As a trader, I did my best, do better as a professor, Obi replies Soludo

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has reacted to the sharp criticism of his ambition to be Nigeria’s president in 2023 by Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.

He urged the sitting governor to settle down and give the people of Anambra quality leadership as a professor.

In a recent interview on Channels Television, Soludo had said the investments Obi made for Anambra while he was governor are now “worth next to nothing”.

He also followed this with an article published on Monday titled ‘History Beckons and I Will Not Be Silent (Part 1)’, saying the LP candidate does not have the necessary structure in place to win the presidency.

Obi, in his reply on Tuesday at the Lagos Business School (LBS) 2022 alumni conference, said government is a continuum, and as such, Soludo can do better for the state since he is now in office.

“The one that they said is worthless is that we invested $3.5 billion in International Breweries. International Breweries is part of Ab Inbev, which is the biggest brewery in the whole world,” he said.

“We had a policy when I was governor that any company, foreign investor who wants to invest in Anambra State, we would buy 10 per cent of the company, and under the condition, we started an agreement that they would give Anambra people work to the minimum of not less than 40 per cent.

“They built a facility in Anambra State. That facility is there today employing directly and indirectly over 10,000 Anambrarians. They bring one of the highest revenue sources for the state.

“When you spread your investments, some will go up, some will go down. But overall, the company is still there, still doing well, and a part of a global chain.