The last time I painstakingly checked, Nigeria had entered yet another political era that is meant to usher in another interregnum in the country’s political system. The last time Nigerians witnessed such a moment was in 2018.
We aren’t unaware that a period of this kind is usually characterized with a lot of intrigues and intricacies, hence this very one wouldn’t be exceptional.
Soonest various political parties domiciled in the country would, according to the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), be involved in their respective primary elections towards nominating the candidates that would be posing as their flag-bearers for the impending polls.
This implies that, at the moment, several aspirants are littered all over Nigeria in the name of looking forward to occupying the number one seat in the country, or any other post, as the case may be, after the awaited expiration of the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
Presently, each of these aspirants is deeply involved in consultation tours across the length and breadth of the country. In the visit, he would be opportune to meet with the leadership of the political party in which he belongs.
In every tour any of them embarked upon, as the custom demands, he is expected to therein formally disclose to the hosting group his intention to vie for a certain political seat come 2023. He would equally be required to tender his mission statement. In other words, he would be expected to tell the people what he intends to achieve if eventually elected as the President or what have you.
A tradition of this type didn’t commence now or this year. It’s needless to state that it has been one of the features of any pre-electioneering era. It’s noteworthy that, in most cases, the hosting group is usually induced with a huge sum of money with the aim of seeking their collective support.
However, it’s also worthy of note that, at such a time like this, most of these aspirants are mere pretenders while just a few are contenders. What I’m saying in essence is that most of these men who have disclosed interest to emerge as Nigeria’s President, for instance, come 2023, are only pretenders whilst only few of them are truly seeking for the number one position.
It’s imperative for us to comprehend that those I referred to as pretenders are only interested in distracting the electorate. It suffices to assert that they do not have any iota of mission as regards the impending presidential race. Their only concern is to distract the mindsets of the unsuspecting Nigerians with a view to causing havoc at the polls.
This set of aspirants is very dangerous, to assert the least. Some of them are looking for an avenue where they would make money through the so-called aspiration. What they do is; in the long run, they would decide to merge with, or throw their support behind, other aspirants, hence would expect the benefiting aspirant to lobby, or present gratification to, them.
Similarly, some of them are only interested in making themselves popular. They are of the view that by printing posters and posing on various banners and billboards as well as social media, Nigerians would get to know that someone like them truly exists. Hence, in the future, they would irritably be criticizing the government in power by presenting themselves as one-time presidential aspirants or contestants.
The point is that this set of aspirants is visionless and lacks Nigerian blood in their system. This is so because, anyone who really possesses the said blood or who such blood flows in his veins will never attempt to deceive the good people of the country let alone looking forward to defrauding them.
Nigerians, therefore, are required to beware of this ugly happening. They must acknowledge that not all that glitters is actually gold. They must understand that among these numerous aspirants, most of them could simply be described as vampires, because their only mission is to suck the blood of innocent people of the country.
On the other hand, they must equally take into cognizance that we still have contenders in the midst of these aspirants. They need to comprehend that there are those who truly want to emerge the president of the country and actually possess genuine mission and vision.
The fact is that the contenders among the countless aspirants are just a few of them. Why it is amazing is that, if the electorate are wise and cautious enough, they can easily detect the pretenders amidst the aspirants. It’s very easy to separate the pretenders from the contenders because by their steps and speeches, we shall know them.
Against this backdrop, I challenge my fellow Nigerians to become wiser than the serpent. They need to become much more awake to enable them to separate the chaff from the grains. They cannot be able to do so if they refuse to become wiser than the serpent.
The pretenders need to be fished out as soon as possible with a view to enabling the electorate to concentrate on only the contenders towards averting any form of distraction at the polls. And, the time to do so is now.
We cannot continue to claim that Nigeria is made up of discerning individuals and groups, yet these deceits would have the opportunity to play on their collective intelligence.
Good People, join me to wish Governor Charles Soludo a great moment in Awka. When a leader writes his or her speech, you see the pulse in the delivery. Nations rise when great leaders emerge. Prof Soludo has the opportunity to shape Anambra and possibly influence Nigeria for the better. I am very positive that he will build catalytic architectures that will seed durable transformation in his state. There is a reason to be optimistic.
Yes, outperforming and rising to the mountaintop where boys and girls will experience an exuberance of opportunities, unbounded and unconstrained by their imaginations.
Make it happen, His Excellency.
SOLUDO TO NDI ANAMBRA: “I WILL WORK HARD EVERYDAY NEVER TO DISAPPOINT YOU”
PROTOCOL Umunne m Ndi Anambra, I applied for this job; my party, (the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA) shortlisted me, and you—umunne m Ndi Anambra— interviewed and employed me as your chief servant, with Dr. Onyekachukwu Gilbert Ibezim as my deputy.
