As Anambra State gears up for its gubernatorial election on November 8, the political landscape is heating up with sharp criticism of the incumbent administration. After receiving his certificate of return in Abuja, the flagbearer for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr. John Nwosu, did not mince words in challenging Governor Charles Soludo’s performance, saying that the promise of transforming Anambra into a “Dubai” or “Taiwan” remains unfulfilled. He outlined his own vision for governance if he wins the election.

In the last two years, would you say Nigeria is on the right course?

The past two years have come with real challenges. While the president and his team have shown commitment through certain reforms, gaps in execution have held back the results Nigerians hoped for. With better coordination and a more aligned strategy, there’s still strong potential to move the country forward.

What is your take on the calls for political restructuring of Nigeria?

Our present structure has made the nation dysfunctional and our federalism very weak. Power and resource sharing remain contentious. If need be, let us formalize the seven political zones structure. Each zone has some comparative advantage that they enjoy and can bring to the table. The present over-centralized power structure weakens the zones and states; clearly, most feel there is no equity.

Despite the Federal Government and Supreme Court’s ruling on fiscal autonomy of local government councils, it is apparent that some states are still fiddling with council funds. Is that a problem for you?

By fiddling with local government funds, the concerned state governors disobey existing court orders and provisions of the 1999 Constitution. I believe certain provisions of the 1999 Constitution also provide the LGs with legislative and statutory powers similar to those of the federal and state governments. Local Government autonomy gives them the discretion to regulate their affairs. The aim is to promote rapid grassroots development.

Nigerians blame state governors for the poor democratic culture in the country. As a governorship hopeful, what would be your attitude towards grassroots governance at the LGs?

I am bringing into governance a commitment to best practices and efficient service delivery with our Security, Health, Education, Economy, Environment, Markets, and Social Welfare (SHEEEMS) governance platform. We will replicate and improve on Peter Obi’s ANIDS governance model. Most of our leaders no longer have the fear of God. So, they make promises they don’t intend to keep and siphon public resources that are not theirs. I offer, with all humility, a different approach to governance. Our governance performances will always be grassroots-friendly, benchmarked, and measurable.

I’m an entrepreneur, a creator and manager of wealth and people. I have effectively operated in the organised private sector for over three decades. I understand the business culture and practices, and what works; and what does not work. In both business and governance, we must strive for cost-effectiveness. While in business, the bottom line is the profit margin; in governance, frugality and effective management of resources will always be a priority. Operating within available resources means not spending frivolously or borrowing carelessly.

Anambra should be the first among equals. We have the financial and human capital resources. We are an oil-producing state. Historically, Onitsha, Nnewi, and Awka, the so-called ONA-axis, default naturally to commerce, industry, and enterprise. We need to leverage these core areas. We are mindful that there are problems which are peculiar to Anambra. Therefore, those governance needs peculiar to Anambra must be accorded the highest priority. There will be less window dressing. We will consult broadly; and listen to advice and superior logic. We shall also walk the talk!

In 2003, a governorship candidate asked whether Anambra State is cursed, or if the people are the cause of its challenges. After 20 years of democracy, what do you think will be the probable answer to that poser?

It was Peter Obi that asked that question. Anambra is not cursed. The value disorientation you refer to pervades the entire nation. In response, we will continue to rejig our mindset and our priorities. There are core values that must be respected and upheld at all times. Leadership is by example, and I’m sorry to say that some of our past leaders have not exactly been exemplary.

Also in 2017, someone said Anambra is not broken and needs no mending. Is the state truly not broken and needs not be mended?

Those remarks are attributable to the incumbent, Governor Charles Soludo. Interestingly, he is either struggling or working hard now to fix a state he said was not broken. There are inherent contradictions or elements of deceit and mischief at play. Today, he is focusing on infrastructure at the expense of peace, security, and quality of life in Anambra. He promised the people Dubai and Taiwan, and delivered nothing.

Anambra has 326 wards and 21 LGs. What could be the best strategy to pursue rural development?

Governor Peter Obi developed and bequeathed to his successors an optimal governance model, called ANIDS. The model was aligned to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). That blueprint remains available as the best option and model for developing the 21 local government areas and 179 communities of Anambra State simultaneously.

What will be the major attention of your administration?

