By Jude Michael
Wife of the Governor of Anambra State, Dr Nonye Soludo, has debunked stories being peddled by opposition politicians in the state about the arrogance of her husband, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.
Opposition parties have been accusing the Governor of arrogating infallibility to himself and urging Anambra people not to vote for someone who felt like he knew everything.
Speaking with journalists at the Anambra Governor’s Lodge in Amawbia during a recent meeting, Mrs Soludo said on the contrary, her husband was a jovial person who enjoyed good jokes and a perfect family man.
While telling the story of her relationship with Soludo during her school days as a student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where the Governor was also a lecturer, the First Lady said her husband only showed seriousness when he had a task in hand, and it could be seen in the way he was handling Anambra’s affairs.
She said: ‘My husband has always been a very serious minded person from his days as a lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Of course, he is a very jovial person, but when he sets his mind on anything, he gives it his best, and that is why people think he is an over serious person.
‘While he was a lecturer at UNN, and I was a student, we met each other and got into a relationship. Because many students feared him and his seriousness, my friends always pitied me. They used to ask me how I related with this man who was so strict and never laughed with anyone, but always serious with work.
‘But what they didn’t know was that he was a very soft and jovial man who cracked jokes a lot. Of course, he was always strict with his work and many mistook that to be his only personality. But truth is, he can be fun to be with.’
Speaking about her husband’s Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN days, Mrs Nonye Soludo said: ‘During his days as Governor of CBN, we got numerous threats and I withdrew our children from school several times because of threats of harm, but each time I told him, he only said nothing could happen to us because he was fighting a just cause to salvage the country. But when it became too much, I didn’t listen to his assurances any longer, and I took the children abroad.
‘My husband is like that. When he sets out his mind to work, it is just work, work, work, and because of that, people do not see the other side of him. But the truth is he is a very jovial person who listens to other people’s views and even encourages others to say their mind.
‘I don’t know where people got this impression from that he is someone who is not approachable, or who does not listen to people. I think it’s politicians that are spreading such falsehood,’ Mrs Soludo stated.
