Opinion

Crashing a Dream: The Genesis of Obi – Soludo war

Published

2 years ago

November 15, 2022

I returned to Anambra State in 2008 to meet a state and a people that were excited and upbeat. And they had every reason to be so happy. Anambra had two governors, in fact, those were the exact words of the master of ceremony at the first major function that I attended on my return at the All Saints Cathedral open arena, Onitsha. One was the governor of the state, Peter Obi who was then the rave of the moment having retrieved the mandate the people gave him in the 2003 election; the other was the governor of money, Charles Soludo, who was then the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. The function was a special ceremony organised by the CBN to encourage communities to set up microfinance banks to boost local economies.

Present at the ceremony were the two governors. Obi and Soludo walked side-by-side like twins in their sparkling suits to the admiration of everyone. In their mid-40s, they exuded energy, confidence and brilliance. The alumni of the University of Nigeria were so proud of the duo and they showed it all over venue in their badges and mufflers. The vice-chancellor of UNN then, Prof. Chinedu Nebo was even there.

The two governors spoke eloquently and gave high hopes to the audience. While Soludo spoke on how the banks consolidation he supervised insulated Nigerians from the then global economic meltdown, Obi urged the people to invest wisely in stocks for there would always be a reward, he being a beneficiary of portfolio investments.

A great platform to take off from had already been set by Obi’s predecessor, Chris Ngige, another UNN alumnus, whose solid road infrastructure projects had rekindled faith in Anambra people that something good could still come from government after a long time of the people fending for themselves through self-help projects.

That look of Soludo and Obi at Onitsha that day looked like the look of the future for Anambra State, that seemed to had done away with the politics of godfatherism and its unpleasantness in the state. It seemed the state had been freed from the old brigade and a new post-Independence elite had taken charge. Anambra people from all over the world began to identify with the development at home.

A few months later, the League of Anambra Professionals, LAP, hosted the two great sons of Anambra at Zodiac Hotel in Enugu. Soludo was rounding off his tenure as governor of the CBN and there was so much expectations of him, given his age, energy and success at the CBN. The two clinked glasses, toasted and shared jokes. They looked like a pair that would work for the greatness of Anambra State and chart a future for the state. But that party at Zodiac Hotel seemed to me to be their parting point.

After a few weeks, Soludo’s tenure as CBN governor tenure terminated and was not renewed. Obi, whose first tenure was ending on March 17, 2010 had kicked off his reelection plans. Many had expected Soludo to support Obi to go for a second term and perhaps enjoy a reciprocal gesture from Obi. But lo and behold Soludo, buoyed by the ratings he got from his CBN tenure, was eyeing Obi’s office. This threw bad blood between their camps.

Soludo’s entry into the race created a problem. The race would have been an easy walkover for Obi with other candidates. But with Soludo something had to happen for him to win. Soludo chose PDP, the ruling party at the federal level and indeed the largest party in the country and Anambra State as of then.

That was where the parting started. Nobody could explain how it happened. Obi smartly won the heart of President Goodluck Jonathan, who chose to ignore a crisis that erupted in the Anambra chapter of the PDP where Chris Uba fought Soludo to a standstill. Even though Soludo eventually won the ticket of the PDP, it took a last minute Supreme Court verdict to validate his candidacy.

Obi played a fast one by guaranteeing an APGA support for Jonathan in his reelection bid if Jonathan supported him in Awka. In return, Jonathan tacitly withdrew support for Soludo. It’s on record that Jonathan did not honour or send delegates to the flag-off of the campaigns of Soludo.

But many believed Soludo’s falling out of favour with Jonathan’s government, which had also denied him reappoinment as CBN was the handiwork of Prof Dora Akunyili, Jonathan’s Minister of Information. Akunyili, who was the aunt of Soludo’s wife, had a no love lost relationship with Soludo. She was said to have opposed his marriage to her niece over class differences.

That meant that PDP in Anambra State lost the federal might support a PDP federal government would have given it in the February 6, 2010 election.