God ordained this moment and we are grateful to Him and to you all for the privilege to serve you. Dr. Ibezim and I will work hard every day to make you proud. I ask millions of Ndi Anambra all over the world who have prayed for today to simply say a one minute prayer to commit this journey and Anambra State unto the hands of the Almighty God. Anambra will win.
Before I go further, let’s pay special tributes to hundreds of thousands of our friends and supporters who worked tirelessly to see us to this moment. It is not possible to list all of you here. I remember with deep sense of grief the three gallant police officers —-Inspector Murtala Saudi, Sgt Mudassir Ahmed, and Sgt Samuel Ishaya— who lost their lives to the Unknown Gunmen who attacked us at a meeting with the youths in my village last year.
We pledge to continue to take care of their families.Let me particularly thank my friend and outgoing governor of Anambra, HE (Sir) Willie Maduaburochukwu Obiano, for being an honourable gentleman and leader. On Sunday, 20th November, 2016, I accepted your proposal for gentlemen’s understanding and partnership.
I kept my part in 2017 and even after five years, you still kept yours in 2021. I always emphasize this point because it is rare these days to find people who keep their word in politics, and we will never take your support for granted. You are indeed a great leader. Thanks for believing in me. We will work hard to make you and Ndi Anambra proud.
To our indefatigable national Chairman, Ozonkpu (Dr) Victor Ike Oye, your visit of 27th August 2016 and unwavering support remain historical. I will continue to thank all our party members especially the members of the Board of Trustees (BOT), National Executive Committee ( NEC), State, LG and Ward Excos, Campaign Committees at all levels, etc, for the massive support.
I am grateful to all the stakeholders of the Anambra Project—the clergy and the church, traditional rulers, Association of Anambra Town Unions (ASATU), labour, market, trade and professional unions, youth and women organizations, non-indigenes associations, businessmen and captains of industry, the Diaspora community, persons with disabilities, etc. We thank especially the 41 self-funding support groups who propelled this movement. Our donors and the goodwill of other Nigerian stakeholders made a significant difference.
Thanks immensely to the 150 star-studded Transition Committee chaired by our own Dr (Mrs) Oby Ezekwesili.
Let me once again put on record our debt of gratitude to the federal institutions—the judiciary, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and security agencies for insisting on a transparent and credible electoral system. Eternal gratitude goes to President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, and The Presidency for remaining democrats.In particular, I thank my wife, Nonye Frances Soludo, and children: Ozonna, Ifeatu, Chinua, Ekene, Oduko and Zikora for their love and sacrifices. Despite your deep reservations, you still allowed and supported me to step out in the service of our people.
As I repeatedly promised, I will work hard every day never to disappoint you. My 90-year old father is watching this live, while my late beloved mother, Mgbafor, is smiling in her grave.
Today is my first day at work. I just reported for duty and will work for at least eight hours. We had more than a month since the election to celebrate our historic victory. Now is the time to work, and there is no minute or kobo to waste in fanfare. In a few minutes, I will announce some of the principal officers of the administration, and commence with serious meetings of the Anambra State Security Council, followed by a meeting with the permanent secretaries, a meeting on Okpoko, and with my Strategy, Execution and Evaluation (SEE) team.
Within the next one week, the list of commissioners will be laid before the House of Assembly. Tomorrow, we will head to Okpoko in Ogbaru Local Government Area and parts of Onitsha and Idemili as we signpost our commitment to fundamental urban regeneration, beginning with the greater Onitsha metropolis.
As I stand here, I feel the weight of history. I stand on the foundation laid especially by our elected predecessors— Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe GCFR, PC, Dr Michael.I. Okpara, Chief Jim Nwobodo, Chief Christian C. Onoh, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Dr Chinwoke Mbadinuju, Dr Chris Ngige, OON, Mr Peter Obi, CON, and yes, our own Chief (Sir) Willie M. Obiano. You all did your best and well for our people, and I salute you all. As I wear the APGA muffler on my neck, I feel the weight of Africa’s historic progressives like the Great Zik of Africa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, GCFR, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, Dr M.I. Okpara, Malam Aminu Kano, Chief Joseph Tarka, Malam Balarabe Musa, Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, etc. Not to talk of the millions of living African progressives, who still dream of Renascent Africa. We will never let them down.
The All Progressives Grand Alliance ( (initially set up as the United Progressives Grand Alliance UPGA) is a nostalgic rebirth of the grand alliance of progressives in the First Republic comprising Azikiwe’s NCNC, Awolowo’s AG, Joseph Tarka’s United Middle Belt Congress, Aminu Kano’s Northern Elements Progressive Union NEPU, etc.
