Immediate past governor of Anambra state, Mr. Peter Obi has described former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Charles Soludo as a man haunted by his past for alleging that he (Obi) built no signature project in Anambra State while he spent eight years in office.
Obi, who spoke through his media aide, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, said the article written by Soludo indicates that he is still nursing deep hatred against those he wrongly assumed were responsible for not renewing his appointment as the Governor of the nation’s apex bank and those presumed to have thwarted his move towards becoming the Governor of Anambra State last year.
While agreeing with some cogent points raised by Soludo, Obi regretted that the aim of the write-up was not to instruct or contribute to positive national discourse, but to hit back at those the Professor is nursing secret grudges against.
The former Anambra governor recalled how Soludo in 2013 said he was the foundation upon which the new Anambra State was built, and commended him on how he succeeded in changing the fortunes of the state. He then wondered why Soludo would turn around so soon to declare that his tenure was bereft of any signature project by which his regime would be remembered but saved money in the midst of hunger thereby impoverishing the people of the State.
Obi maintained that it was surprising that a renowned economist as Soludo, who in the same essay, prided himself of saving $45billion in the nation’s external reserves when he was the CBN Governor should condemn Obi for saving money for Anambra State and questioning the wisdom of savings when there were things that needed to be done.
His words, “When he said he saved $45bn, does it mean that at that time Nigeria’s problems were over? Now oil price is falling and state’s allocation are bound to fall, Soludo should be told that the money Obi saved will be used to cushion the effect, among others reasons for states to save at all times. He also talked about clearing Nigerian debts without acknowledging that the architect of it is Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who is still part of Jonathan’s Government”.
Obi, who asserted that Soludo merely displayed his lack of understanding of the basics of true development for saying he left no signature project, said, “Talking about signature project, Obi has them in abundance. He built over 30 bridges, built the State Secretariat, built the teaching hospital, built the permanent site of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu University, rebuilt Iyienu, Borromeo hospitals, Holy Rosary and St Joseph hospitals; and Our Lady of Lourdes among many hospitals with signature structures dotting them.
“Beyond the foregoing”, the former governor continued, “Soludo should be told that Obi did much more in areas that are far more important than mere structures. He returned schools to the Church and committed billions that could build any form of signature project of Soludo’s imagination. Because of this, Anambra State is today the number one in external examinations in the country.
”Moreover, he changed the psyche of the people of the State and removed Anambra State from her pariahs status to one of the exemplary States in the country,” he added.
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