Reported by: Puis Althea | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has declared that President Bola Tinubu is deliberately driving the reconstruction of the South-East through critical infrastructure projects, describing the President's latest approval of two major federal roads as a historic milestone that will heal the wounds of the Civil War and leave the region transformed. In a post on his official X handle on Thursday, July 16, 2026, Soludo expressed what he described as "uncontainable joy" over the Federal Government's approval of the design and procurement of the Otuocha–Anam–Abaji Road linking Anambra to Kogi State, and the Oba–Nnewi–Uga–Ihube Road connecting Anambra and Imo to the Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway through Abia State.
According to the governor, the two road projects underscore President Tinubu's commitment to rebuilding the South-East and addressing decades-long infrastructural deficits that have hindered economic growth and regional integration. "Certainly, President Tinubu has a date with history, and even more so with the South-East," Soludo wrote. "He continues to demonstrate his avowed commitment to orchestrating the reconstruction of the South-East, thereby finally healing the wounds of the Civil War". Soludo noted that several "unprecedented, foundational infrastructural rebirths" are already underway in the region, adding that the latest approvals further reinforce the administration's commitment to regional development.
The governor disclosed that he met with President Tinubu on July 1, 2026, after which the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, requested details of the road projects they had discussed. "I met the President on Wednesday, July 1. The next day, the Honourable Minister for Works and Infrastructure, our own ever-productive and beloved Senator Dave Umahi, contacted me to send him the details of the roads we had repeatedly discussed," Soludo said. He explained that he submitted the details of the two roads on July 3 and received confirmation on July 15 that President Tinubu had approved both projects for design and procurement.
The two approved roads are the dualisation of the 108-kilometre Otuocha–Anam–Abaji Road linking Anambra and Kogi states, and the 150-kilometre Oba–Nnewi–Uga–Ihube (Okigwe Junction) Road connecting Anambra, Imo and Abia states to the Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway. Describing the roads as transformative, Soludo said they would significantly improve connectivity across the South-East, South-South and North-Central regions. "These two roads constitute critical game-changers for the South-East, South-South and North-Central. The man who tamed the Atlantic Ocean in Lagos is certainly redefining politics, and the South-East won't be the same again," Soludo stated.
The governor's reference to President Tinubu as "the man who tamed the Atlantic Ocean in Lagos" alludes to the President's highly acclaimed Lagos coastal road and sea defence projects, which have been hailed as engineering marvels that have protected the city from ocean surges and opened up new economic corridors. Soludo drew a direct parallel between those achievements and the current push to remake the South-East's infrastructure landscape, suggesting that the same vision and determination that drove the Lagos projects are now being applied to the eastern region.
Soludo also credited Minister of Works Senator Dave Umahi for his role in facilitating the swift approval, describing him as "our own ever-productive and beloved" minister. He said the collaboration reflected his belief in "working collaboratively and building alliances to achieve concrete results that improve the lives of the people". "For me personally, this is why politics makes sense to me: working collaboratively and building alliances to achieve concrete results that improve the lives of the people," Soludo said.
The governor concluded by thanking the President directly, saying, "Thank you, Asiwaju! History will be kind to you". His statement marks one of the most effusive endorsements of the Tinubu administration's infrastructure agenda from a South-East governor, signalling a significant political realignment as the President's regional development push gains momentum. It also comes amid broader debates about the federal government's commitment to the South-East, a region that has long complained of marginalisation in infrastructure allocation.
Soludo's public praise of President Tinubu is consistent with his recent political positioning. The governor, who was re-elected for a second term in March 2026, has previously declared his support for Tinubu's re-election in 2027 and has argued that Igbos should participate fully in national politics rather than agitate for secession. In January 2026, he urged people of the South-East to stop fighting a war that ended 56 years ago and embrace peace and full participation in nation-building. His latest remarks, describing Tinubu as "healing the wounds of the Civil War," represent a deliberate framing that seeks to recast the federal government's infrastructure push as an act of national reconciliation.
The approval of the two road projects is the latest in a series of federal infrastructure interventions in the South-East under the Tinubu administration. The government has previously approved the reconstruction of the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway and other critical roads in the region, while the Ministry of Works has maintained that the South-East is receiving unprecedented attention in the 2026 budget cycle. Soludo's statement that the full list of infrastructural rebirths in the region would be celebrated later suggests that more announcements may be forthcoming.
As the 2026 fiscal year progresses and the 2027 election cycle approaches, President Tinubu's infrastructure push in the South-East is likely to become a key political talking point. For Soludo, the approval of the two roads is a validation of his collaborative approach to governance and a demonstration that constructive engagement with the federal government can yield tangible results for the people of Anambra and the wider South-East. "The man who tamed the Atlantic Ocean in Lagos is certainly redefining politics," Soludo declared. "And the South-East won't be the same again".
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