Financial analyst and educator, Kalu Aja, has questioned the benefits Anambra State governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has received from his reported relationship with President Bola Tinubu.
Aja, in a post on social media on Sunday, asked Soludo to explain what the Federal Government had done for Anambra under Tinubu’s administration.
“His Excellency, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR.
“You claim the President is your friend. What has the President actually done for you?,” Aja asked.
He specifically questioned whether the Federal Government had connected Onitsha, described as the largest open-air market cluster in sub-Saharan Africa, to the national rail network.
He also asked whether Anambra had been linked to the Gas Master Plan and whether the Chinua Achebe International Airport had been designated as an international airport.
Aja noted that Tinubu had designated the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport in Maiduguri and the Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo as international airports.
He further questioned whether the Federal Government had provided strategic funding for the expansion of the Onitsha River Port or the dredging of the River Niger.
According to him, Soludo should also account for the number of international companies attracted to Anambra during his tenure with support from the Federal Government.
“No global manufacturer, auto OEM, pharma MNC, FMCG giant, or even a brewery has established a confirmed greenfield plant during your tenure,” Aja alleged.
He also questioned the level of foreign direct investment (FDI) attracted to Anambra, claiming that Abia had recorded about $150 million in capital importation from mid-2023 to date, while Anambra had recorded none.
Aja said there was nothing wrong with Soludo supporting Tinubu but argued that the governor had not secured significant Federal Government benefits for the state despite their relationship.
“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 for allegedly mocking an international FDI project in Anambra undertaken by his predecessor, arguing that the governor had yet to attract FDI to the state based on official figures.
“After all the noise dies down and you no longer have a state-funded media team, this is how you will be judged.
“After politics, there is life,” Aja added.
Peter Obi: ‘Explain what your friend Tinubu has done for Anambra’ – Kalu Aja to Soludo