Reuben Abati’s whitewashing of Governor Soludo
By Chekwube E. Nzomiwu
In journalism, “whitewashing” means to suppress bad aspects of a story or promote a biased narrative in order to safeguard the reputation of powerful and influential individuals or institutions in the society. Frankly, I could not fathom the kind of whitewashing that Arise Television anchor and veteran newspaper columnist, Reuben Abati set out to do in his opinion article, published by This Day newspaper and several other media platforms on March 25, 2025, titled, “Breakfast with the Soludos.”
In the article, Abati claimed some familiarity with Anambra politics and the key actors. He narrated the circumstances surrounding his invitation by Governor Soludo to moderate a media chat on the occasion of the Governor’s third anniversary in office, which he (Abati) didn’t find difficult to accept, his previous visits to host governorship debates in Anambra State, and the Governor’s offer to the four journalists who participated in the media chat on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, to have a breakfast with him the next morning.
Based on Abati’s account, three of the journalists that participated in the media chat, his wife, Kikelomo Atanda-Owo who is also a journalist, and the wife of the Governor, Nonye Soludo, equally joined in the breakfast that took place at the dinning room of the Government House. For record purposes, the other journalists at the meeting were Babajide Otitoju of TVC and Maupe Ogun-Yusuf of Channels TV. The fourth journalist, Chris Molokwu of Anambra State TV (ABS TV) could not make it.
It may not be necessary to regurgitate here everything that happened during the breakfast meeting as recounted by Abati. I will mention only the relevant highlights and comment on them as briefly as possible before delving into the main fallouts of Abati’s write-up.
At the beginning of the breakfast meeting, Governor Soludo sought the permission of his wife (Nonye), to eat anything he wanted. Nonye being an expert in healthy living insists that the Governor must watch what he eats, but whenever Madam and the children were not watching, he sneaks into the kitchen to eat what he likes, often leaving clues behind. The Governor’s children have also bought into his wife’s healthy living.
The Governor and his family live off the coffers of the Anambra State Government. In June 2024, Punch newspaper listed Governor Soludo among the 30 Governors who spent N968.64 billion on feeding, refreshments and other recurrent expenses in three months. The newspaper obtained the information from Open Nigerian States, a website supported by BudgIT, which acts as a repository for public budget data.
Secondly, Governor Soludo claimed during the meeting that the issue of planting of seedlings promoted by his wife, was responsible for Anambra not witnessing the hunger riots in August last year. This misinformation should stop. Before Soludo became Governor, people planted farms and gardens in Anambra State. Under his predecessor, Willie Obiano, Anambra State exported vegetables.
The hunger protest did not take place anywhere in the South East. Easterners did not participate, not because they were not hungry, but owing to the politicization of the protest by opinion leaders, including the then-President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu (now late) who told Ndigbo to boycott the protest.
Thirdly, Dr. Abati praised Governor Soludo for building the Solution Fun City, which he described as s sprawling multi-purpose entertainment centre sitting on 27 acres of land and another Disney World, hosting a games villages for parents and children, country club for the elite, cinemas, games village, roller coaster, swimming pools and playground. Governor Soludo told his guests that his intention is to make the Fun City a meeting point for Ndi-Anambra at home and diaspora, such that when they come home, they would have a safe and comfortable place to relax with friends and family.
If it is truly the intention of the Government of Anambra State under Soludo to spend billions of Naira to build an “amusement park,” what then will the private sector do? The 1999 Constitution of Nigeria under the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy, makes the security and the welfare of the people the primary duty of government.
