to Anambra on May 8, 2025, I requested, among other things, for Anambra/Southeast to be included in the national gas and rail master plans, as well as dredging of River Niger for the Onitsha River port to be operational and he approved. We expect the agencies involved to deliver”, he said. He, however, observed that the South East region is performing far below its potential, adding that this must change for the sake of the future of the region and the generations to come. According to him, several years of self-inflicted but devastating war of attrition, together with the complicit silence of the graveyard threatened to create a desolate homeland, setting the wheel of development several decades back. He commend the commitment and vision of the current governors in the Southeast, stating that he was convinced that together, the people can achieve greatness. “Igboland needs healing. We need a new language, a new narrative and a different approach. First, let me repeat what I stated in my Inaugural address four years ago: “With Ohanaeze’s estimate that some 11.6 million Igbos live in the North and over 7 million in Lagos state and over 70% of our non-land assets scattered all over Nigeria and the world, we need Nigeria and Nigeria needs us. We need Africa and the world and they need us”. “We must boldly assert our rights as equal citizens of Nigeria, and there are better ways to agitate for equity and fairness in a democracy. Armed struggle in our context is self-annihilating. “We must, without apologies, state that never again will we turn the gun on ourselves in the name of agitation. Out of our experience with the civil war and the recent experiences, Igbos may need a date with history—a day of justice and healing: justice for all the victims of the acts of commission and omission, and healing of the land— with eternal lessons to teach our children! “Ndigbo must play the Pan-Nigeria politics of coalition for development. Let us join hands with like-minds across Nigeria to agitate for a fairer Nigeria where everyone has equal chance to succeed irrespective of his language, dialect, region or religion, a restructured and dynamic federation. “Ndigbo need to maximize benefits from Nigeria to transform the homeland. But we cannot do so by remaining on the sidelines as social critics and agitators. In a democracy no one gets what one deserves.” “You get what you bargain for— . One obvious way for us to matter and be taken seriously is the strength of our organization and votes. I pray that Ndigbo will never waste their votes again.” “We need to organize and lobby the rest of Nigeria to live out Nigeria’s promise to the Southeast and the former Eastern Region after the civil war for massive reconstruction.”