Financial analyst and educator Kalu Aja has publicly questioned Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo over the tangible benefits of his long-standing relationship with President Bola Tinubu for the state.
Aja’s remarks come in response to Soludo’s recent comments urging Anambra residents to pursue strategic political alignment to secure the Igbo people’s “rightful inheritance” from the federal government.
Speaking while commissioning a road project in Ekwusigo Local Government Area, Soludo used proverbs to criticise unnamed politicians who, in his view, had brought little benefit to the region after years in politics and should not be entrusted with leadership.
He stressed that APGA was positioned to claim Anambra’s due share and warned against “wasting” votes on candidates who did not understand where national decisions and resources were shared.
Critics linked Soludo’s remarks to former governor and presidential hopeful Peter Obi.
One commentator, Kingsley Ubani, accused the governor of blaming Obi, who left office in 2014, for ongoing erosion problems while claiming that Soludo himself had attracted little concrete progress despite his previous roles as Central Bank governor and economic adviser, plus nearly five years in office.
Ubani noted that Obi had brought in SABMiller, described as a major tax contributor to the state.
Aja focused specifically on Soludo’s claimed close ties with Tinubu. He asked whether the federal government had connected Onitsha, the largest open-air market cluster in sub-Saharan Africa, to the national rail network, linked Anambra to the Gas Master Plan, or provided strategic funding for expanding the Onitsha River Port or dredging the River Niger.
He further questioned what international brands or major investments had been secured for the state with federal support.
“No global manufacturer, auto OEM, pharma MNC, FMCG giant, or even a brewery has established a confirmed greenfield plant during your tenure,” Aja stated.
“You mocked an international FDI in Anambra undertaken by your predecessor, but after five years, you have attracted no FDI based on official figures you can verify.”
He contrasted this with Abia State, which he said had recorded $150 million in capital importation since mid-2023, while Anambra recorded zero.
Aja concluded that while there was nothing wrong with supporting Tinubu, the president appeared to be leveraging the relationship more effectively than Soludo: “Tinubu is leveraging his relationship, and you have gained nothing from the Federal Government apart from a visit by the First Lady.”
The exchange highlights ongoing political tensions in Anambra amid Soludo’s alignment with Tinubu and broader debates over development delivery and federal support for the state.
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