In Anambra State, something quiet but profound is happening. No fanfare. No sirens. But lives are changing. Chalkboards are no longer dusty. Classrooms are no longer leaking. Hospitals don’t just exist — they function.
Yet, “Anambra people haven’t seen anything yet.”
Since taking office in March 2022, Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo has been steadily scripting a social revolution. Not with speeches, but with systems. Not with noise, but with numbers. His promise of a “liveable and prosperous homeland” is finding its roots not only in infrastructure and fiscal reform — but in classrooms and clinics, in policies that touch the vulnerable, the forgotten, the ordinary.
It began with education. A sector long burdened by teacher shortages and collapsing infrastructure suddenly found breath. Soludo’s administration recruited over 8,000 teachers in a transparent, digital-first process that stunned many observers. The test was online. Selection was merit-based. No backdoor entries. For once, qualifications trumped connections.
New teachers arrived in public schools across all 21 local government areas. From Nnewi to Anambra West, chalk met board with renewed energy. Students, once left unattended, now had mentors again. Communities began to believe in public education.
But recruitment was only the first act. Across the state, public schools began undergoing physical transformation. Leaking roofs were replaced. Dilapidated buildings were rebuilt. Modern toilets, perimeter fencing, and solar-powered boreholes became visible features of upgraded school compounds. For many children in rural areas, these changes marked the first time they could study in dignity.
Then came the digital push. Selected schools received smartboards, tablets, and internet-ready devices under a pilot scheme aimed at introducing pupils to modern learning tools. Coding, robotics, and artificial intelligence were no longer the preserve of private schools in Abuja or Lagos. Anambra children, too, could dream in digital.
While education was being repaired, the health sector was being reimagined. Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) that once lay comatose began receiving facelifts. Renovations weren’t cosmetic — they were comprehensive. New beds. Clean water. Steady power supply. Functional laboratories. Trained personnel. The transformation turned forgotten health posts into lifelines.
Across towns and villages, over 60 PHCs have been renovated and equipped. Women in labour no longer fear being turned away. Children with fever no longer face journeys of hours before seeing a nurse. Health is becoming local, and local is becoming dependable.
Tied closely to this transformation is the rise of the Anambra State Health Insurance Agency (ASHIA). Once underutilized, ASHIA has witnessed a surge in enrollees — from just over 120,000 in 2021 to more than 300,000 in early 2025. Market women, artisans, the elderly — more citizens are now protected from the catastrophic costs of illness. The Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) has further ensured that vulnerable groups — especially pregnant women and children — receive free or subsidized care.
But it isn’t just about building new systems. It’s about making old systems work. Soludo’s government is enforcing the “One Functional PHC Per Ward” model, ensuring that no community is left without access to essential care. In parallel, general hospitals in Enugwu-Ukwu, Umueri, and Ekwulobia are being transformed into semi-autonomous centres of excellence through public-private partnerships, giving specialized care a firm footing.
And still, the revolution continues — not with blaring headlines but with a shift in lives. A child no longer sits on a broken desk. A woman no longer gives birth in darkness. Teachers no longer wait endlessly for their salary. A poor man no longer avoids the hospital for fear of bills.
Soludo rarely shouts. But his governance speaks. In classrooms and clinics across Anambra, his message is echoing: progress is not always noisy, but it is always visible to those who look closely.
This is not just governance. It is restoration. It is reform. It is revolution — silent, sure, and strong.
