Reviewer: Uzor Maxim Uzoatu
The Audacity To Transform: A First Row Testimony On The Ongoing Development In Anambra By Gov. Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s Administration by Anselm C. Onuorah, PhD;
Anchor Book Publisher Africa, Awka; 2025; 296pp
Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s watch over Anambra State is an ongoing work-in-progress. It is remarkable that Anselm C. Onuorah, PhD, could find the requisite gumption to document Soludo’s almost breathless match in the book The Audacity To Transform.
The celebrated intellectual and activist Prof PLO Lumumba leads the list of endorsements of Onuorah’s The Audacity To Transform as he states: “The saying ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ is given practical meaning by the dramatic positive changes witnessed in Anambra State under the administration of Gov. Chukwuma Charles Soludo even in the face of numerous difficulties. His ‘never-say-die spirit’ is worthy of praise. This book aptly chronicles his work.”
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo also has glowing words for the book and Soludo, alongside Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Osita Chidoka, Dr Osita Ogbu, Fr. George Adimike, Iyom Josephine Anenih, Laolu Akande, Mayor Chibueze Ofobuike, and Victor Akazue Nwakasi.
According to the hardworking Chief of Staff to Governor Soludo, “We are witnessing firsthand the transformative impact of Gov. Soludo’s administration on Anambra. Evidenced with tangible improvements in infrastructure, expanding access to quality education, enhancing healthcare delivery, catalyzing economic growth and empowering communities by implementing initiatives that directly uplift the most vulnerable citizens. His meticulous attention to detail and genuine commitment to positive change underscore a governance approach that is people-centric and result-oriented, touching lives and nurturing inclusive development.”
In his insightful introduction to The Audacity To Transform entitled “From Ochichiri to Ochichi: Chukwuma Soludo & Governance in Times of Trouble”, Prof Chidi Anselm Odinkalu writes: “Among the Igbo of southeastern Nigeria, few expressions are as evocative as ‘ochichi’ and ‘ochichiri’. The former means governance; the later, darkness. As concepts, these expressions have transitive forms. It is possible to govern as it is possible to darken… the election of Chukwuma Charles Soludo in November 2021 as governor of the state and his installation in March 2022 into office was supposed to be a prayer answered for the state. He was the first governor of the state since 1999 who methodically sought the job and prepared for it like none of his predecessors. He arrived the office with intimidating credentials combining outstanding records of achievement in policy, practice, and theory at the highest levels as a central banker, economist, and storied academic. On assumption of office, he also set out benchmarks of both conduct and result with reference to which his performance in office will be measured or assessed.”
Former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, states in the foreword: “There are certain people whose make-up is to leave society better than they met it. It’s intrinsic in them, or put in social parlance, that’s how they are wired. Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo is one of such. Whether in private or public life, he’s driven to analyse, understand and proffer solutions to issues that bug society.”
I am personally attesting to the rigour put into the making of Onuorah’s The Audacity To Transform because I had to read the manuscript twice. The Audacity To Reform is indeed “a front row testimony on the ongoing development in Anambra by Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s administration.”
Soludo started out by presenting his vision to the people of Anambra State through the loaded vehicle of The People’s Manifesto.
People tend to forget that when Soludo was inaugurated as Anambra State governor eight of the local governments were locked up by the evil captivity of the so-called “unknown gunmen” who had evil shrines and registers of their kidnapped captives and the payments they made. Soludo made haste to sack them in the spirit of security being the first offering of a sovereign state.
Anambra State alongside Lagos State are the smallest states in Nigeria, but while Lagos can claim more land through ocean reclamation Anambra is saddled with the problem of her little available land being gulped up by gully erosion. Soludo has been on a steady war with the ecological crises. Environmental sustainability has been given pride of place in the scheme of things while waste management is as ever on the front burner.
The slum of Okpoko, near Onitsha, was given the first attention immediately Soludo was sworn into office. In Onuorah’s The Audacity To Transform the prompt attention given to Okpoko is depicted as Soludo’s urban regeneration masterstroke.
The dual carriageways and flyovers constructed by Soludo are meant to offer Anambra State an all-encompassing beltway. A railways master-plan happens to be a leap towards enhanced connectivity.
The jinx-breaking feat of Governor Soludo in building for Anambra State a befitting Government House and Governor’s Lodge named “The Light House” is a legacy that is etched on the pages of history.
The employment of teachers and the multiform investment in education have placed Anambra State on a lofty pedestal. The construction of General Hospitals and making healthcare delivery a priority have added cubits to Soludo’s standing.
The building of the All People’s Progressive Alliance (APGA) as a foremost progressive party remains a major Soludo testament. The local governments have been offered a new lease of life via Soludo’s mandate.
The work of Soludo is ongoing as he gets sworn-in for his second tenure in office. Onuorah’s The Audacity To Transform is a necessary documentation of Soludo’s first tenure. Documentation matters.
Through his timely book The Audacity To Transform, Anselm C. Onuorah has ensured that Soludo’s promise of delivering a prosperous and liveable homeland exists for keeps in bound covers. The Soludo template is an idea whose time has come.
