Governor-elect of Anambra state, Prof. Charles Soludo has said his journey in life inspired his decision to contest for the recently concluded gubernatorial election in the Southeast state won by him despite past failures.
The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), who had failed twice in his previous attempts to govern the state described his life journey and triumph at the last weekend’s poll as a divine plan by God.
Narrating his story during an interview session with Arise TV, monitored by The New Diplomat, Wednesday, Soludo said God has shown him infinite mercies over the years, hence, he decided to reciprocate same by contesting in the gubernatorial election in Anambra, which has offered him the platform to give back to the people.
On Wednesday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Soludo as the winner of the 2021 Anambra governorship election. Soludo won 19 out of the 21 local governments in the state and polled a total of 112,229 votes to defeat his rivals in the mouthwatering election.
Recounting on his life experience since childhood, Soludo said he has nothing to say but to thank God. He added that though he started out as a village boy with humble beginning, God has decided to uplift him.
Soludo was born on July 28, 1960, in Anambra state. His mother, Mgbafor, was said to have died during the Nigerian civil war when he was barely eight-year old.
He went on to attend the Uga Boys High School in Aguata Local Government Area and eventually became the senior prefect.
Shortly after obtaining his SSCE certificate, Soludo proceeded to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Enugu state where he bagged a first class honours degree in economics in 1984. From the same educational institution and department, he grabbed a master’s degree in 1987 and a doctorate in 1989 — graduating as the best student at all three levels. In 1998, he became a professor of economics at UNN.
Soludo, in his personal narration hours after winning the Anambra election described himself as “a poor village boy whom God has lifted and gifted”.
In his words: “I don’t want to get very emotional but it’s really this moment that you look back and you have nothing but gratitude to the Almighty God for seeing us this far. You know I say all through the campaign that I am a child from humble beginnings, I mean, it is the grace of God upon me from my mother’s womb, that see me through literally growing without my mom.. (She) loved me dearly and had fantastic dreams for me.
“She died but God has been imminently very kind. But with that in mindset, I literally accomplished everything that was to accomplish professionally and otherwise. I became a professor in my 30s. I have travelled around the world, consulted for over 20 international financial development institutions around the world, in Ethiopia, UK, Europe, before I was asked to come and join government as just an economic adviser. Three weeks later or so, I became the head of national planning and few months later, the Governor central bank.
“For me, God has been merciful as it were, offered me the platform and that’s actually part of what is driving me in this whole journey. If God in his infinite wisdom has blessed me this much in various ways and at this stage of my life with super health, I can only continue to serve God by devoting every minute of my remaining days to offering myself as a vehicle to lead this place better than we met it. That is what all these is all about.
“I saw the pictures actually I posted several of them at my Secondary School platform about two years ago, I uploaded several of those on WhatsApp platform and I was quite surprised two days ago some of them started flying around. We were pioneers, I was a pioneer student of that school, and I ended up as the senior prefect of that school for two years; my class four and class five.
“From there to the University is a journey that I can only say is one that is of a divine plan. In my campaign, I always started with a song in Igbo which means that what God has already written, he has written, what God says will happen will happen. And sometimes I will end with a song, who can battle with the lord. That’s why in my life, I believe that the pages have been written. I work hard putting everything in whatever I set my eyes on, I literally work 24 hours. If it works out at the end, I then believe that is in the divine plan, if it doesn’t, I also believe that it is not in the divine plan.” The Anambra Governor-elect, Soludo stated.
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