As the first true progressive party in Nigeria since 1999, our ideology is a combination of Zik’s neo welfarism, Awolowo’s scientific socialism, and Aminu Kano’s democratic humanism, to form what we see as the Pan African market progressivism.It is a Pan Africanist ideology that integrates the social democratic values with the principles of competitive markets.
Anambra under our watch will mirror this ideology, and we believe that this should be Nigeria’s compass to the future. We will seek active collaboration and cooperation with the Federal Government, our neighbouring and other states as well as the international community to provide our state truly people-centred governance. We will consolidate the progress made under our predecessors to continue Anambra’s upward trajectory.
Today, I stand up for the millions of Ndi Anambra for whom this mandate means everything. The hopes and expectations rise up to the heavens. Understandably, all of us wish that I could perform miracles – by waving my hands and all our problems will be solved. I hear you. I feel your pulse. For your sake I keep awake at night, sometimes having palpitations about not letting you down. Well, since God is the Miracle Worker, I will look up to Him in prayer and faith as we all start the work ahead of us. I see and feel all the humungous challenges.
I know the lean financial base of the state. I know the limitations imposed upon a subnational state such as Anambra by the peculiar structure of our federation. But here’s my promise: I will give it my all. I will work very hard every day, with you, to make Anambra proud. Every kobo of your tax money will be deployed to provide you maximum value. People ask me why we are not celebrating today as it has become customary. My response is that we all—party members, supporters, family and friends– celebrated in thanksgiving and prayers after you decided to employ me last November 6 and 9.
But today, my first day at work, is not a day for celebration. First, there is no venue that can contain the tens of thousands of Ndi Anambra and friends all over the world who would wish to join us on this historic occasion. Second, the State cannot afford any such expensive ceremonies. Third, and as a matter of personal philosophy and as a true progressive, I do not subscribe to using the paltry tax collected from the women selling pepper on the roadside or the okada/keke drivers on a fleeting fanfare and banquet.I insisted that this event must not cost the government of Anambra one kobo.
I would rather use such resources to lay the foundation stone for a public hospital at Okpoko or elsewhere or empower our security agents to fight criminality.
Today, I come with a sober heart, conscious of the enormity of responsibilities on our shoulders and the challenges ahead.Yes, there will be a time to celebrate. We will celebrate when: security of life and property is guaranteed and law and order restored; every child of schooling age is in school; every school child is receiving the 21st century education for the digital age; everyone, especially children and women can access quality healthcare; the cost of doing business is down to near zero; our roads are tarred and we have an efficient transportation system with no one having to wait in traffic for more than a few minutes; we have access to 24 hour electricity; our streets are clean and green; our cities, communities and markets are planned and cleaned; the many millions of Charlie Nwamgbafors and the vulnerable persons are lifted up to realize their God given potential; all our pensioners receive their gratuities;, workers are paid their leave allowances and contractors are paid; our youth can get jobs and business opportunities; the youth in Okpoko ‘Zone 9’ become global serial entrepreneurs; poverty is near zero and income levels rising…etc.
Yes, I will not celebrate, and certainly not with the tax payers’ money.Umunne m Ndi Anambra!I come to this job prepared to serve you. For 12 years since 2009 when I first indicated interest to serve you, I persevered through the turbulent politics and here we are. Once again, I present to you the Soludo Solution—our contract with the people which we intend to vigorously implement subject to resource availability.
Our contract with
Anambra people derives from three seminal documents: (a) “Anambra Vision 2070—a 50-Year Development Plan” which I chaired the drafting; (b) “The Soludo Solution: A People’s Manifesto for a Greater Anambra”; and (c) “The Transition Committee (Combined) Report”—which built upon the first two.In sum, this is an agenda for an itinerant tribe in search of a livable and prosperous homeland. Driven by the philosophy of One Anambra, One People, One Agenda, our goal is to build Anambra into a livable and prosperous smart megacity.
We aim to transit beyond petroleum into the digital world of the 4th Industrial Revolution, and envision Anambra as an industrial, technology, and leisure/entertainment hub of West Africa.Our detailed Plan rests on five key pillars: law and order (homeland peace and security); economic transformation as Nigeria’s next axis of industrial-tech and leisure; competitive and progressive social agenda (education, health, youth, women and vulnerable groups); Governance, rule of law and a rebirth of our value system; and aggressively tackling our existential threat posed by the environment—towards a clean, green, planned and sustainable cities, communities, and markets.
