Prof Chukwuma Soludo For President Organization

*A PARADIGM SHIFT: SOLUDO FOR PRESIDENT*

2023 holds a mixed bouquet of prospects, tests, trials, temptations, threats and success for Nigeria. The good of people of Nigeria are the only ones that can make their pick from these multiple offerings. Ideally, just one choice can be made from these options. Naturally, wisdom demands that success should be the choice, and Nigerians, reputed for their high level of intelligence globally, are sure to make the right choice.

However, making the choice is not that simple. An array of factors must be considered, determined and resolved before success is experienced in the coming elections that will hold in the world’s largest Black nation.

Amidst the clamour for the right person to become the next president of Nigeria, which will make the country if the right choice is made or mar the nation if the wrong choice is made, strong factors that will influence decision making include equity, fairness, inclusiveness, competency, capacity, national acceptability, proven track record, experience in public administration and international clout, among other key factors.

Commendations to all the patriots that have expressed interest to lead Nigeria in 2023, with some going further to pick and pay for nomination forms despite the high cost. This is a step that shows commitment and resolve to pilot the affairs of the nation to the level and status every Nigerian and the global community desires, considering the critical importance of Nigeria in global affairs.

In assessing the candidates, it is clearly observed that only two parties are being reckoned with, which are the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). This has streamlined the struggle to just two parties, whereas Nigeria is not a two-party state or a country that should be limited to only two options. Interestingly, the narrowing down of presidential prospects to just two parties has thrown up several unsavoury scenarios, with accusations of injustice, insensitivity to a certain region and many more, arising understandably, if not justifiably. To stem this increasingly surging tide and growing grey clouds that seem accompanied with worrisome winds that blow little good, an expansion of the arena is needed to accommodate more candidates, and importantly, very quality candidates.

On these notes, it is pertinent to elevate Nigeria’s third most formidable party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), to the same pedestal as the other two front runners, by endowing APGA with a very strong candidate that is already well qualified within its fold. Based on all the factors listed earlier, none other than Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo qualifies for this position as the flagbearer of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the 2023 Presidential Election. Constitutionally he is well qualified to run for President as a sitting Governor, as this will be the first thought in the minds of all well meaning Nigerians who are eager to move the country forward by having the right person in the nation’s driving seat.

His profile is well in the public domain and has been so for a while, log enough to convince all that he is the right man for the top job. Soludo has been a visiting scholar at the International Monetary Fund, the University of Cambridge, the Brookings Institution, the University of Warwick, and the University of Oxford as well as a visiting professor at Swarthmore College (USA). He has also worked as a consultant for a number of international organisations, including The World Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and the United Nations Development Programme. Soludo is a core professional in the business of macroeconomics. He obtained his three degrees and then professorship at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka, Enugu State. Soludo graduated with a First Class Honours degree in 1984, an MSc Economics in 1987, and a PhD in 1989, winning prizes for the best student at all three levels.

Prof. Soludo is thoroughly trained and involved in research, teaching, and auditing in areas such as multi-country macro-econometric modelling, techniques of computable general equilibrium modelling, survey methodology, and panel data econometrics, among others. He studied and taught these courses at many universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, and Warwick. Soludo has co-authored, co-edited, and authored a number of books on this subject matter.

In 1998, Soludo was appointed to the position of Professor of Economics at the University of Nigeria. In 1999, he became a visiting professor at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, USA.

In 2003 Soludo was appointed the Chief Economic Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo. He also served as the Chief Executive of the National Planning Commission of Nigeria prior to his appointment as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on 29th May 2004. During his tenure, he presided over the landmark restructuring of the banking sector that repositioned the sector and Nigerian banks to become global players.

On 16 September 2019, the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, appointed Soludo as a member of a newly formed 8-member Economic Advisory Council (EAC) which reports directly to the President on issues related to national economic policies. He is a member of the British Department for International Development's International Advisory Group among many other domestic and international bodies.

On 9th November 2021, he was declared winner and elected to become the Governor of Anambra State following the gubernatorial election that commenced on 6th November 2021 and then sworn in on 17th March, 2022.

At this critical time, Nigeria needs an expert in economic management and Soludo is at the apex. As President of Nigeria, Soludo will achieve his lifelong goal of Nigeria becoming Africa's financial hub and many more.

He meets all the requirements and answers all the questions about equity, fairness, inclusiveness, competency, capacity, national acceptability, proven track record, experience in public administration, international clout and so many others too numerous to mention.

Let us join hands as Nigerians with a common destiny and take our beloved country to occupy its long awaited seat in the comity of nations and global affairs.

We should embrace the 2023 Soludo Presidency Project and begin to chart a new, deeply desired and richly rewarding course for our beloved country by urging Prof. Charles Soludo to run for the position of President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, in 2023.

*Dr. Abubakar Musa Liman*
*Chairman,*
*Forum of Concerned Nigerians For 2023 Presidency*