I have my seven-point pivotal development goals, SHEEEMS. This stands for Security, Health, Education, Economy, Environment, Markets, and Social Welfare. All these things are interwoven. None is more important. As long as we invest in security, then other things will come into place. People will find it easy to come. But, as a matter of fact, we are going to, in fact, the closest to what we want to do is to improve on where Obi stopped with his ANIDS scheme, which is developing the entire environment simultaneously. So, of all these pivotal development goals, none is more important than the other. They are all interwoven.

Taxation remains a sore point for most governments as the only way to create needed funds. Will you also be a tax master?

I cannot be a tax master. Our people have been overtaxed and brutalised in the midst of chasing taxation. As an IT expert for over 31 years, tax has to be computerized so that people can pay from the comfort of their homes.

My tax team, what they will be conversing with, is, first of all, to make sure that our people are well registered in National Identity Management. From there, we know where people live. With that information, we send the tax forms for people to fill. Let everybody fill what they think is what they are earning.

However, the major thing about governance is partnership with the private sector; building ease of doing business so that we attract more businesses into the place, more industries because these are people that will create jobs for our people. And when you create jobs, when you employ more people, then the pay as you earn will come up for the state. So, my major focus is to make things easy for the businessmen in order to create the GDP of the state. Not necessarily chasing people for tax.

Security remains a key challenge in the state. How do you think the trend can be reversed so that communities will have a hold of their space?

What is being done is not working and it can never work. It has never worked anywhere. Today, we are talking about technology. You must marry technology vis-à-vis the conventional security system. You must train the conventional security men, pay them well, and equip them with the right modern paraphernalia.

Then we have to apply the use of technology in areas of command and control, putting Artificial Intelligence, power, CCTV, in the key locations of our state, especially Onitsha, Nnewi, Ekwulobia, Awka, the state capital. It is unbelievable that the only airport we have in the state has no CCTV. So, we don’t know who comes in, who goes out. As a matter of fact, the people we are fighting may be coming in through that with ammunition and going away.

Light is also a major factor. If you light up the state, then 50 percent of the security problem is solved. I remember that Obi, during his term, was involved in a Public-Private Partnership to build a power plant in Onitsha, which is a major industrial center for our state. I don’t know what has become of that. We are going to revive that and make sure that there is electricity in the state. With that, we will light up the cities overnight, and I can bet you 50 percent of security will be solved.

For transportation, we hear just about road, road but nothing is done about water transportation when we know that there are water bodies in Anambra State. States like Kogi and Kebbi have been doing things about inland transportation. What do you think could be done to harness this area?

Anambra State is endowed with natural resources. We have the Niger River, we have the Orashi River, bordering around the Ihiala, those areas. In fact, apart from water transportation, we will look at light rail, linking Onitsha to Nnewi.

Onitsha is the commercial centre of the state, Nnewi is the industrial hub, and Awka is the administrative capital to link them round with these things in the first instance. And then linking the state down to Port Harcourt, linking Imo, Abia State down to Port Harcourt so that in order to improve the commercial activities of our people, people who import goods can be cleared at an Onne Port in Rivers State, and then transport it through the waterways down to Onitsha. So, what can be done with the waterways is enormous. In fact, by the time we release our manifesto in the coming weeks, you will see that it is well captured in part of the things we have to do.

With the benefit of hindsight, would you say Nigeria’s Electoral Act or the electoral umpire is to blame for the less than excellent outcome of the 2023 general elections?

INEC manifested fully the weakness of our national institutions. Its handling of the 2023 general elections was suboptimal. As an umpire, the blame for the less than stellar performance and the resultant electoral outcome rests squarely with that institution.

There are indications that the November 8 gubernatorial ballot in Anambra State would be conducted by a new INEC chairman. What would you advise by way of appointing a competent and unbiased head for the electoral umpire?

We should not be overly concerned about individuals as we should be about weak national institutions. But, given our sad past national electoral experiences, we must put into electoral offices people who are credible, accountable, show moral probity, and respect for the rule of law. Since the INEC chairman is a referee, he should not be appointed by a player, in this case the president. There should be a way of communally selecting or electing the INEC chairman, so he is not beholden to the person who appointed him, but to the Constitution. (Daily Sun)