Soludo: Who the cap fits, let him wear it, By Chuka Nnabuife

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On Friday, April 11, 2025, Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, was given an award as Nigeria’s Governor of the Year 2024 by the Management of Vanguard Newspapers.

According to the Lagos-based mainstream newspaper’s management, the governor got the award for Good Governance. The award ceremony took place at the Eko Hotels and Suites in Lagos on April 11, 2025.

One month earlier, Gov. Soludo had received The Sun Newspaper’s ‘Governor of the Year 2024′ for what the management of the newspaper identified as his credible leadership and excellent performance in governance.

The Sun Newspaper appraised Soludo’s leadership style as yielding good dividends to Anambra people as his governance has led to remarkable achievements in infrastructure and noticeable sociopolitical transformation in Anambra state.

Similarly, on March 15, 2025 at the Eko Hotels and Suites in Lagos, Prof. Soludo received the Year 2024’s ‘Governor of the Year on Urban Renewal’ award of Daily Independent Newspaper.

The newspaper’s Editorial Board and Management underscored his government’s distinguished efforts in transforming Anambra State’s infrastructure and aesthetics, citing some of his notable achievements in urban renewal projects, economic development and human empowerment.

These, among many laurels that have been going the way of Gov. Soludo, have drawn the attention of many who thitherto had not paid enough attention to what the professor of Economics is doing as helmsman of Anambra State. They now have cause to pause and watch. There have also been many raised eyebrows, gybes and wagging tongues. Some ask why it is only Soludo that the red rugs roll to? Some argue that it is because the governor is running for re-election on November 8 this year.

The truth is well beyond all those conjectures. The governors activities in Anambra State are clearly ‘speaking’ for him.

Mayor of Onitsha South, Local Government Area, Emeka Orji’s appraisal of the flurry of awards aptly captures the trend. He described them as corroboration of the governor’s feats in governance and hard work.

Infrastructure development is among the areas where the governor’s footprints are etched. Through his gusto in infrastructure such as roads and public buildings, he has recorded the completion of over 300 kilometers of roads which has remarkably improved rural-urban and intra-urban connectivity as well as facilitated access to the grassroots within the state, and built several office and facilities of public importance.
On human capital development, Anambra State, under Soludo has employed over 8,000 youths comprising over 5,000 teachers; 1,000 health professionals among others.

Soludo has also evolved a youth empowerment program with visible results. The ‘One Youth, Two Skills Solution’ program, initiated by the Ministry of Youth Development under his regime has trained and empowered over 8,000 youths in the last two years with startup funds provided to the young ones as they commence business.

Another program, dubbed the Solution Innovation and Digital Incubation projects has so far trained 25,000 youths in digital skills through “Level-Up Anambra” and “Code Anambra” initiatives.

His Solution Government’s systematic approach to economic growth aims to draw the masses out of poverty through covert and overt empowerment s. One of them is the distribution of over one million high-yield, hybrid coconut and palm seedlings as well as some other profitable cash crops such as ogbono, ugiri and others that, upon maturity could be bringing rich proceeds to their owners. Through distributing the plants freely to hundreds of thousands of homes in the state, the government plans to empower Anambra homes with crops that would ultimately make them rich. The government describes the scheme as a well “thought through” plan to drive away poverty and promote agro-industrialisation.

These, go along with a visible keenness to improve the ease of doing business in the state through such things as the ‘Anambra Business City’, land ownership facilitation and a zestfully pursued urban renewal project. In urban renewal, the state dualises major roads in Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi, and other key cities,

There is also, Gov. Soludo’s innovative approach to tackling knotty homeland security issues through the innovative ‘Anambra State Homeland Security Law 2025’ which strengthens local vigilante groups and fosters deeper government collaboration with security agencies in investigations and operations to tackle criminal activities.

The governor’s unprecedented action of recruiting 8,115 teachers, rehabilitating public schools, and employing thousands of young health workers are part of the feats.

