Inaugural Address as Governor of Anambra State
Government House, Agu-Awka, Awka
Anambra State: 17th March, 2022
Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR
GOVERNOR, ANAMBRA STATE
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PROTOCOL
Umunne m Ndi Anambra,
I applied for this job; my party, (the All Progressives Grand
Alliance, APGA) shortlisted me, and you—umunne m Ndi
Anambra— interviewed and employed me as your chief
servant, with Dr. Onyekachukwu Gilbert Ibezim as my
deputy. God ordained this moment and we are grateful to
Him and to you all for the privilege to serve you. Dr.
Ibezim and I will work hard every day to make you proud. I
ask millions of Ndi Anambra all over the world who have
prayed for today to simply say a one minute prayer to
commit this journey and Anambra State unto the hands of
the Almighty God. Anambra will win.
Before I go further, let’s pay special tributes to hundreds of
thousands of our friends and supporters who worked
tirelessly to see us to this moment. It is not possible to list
all of you here. I remember with deep sense of grief the
three gallant police officers —-Inspector Murtala Saudi,
Sgt Mudassir Ahmed, and Sgt Samuel Ishaya— who lost
their lives to the Unknown Gunmen who attacked us at a
meeting with the youths in my village last year. We pledge
to continue to take care of their families.
Let me particularly thank my friend and outgoing governor
of Anambra, HE (Sir) Willie Maduaburochukwu Obiano, for
being an honourable gentleman and leader. On Sunday,
20th November, 2016, I accepted your proposal for
gentlemen’s understanding and partnership. I kept my part
in 2017 and even after five years, you still kept yours in
2021. I always emphasize this point because it is rare
these days to find people who keep their word in politics,
and we will never take your support for granted. You are
indeed a great leader. Thanks for believing in me. We will
work hard to make you and Ndi Anambra proud.
To our indefatigable national Chairman, Ozonkpu (Dr)
Victor Ike Oye, your visit of 27th August 2016 and
unwavering support remain historical. I will continue to
thank all our party members especially the members of
the Board of Trustees (BOT), National Executive
Committee ( NEC), State, LG and Ward Excos, Campaign
Committees at all levels, etc, for the massive support.
I am grateful to all the stakeholders of the Anambra
Project—the clergy and the church, traditional rulers,
Association of Anambra Town Unions (ASATU), labour,
market, trade and professional unions, youth and women
organizations, non-indigenes associations, businessmen
and captains of industry, the Diaspora community,
persons with disabilities, etc. We thank especially the 41
self-funding support groups who propelled this movement.
Our donors and the goodwill of other Nigerian
stakeholders made a significant difference.
Thanks immensely to the 150 star-studded Transition
Committee chaired by our own Dr (Mrs) Oby Ezekwesili.
Let me once again put on record our debt of gratitude to
the federal institutions—the judiciary, Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC), and security
agencies for insisting on a transparent and credible
electoral system. Eternal gratitude goes to President
Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, and The Presidency for
remaining democrats.
In particular, I thank my wife, Nonye Frances Soludo, and
children: Ozonna, Ifeatu, Chinua, Ekene, Oduko and Zikora
for their love and sacrifices. Despite your deep
reservations, you still allowed and supported me to step
out in the service of our people. As I repeatedly promised,
I will work hard every day never to disappoint you. My 90-
year old father is watching this live, while my late beloved
mother, Mgbafor, is smiling in her grave.
Today is my first day at work. I just reported for duty and
will work for at least eight hours. We had more than a
month since the election to celebrate our historic victory.
Now is the time to work, and there is no minute or kobo to
waste in fanfare. In a few minutes, I will announce some
of the principal officers of the administration, and
commence with serious meetings of the Anambra State
Security Council, followed by a meeting with the
permanent secretaries, a meeting on Okpoko, and with my
Strategy, Execution and Evaluation (SEE) team.

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