In the first three years of the Soludo administration, insecurity rocked Anambra State like volcanic eruption. Two House of Assembly members were killed. The fatalities also include a Catholic Priest and three crew members of Supersports TV. A retired Archbishop of the Anglican Church was kidnapped and he spent months in the den of his abductors. Several public property including police stations and local government secretariats were burnt down. The Governor of Anambra State who is the Chief Security Officer of the State, watched like a spectator as these heinous crimes occurred for almost three years before launching his “Agu na Echemba” security outfit and the “Udo Ga Achi’ security operation, which some people fear, have political undertones,
Regarding the peoples welfare, I thought that being an economist, Soludo should be conversant with the concept of opportunity cost. What is the economic sense in spending billions of Naira on building the Fun City, when students at the state owned Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Igbariam and Uli campuses, do not have hostels? Sometime ago, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Kate Omenugha complained that they lost some students to road accidents because they were living outside the school premises. Is the Fun City more important than the lives of the future leaders of our dear State?
I am also aware that the lecturers at the university do not have residential quarters. I know that some of the lecturers operate from as far as Enugu State. The last time they got a salary increment was about 12 years ago under the administration of Peter Obi. I thought that Professor Soludo, coming from the academia, should have prioritized the welfare of his colleagues, but he has not. As the Visitor to the University, it took him two years to visit the Uli Campus. He was shocked to learn on the day of his visit that the campus had operated for years without electricity from the national grid. What a pity.
Mr. Abati equally praised Governor Soludo for building the new Government House in Awka. That project started when Anambra State was created 34 years ago. Successive Governors before Soludo, could not complete it, not that the resources were not there or absence of political will, but because of a prolonged litigation surrounding the contract.
Hence, I really don’t understand all the hype about the Soludo Government completing a project started 34 years ago. At what cost was the project completed. Who was awarded the contract? Was there a transparent bidding process? I expected Abati to ask Soludo these questions, and not singing his praises as if he did something no Governor has done before.
Soludo did not use his personal funds to complete the project but public funds. I am aware that some Anambra billionaires have built private homes bigger than the new Government House without making so much noise about it. Governor Soludo himself had severally commissioned roads built by these billionaires in their communities. Unfortunately, strangers in Anambra State like Abati, are now erroneously giving credit to the Government for roads constructed by individuals.
If not, why would Abati write: “In three years, despite the naysayers, there is a clear evidence of what Soludo has been able to do in terms of infrastructure, education (Anambra leads in education, with the lowest out-of-school children rate in Nigeria-2% according to UNESCO), there is free education for all public primary and secondary schools, pensions are being paid, salaries of civil servants too, portable water is now available in Anambra, there brand new cities are springing up, hospitals are being built. Soludo has emplaced a new security architecture, a technology driven surveillance system.”
With all due respect to Dr. Abati, this is an overstatement. Anambra has never lagged behind in education from time immemorial. Anambra has done well in education from the era of Soludo’s predecessors like Chris Ngige, Peter Obi and Willie Obiano. Regarding potable water, privately owned and community sponsored boreholes are littered everywhere across the State.
In the area of infrastructure, what has been done by the Soludo administration so far is not commensurate with the hundreds of billions of Naira that has accrued to State Government from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and federal allocation since the inception of the administration in March 2022. From conservative estimates, the State has gotten about N130 billion in IGR and not less than N600 billion from federal allocation in the past three years. In spite of the humongous revenue accruing to Anambra State in the past three years, the Soludo administration has not deemed it fit and proper to install night landing facilities at the Chinua Achebe Airport.
Anambra people are too sophisticated to be deceived by the so-called transformation of Okpoko community from slum to city by Governor Soludo. Okpoko cannot become a reference for slum regeneration and urban renewal just because the government rehabilitated a few street roads, constructed a health centre and executed a few water projects in such a densely populated area.
Finally, only God knows where Abati saw the technology-driven surveillance system in Anambra. None exists as of today. The drones bought by Obiano have been abandoned under Soludo. Even the sample generator powered streetlights installed by Obiano, which brought nightlife back to Anambra, are no longer functioning.
Dr. Nzomiwu is a media and communication practitioner from Egbema Ozubulu, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State. He wrote via chekmma@yahoo.com