For me, this agenda is also personal: I am here to build a society where I would be proud to live in after leaving office.Ndi be anyi, what we propose is that we collectively build a new social and economic order that guarantees and defends economic freedom and reward of private enterprise to secure our future such that any child born in Anambra will have little incentive to rush elsewhere in search of opportunities and anyone persecuted anywhere in the world can return to a happy and prosperous homeland. Such a new order will, of necessity, entail a massive disruptive change and creative destruction, with short-term pains but guaranteed long-term benefits.
As a humane and progressive government, we shall strive to deliver the difficult change with a human face.As we transit into a non-oil economy, our strategy is a small open economy framework embedded in 21st Century imperative of Everything Technology: we seek to bring the world to Anambra and take Anambra to the world especially in the context of the African continental free trade area (AfCFTA).
Our “Made in Anambra” and “Anambra Standards” agenda underpin this strategy. If you can produce it in Anambra, I will be your chief marketing officer, provided that your standard meets the “Anambra standard”—which is excellence. The Anambra State Government will only patronize Made in Anambra products and services unless such goods or services are not currently made in Anambra, then made in Nigeria, Africa, etc, in that sequence. When you see me in Innoson vehicles or in my Akwete dress with a pair of shoes made in Ogbunike/Nkwelle Ezunaka and Onitsha, we are making a statement.Today, the light refreshment to be served after this brief event is abacha from Umunze, ukwa from Isuofia, Anambra rice with ofe akwu, nkwu enu from Awgbu, ngwo from Awa and Oba, and malt and bottled water from Onitsha.As part of our “made in Anambra”, cultural renaissance and healthy living agenda, when you come to the Governor’s Lodge or attend any state government’s function, be sure to be served only “Made in Anambra”.
We want to go back to where M.I. Okpara stopped with the palm revolution and plant millions of palm trees. In some years, we will seek not only to export palm produce but also fresh palm wine from Anambra State.We will seek active collaboration with the federal government not only to export manufactured and agricultural products, but also services (especially tech, leisure/entertainment, and skills/talents as we seek an educational system whose products are productive at home and exportable).
Anambra’s greatest resource is our human capital, and we shall grow and mine this resource to its maximum, leveraging on technology.We will soon inaugurate the Anambra Innovation and Technology Advisory Council to drive the emergence of the digital tribe and mainstreaming technology and innovation across all aspects of our lives, our International Investment Council, our Global Friends of Anambra in Development, as well as the Council on the Ease of Doing Business.
We will conduct local government elections. No doubt, the uniform local government system as the third federating unit is one of the contested features of our federalism. But we must make the best of a bad system, by unleashing the potential of governance at the lower levels. Over the next two years, we shall review/amend the relevant legislations, reform and strengthen the system for efficiency, restructure/strengthen the Anambra’s Independent Electoral Commission, and conduct local government elections. We will collaborate and coordinate actively with LGAs to ensure synergy and complementarities. Let the revolution get to the grassroots.We shall reinvigorate and mainstream the public-community-private partnership (PCPP) – as a veritable framework for service delivery and development.
We will develop pragmatic frameworks for private sector and communities to: adopt schools, build roads/infrastructure, manage government assets, receive and manage development matching grants; participate in sanitation and securing law and order, etc. There is a subtle but powerful revolution underway, raising the bar on our age-old community development model.Yes, every community embarks upon community development.
Besides the well-known Nnewi model, some communities such as Neni and Adazi Ani are showing new examples. At Neni, an individual has tarred 18 kilometres of road (together with others at 24 kilometres in the community) and they are now refurbishing and empowering public schools in their community; an individual in Adazi Ani has done 13 kilometres and wants to surpass the Neni record.
The Government will provide a framework to incentivize and unleash the momentum of this new phenomenon at the village/community levels.Our government is committed to promoting the expeditious dispensation of justice especially the prompt resolution of commercial disputes. We shall collaborate with the Chief Judge and his colleagues to significantly improve the physical and technological infrastructure of the courts, and hopefully also implement some structural reforms to fast-track the path to justice and make Anambra the number one in the speedy dispensation of justice and ease of doing business.Part of our future is in our past. We will mainstream our values of hard work, integrity, compassion, and sanctity of life.
The fringe but destructive minority which embodies the “get rich quick by all means” philosophy, cultism, drug addiction, blood-letting criminality, kidnapping, etc do not represent us, and cannot define us. As a new social order and “everything technology” philosophy take life, many unproductive systems will give way. There will be new and better ways of managing our parks and markets, different and better ways of collecting government revenue, managing waste, and general service delivery to citizens.
