By Biyi Richard Orilabawaye
As budding politician in school campaigning for the students Union Presidency at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in the 80s, Professor Charles Soludo slogan was ” Soludo the solution”! Though, Soludo was defeated in the election by the late Human rights campaigner activist, Chima Ubani, but, Soludo’s campaign’s slogan resonated very well with lots of students.
As the CBN Governor, Soludo made his marks. He was bold and courageous and as a man with the gift of the gab, Soludo was our darling that held us bound when dissecting both macro and micro economic analysis! The nation will forever be grateful for his audacious consolidation of banking policy and his failed attempts in the redenomination of Naira.
Though, President Yardua didn’t renew his mandate for the second term as CBN Governor despite his sterling performance, it was later revealed that the late President liked him a lot and actually planned to send him to Anambra state as Governor. It was said that President Yardua wanted to encourage some eggheads to join politics so that they could help ignite development in their states of Origin that will eventually spiral across the country.
In the book ” Politics that Works” that was recently launched and authored by Senator Babafemi Ojudu and Alex Adekunle James, they advocated lots of practical ways of participating in Politics. They advised the youth to join Politics by registering with the mainstream political parties and contest for positions. Chief Dele Momodu too has been an advocate of this and took a bold step recently to validate his advocacy. You can’t join some ragtags and provincial parties peopled by some bands of rhetoric who are only filled with empty rages and copious capacity to quote ” Communist Manifesto ” and intend to rule Nigeria!
It was pragmatic for Prof Soludo to join the mainstream party. It’s equally wise of him to know that Politics is local in the final analysis. It was masterstroke to join hands with the incumbent Governor of Anambra state, Mr Willie Obiano in the previous gubernatorial election in 2017 to win the fiercely contested election. It’s so gentlemanly of the Governor to honour his political debt to Professor Charles Soludo. There are really serious lessons to be learnt from that experience and experiment!
While some of Soludo’s achievements as Economic Adviser and later CBN Governor are known to us, his leadership styles are still shrouded in secrecy. Is Soludo an autocratic or democratic leader? Anyway, the new Governor should be humble enough to listen to the farmers, artisans and other less privileged and less mentally endowed citizens of Anambra state. Campaign is over and all those soapbox platitudes on Asia countries economic miracles to be replicated in Anambra state should be tampered with reality! Soon, I am sure, Soludo will realise what the former New York Governor, Mario Cuomo meant by what he called ” Campaign in poetry, govern in prose”
Good luck.