Obi Ndi Anambra: Soludo’s Unique Feat

By Chuka Nnabuife

I have read with relish recently published articles that seek, albeit unsuccessfully, to dampen the mood of gratitude due to Gov. Chukwuma Charles Soludo on the record delivery of a new state-of-the-art Government House, Obi Ndi Anambra, in Awka, Anambra State.

The writers struggle with wit, fit and prods to persuade people to think that there was a Government House project in progress or one partly or majorly executed and passed-on to Prof. Soludo as he assumed office on March 17, 2022.

They struggle to put down the landmark feats of the project as a mere completion of something already partly done before him. But the more they pull the bulk down, all the more it rises to the pinnacle because the world knows the truth.

The plotsmen and plotswomen feel they can strike wickedly at their target with their bagged poo-poo, mud and tar to rubbish its acclaim by claiming that all Gov. Soludo’s predecessors contributed to it. Facts available do not buttress that. Rather what fact check present is that many had the opportunity to do what Prof. Soludo has done now even when the economy of Anambra was more clement but avoided the toil and heat of the kitchen.

Those who sweat and toil now to make the building of Obi Ndi Anambra pass as nothing or at least, a normal effort ignore the fact that some of the said predecessors presented Anambra as unable to withstand one fellow or group of person. They do the leaders awesome disservice by passing them off as frieghtened herd of dogs that fled from one dog’s bark.

The more they seek to pull down the project as just a thing any governor can do the more evidences emerge to prove that it is not.

Obi Ndi Anambra is a rare feat with unrivalled highpoints that no PR hireling can erase. It is a novel project delivered with gusto, quality and class. It is a bold foot put forward by Gov. Soludo on a sand where his predecessors were prevaricating, procrastinating and clearly half-hearted. It is a clearly visible vindication of guts, balls, determined commitment of funds, energy and driven as well as his leadership acumen. Even the most distractive adversary acknowledges that it is a giant stride.

Through commencing, building and completing Obi Ndi Anambra in record time for use, Gov. Soludo breaks many jinx about Anambra State. Notable among them is the absence of a State House in the state since its creation in August 1991.

The facility with a Governor’s Office; Governor’s Lodge; offices for key government officers, amphitheatre and auditorium, conference centre, Exco Chamber, fitness and recreation facilities, chapel among others is not just an architectural thriller to behold but a physical power hub and a consciously created and carefully realised visual imagery of what an Anambra State’s seat of authority should be. As its name, Obi Ndi Anambra conceptualises and communicates, it is built to represent the place where all the people of Anambra (Ndi Anambra) gather, ideate, resolve and rule over their affairs which is what an obi (isi únō) or palace does for every family in Igbo culture.

Situated down a seductive slope in Awka after Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square, beside the state’s judiciary and Anambra State House of Assembly complexes and a stone throw from the Jerome Udoji Secretariat (State Secretariat) and the hub facility for Federal Government agencies in Anambra State (federal secretariat), Obi Ndi Anambra mounts elegantly and imposingly in the middle of the three adjoining hills that host these infrastructures to give the vista of a throne on the valley where all those forces of governance rally and culminate.

Aesthetically, nothing beats such a visual interpretation of a hub of people’s power and energy. A bird’s eyeview or helicopter camera shot of Obi Ndi Anambra from, say, the ARROMA Flyover or the Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) or Prof. Kenneth Dike e-Library area would disclose the scenic beauty of the new State House that seats on dozens of acres of a splendid topography.

Despite the dutiful efforts of those who want to douse or drown the grand status of the facility in people’s mind, the fact that Prof. Soludo pushed on and delivered the masterpiece is a testament of his mental strength and class in governance.

No person, irrespective of his bias would counter the fact that, finally, Anambra State has got a Government House. Nobody would goad even the gullible to deny that he saw the governor turn the soil to lay the foundation stone for the facility. None with good knowledge of what the bold cost-effective move of bringing core government offices to one hub would fail to commend the initiative. The ease of governance and ease of commuting it gives public servants and people who seek Anambra State government’s service (which is every Onye Anambra) cannot be overemphasised.

Indeed, the efforts to make the Obi Ndi Anambra feat look ordinary only makes loud jokes of the detractors. Gov. Soludo deserves resounding accolades for daring and doing what many who had the chance, shied away from doing. He had his chance to flee from the project. Moreso, the economy, this time is ‘not smiling’ but he was brave enough and visionary to push and see the Obi Ndi Anambra come to life in an impactful way. Nothing but applause and praise should mark the feat.