The land registry will be digitized; we shall leverage technology to ensure a responsive and accountable public service together with our initiative for an ID Card for every Anambra person wherever he/she may be; and a code of conduct for political appointees to mainstream servant leadership by example. We must rid Onitsha and all our roads and markets of revenue touts and make shopping in Anambra a pleasurable experience. Today, I will sign an executive order to suspend all revenue contracts operating in the parks, markets and roads until we put in place a new system within the next four weeks. Consequently as from tomorrow, 18th March, 2022, if anyone asks you to pay CASH to him as revenue to the government in the parks, markets and roads, such a person must be a thief.
Market unions must also stop harassing customers.We shall embark upon massive training and social re-engineering to wean people off the old unproductive ways. As a humane government, we shall endeavor to offer alternative opportunities to the revenue touts.
Over the next two years, many will complain that “it is not the way we do it”, but we can’t repeat the same thing and expect a different result. During the coming months, we shall embark upon bold but difficult reforms and these reforms may be unpopular especially among those benefitting from the existing order. For sure, the revenue and park mafia that rake in billions of government revenue into their private pockets won’t be happy. But we commit to doing the right things. And we plead for your understanding, patience and cooperation. By His grace, Anambra will win!But Anambra State is a subnational entity, within the context of Nigeria’s unitary-federalism.
The speed of its progress is in part dependent upon both the threats and opportunities inherent in such a system. The ongoing Constitutional amendment at the National Assembly is welcome, albeit that some of the proposals merely tinker at the margins and attempting to do more of the same. The subnational states need to be unleashed. For too long, Nigeria has tried a top-down strategy; now is the time to try the bottom-up approach, and that’s part of my motivation. While we debate how far and how fast the devolution and reconfigurations will go, the world is not waiting. As the world transits away from oil into cleaner energy sources and a world of 4th Industrial Revolution, Nigeria needs a fundamentally different rule-book to survive and compete. We will seek to optimize the limited headroom allowed by the current peculiar structure to give our people a new life.Umunne m Ndi Anambra,
Besides the environment, a fundamental existential threat to our state and indeed Igboland is that of peace building and law and order. We can’t build this homeland by turning the sword against each other. Ndi Anambra love their homeland but the recent upsurge in criminality poses a great threat. My heart bleeds to see and hear about our youth dying in senseless circumstances. Every criminal gang—kidnappers, wicked murderers, arsonists, rapists, thieves— all now claim to be freedom fighters.
Criminality cannot be sugarcoated. This must stop.All the stakeholders must now review both the narrative and the action plan. For starters, I endorse the recent statement (March 7, 2022) by the Joint Body of South East Council of Traditional Rulers and Bishops/Archbishops on Peace and Conflict Resolution, requesting for a tripartite discussion between them, The Presidency, and South East governors to deal with the conflicts in the South East especially in relation to Nnamdi Kanu and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
There is no conflict that dialogue, in good faith, cannot resolve. Our government is determined to urgently restore peace and security in Anambra, and we will seek the active cooperation and collaboration of all stakeholders.
To IPOB/ESN, the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), as well as the disparate armed groups in the forests, it is time to interrogate both the purpose and means of your campaign. To the politicians playing politics with the insecurity, you are riding a tiger. The current trajectory is a road to desolation. Let us get around the table and talk. Let the elite in the closet come out, and let’s debate our future and forge a consensus.
The conspiracy of silence by the elite and some community leaders must end. If you see something, say or do something! Securing Igboland and Nigeria must be our collective responsibility. Let those in the forests come out, surrender their guns and let’s work together to rehabilitate and empower you to contribute positively to the peace and prosperity of our homelandA significant part of our state economy is powered by artisans, keke drivers, vulcanizers, hairdressers, cart pushers, petty traders, bricklayers, women frying akara, and all those who depend upon daily toil and sweat to feed their families.
Every day, there is a “sit at home”, these poor masses lose an estimated N19.6 billion in Anambra alone. Due to the protracted breakdown of law and order, businesses are relocating outside Igboland, with growing unemployment, and traders who used to come to shop in Onitsha, Aba etc are going elsewhere. Who is losing? By forcing our children—the future of Igboland—to stay at home instead of being in school, while even the critically sick people (including pregnant women) cannot go to hospital, we harm our future .
I hereby challenge any of the disparate groups that claims that it is not part of the senseless killings and kidnappings to step out and show leadership by joining hands with us to DO something about it. If you love our homeland, there is no place for bloodshed. Our Lord Jesus Christ admonished in Matthew 26: 52: “put your sword back in its sheath, for all who live by the sword will die by the sword”. In the traditional religion, the land places a curse upon those who spill the blood of the innocent.For me, this issue is personal and emotional.
