Soludo’s aide defends 80-member transition committee

Mr Joe Anatune, the media aide to the Anambra state governor-elect has defended the 80-member governorship transition committee appointed by Professor Chukwuma Soludo.

Recall that Soludo, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria between 2004 and 2009, was declared winner of the Anambra governorship election on November 6, 2021, after a supplementary election was held in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state.

The committee was named on Thursday, was saddled with the responsibility of ensuring a smooth transition from the current administration of Governor Willie Obiano to the official swearing-in of Soludo on March 17, 2022.

Speaking with newsmen on Friday in Awka, Anatune insisted that the number of members was in tandem with the challenges of their assignment.

He pointed out that the composition of the committee was purely a pan-Igbo affair, as there was a conscious effort not to make it purely an Anambra affair.

He asserted that the committee would be disbanded after carrying out its task.

He added that members would offer their services free of charge.

He mentioned that the governor-elect would be focussing on his four-pronged agenda which included economic transformation, social transformation, judiciary, and the environment.

He said, “I don’t agree with the notion that the members of the committee are many. The number is in tandem with the challenges of the assignment. We have many ministries and parastatals. The proper thing to do is to know where they are and to determine the roles those ministries can play in the next dispensation.

“So, the volume of work demanded the number of people; there was also a conscious effort not to make it a purely an Anambra affair. There is a pan-Igbo affair in the composition of the committee.”

He added that during the swearing-in, the governor-elect would unveil his agenda and the policy direction towards making Anambra a much more liveable and prosperous homeland.

Anatune added, “The committee would be wounded off immediately after carrying out their task of ensuring a smooth transition, but if the governor-elect wants to engage any one of them in executive, advisory, or any capacity, it is going to be his decision. At the end of the day, this is being done for Anambra, and they are offering their services free of charge as patriotic Ndi Anambra, and Ndigbo.”