By Praise Chinecherem
Former President of Anambra State Market Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA), Mr. Sylvester Odife has warned Governor Chukwuma Soludo to retrace his steps from remarketing the Presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, who has been widely accepted by NIgerians.
Odife who was also the chairman of Onitsha Main Market Amalgamated Traders Union (OMMATU) under whose tenure Bakassi Boys were brought to Onitsha described Soludo as one always full of himself and unrepentant demoter of his people for selfish goals.
In an opinion on Soludo’s administration titled “Soludo: Time For A Rethink”, Odife said : “Ndi Anambra have come to realise that Soludo is always full of himself and unrepentant demoter of his people for selfish goals. His disdain for Peter Obi’s acceptance by NIgerians is not hidden”.
“If the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is one of the front runners in the presidential race, who is the other candidate?
“Tinubu of APC, I suppose.This is a childishly jealous campaign to demarket Peter Obi. Soludo remained a great disappointment as regards Mr. Peter Obi’s candidacy.”
The former market leader predicted that the signs of Labour Party tsunami is hovering in the horizon, emphasising that Nigerians have decided to rewrite the history of their corrupt nation.
“Many campaigned for Soludo to become Governor because they believed that his enthronement would ensure better governance in Anambra State and Ndigbo in general.
“But most of Soludo’s policies since he assumed office about nine months ago are counter productive. I wonder how he intends to achieve his Dubai-Taiwan in Anambra State?
Odife, a former students union leader in his university days advised Soludo to rejig his revenue collection strategies which are biting hard on Anambra traders who supported his political aspirations to become Governor but are regretting backing him.
“Today, they feel shortchanged by the exorbitant taxes heaped on them by the Soludo administration. Some who relocated to Anambra State from other parts of the country, especially North are being forced to relocate to Asaba, the Delta State capital and Enugu.
“There is a story of a businessman who want to relocate his business from Kano to Awka but he is currently planning to move his business to Asaba or Enugu because of the unfriendly business environment in Anambra State in form of high taxes and levies by the State and Local Government revenue agents.
“Businessmen in Onitsha are quietly but gradually relocating to Asaba. Anambra State is losing businesses and taxes to Delta and Enugu. And this a sad commentary for the state,” he lamented.
Odife described as earlier shocker for Anambra people from Soludo the approval for N100b loan by the State House of Assembly for the Governor less than three months in office, an amount many have not heard of in the annals of obtaining loans in the State.
He said currently touts Soludo had hitherto banned in Anambra State have taken over major parks and roads in Awka and Onitsha, lamenting that driving a vehicle in the two cities is like taking a trip to Golgotha.
“Touts employed by Soludo is everyone’s nightmare in Anambra State.Their fines could only be imagined by the touts themselves. This is the least expectations of the people when they were voting a university professor as their Governor,” he said
Odife however commended Soludo on his efforts to combat insecurity in the State as well as employment of five thousand teachers at a time some States in the country could not pay their workers for several months even extending to years.
He however, asked the Governor and his handlers not to see his stance as an insult but an objective criticism to ignite him to take a critical look at his administrative trajectory for more positive result.