My mother died during the civil war; our last born, Chukwuemeka died during the war; my father bore a bullet inside him for years; my elder brother – at 16, was in the ‘Boys Company’. At 8, I became the “man of the house”, with all the men at the war front. My uncles, cousins, etc, died during the war. This is 2022, and there are certainly far better ways to protest than shedding the blood of the innocent or resorting to criminality.That is why I call on all of us today to join hands with me to execute the real agenda—a livable and prosperous homeland of opportunities and jobs for our youth while maximizing the benefits of a united Nigeria/Africa. With Ohanaeze’s estimate that some 11.6 million Igbos live in the North and over 7 million in Lagos state and over 70% of our non-land assets scattered all over Nigeria and the world, we need Nigeria and Nigeria needs us. We need Africa and the world and they need us.
Yes, we have heard every genuine agitation for fairness, justice, equity and equality in the Nigerian Federation. No, we refuse to turn our homeland into a crime scene and all manners of criminality. No group has ever succeeded in any struggle in history by turning the sword against themselves.
I promise to work hard with other governors and leaders in the South East and others to take your agitations to the table of all Nigeria, and we hope to bargain for a win-win solution for all Nigeria. I will engage all parties to the breakdown of peace and order in Anambra from a point of determination to solve problems and resolve disagreements with openness, integrity, equity and justice.
I will absolutely invest my political capital within our State, our South East and with the Presidency, Federal Government and its establishments as a matter of topmost priority. With good faith and hard work by all parties, I am convinced that justice, peace and order will return to Anambra and the South East within the shortest possible horizon.Umunne m Ndi Anambra, this agenda is premised upon your irrepressible and communal spirit. It is you—the people—that will make it happen. We all love our homeland to death, and we can turn it into whatever we will that it should be.
A new servant leadership and a new homeland consciousness by the people will get us there despite the huge challenges. For example, to effectively implement our ambitious agenda, we need annual investment levels of 25- 30% of state gross domestic product (GDP), that is about $2.58 – $3.09 billion. At current levels, public sector investment is less than $100 million per annum. The gap seems daunting, but we are undaunted.
The internally generated revenue is barely 0.5% of state GDP.This presents immense opportunity as well as threat in the context of a rentier culture where the social contract/trust between the citizen and the government is broken, and the people do not believe that they can get value for their taxes. We are determined to change this.I pledge here again to devote every kobo of your tax money to work for you. This is your government. I am only your employee.
I commit to a transparent, accountable, judicious, and impactful use of your tax money. My litmus test for every expenditure will be to ask two questions: a) if this is my hard earned money from work and profit, can I spend it this way? b) Is this the best way to spend the taxes and levies collected from the poor traders and okada riders? If I cannot answer Yes to both questions, then I will hesitate to do so.On your part, we need a new chapter of active and responsive citizenship, imbued with civic responsibilities and participation.
Pay your fair share of tax and sanitation and other levies and try us. I paid my 2021 tax to Anambra (over N10 million). The keke drivers pay over N90,000 per annum; the women selling pepper and hawkers who pay N200 per day average at least N50,000 per annum; etc.
What about you—the shop owner/trader, lawyer, doctor, consultant, journalist, professionals, business owner, landlord, etc? You want security, good transport network without traffic, good schools and hospitals, water, clean, green and planned environment, etc. How much do you pay per month/year? Ndi Anambra outside Anambra must creatively pay their taxes in their primary residence—Anambra.
With a new homeland consciousness, the estimated over 10 million Ndi Anambra outside the State can collectively turn their homeland into the new axis of prosperity.In addition to our civic duties as responsible citizens, I call on all of us to go the extra mile in volunteering our time and treasure to create the homeland of our dream.
Everybody is important in this journey and I need your help to succeed. We must all strive to die empty—to give our all, in aid of God’s creation. Each day, every Onye Anambra must ask himself or /herself: “what have I done today to make my home state livable and prosperous?” It should be part of our daily devotion.
There must be a purpose why God in His infinite wisdom decided to make you Onye Anambra—and that must be to leave it better than you met it. No one is too poor to give or do something for Anambra. If not you, then who; if not now, then when?As I close my eyes and visualize our future, I can see millions of Ndi Anambra holding hands and working hard for a glorious future; I see the skyscrapers along the banks of River Niger in Onitsha, Nnewi, Awka, Ekwulobia, etc.
I see a smart megacity with millions of happy and prosperous people. I see us exporting massively to the world and the world coming to Anambra as a preferred destination to live, work, invest, learn, relax and enjoy.
History beckons. Seize this moment Ndi Anambra, and together, let us make it count.
Some questions are almost always asked in interviews, and one of them is “what are your strengths and weaknesses. This is one interview question people should always prepare for, but oddly, it is the one question many people answer poorly. Fun fact, this is a question that could come up even when you are making a pitch to an investor or group of investors.
