The Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has called on political and other leaders in the country to continually design conscious programmes to kill religious and ethnic bigotry, as a way of building a progressive nation.
Governor Soludo affirmed that the country needs a national conversation around citizenship against other forms, and to create a Nigeria where “state of origin” or religion will no longer be a defining basis to participate or benefit in the scheme of things.
While delivering his Democracy Day speech on “Rebuilding The Nation,” at the Platform in Lagos, on Thursday, 12th June 2025, the governor asserted that a new Nigerian personality will never emerge if one is constantly reminded that irrespective of how many years or generations the person has lived, and invested in a place and paid taxes throughout life, he or she still don’t “belong” there because of differences in state of origin.
He said part of the national conversation on moving the nation forward should include a Bureau to address grievances against the Nigerian state. Part of the process of building a nation is ongoing, open, and constructive dialogue,” the governor avowed.
Using Anambra State as a case study, Governor Soludo said his administration’s philosophy of governance is summarised by the slogan, “One State, One People, One Agenda,” without looking at the differences in senatorial zones, religion, or religious denominations, but driven by the importance of the infrastructure to the people and where it is most required.
“We prioritise our programmes by need, designed to lift all boats, especially the most neglected sections of society, rather than nepotism or patronage,” the governor stated.
According to Governor Soludo, the five new general hospitals he completed in three years are all in the North senatorial zone (the zone of his immediate predecessor) and none in the southern zone where he comes from, and his most celebrated urban regeneration at Okpoko is also in the north zone, due current needs rather than political correctness.
The Governor, popularly known as Mr Solution, references the Yoruba tribe family liberalism where husband, wife, and children can differ in religion and still live in peace and harmony. This culture can be extended to ethnic integration, social and cultural harmony, he argued.
For example, “I have appointed permanent secretaries from Abia and Osun states, while my political appointees also came from Kogi, Ebonyi, Imo, Delta, Enugu, and Imo states. Indeed, the 8,115 new teachers and over 1,000 medical professionals we recruited are from 18 states of the country.”
The governor added, “We must intentionally mainstream One Nigeria with One Destiny, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a leader in this regard.”
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