By Dennis Onifade
It is a bright, fresh dawn in Anambra State, the Light of the Nation. Yet, the immediate past four years in the State had been quite eventful and dramatic as far as governance is concerned.
In 2022, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, brought an electoral trove of goodwill and personal gravitas to the office of the governor. Once a battle-tested governor at the Central Bank of Nigeria, he took Anambra’s challenges by the horns.
His vision was audacious, his passion was fierce, all hinged on a Solution blueprint. He also assembled a stellar team of talents who were put on their toes for four years so that Anambra could be transformed for good. Transformed, indeed, it was!
Now inaugurated for a second term after a well-earned landslide re-election, Governor Soludo has overhauled his vehicle of transformation for an epic journey ahead.
Instructively, the erudite, demanding, fearless Governor has reappointed his Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, to join the recharged expedition of continuity.
There are many reasons why Aburime’s reappointment can be considered instructive. The reappointment actually reads like a promotion, an elevation, of a media aide who has passed his principal’s rigorous tests in professionalism, integrity, commitment and loyalty.
What might not be obvious to the public is that, for the past four years, Governor Soludo designated his spokesman simply as ‘Press Secretary’.
This would be curious to the observer, because Aburime’s counterparts across all other states in the country were always designated as ‘Chief Press Secretary’.
Why then was Anambra’s case different under Governor Soludo? Is it because Aburime was not qualified then? No, it is because Governor Soludo is a merit-driven leader and a stickler for excellence, not a patron or purveyor of mere titles.
With a professorial, technocratic clout, he governed by high standards and demanded the same from his aides.
Being a spokesman of such an uncommon Governor who also doesn’t use “His Excellency” prefix, Aburime had to put in the best performance of his career in the first term.
He had to always deliver in communicating his principal’s vision, policies and achievements via multiple touchpoints, while also deploying his crisis communication skills to battle the governor’s relentless critics hands down.
In the trenches, in office brainstorms, at press conferences, on project tours, and indeed everywhere, the Governor’s Press Secretary got his boss and his administration well covered.
He was fiercely loyal, dedicated, and never went to bed at night with any task left undone. On his watch, the Soludo administration attained steady visibility even in stormy weathers, just as Anambra’s name soared to new heights and keeps rising till today.
So, it is not a surprise that Governor Soludo was taking notice of a good performance and duly rewarded it. Like a highly demanding teacher who taught his student and then examined him, Governor Soludo found Christian Aburime worthy of promotion to the next class.
Now reappointed and designated as Chief Press Secretary like his peers, Aburime earned it.
Such are some appointments in life that don’t come on a platter. They need to be earned by proven performance. And for an exceptional governor who also earned his title of ‘Oluategwu’ because he is a diehard workaholic, the continuity of a chief towncrier working with him calls for more hard work.
It calls for greater performance. It calls for deeper loyalty. It calls for higher excellence. So far, Christian Aburime has proved that he will not disappoint, because to whom more is given, more is expected. Congratulations to Oluategwu’s Chief Towncrier of the first order!