After his historic inauguration on 17 March 2022, the poetic Sam Omatseye serenaded Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo as the Boom of Anambra Orchestra, on account of his rather enthralling baritone.
Nearly two years down the line, Soludo seems the Bust of Anambra Confusion — or how would you describe Anambra government agents, behaving like common thugs, wilfully destroying people’s livelihood: newspaper vendors and other low folks, eking out honest living, in harsh economic times — and by a governor that claims to know economics?
Ba! How can a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, now elected to govern a real state, the same that waxes poetic over monetary theories, ever justify such wilful onslaught on value, no matter how low that end of the market is?
How can Prof. Soludo, PhD Economics, for whatever noble reasons, pounce on newspapers? What’s the grouse? The newspaper content? Newspaper copies as environmental litters? Or just hare-brained muscle-flexing?
To those Anambra government agents that reportedly boasted they’d, at all costs, shut out the physical sale of newspapers, how on earth will they curb the online editions — by crashing the websites of all the circulating newspapers? Ridiculous?
Besides, which government that lays claims to civilization ever wars with the media and lives happily ever after to tell the tale?
No, it’s not because the press is exceptional, as many arrogant journalists often love to mislead themselves. It’s just because a robust news culture is central to civil rights, which drives the democratic culture. So, how do you war against that and survive?
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Worse: mid-term to re-election — or otherwise — Soludo and agents are busy warring against the masses that control the vote (newspaper vendors and sundry poor folks), the Anambra traditional institution (as permanent as elected terms are fleeting) and now, the media! Does someone, somewhere harbour an electoral suicide wish?
Governor Soludo had better change tack. He should caution those hot heads giving his government a bad name. They are all nameless. But Soludo would carry the can.
Keeping Awka clean need not equate stripping folks of their livelihood. It could be a win-win for the government and the people, though to be fair some folks could be stiff-necked. But the government must think deep and hard to get to its goals.
Let it not be written of Soludo and his avant-garde government that knows the economy and preens civilization but still wars against the media as Don Quixote tilts at windmills!
Tragedy would not even cut it! A word is good for the wise!
