Charles Chukwuma Soludo CFR (// ; born 28 July 1960)[1] is a Nigerian politician, banker, and economics professor who has served as governor of Anambra State since March 2022.[2][3][4] He is a former governor and chairman of the board of directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria. He was appointed as the bank's governor on 29 May 2004.

Charles Soludo
Governor of Anambra State
Assumed office
17 March 2022
DeputyOnyeka Ibezim
Preceded byWillie Obiano
Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria
In office
29 May 2004 – 29 May 2009
PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo
Umaru Yar'Adua
Preceded byJoseph Oladele Sanusi
Succeeded bySanusi Lamido Sanusi
Personal details
Born
Charles Chukwuma Soludo

(1960-07-28) 28 July 1960 (age 63)
Aguata, Eastern Region, British Nigeria (now in Anambra State, Nigeria)
Political partyAll Progressives Grand Alliance (2013–present)
Other political
affiliations
Peoples Democratic Party (before 2013)
Children6
Occupation
  • Politician
  • economist
  • banker
  • professor

Soludo is a member of the British Department for International Development's International Advisory Group and was a member of President Buhari's Presidential Economic Advisory Committee.[5]

Career edit

Academia edit

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.[6][7][8] 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,[9] an MSc Economics in 1987, and a PhD in 1989, winning prizes for the best student at all three levels.[8][10]

Chukwuma has been trained and involved in research, teaching, and auditing in such disciplines 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.[10]

In 1998, Soludo was appointed to the position of professor of economics at the University of Nigeria; the next year he became a visiting professor at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, USA.[11]

Government edit

Soludo joined the federal government in 2003 and served as chief economic adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo.[12] Prior to his May 2004 appointment to the CBN's chairmanship, he was the Chief Executive of the National Planning Commission of Nigeria.[13] In January 2008, in a speech to the Nigerian Economic Society, he predicted consolidation in the private banking industry, saying "By the end of 2008, there will be fewer banks than there are today.[citation needed] The restructuring of the banking industry has been attracting funds from local and foreign investors, which have increased banks' ability to lend to customers".[14] Soludo hopes to see Nigeria become Africa's financial hub,[15] and considers microfinance important to the federal government's economic policies.[16]

Appointment as a member of the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) edit

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 would report directly to the President on issues related to national economic policies.[17]

Governor of Anambra State edit

In September 2009, Soludo announced his aspiration for the seat of the Governor of Anambra State, in the southeastern Nigerian state's election of 9 February 2010.[18] On 9 October 2009, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) chose Soludo as their consensus candidate for the position from a field of 47 candidates, after repeated attempts to hold elective primaries were stalled by court injunctions.[19] However, his nomination was contested by 23 of the 47 aspirants, citing lack of transparency in the process.[19]

After this initial rancour, 36 out of the 47 candidates, and several top shots[who?] of the PDP affirmed their support for Soludo on Wednesday, 14 October 2009.[20][21] Soludo went on to lose to Peter Obi in an election that was largely considered free and fair according to major election observers.[22] However, with his perceived solid performance as CBN governor, Soludo remains a respected economic policy authority in Nigeria. Political commentators, while urging an issue-based campaign in the 2011 election, had called on aspirants to work with respected economists like Soludo towards an acceptable economic plan.[23]

On 17 July 2013, Soludo resigned from the People's Democratic Party after writing a letter to the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. He later joined the All Progressives Grand Alliance in preparation for the November 2013 governorship race in Anambra state. In mid-August 2013, he, along with five other qualified aspirants, were disqualified by the APGA Screening Committee.[24]

On 31 March 2021, unidentified gunmen disrupted an interactive session between Isuofia youths and Soludo at the town's civic centre, leading to the death of three police officers.[25]

In February 2021, Soludo officially declared his intention to run for the position of Governor of Anambra State under the banner of APGA.[26]

On 9 November 2021, the Independent National Electoral Commission announced Soludo as the winner of the 2021 Anambra State gubernatorial election and governor-elect of Anambra State.[27][28] He was issued a certificate of return on 13 November 2021.[29]

On 17 March 2022, Soludo was sworn in as the fifth Governor of Anambra State. During the inaugural event, a fight broke out between the wife of former Governor of Anambra State Willie Obiano, Ebele Obiano, and the wife of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu.[30]

Personal life edit

Charles Chukwuma Soludo was born into the family of Pa Simeon Soludo. His mother was said to have died during the civil war[clarification needed] when he was nearly eight. He grew up in the village of Isuofia in Aguata, Anambra State, attending Uga Boys High School, where he became senior prefect.[31] He proceeded to the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) in Enugu State, where he got first-class honours in economics in 1984. He continued at that institution and received his master's in 1987 and doctorate in 1989, graduating as best student at all three levels. He then became a professor of economics at UNN.[32]

Soludo has been married to Nonye Frances Soludo since December 1992,[33] and they have six children.[34]