Soludo lost in that election, coming third after Obi and Ngige of the Action Congress. He quietly went home without challenging the outcome of the election in court.

Soludo’s loss was celebration in Obi’s camp, which included Akunyili. It wasn’t long after that his mother-in-law, Dora’s elder sister died. When Dora went to the burial at Isuofia, Soludo’s boys destroyed her canopy and chased her away. She had to host her guests in her father’s compo at Nanka.

By the time Obi was rounding off his second tenure, Soludo had sneaked into APGA in the hope that Obi had forgotten the past. Soludo looked like the best candidate for the APGA ticket until the party primaries panel disqualified him and Willie Obiano was brought by Obi as the preferred Candidate. Again Soludo didn’t challenge his questionable disqualification.

He simply hung around until Obiano and Obi fell out, and jumped on the scene as the guardian angel of Obiano. When Obiano was finding it difficult to impress the people about why he deserved a second term, Soludo came up with his famous declaration, “If it is not broken, why mend it?”

Obiano’s second term reelection victory over Obi’s PDP candidate, Oseloka Obaze, was sweet revenge for Soludo, who literally replaced Victor Umeh as Obiano’s godfather. By the time Obiano was leaving in 2021, he literally handed over APGA ticket to Soludo, who defeated Obi’s candidate, Valentine Ozigbo.

After the last election, the two had been pretending to be brothers again until Soludo lashed out in a TV interview against Obi’s legacies in Anambra State. Not done yet with the controversies that interview was generating he came out with his last letter where he accused the Labour Party presidential hopeful as a pretender.

After 14 years, a friendship that had given hope for the transformation of Anambra State has crashed to smithereens.

Obe, a journalist lives in Port Harcourt, Rivers State

News

Abia Forensic Report: Governor Alex Otti should publish the report now

Published

2 weeks ago

May 2, 2024

Whirlwindnews

By John Okiyi Kalu

After former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s team busted the brazen lies about Abia Airport project with facts and documents, Governor Alex Otti is now making new false claims on bailout fund and Paris Club refund instead of publishing the forensic audit that allegedly found, among other things, that N10b was paid for a non existent Abia Airport project. He should bring it on because facts are still sacred.

The Independent Corrupt Practices Commisison (ICPC) and members of Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) applauded Dr Ikpeazu for managing those funds transparently. There are also banking and other documentary proof on the application of the funds. Leaders of organized labour in Abia State were actually members of the committee that recommended how the funds were shared and should be ready to give evidence if called upon. The ICPC report on the use/application of the bailout funds is available to all interested Nigerian.

In Ikpeazu’s time as Governor, he was not only bold enough to announce receipts of bailout/Paris Club refund and the figures to Abia public, he also had organized labor making recommendations, and actually supervised the disbursement

Governor Alex Otti, should be compelled to publish his so called forensic audit report now, and unbiased Nigerians along with the Ikpeazu team are still insisting he does that while others compile and publish their own report on Otti’s administration, from Signature Bank through Abia Cryptocurrencies to alleged contract inflations. This is now more important and urgent because excerpts from the recently released quarterly financial report published by the Otti administration showed entries such as over N3billion naira spent on “research & development”, billions of naira collected as “security votes” and other tears inducing entries.

If Governor Alex Otti ever proves that Dr Ikpeazu paid N10bn for any airport project, I will leave all social media platforms permanently. The simple proof is to follow the money and identify where it landed with airport project or airport contractor.

On my own, I will soon publish documents available to me to prove decisively that the proposed Abia airport project was canceled by the state executive council, I was a member of, on Friday, 13th of November 2020.

Let’s entrench transparency in Abia State rather than celebrate partisan witch hunt by a Governor who obviously is seeking to use the media and international platforms to smear his predecessor.

Meanwhile, Governor Alex Otti and his government should immediately restore all the archieved financial reports published from 2016 to 2023 by the Ikpeazu administration via the state website, abiastate.gov.ng. It is fraudulent to remove the public data and I wish to call on SFTAS, Federal Ministry of Finance, anti-corruption and data management agencies in Nigeria to rise up to this occasion and ask Governor Otti and his government why those documents were removed.

