Financial analyst and educator Kalu Aja has challenged Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo to identify the Federal Government projects and investments secured for the state under President Bola Tinubu.
Aja raised the questions in a social media post on Sunday while questioning Soludo’s reported relationship with the President and its benefits to Anambra.
He asked whether the Federal Government had connected Onitsha to the national rail network, incorporated Anambra into the national gas master plan, expanded the Onitsha River Port or dredged the River Niger to support the port.
Aja also questioned why the Chinua Achebe International Airport had not, in his view, received the same international-airport designation given to airports in Maiduguri and Uyo.
On investment, Aja alleged that no major global manufacturer, automobile original equipment manufacturer, pharmaceutical multinational, fast-moving consumer goods company or brewery had established a confirmed greenfield plant in Anambra during Soludo’s tenure.
He further questioned the state’s foreign direct investment figures, claiming that Abia had recorded about $150m in capital importation from mid-2023 while Anambra recorded none. The claim was not independently established in Aja’s post.
Aja said Soludo was free to support Tinubu but argued that political support should be assessed alongside tangible benefits to the state.
“There is no harm in supporting President Tinubu, but Tinubu is leveraging his relationship, and you have gained nothing from the Federal Government apart from a visit by the First Lady,” he said.
He also criticised Soludo over comments concerning an international FDI project associated with the administration of his predecessor, Peter Obi, and argued that the governor should be judged by investment attracted to Anambra during his tenure.
However, Soludo has previously cited several Federal Government interventions and approvals involving Anambra. In March, he said the state was benefiting from projects including the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway and the Second Niger Bridge, while stating that Tinubu had approved his requests for Anambra and the South-East to be included in national rail and gas master plans and for the dredging of the River Niger.
In July, Soludo also welcomed Federal Government approval for the Otuocha-Anam-Abaji Road linking Anambra with Kogi and the Oba-Nnewi-Uga-Ihube Road linking Anambra and Imo, describing the projects as part of efforts to improve connectivity and economic activity in the South-East.
Aja nevertheless maintained that the relationship between Soludo and Tinubu should produce more measurable economic gains for Anambra.
“After all the noise dies down and you no longer have a state-funded media team, this is how you will be judged,” he said.
“After politics, there is life.”
Peter Obi: Aja challenges Soludo over Tinubu’s impact on Anambra