Undoubtedly, the awards are heading to the head that the crown fit. Giving such honours to people like Soludo also gives society an opportunity to build up itself in the right direction.

Plato’s discourses on honoring great men as contained in his works, ‘The Republic’ and ‘The Laws,’ are quintessential. Hence, they are influential in the development of Western philosophical thought of honouring great men in the modern world as discussions on leadership, ethics, and civic responsibility find them very relevant today.

Plato emphasised the importance of recognising and rewarding individuals who contribute remarkably to the advancement and well-being of society.

In ‘The Laws,’ Plato reasoned that honours and rewards should be given to those who have made significant contributions to the state. His scope for such laurels range from political leaders to military leaders, judges and other public officials. He idealised that such honours would serve as a motivation for others to strive for excellence and prod them to contribute to the well-being of society.

In ‘The Republic,’ he urged recognition for such special agents of positive change in a manner that makes the rest of society identify their demonstration of exceptional virtue and wisdom. Plato referred to such individuals, “philosophers,” who should be recognised for their wisdom and their ability to make decisions that benefit the greater good.

Prof. Soludo has already said that the awards will motivate his government to deliver more democratic dividends to the people of Anambra State.

The historical and evergreen reggae artiste, Bob Marley has a lyric: “who the cap fits, let them wear it.”

The line is from great Bob Marley’s song of the title, “Who the Cap Fit”. Released in 1973 on the album “Catch a Fire”. The message is simple though deep: those who do great things deserve to be honoured, openly, especially in this time of scarcity of people who aspire to do outstanding service to humanity.

Alleged cocaine deal: Court orders Abba Kyari, others to enter defence

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, ordered the suspended DCP Abba Kyari, and his co-defendants to enter their defence in the charge preferred against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Justice Emeka Nwite, in separate rulings on their no-case submission applications, held that a prima face case had been made out against Kyari and other police officers in the charge.
Kyari, the 1st defendant and a former head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Police was arrested on Feb. 14, 2022, after the NDLEA declared him wanted over alleged links to an international drug cartel.
The suspended DCP and four members of the IRT – ACP Sunday J. Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirgba and Inspector John Nuhu are being prosecuted on charges of conspiracy to deal in 17.55kg of cocaine.
They are also accused of dealing in cocaine without lawful authority; conspiracy to tamper with cocaine and unlawfully tampering with the 21.35kg of cocaine seized from two convicted drug dealers.
On March 7, 2022, Kyari and others were arraigned alongside Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, the two suspected drug traffickers who were arrested at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu by the officers.
Upon arraignment, Kyari and four other defendants pleaded not guilty.
However, Umeibe and Ezenwanne, the 6th and 7th defendants, pleaded guilty and were convicted accordingly.
Although Kyari and others had, at one time, applied for bail, their application was rejected.
After the NDLEA closed its case, each of the defendants opted for a no-case submission, arguing that no evidence had been adduced by the prosecution on which the court could convict them.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Nwite held that with the state of evidence led so far by the prosecution, he was convinced that a prima facie case had been established against the defendants to require them to put forward their defence.
Justice Nwite held the same view in the five separate rulings he delivered on Friday.
In a ruling on Kyari’s application, the judge held that “assuming without conceding that the defendants were charged with less amount of cocaine that is lesser than 17.55 kg or more than that, it does not take away the fact that there is prima facie evidence that the 1st defendant dealt or tampered with cocaine.”
He held that the argument of the 1st defendant’s lawyer on the need to sufficiently prove the amount of cocaine on the face of the charge is not the requirement of the law.
He also held that there was nothing on the face of the section of the law, on which the defendants were charged, that states or provide different punishment as it relates to the quantity or amount of cocaine, whether the charge provides for 1 kilogram or more.
According to the judge, in view of the foregoing, I am of the view and I so hold that a prima facie case has been made out against the 1st defendant in the five count charge and I hereby order him to enter his defence in all the five counts.
The judge issued similar order in relation to the other four defendants.
He consequently adjourned the matter untill May 21 for the defendants to open their defence.