ANAMBRA TRANSITION COMMITTEE: Soludo Appoints Ibe

ANAMBRA TRANSITION COMMITTEE: SOLUDO APPOINTS Ibe

Prof Gregory Ibe, the Chancellor of Gregory University, Uturu, Abia State has recently been appointed as a part of the 80- member Transition Committee of the Governor elect of Anambra state, Prof Chukwuma Soludo.

The committee, which comprises of technocrats drawn from Anambra, Abia, Enugu, Imo and Delta is chaired by Nigeria’s foremost advocate of due process, former Minister, Presidential aspirant and political activist, Dr Oby Ezekwesili.

In a manner that confirms the popular saying, ‘gold fish has no hiding place’, the list prominently features the name of Nigeria’s education and development technocrat, Prof Gregory Ibe.

Conveying the nomination through a personal message, Prof Soludo requested the contributions of Prof Ibe to enable a seamless transition to the next administration in Anambra state.

Other members of the star-studded committee include, Prof. Pat Utomi, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), Mr. Pat Ikwueto (SAN), former Chief Executive of the Bureau for Public Procurement, Engr. Emeka Ezeh, former special adviser to President Obasanjo on Economy, Prof. Osita Ogbu, former chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, Chief Executive Officer of Afreximbank, Prof. Ben Oramah and former Aviation Minister, Chief Osita Chidoka.

Reacting to the appointment, Prof Ibe was quoted to have said in an interview, “I am impressed that the governor-elect assembled such a good team of technocrats. His agenda is futuristic. So, I am not surprised at this outing which I see as good and exemplary. I did not discuss with him about the list, but the Soludo I know looks at a larger picture”.

Emphasizing further on the composition of the list, Prof Ibe said, “What Soludo did is just beyond a group. He plans to make a lot of unsung heroes and champions of his generation in Igbo land part of his team. He looks at a bigger picture of picking from the large pool of Igbo experts and not isolating them as past leaders did. You can find out that his team is mainly made of non-politicians. He wants to experiment on the agenda of pan-Igbo awareness beyond state boundary lines. The spirit is that if it works in Anambra, it can work everywhere else in the entire Igbo land”.

Prof Ibe therefore enjoined other leaders to emulate the Anambra Governor elect by looking beyond state and party divides in selecting appointees that add value to governance.

Reportedly, the list has continued to generate mixed reactions from the public, as most respondents believe that with the caliber and pedigree of technocrats appointed into the Anambra state transition committee, Prof Soludo has definitely given an indication of the style and quality of governance he wants to run in the commercially viable state.