Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has hailed Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State, saying the governor has continued to contribute to nation-building.
Mr Shettima disclosed this on Tuesday, shortly after Mr Soludo was sworn in for a second term as governor at the Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka.
Onyekachukwu Ibezim was also sworn in as the deputy governor of the South-eastern state.
Nation building
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Shettima said Mr Soludo has helped foster unity and strengthen Nigeria’s political, economic, and social institutions through his practical commentaries on the state of the nation.
Describing Mr Soludo as “a man of ideas and honour,” the vice-president lauded the governor for making deliberate efforts “to restore order to public life, strengthen security, and confront the criminality” that devastated the state.
He said Mr Soludo remained committed to national growth and development despite entering office at a time when many politicians had begun mortgaging integrity for relevance and sowing the seeds of discord.
Mr Shettima argued that President Bola Tinubu’s policies have benefited immensely from Mr Soludo’s constructive advice.
“The policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have benefited from the candour, specialist insight, and patriotic counsel of this distinguished economist, this restless thinker, this public intellectual of uncommon range, both in open fora and in private conversations. And that is how it should be,” he said of Mr Soludo.
Continuing, the vice-president said: “That is what it means to be in the business of nation-building. It means placing the welfare of the federation above the vanity of partisan fences.
“It means understanding that Nigeria is too precious a vessel to be abandoned to the storms simply because the rowers wear different colours.”
He stressed that Mr Soludo is “a reminder that leadership can unify without shouting, persuade without humiliating, and stand firm without surrendering its soul,” especially in a season of needless divisions.
“It is therefore no surprise that his people have welcomed him again and entrusted him with another term to hold the rudder of this great state and guide it farther into safe and prosperous waters,” he stated,
At the inauguration ceremony, Mr Shettima also said the people of Anambra were only renewing, not just a mandate, but a covenant with competence.
“And as Onyekachukwu Ibezim takes this oath once again beside him, the state is also affirming that leadership is not only about the brilliance of the man at the top, but also about the steadiness, loyalty, and discipline of those who help translate vision into order, and order into progress,” he added.
The vice-president pointed out that one of the numerous lessons he learnt from Mr Soludo was that “differences in political parties need not be invitations to hostility” but opportunities for collaboration.
“Professor Soludo showed, too, that it is possible to see beyond the dangerous shenanigans that so often pass for politics in our clime, and to keep faith with the higher calling of public life,” he said.
He further praised the governor for his brilliance and deep knowledge of issues, especially on the economy.
Mr Shettima also emphasised that Mr Soludo’s maturity of purpose has nurtured a “cordial and productive relationship between Anambra State and Mr Tinubu-led federal government” of Nigeria, despite their different party affiliations.
While Mr Soludo is a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Mr Tinubu belongs to the All Progressives Congress.
The vice-president said the outcome of the cordial relationship had been a stability of engagement that has allowed the governor “to demonstrate that he came not to be consumed by the old habits of power, but to prove that genuine change is possible.”
Return to consolidation and higher building
Mr Shettima expressed confidence that Mr Soludo’s second term would be a return to consolidation and building on the foundations already laid in the state.
He assured that the federal government remains committed to partnering with states that prioritise development in their areas.
Soludo’s gratitude to Anambra and praise for Tinubu
In his inauguration speech, Mr Soludo expressed gratitude to the Anambra people for re-electing him and the deputy governor in the 8 November 2025 election.
“The unprecedented 73 per cent of the votes you cast in our favour was more than ordinary votes but an affirmation of love, patriotism and partnership in rebuilding our homeland. We will never take your historic support for granted,” he said.
Mr Soludo said Anambra State has witnessed significant progress in health, education, finance, agriculture, and many other sectors under his administration.
The governor, however, vowed to double his efforts in his second term to build on the achievements of his first tenure.
“I make this solemn promise to you, Ndi Anambra, today that the deputy governor, the new upcoming cabinet and I will dedicate ourselves 24/7 over the next four years to make you proud,” he assured.
He also said the state has a clear destination, and that “by 2030, Anambra will transit into an African Dubai, Taiwan and Silicon Valley.”
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Mr Soludo also praised President Tinubu for ongoing federal infrastructure projects in the South-east, particularly the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.
He recalled that during Mr Tinubu’s visit to Anambra on 8 May 2025, he requested and obtained the president’s approval for the inclusion of the South-east in the national gas and rail masterplan, as well as for the dredging of the River Niger to enable full operations at the Onitsha River Port.
The governor said that the president’s interventions signalled renewed federal attention to the needs of the South-east.
“President Tinubu is a cerebral, courageous and patriotic Nigerian. We trust him to make a major difference for Nigeria and the South-east,” he said.