I will give you some hacks on answering this question excellently, but first, keep in mind that the interviewer is not trying to gun you down with the answer. This question is primarily to examine your level of self-awareness. The interviewer wants to see how well you know yourself, your strengths, your weakness, and what possible steps you may be taking to address the weakness.
Also, the interviewer may be trying to determine your thought pattern and your values. By hearing what you consider a strength or a weakness, the interviewer can guess what your moral values and work ethics are. Some strengths could be analytical, communication, and leadership skills, the ability to collaborate, and work as a team.
Understanding this will give you peace and make you more comfortable as your answer the question.
Hack number 1
Use case studies. As you state your strength and weakness, give examples from your last job explaining how it helped the team achieve a goal, or prevent them from making a mistake. For instance, when talking about your weakness, it is important to think of and mention one time when that weakness helped achieve something good for your employer. This should not undermine what you are doing to get better.
For example, a weakness could be that you pay attention to many tiny details and sometimes get derailed from the big picture. But if you search your memory, you can also come up with that one time where your attention to tiny details saved the team from overlooking a small flaw that would have caused damages in millions. Do you catch my meaning?
Hack number 2
Be honest and sincere. Your answer is supposed to sell you as a good fit for the job, but this is no reason to tell lies or claim to have skills and competencies that you do not have. You don’t want to end up disgraced when you cannot deliver on a task you claimed to be your strength. Don’t pretend to be perfect. Instead, demonstrate flexibility and willingness to learn.
Hack number 3
Relate all of the traits you talk about to your job. Of course, you can have a million flaws but the interviewer is not asking you to reel out your life story to him. Go straight to those traits (strength or weakness) that relate or can be connected to your new role in some way. The traits you talk about should help you better perform in your new role in one way or the other. Note that what is considered a strength in one job role, may be a weakness in another. Always keep the job description in mind.
Hack number 4
Avoid weaknesses that disqualify you for the position. For example, if the job requires a lot of technical skills, you don’t want to say that your weakness is using technology.
Hack number 5
Show that you are consciously trying to be better. Do not forget to say what actions you have taken or are taking to build your strengths further, and to make up for your weakness. This shows your commitment to self-development.
You can see now that this is not a question you answer at the spot or go copy some answers from a website somewhere. It is something you sit back to reflect and think about.
Keep in mind that the interview is your 15 minutes of fame; it is your time to shine. When you have years of experience in the field, or you are at entry-level, answering the question is your opportunity to sell yourself and do it right. Your resume may be misunderstood but not your answers. Even if you are at entry-level, you should be able to explain how you’ve already tackled the obstacles towards the new career—by taking new courses, connecting with people from the industry, and applying their advice. The question about strengths and weaknesses can provide an opportunity to show how your skills are a perfect match for the job—or they can be a trap. It all comes down to your answer. Demonstrate not only your confidence but also your ability to get the job done.
“I built a conglomerate and emerged the richest black man in the world in 2008 but it didn’t happen overnight. It took me thirty years to get to where I am today. Youths of today aspire to be like me but they want to achieve it overnight. It’s not going to work. To build a successful business, you must start small and dream big. In the journey of entrepreneurship, tenacity of purpose is supreme.” Aliko Dangote, Founder of Dangote Group
Read my book – The Dangote System – and understand how the accumulation of capabilities which compound can help you build great companies. Dangote began as a trader, just like his peers, but over time, he accumulated capabilities, and moved from the downstream to the upstream. At the upstream, he became the category-king. I explained how anyone can replicate that model in other domains, highlighting the success of Indomie noodles, among others.
Dangote Government Support: Dangote is not the only man that gets benefits or deals from governments. But Dangote is the only man who built an industrialized conglomerate of his own. You do a big disservice to yourself by focusing on what everyone knows and which is a major part of the book: Conglomerate Tax. Yes, Dangote taxes us via these benefits but interestingly all conglomerates in the world do the same.
The problem for Dangote is that he is alone in Nigeria. If there are 20 of them in Nigeria, we will not care. Wait, we will accuse him in 5 years of rigging fuel because he will fix it. In 15 years, he will come for power and fix it, we will say the government gave it to him. What is his magic? That is the book focus, not wasted talking points.
