Saturday 25th September 2021, was a leap year day in Anambra state. It was the day APGA, the ruling party in the state formally flagged-off its governorship campaign for the formal CBN Governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo.
As expected for such occasion, speakers after speakers poured encomiums on the former CBN boss praising him to the highest heavens and flowerily defending how he was the best candidate for the top Anambra job. An APGA Member representing Ibi Constituency of Taraba state in the Federal House, Hon. Usman Danjuma Shaddi seemed to have captured the general mood among the speakers when he charmingly claimed that Soludo is overqualified for the governorship jo. In Shaddi’s words, “Soludo will make Anambra state the Paradise of Nigeria because he has all it takes to turn the entire country into the El Dorado that many have been waiting and praying for.”
However, among all the cascade of eulogies poured out in the occasion, one expression was particular outstanding and seemed to be what caught the attention of people and was carried as headlines by majority of the journalists who covered the occasion. The statement was made by the wife to the former vice-president, Chief Alex Ekwueme, who succinctly declared to the throbbing sea of supporters that “Soludo is the best of the bests”.
Why this can be declared, easily accepted and celebrated in the midst of APGA supporters; but come to think of it, in reality, is Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo really the best among the heavyweights contesting the 2021 Anambra governorship election? We can only find out by comparing the profile of the three frontrunners (Soludo, Uba and Uzigbo) in the oncoming election.
Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo
Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo was born on the 28th of July 1960. He hails from Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. On completing his secondary school education, he proceeded to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he studied Economics. He graduated with a first-class degree in 1984. Afterwards, he went on to obtain his Master’s degree (MSc) in Economics in 1987, and a doctorate (PhD) in Economics in 1989, from the same University graduating as the best student on all levels of his study.
In 1998, Charles Soludo became a professor of economics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and in 1999, he became a visiting professor at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, USA. Professor Charles Soludo was a lecturer in Oxford, Cambridge, and Warwick University. He lectured on multi-country macro-econometric modelling, techniques of computable general equilibrium modelling, survey methodology, and panel data econometrics, etc. Also, Charles Soludo has authored, co-edited, and co-authored about ten books.
Professor Charles Soludo joined the Nigerian government in 2003 as the Chief Economic Adviser to former President Obasanjo and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Planning Commission of Nigeria. In May 2004, he became the Chairman of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Also, he got an appointment from the Nigerian President – Mohammadu Buhari, to be part of the newly formed 8-member Economic Advisory Council (EAC) on the 16th of September 2019. Currently, Prof. Soludo is an economic consulter to various institutions in more than ten countries around the world, including the World Bank.
Soludo resigned from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on 17th of July 2013, after which he joined the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and is the party’s flag bearer in the forthcoming Nov. 6th, 2021, governorship election.
Dr. Emmanuel Nnamdi Uba (Andy Uba)
Andy Uba, a native of Uga in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State was born on December 14, 1958 in Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria. After his primary education, Andy attended Boys High School Awkunanaw, Enugu for his secondary education. After secondary education, he travelled oversea for his tertiary education. He particularly schooled at Concordia University Montreal, Canada, where he obtained his first degree in Geology in the year 1984. After his first degree, he worked for some time with Golden State Mutual Insurance of California between the years 1985 and 1992 before he engaged in further studies at California State University and later Buxton University where he obtained his PhD in Bio-sciences in the year 1996.
While in the US working, Andy participated in the electioneering process that brought Olusegun Obasanjo to power in the year 1999. When the election was finally won by the PDP, Andy was appointed Special Assistant on Special Duties and Domestic Affairs to President Olusegun Obasanjo. In the year 2007 he contested for and actually was declared winner of a gubernatorial election in Anambra State. However, a challenge of the election in court by Peter Obi had the entire process truncated, as the court held that there was no vacancy in the Anambra State Government House to warrant the election in the first place.
In April 2011, Andy Uba contested for and won election as PDP candidate for Anambra South Senatorial district. Uba again, in the year 2015 contested for and won election as PDP candidate for Anambra South Senatorial district for a second term in the senate. Andy joined APC in 2017 and is the flag bearer of the party for the Nov. 6th governorship election.
