Soludo engages in film trickery rather than governance, says Ozigbo

An All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant in the April 5 governorship primary of Anambra State, Valentine Ozigbo, has described the projects of the state governor, Chukwuma Charles Soludo, which were commissioned by President Bola Tinubu, as monuments for image management rather than substantive development.

Tinubu arrived in Anambra today, May 8, for the commissioning of three state projects. Among the projects commissioned are: New Government House, Amusement Park, and the Emeka Anyaoku Institute for International Studies and Diplomacy at Nnamdi Azikiwe University.

But in an official statement, Ozigbo, one of Nigeria’s most respected business leaders and a leading contender in the upcoming Anambra 2025 governorship race, while welcoming the president to Anambra, used the occasion to launch a searing assessment of Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s tenure.

He said: “Your Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I warmly welcome you to Anambra State — the heartbeat of the Southeast,” Ozigbo, the immediate past President and Group CEO of Transcorp Plc, began.

“It is always a moment of pride when the Commander-in-Chief visits our beloved state, and we honour your presence as a sign of national unity and shared purpose.”

But the tone quickly shifted.

Describing Soludo’s three-year record as “a glaring theatre of missed priorities, misplaced ambitions, and media optics masquerading as progress,” Ozigbo questioned the wisdom of showcasing projects such as an amusement park — dubbed Solution FunCity — while essential public needs remain ignored.

“Governance is not a film trick,” Ozigbo wrote. “Governance is not about cutting ribbons on facades while the foundation rots.”

Among the projects commissioned today were a new Government House, the aforementioned amusement park, and the Emeka Anyaoku Institute for International Studies and Diplomacy at Nnamdi Azikiwe University.

To Ozigbo, these are monuments to image management rather than substantive development.

“In over three years in office, Governor Soludo has delivered zero public housing, zero real investment inflow, and zero structural transformation of our economy,” he charged.

He reserved particular scorn for the amusement park. “This facility should rightly have been left to private investors in a healthy economic climate. What critical social problem does this park solve? Hunger? Unemployment? Fear?”

Ozigbo went further, describing the commissioning as an “act of political cowardice” after reports surfaced that APGA members were instructed not to wear party-branded clothing to the event — allegedly to avoid negative optics before the President.

“What a betrayal,” he wrote. “If your policies are strong and your house is in order, why hide your colours?”

A multiple-award-winning global CEO, Ozigbo has emerged as a vocal moral voice in the state’s political arena. His statement today underscored not just policy failures, but a broader crisis of leadership.

“We deserve a government that builds lives, not just lodges,” he declared.

“A leadership that puts people before propaganda. A Governor whose work speaks louder than his PR.”

Ozigbo also drew attention to Anambra’s persistent economic and social woes — especially the housing crisis, lack of transport infrastructure, and unaddressed insecurity.

“Most civil servants in Awka — the same people whose taxes fund this carnival — cannot afford to live in the city,” he noted, citing annual rents of ₦1.3 million for two-bedroom apartments and stagnant wages.

The Soludo administration has not issued an immediate response to Ozigbo’s remarks.

Still, for many in the state, Ozigbo’s words resonate with a growing fatigue over what critics call “performance politics.”

“As I have always said, Anambra is not short of talent or promise — we are short of leadership that puts the people first,” Ozigbo concluded.

“I do not believe in politics as performance art. I believe in politics as service — rooted in compassion, driven by vision, and measured by real change in people’s lives.”