Check Amazon, some cities gave tax waivers to HQ2 in $billions in US (Columbus gave $2.28 billion but lost because it was small https://slate.com/technology/2018/11/amazon-hq2-incredible-incentives-losing-cities-offered.html ). Can any SME in America get the same? Not possible. All conglomerates get government benefits including GE, etc . There is no human with $2 billion to invest who will not ask for government benefits
Follow up: Read the book. Your problem is that you are going after Dangote’s own markets. In markets, there are territories. If you go to cement, he will fight you just as they fought him when he went to banking (his Liberty Merchant Bank went bankrupt, the leaders there gave him what he gives others in cement). He went to noodles, Indomie gave him what he gave others in cement; he lost to Indomie. The illusion in Nigeria is that the government helps Dangote and all his businesses are successful. That is fake news because if you study him, he has many losses. This is how it works: do not go after Ovia, Elumelu, etc in banking because that is their turf. Do not go to Dangote to cement. Power is available. Agriculture is available. Healthcare available, etc. But when you begin to venture into “own” domains, they will fight you.
And do not think it is only Nigeria. There is no Silicon Valley startup that can claim that it can win contracts in Washington DC. Why? Those are territories which some companies have decades-long positioning. They will frustrate you. The world celebrates Elon Musk and Tesla but the government people continue to praise their Ford, GM, etc because those are the people closer to lobbyists. Elon has been begging to be recognized but none cares: you can be the richest man in the world and own the “richest” car company in the world, but you do not have an office in Penn Avenue lobbying for your position. You can win in the market but others own this space https://fortune.com/2022/03/02/biden-elon-musk-tesla-ignored-state-of-union/
I have stopped writing about Ukraine after LinkedIn deleted my opposing view of the global bandwagon Western narrative. With that, I concluded there was no need wasting time since if you have a different opinion, they delete the same. Simply, they censor you which is what they accuse China of. At that high level, business works that way: you keep your lane and they do all to maintain.
Sure, you can fight and get in and if you do, they celebrate it. But it does not come by complaining!
Update: You are making my point and yet you are complaining. I never said that Dangote does not get benefits. I am simply saying that if Azubuike has $1billion to invest in Abia state that I will work to get you government benefits. Dangote should be stupid investing $10billion without asking for incentives. Amazon got $10B just to build second headquarters – that is how conglomerates live.
The term ‘disruptive innovation’ is fast becoming commonplace in the startup space. Many founders would conveniently describe their innovation as disruptive even when it does not exactly fit the description. I get the impression that they do this because of some perceived reputation that they think disruptive innovations should have. However, not every innovation in space is disruptive, and your business does not have to be a disruptor to survive.
Disruptive innovation is a product or service, usually more simplified and affordable, that is introduced into the market to cater to the part of the market that has been largely ignored by other players. Often, such products are introduced by new and smaller players, and it gives them a foothold to enter the market. Large market players sometimes introduce disruptive innovations to cater to a market segment they may have ignored over time. It may involve tweaking or transforming an existing product (maybe expensive or highly sophisticated), into a simpler, cheaper, and more accessible product that can cater to that segment of the market that was ignored.
Why does this happen? Most times, market players would prefer to focus on satisfying the needs and desires of their most profitable customer base, largely ignoring some market segment that is perceived as less profitable and less desirable. This now creates room for entrepreneurs seeking to get a foothold into the same market, and they take advantage of the lack of attention, target the ignored market segment with affordable solutions. This unattended market segment, though little in the beginning, grows over time and gives the innovator a foothold in the market, long before other players start venturing into the same space to compete.
Creating new products and solutions to serve a market segment that was already being serviced is not disruptive innovation. It is more like sustaining innovation. (topic for another day).
A solid example of disruptive innovation is Amazon. The internet community was growing at the time, with an emerging niche market of online shopping, book enthusiasts. However, the traditional brick and mortar bookstores did not see a market large enough to deserve their attention, and so focused on selling their books out of the shelves. Jeff Bezos came in with his innovation to attend to this market, and this became a disruptor in the bookselling industry. With time, the physical book shoppers got interested in online shopping and started making the shift, gradually increasing the small market share Amazon catered to in the beginning. Now, Amazon has gone way beyond selling books, to everyday items like groceries. From disrupting bookselling, Amazon ended up disrupting selling as a whole.
What you can see from this is that to be a disruptive innovator, you must have done some research, and have solid evidence to believe there are potentials in the market segment you want to service. It may be cool to serve a small segment in the beginning, but how quickly this segment grows will determine how long you remain in business.
What Amazon saw and predicted was that the power of the internet (on which it was building its business model) would grow in leaps, increasing their customer base and keeping them in business for a way longer time than the then-big-players thought.
Most entrepreneurs now are taking the route of sustaining innovation, which means finding easier, cheaper, and faster ways to service the existing market. This is also a good option, and there are several successful businesses now that started along this path.
You will need solid market research and accurate projections to start and scale a disruptive innovation business – much more than you would need for sustaining innovation where the market need has already been established. In the end, it is really up to you to decide.
