By Amanze Obi
I had thought that I would give you a little more time before inquiring into your stewardship as the governor of Anambra State. But your recent outburst about the Peter Obi presidential bid has dragged me out earlier than I wanted.
When your long quest for the
governorship of Anambra State materialized in November, 2021, I was elated. I
felt happy for you, for Anambra State and for Nigeria. I was particularly happy
that the intellectual community to which I belong has got a breather through
your emergence as governor.
You are certainly not the first intellectual to rise to an exalted governance position in Nigeria.
But I celebrated yours because
you are easily recognized in academic circles as an intellectual of note. For
this reason, I took more than a passing interest in your jostles in the
political space. I was equally delighted to note that for the years that you
stepped forward to contest for electoral position in your state, you were
focused on only one position- governorship. You did not jump from pillar to post
by alternating your ambition between the governorship of your state and any
other elective office. That was indicative of a sense of purpose on your part.
When therefore you won election
as the governor of Anambra State, I had, in the November 15, 2021 edition of
this column entitled: “Soludo Breaks The Ice”, written as
follows:
“The
man has always brimmed with ideas. We have heard him talk about the Soludo
Solution. He has talked about ADT (African Dubai Taiwan ). He has always had a
burning vision. He has had to espouse all this through his governorship quest.
He has been desirous of making a difference. And now, the opportunity has come.
That is Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, the man who has just been elected as
the next governor of Anambra state.
“Since
his emergence as governor-elect last week, the entire Nigerian polity has gone
torrent. A flurry of commentaries has suffused the atmosphere. Nigerians of
different persuasions have found reason to congratulate a man who has won an
election in a spectacular manner….
“Beyond
the aforementioned factors which Soludo’s victory has rendered impotent and
untenable, there was the usual feeling that Soludo would not make it after all,
regardless of his sterling academic credentials. Many sneered at his scholarship.
They said the contest was not about erudition. They said they had seen the
likes of Soludo before. They argued that “book people” like Soludo do not
usually make it at elections in Nigeria. The fact that Soludo stood head and
shoulder over and above the other contestants did not impress the naysayers….
“Regardless
of these familiar misgivings, Soludo emerged triumphant , thus proving many an
analyst wrong over the impression that the educated and the sophisticated do
not usually make it at the polls in Nigeria…With his victory therefore, Soludo
has given hope to the tribe of intellectuals who have been needlessly rejected
and thrown overboard by the buccaneers and manipulators that saturate the
Nigerian political space. He has broken the cave of ice in which the
intellectual has been caged.”
This was,
in part, my reflections on your victory at that time.
Since you assumed office some eight months ago, I have keenly been observing developments in your state. So far, I am yet to see anything that comes close to your espousals on African Dubai Taiwan (ADT) and the Soludo Solution.
However, I
decided to bid my time, knowing full well that the number of months you have
spent so far in office is not enough to judge you. That notwithstanding, I have
constantly been gripped by a certain apprehension. I always remembered the
aphorism which tells us that morning shows the day. My worry has been that your
early days in office do not look promising. But I chose to withhold judgement.
It was while I was holding on
that you struck. You had queried the investments that Peter Obi made in Anambra
State as governor. You wrote them off as worthless. When you did that, Obi
responded in his usual tame manner. He did not betray any anger at your
derision of his effort as governor. He simply explained why he invested in
stocks and shares on behalf of Anambra State.
One thing was noteworthy here.
Whether Obi’s defence of his investment made sense or not, he did not go out of
his way to attack or disparage you. He made his point and left it there.
Naturally,
matters such as this are expected to attract the attention of the public. And
it did. A good many of those who interjected wondered why Obi should be
criticized for saving money for his state while those who pillaged the resources
of their states are walking tall. Many of us thought that the matter would just
end there. But Nigerians were taken aback when you decided to pen a long essay
in which you attacked and disparaged Obi to no end. Your diatribe on your
predecessor was bemusing. It was difficult to fathom.
Then, people began to ask: how did Obi wrong
Soludo? What could have triggered the venom that Soludo poured out on Obi? I do
not have answers to these questions. But many have said that you were driven by
envy. But whether that is the case or not, I feel deeply embarrassed by your
indiscretion. The intellectual that I held in high esteem has crashed the
sacred altar I erected for him. You have abandoned intellectualism forcibly and
has chosen to operate in the vineyard of street urchins.
My
brother Chukwuma, what went wrong? How did you throw overboard the fine
traditions of temperateness , circumspection and discipline which
intellectualism promotes and celebrates? Why did you betray so much hate and
resentment especially when none was provoked by your object of derision and
vilification? These, clearly, are unbecoming of an intellectual of your
standing. You have just disappointed your army of admirers who thought that you
are incapable of this base display.
The substance or lack of it of your diatribe against Obi is even more disappointing. In your long essay, you created the impression that you are the only Igbo man that is thinking. In your omniscience, you have already seen the end of the election. Peter Obi, you said, cannot win in more than four states. You said the rating could even be worse before the elections in February, 2023.
My dear Chukwuma , you are
certainly entitled to your clairvoyance. But if I were you, I will not engage
in this poor show. The bias is too telling not to be noticed even by the most
undiscerning. You have, by your attack on Obi and your Igbo kinsmen, put the
wrong foot forward.
My advice to you is to
retrace your steps, purge yourself of prejudices and bad blood and remember
that you have a job to do in Anambra State. I am particularly waiting to see
the materialization of your philosophy of ADT in Anambra State. Anything short
of this will amount to Nero fiddling while Rome burnt.
*Dr. Obi is a commentator on public issues
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