It is noteworthy that the Ikpeazu administration was the first ever in Abia State to publish quarterly and annual financial reports via newspapers and the state website.

Contrary to the earlier boasts of Governor Otti’s media minions, he is yet to publish the so called forensic report by “one of the top 3 audit firms in the world” for the auditees to respond publicly after being accused publicly in faraway USA. Why is he afraid of publishing a document he made copious public reference to in faraway United States of America if he is sure of his facts?

Nigerians also deserve to see that report as well as know how much was paid from Abia State account to the “reputable” auditors that dared prepare and release an audit report without seeking any response from the auditees.

Why is it taking so long to publish a report Governor Alex Otti claimed was with him and made public reference to? When will the world learn of the companies that allegedly collected billions of tax payers money from Abia State without doing any work? Why is the Governor and his government protecting the identity of supposed fraudulent companies but hastened to accuse his predecessor?

It is crass and unacceptable to employ the resources of a state to engage in media trial of your predecessor without offering documents you have publicly cited as evidence. Bring it on Governor Alex Otti, publish the audit document or at least go back to John Hopkins University and apologize to Dr Okezie Ikpeazu.

Abians deserve to know who collected N10bn for airport and did nothing. They also deserve to know the construction companies that allegedly collected tens of billions of naira from Ikpeazu administration and did nothing. We already know that as Governor Dr Ikpeazu did not sign any cheque and have made clear that the allegation of paying N10b for Airport project is false. So we are interested in finding out if there are people in his adminstration that did what Governor Otti alleged so that such people can be punished.

If Governor Alex Otti is afraid of naming supposed criminally complicit individuals and the contracting companies that received the money why did he make public allegations to smear the image of Nigeria and Abia State before the international community? It is my view that the Presidency and NGF should consider a strong public reprimand for Governor Otti to prevent future bitter Governors from rubbishing the country’s image abroad.

It is already more than one week since Governor Alex Otti made his spurious allegations in USA and Abians should not be distracted by any forensic “premium whisky” video released by his own team in USA from continuing to ask for the audit report until Otti makes it public. Governor Otti obviously has the highest media and publicity budget in the south east region, ostensibly for propagating bitter lies against his predecessor and others who are opposed to his make-believe style of governance, yet that should not be enough to allow him get away with needless economic sabotage against Nigeria.

Unfortunately, those who believe the allegations made by Governor Otti did so because they rightly expected a Governor not to lie so brazenly in public, but just like in the past, this forensic tale by moonlight will expose the real Otti after he must have published the report and his predecessor’s response is also made public. Dr Ikpeazu apparently does not have anything to hide hence his well documented demand that the audit report be made public for him to read and respond accordingly.

Governor Otti knows he has been boxed in, just like he was when he lied that Ikpeazu administration did not invest in Aba IPP of Geometric Company, because he can not deny that he told the world about N10bn being spent on an airport project in Abia State.

Mr Otti must also know that leadership is different from skit making and content creation for public applause as he obviously did with his artificial intelligence joke. He made a weighty allegation that impugned on someone’s hard-earned reputation, demarketed Nigeria at a global stage and the onus is on him to prove it, or at least, make the report public for those concerned to give an equally very public response with or without availability of “premium whisky.”

No matter how cheap talk is,Governor Otti should not use it to malign others. Abians are still waiting for the audit report!

Kalu (Nwandugbom JOK), was former Commissioner For Information, Trade & Investment, Abia State.

News

I am unable to say goodbye, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu – By Chekwas Okorie

Published

1 month ago

April 13, 2024

Whirlwindnews

It was about 41 years ago when I met Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, a brilliant, self-effacing, and consummate academic, when he was a member of the Board of Directors of Nigercem Nkalagu, now in Ebonyi State. Our friendship remained unbroken and waxed from strength to strength. I am deeply pained that I have to write a final farewell to my bosom friend at this time when there is so much more he still had to offer to a country he loved so much.

Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu was born on 1st December, 1951, to the family of His Royal Highness Late Eze David Aba Onu, Eze Adu of Uburu in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria. The academic brilliance of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu manifested very early when he obtained Grade One with Distinction in his West African School Certificate Examination at Izzi High School, Izzi, Ebonyi State. He went further to obtain distinctions in Physics and Chemistry at the Higher School Certificate Examination at the College of Immaculate Conception (CIC), Enugu graduating as the best overall student. In 1976, Dr. Onu graduated with a First Class Honors Degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Lagos (Unilag). He later obtained his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Chemical Engineering (without passing through a Masters degree program) at the prestigious University of California, Berkeley, California, USA, in 1980.

On returning to Nigeria, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu taught at the University of Port Harcourt as the pioneer Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering. On several occasions, he served as the acting Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, University of Port Harcourt. Dr. Onu was also elected as a member of the Governing Council of the University. Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu did not limit himself to acquiring high-grade certificates in academic institutions. He had time for extra-curricular activities where he excelled. His capabilities as a leader of his peers and others shone like a thousand stars. A few examples will suffice. While in the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Onu was president of the Nigerian Association of Northern California incorporated (Inc.). Back in Nigeria, Dr. Onu served as the President General of the Old Boys Association of his Alma Matar, Izzi High School, Izzi, Ebonyi State.

While in Port Harcourt, Dr. Onu became the President of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt. He was also the Chairman of the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers of old Rivers, Cross River and Akwa Ibom States’ Chapter. Dr. Onu was a pioneer National President of Raw Materials Society of Nigeria, which metamorphosed into the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) and Dr. Onu served as a member of the first Board of Governors of the Council.

Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu was the author of many books and garnered so many awards and Chieftaincy titles. Dr. Onu was an exemplary family man.

On the basis of my friendship with Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu spanning over 41 unbroken years, I wish to state that he was a quintessential gentleman, whose word was his bond. Any understanding reached with Dr. Onu was bankable. There was no difference between written and unwritten agreement as far as Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu was concerned. Dr. Onu’s integrity, sincerity and honesty were incomparable. His humility was disarming. Betrayal and inordinate ambition were vices that were alien to Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu’s persona.

May the Almighty God forgive him his shortcomings and admit his soul into His Heavenly Abode.

Adieu my friend.

Chief Dr. Chekwas Okorie.

Ojeozi Ndigbo 12/04/2024.

News

Okuama Killings: A governor’s sympathy cry

Published

1 month ago

April 8, 2024

Whirlwindnews

“It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience” – Julius Caesar

By Felix Ofou

On Friday, April 5, 2024, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor of Delta State, exposed what had been hidden in the deep recesses of his heart since the tragic killing of 17 soldiers and the sacking of the community allegedly by another contingent on reprisal attack in Okuama in Ughelli South Local Government Area of the state.

The opportunity came during a visit by the board of enquiry set up by the Military high command in the killing of the 17 soldiers on a fact finding mission to the state. The Governor received members of the panel led by Air Vice Marshal David Ajayi at the Government House in Warri during which he bared his emotions on the unfortunate incident.

Prior to that visit, Oborevwori had been wrongly accused of keeping mum and not doing enough to show sympathy to the victims on either side of the crisis. Not minding that the Governor has roundly condemned the killing and sued for peace, there were some people, albeit in the minority, who felt he should have shown greater sympathy.

This is in spite of several steps taken by the Delta State’s chief executive soon after news broke about what had happened in Okuama. First was the bold and courageous decision to visit the scene to assess what had happened and to determine how best to de-escalate the tension stemming from the killings. Next was the storming of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, to brief President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is the Commander-in-Chief, during which he promised to provide relief for those displaced as well as cooperate with the military high command to get to the bottom of the matter.

