Soludo’s Transition Team: Sign post of new economic renaissance in the South East

– by Okey Emmanuel

One thing that always stands out in every vision-minded decision is the absence mediocrity of the mind.

The erudite scholar and Scientist, Albert Einstein puts it more aptly, “Great spirits have always encountered opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinion courageously and honestly”.

Obviously, the widely publicized Transition Team of Anambra Governor elect, Professor Chukwuma Soludo – billed to take off on 20th January 2022 – is a clear signpost of a man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices. Expectedly, mediocres in Nigeria’s economic and political spectrum are already viewing this courageous decision as an avalanche breach of convention.

Yes, the economic maestro has gone out of convention to include some members of his 80 man transition committee from outside his state and political party. Mouths are already ‘wagging’ that Prof Soludo has abandoned some party faithfuls who assisted him in winning the election and had gone ahead to include some elements from opposition party, and even persons outside the state. To them, this unconventional.

But no one has faulted him on the quality and calibre of persons that make up this crack team. From the chair of the team, Mrs Oby Ezekwesili, down the list, one can see a conglomeration of technocrats and great achievers who have made indelible marks globally in their professional callings. Evidently, it is a team of distinguished  personalities whom Soludo needs to pave a roadmap with which he, like the great physicist – Galileo Galilei – will gain “a place to stand, to stop the sun and move the earth” for a new Anambra.

Indeed, the new economic renaissance which the erudite economist promises Ndi Anambra requires the stopping of the sun to move the earth. Yes, it’s time to breach some conventions if the smart mega city promised Ndi Anambra must be achieved.

Going by the composition of Soludo’s  transition team, one can see brilliant rays of the revolutionary moves required to transit the state from the norms to the extraordinary.

You cannot have the gathering of the likes of Dr Oby Ezekwesili, a world bank product and political activist cum disciplinarian,  Prof Pat Utomi, a globally acclaimed political economist, Chief Osita Chidioka, and array of other public titans drawn from the academia, industry, business, politics and public administration, without giving the governor elect a sound footing to take off on his blueprint for transforming Anambra. In fact, Ezekwesili summarily put it in her acceptance letter, “I have accepted and will teamwork with my distinguished colleagues to help achieve his transition goals and  competent governance”.

Anambra cannot match the Dubai’s of this world with an aggregation of political jobbers around the governor-elect especially on assignments that require professionalism.

That’s not to say that the politicians and other supporters shall be totally abandoned by the incoming governor, but like our people would say in local parlance, ekele órú  eke (there’s division of labour).