Op-Ed: Soludo and his disruptive change

The word Disruption came in two different meanings which also mean different things to two different classes of people in our society.

To people who live and believe in anyhowness and do_it_as_you_like, who live in the old believe that Anambra is home for all; it’s disturbance and out of place, the other class who live and believe in innovation and a good standard of living anchored on a regimented and organized life; the people who believe in the newness of Anambra as the light of the nation; it’s a welcome development.

I was driving with my wife yesterday through Abakaliki junction when we came across the already demolished illegal structures that has always been an eyesore within the area. Her heart really went out for the victims-the owner of the illegal structures. To her this is not suppose to happen now that people are in hard times and may be they were not properly notified before the demolition and I promptly told her that the government is not insane that they will bump into an area and start demolishing without prior warnings, that she should know that a typical Igbo blood ‘amaro oso mmili agba’.

That brought me to the fact that Peter Obi and Obiano may have compromised a lot with the people of Awka and the powers that be. As an undergraduate in Nnamdi Azikiwe University 2006 or thereabouts, I was privileged to listen to Mr Peter Obi at the school auditorium who had a well thought out plan of how to build and plan Awka with a long term plan through 2015. After analysing how Awka will look like starting from 2015 a student stood up and asked him how is he going to execute that knowing fully well that he will be leaving office by then. His response was that he was going to put someone that will do it.

The truth is that all of us need to desire and support this Disruptive change that may not be too comfortable to us but will definitely turn Awka to the Capital city that we earnestly yearn for. Most of us always complain that Awka is a glorified village and that most of our villages are more developed than a place we call capital city.

In fairness to the former Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, he did a very nice job on the area of street light and by that huge light decor on top of the flyovers he brought Awka to a near-city. Reduced crime through the engagement of some youths who switch on, fuel, wash and maintain those generators. The presence of street light lit up and reduced drastically car battery theft in our streets at night, I hope Mr Governor continues with that tempo.

In conclusion, I trust in the mantra the SOLUTION IS HERE. Anambra may not be Dubai-Taiwan at the end of Prof Soludo’s tenure but Anambra will surely have a feel of a good governance.

Comrd Chinonso Leonard Chinwuba writing from Awka.