Valentine Chinetu Ozigbo
Valentine Ozigbo was born in Amesi, Aguata Anambra State on the 20th of August, 1970. He grew up there, and was enrolled in the town’s secondary school, Christ the Redeemer College, where he excelled academically and obtained his O-Levels.
Mr Ozigbo is a trained accountant, having graduated at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka between 1989 and 1993. He graduated with a First-Class degree (Honours), the best in his department and the entire faculty during that academic session. Two years after his first degree, Mr Ozigbo returned to the University of Nigeria to obtain a Master’s degree in Business Administration, with specialization in Banking and Finance, and he graduated in 1997. In 2003, he won a Chevening Scholarship to study Finance at UK’s Lancaster University, graduating in 2004 with a Distinction. He has also obtained professional qualifications from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (1998), the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (2000), and Institute of Credit Administration (2015).
Mr Valentine Ozigbo had at least 16 years of professional banking experience working in some of the biggest banks in Nigeria. He was Head of Commercial Banking at Diamond Bank Plc for five years between 1995 and 2000, before proceeding to United Bank for Africa where he worked for a year (from 2000 to 2001) as a Business Manager. Between 2001 and 2003, Mr Ozigbo was the Acting Regional Director of FSB International Bank. He later left this role and returned to United Bank for Africa in 2004, where he worked for four years as Head of International Banking. In 2008, he left United Bank for Africa for Keystone where he served as the General Manager of the bank’s Global Transaction operation.
In 2011, Mr Ozigbo delved into the hospitality business as the CEO of Transcorp Hotels Plc, the parent company of Transcorp Hilton, Abuja and Transcorp Hotels, Calabar. Managing an exotic hotel as prominent as Transcorp is understandably a major task but Mr Ozigbo seems to handle it well, judging from the numerous accolades he has received so far.
Meanwhile, it is important to note that Mr Ozigbo has accomplished quite a lot of other things during his time as CEO. While at Transcorp, Val developed five projects worth over $500 including two new hotels in Lagos and Port Harcourt as well as other retail facilities.
In 2018, Val retired as the CEO of Transcorp Hotels Plc. In 2021, he Picked the nomination form to run for Anambra state governorship under the PDP. In June 2021, Val was declared the winner of PDP’s primaries held in Awka Anambra state capital
Calling the Result.
A careful walk through these brief profiles presented above would reveals that the three candidates have very impressive and exceptional track records in their various fields of endeavours. One can say without fear of contradiction, that they are the very bests in Anambra state today. Ozigbo at the age of 50 has achieved in Nigeria what only few individual can think of achieving by global standard. Also, it is not every day that you get an Igbo man living in faraway America helping a Yoruba man to win a presidential election in Nigeria. Love him or hate him, what you cannot take away from Dr. Andy Uba is that he is a very smart and visionary politician. Soludo’s performance as the Governor of CBN shows his uncommon brilliance in economic and managerial matters. His connections with global financial institutions place him in the same class with the best global economists and investors.
To be candid, any of these three contestants going by their track records can comfortably rule Anambra state any day. However, looking at what Anambra state and the whole of Southeast want at the moment, Soludo takes the eagle’s feather among three. For a long time, experts have consistent said that Anambra state and the Southeast have a sea of developmental potentials lying untapped. What Anambra state needs at the moment is not just a man with Soludo’s inimitable economic brilliance and experience but a man with his international connection who can assemble the best of brains and investors that will help him unleash the untapped potentials of the state.
I actual like Ozigbo as a person and admire his brilliant achievement but I highly think this is not his time to rule Anambra; the crown fits Soludo better. Ozigbo is still a young man, he can give the governorship another shot after Soludo. Uba’s is my friend and brother, but I honestly feel his shrewdness and political tactics is far more useful for Ndi Anambra at the federal level than in Anambra local politics. I will vote for Uba, my brother any day he decides to run for president.
