By TINA TIMOTHY

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (InterSociety) has listed eight things that the incoming governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, must do to stabilize, survive and govern the state well.

This is contained in a press statement issued in Onitsha, Eastern Nigeria, on Friday, January 28, 2022, andsigned by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chair; Chinwe Umeche Esquire, Head, Democracy and Good Governance; andChidimma Eva Udegbunam Esquire, Head, Campaign and Publicity.

They are as follows:

Flush out hired ‘internet warriors’ (in their thousands);

Form a sizeable cabinet

Sanitize and reorganize markets and parks;

Reorganize state revenues and eliminate roadside/street touting;

Fix failed state and urban street roads and drainages;

Evacuate mountains of refuse dumps;

Merge and upgrade public nursery and primary schools.

According to the statement, “InterSocietyhad monitored democracy and good governance process in Anambra State in the past 10 years and found that democratic leaders such as elected or INEC proclaimed Governors failed woefully or succeeded remarkably in their leadership positions depending on how prepared or otherwise they were before taking over or at the formative stages of their Governments.

“It has further been found that leaders who failed to get on the right track formatively end up failing woefully. Formative stages of democratic leaders/leaderships include direction or directions through which such leaders wish to go or direct their governance; otherwise called “policy directions.” That is to say that the moment a democratic Government misses a right governance track, it is failure all through till the end.”

The group stressed the need to advise Soludo before the commencement of his tenure as Governor of Anambra state than to do so after he has begun ruling.

The statement further reads: “It is therefore correct to formatively advise a Governor/Government before its coming on board than to do so after it had taken over or run out of the right governance track. In the context of “nobody is perfect,” such Government having properly got on tracked, will continue to survive and achieve remarkably till the end on the basis of constructive criticisms, suggestions and commendations.”