Publications edit

1992
  • "North-South Macroeconomic Interactions: Comparative Analysis using the MULTIMOD and INTERMOD global models", Charles Chukwuma Soludo, Brookings discussion papers in international economics, Brookings Institution (1992)
1993
  • "Implications of alternative macroeconomic policy responses to external shocks in Africa", Charles Chukwuma Soludo, Development research papers series, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Socio-Economic Research and Planning Division (1993)
  • "Growth performance in Africa: Further evidence on the external shocks versus domestic policy debate", Charles Chukwuma Soludo, Development research papers series, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Socio-Economic Research and Planning Division (1993)
1994
  • "The Consequences of US Fiscal Actions in a Global Model with Alternative Assumptions about the Exchange Regime in Developing Countries”, Ralph C. Bryan and Charles Chukwuma Soludo. Chapter 13 in David Currie and David Vines, eds., North-South Linkages and International Macroeconomic Policy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press for the Centre for Economic Policy Research. (Brookings Discussion Paper in International Economics No. 103. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, February 1994.)
1995
  • "Macroeconomic adjustment, trade, and growth: Policy analysis using a macroeconomic model of Nigeria", Charles Chukwuma Soludo, AERC research paper, African Economic Research Consortium (1995) ISBN 9966-900-26-8 ISBN 978-9966900265
1998
  • Soludo, Charles Chukwuma (1998). Macroeconomic Policy Modelling of African Economies. Acena. ISBN 978-2114-29-4.
1999
  • "Our Continent, Our Future: African Perspectives on Structural Adjustment", T. Mkandawire and C.C. Soludo, Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, Dakar, 1999, in Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa, 1:2, 1999.
2002
2004
2006
  • "Potential Impacts of the New Global Financial Architecture on Poor Countries", Edited by Charles Soludo, Musunuru Rao, ISBN 978-2-86978-158-0, 80 pages, 2006, CODESRIA, Senegal, Paperback

Notable articles edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Charles Soludo: 9 Key Things to Know About Anambra's Governor-Elect". Channels Television. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Board of Directors". Central Bank of Nigeria. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
  3. ^ "CBN Governors: Their Career and Schools they Attended". Career Tips, Job Search Advice, Workplace Issues | Ngcareers Blog. 25 June 2014. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Charles Chukwuma Soludo".
  5. ^ "PROFILE: Meet members of Buhari's Economic Advisory Council |". 16 September 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  6. ^ Contributors: Centre de recherches pour le développement international Archived 24 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 March 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ a b Soludo Appointed CBN Governor, Asia Africa Intelligence Wire, 30 April 2004.
  9. ^ "Charles Soludo: From village boy to Anambra Governor-elect". Vanguard News. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  10. ^ a b "N25bn capital base: Senate drills Soludo" BNW News: Biafra Nigeria World News.
  11. ^ ReDahlia (5 October 2019). "Charles Soludo: Biography Of A One Time CBN Governor". Entrepreneurs In Nigeria. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Charles Soludo: The Man on a Mission – THISDAYLIVE". www.thisdaylive.com. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  13. ^ "Anambra State Governor". anambra.org.tr. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  14. ^ Adesida, Seun (4 January 2008). "There will be fewer banks in 2008 –Soludo". The Sun News On-line. The Sun Publishing. Archived from the original on 29 February 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
  15. ^ Omonkhanlen, Odidison (31 December 2007). "Financial sector reforms and the judiciary". Nigerian Tribune. African Newspapers of Nigeria. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
  16. ^ Atitebi, Tajudeen (7 January 2008). "Microfinance banks take centre stage in". Vanguard Online Edition. Vanguard Media. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
  17. ^ "Soludo, Rewane, Salami named in Buhari's new economic team". Punch Newspaper Nigeria. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  18. ^ "ANAMBRA GUBER ELECTION: The major contenders". Vanguard News. 5 February 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  19. ^ a b Elections and governance in Nigeria's Fourth Republic. Agbu, Osita,, Codesria. Dakar: CODESRIA, Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa. 2016. ISBN 978-2-86978-731-5. OCLC 988892212.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  20. ^ "August 13, 2013". totalmandategg. 13 August 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  21. ^ "Anambra guber race: Soludo emerges PDP candidate, Anosike, running mate". Vanguard News. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  22. ^ "Incumbent declared winner in flawed Nigeria poll". Reuters. 7 February 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2020.[dead link]
  23. ^ "Can we have real contest here?". www.southelevation.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  24. ^ "Anambra governorship: APGA disqualifies Soludo, five others". thenationonlineng.net. 17 August 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  25. ^ "Charles Soludo: Gunmen attack former CBN boss Chukwuma Charles Soludo, kill three aides". BBC. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  26. ^ "Former Governor of Central Bank, Soludo Officially Declares Interest To Contest". Hypesnaija. 18 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  27. ^ "(Updated) Charles Soludo wins Anambra governorship election". Vanguard News. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  28. ^ "BREAKING: Soludo wins Anambra governorship election". Punch Newspapers. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  29. ^ "Soludo receives Certificate of Return". Vanguard News. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  30. ^ "Updated: Ex-Gov Obiano's wife, Bianca Ojukwu fight at Soludo's inauguration". Vanguard News. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  31. ^ "Profile: Soludo, the 'poor village boy who God lifted' to head CBN -- and now govern Anambra". TheCable. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  32. ^ Arogbonlo, Isreal (10 November 2021). "Charles Soludo: From village boy to Anambra Government-elect". Vanguard. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  33. ^ Chukwujama, Uduegbunam (18 March 2022). "Meet Anambra's New First Lady Nonye Soludo". Prime Business Africa. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  34. ^ "Full details of Charles Soludo's marriage, wife and children". DNB Stories Africa. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.

External links edit