MAZI EJIMOFOR OPARA
In the build-up to the 2023 general elections, when “normal” people fell to the political wave of the time, a Soludo who is not normal stood firm in his conviction and declared boldly that the wave was an ill-wind that would do the Southeast (Ndi Igbo) no good. History beckoned and Soludo did not keep silent. Today, no one remembers the normal people who kept quiet. Only a Soludo who is not normal is still the subject of secret and open debates on the question of the future of Ndi Igbo on the National Stage.
Normal leaders within the Nigerian arrangement would often wait for their second tenure before taking hardcore decisions… But Soludo is not normal – that was why he began demolitions in Ekwulobia, Okpoko, Awka, Isuofia, Igboukwu, Nnobi, Nnewi, and Onitsha without the usual fear of an imminent electoral loss!
Normal leaders in Nigeria define public priorities along parochial patronages. Again, a Soludo who is not normal thinks and acts otherwise. First, political appointments are now premised on need and competence. Same for infrastructural projects. Tell me which normal leader ever begins a project upon assumption of office from the zone or area that is not theirs?
This is a Soludo who, upon assumption of office, moved to Okpoko the next day, then Ochanja, Awka, and Awba-Ofemili before Ekwulobia, Isuofia, and Igboukwu. There’s nothing normal about Soludo’s leadership except the constant disruptions and creative destructions that have characterized his policies, programs, and projects. If audacity were human, Soludo would be its exact replica!