On the other hand, another school of thought alleged that the real issue that got the army peace mission involved in Okuama and Okoloba bordered more on the rampant bunkering and stealing of crude oil in the entire area. In the view of proponents of this view, the issue should not be swept under the carpet even as the hunt for the perpetrators of the gruesome killing continues.

But, Friday provided a rare opportunity for Oborevwori to let the world know how he truly felt about the tragedy. It was a no-holds barred moment for the Governor who spoke his mind in an unreserved manner; unrestrained like he has never done. He spoke about his pains as well as that of the state on account of the sad incident.

The Governor narrated how the state has managed the situation, promising that the State would do all it could to assist the Board on its assignment. Oborevwori further revealed that in an effort to honour the deceased officers and soldiers, he led a top level delegation of members of the State Security Council and members of the State Executive Council to attend the funeral of the slain officers and soldiers in Abuja.

While saying that a transparent investigation should be conducted to fish out the real culprits of the heinous crime, he said innocent citizens should not be made to suffer any further. “I am very happy for this meeting taking place here today in Warri. Most people who spoke about the issue did so out of ignorance because they lacked the true knowledge of the facts of what happened. Setting up this Board of Enquiry is a good one.

“In my MORE Agenda, we said we are going to ensure peace and security, and for the first time in a long while, we celebrated Christmas without any hitches and I must thank security agencies in the state for a job well done.

“In Delta State, there are two bodies we don’t play with – the Advisory and Peace Building Council and the Peace Building and Conflict Resolution Committee – because they are doing a lot to ensure enduring peace in the state.

“I told the Secretary to State Government to invite the Okuama/Okoloba people. l made it mandatory that the Chairmen of Ughelli South and Bomadi Local Government Councils should be in attendance. The members of the State House of Assembly representing the constituencies affected should also be in attendance and the Presidents-General of the communities.

“That meeting was held on the 7th of February and they signed a peace accord. So, we were not expecting anything negative when the military went there for a peace mission. In Delta State, we don’t encourage crisis. I want to assure you that whatever information you people want, we will give it to you and we will also come with our position paper to submit to you people before you leave.

“That will also guide you on the role that we have played as a state because if we don’t come with this position paper, you will not know the role that the state has played”, the Governor said.

Earlier, Chairman of the Board of Enquiry, Air Vice Marshal David Ajayi, said the Board was in the state to investigate the unfortunate incident that happened at Okuama.

He said: “We are here as a fact-finding mission and not to apportion blame. We are here to gather facts from security agencies, community leaders and community dwellers.

“This report will also help to ensure healthy communication that will enhance civil-military relationship and ensure that economic activities thrive again in the affected communities.”

He called on the Governor to assist the Board in its enquiry to ensure that relevant stakeholders were invited to the give account of what led to the crisis.

However, the Governor did not disclose his other pain: attempts by irredentists to hijack the process and introduce an ethnic colouration to the crisis by claiming that agents from Okoloba (neighbouring Ijaw community) allegedly recruited the slain soldiers to destroy Okuama (Urhobo community) which resulted in the said killings. The ethnic jingoist tried in vain to drag Oborevwori into their depraved plot.

As it turned out, the warlord, top on the wanted list of the military high command and said to have masterminded the killing of the soldiers in Okuama, is Ijaw with maternal link to the community. Those who tried to accuse the Governor of not defending Urhobo interests enough therefore failed woefully in their bid to input ethnic motive in Oborevwori’s actions.

But, it must be pointed out that a crisis like what happened in Okuama, is bound to affect the relative peace in the zone as well as the economic fortunes of the state. That, undoubtedly, the Governor is bound to be concerned about, the burden of which he bears with equanimity and uncommon humility.

Yet, like Caesar, Oborevwori has borne his pain with patience, never complaining, nor betraying any sign of panic. Instead, he has provided leadership and stability necessary to sustain peace and progress in the state. The days ahead will definitely be kind to him. History is definitely on the side of the Governor.

*Ofou is Executive Assistant on New Media to the Delta State Governor