Oby Ezekwesili to head Soludo’s governorship transition team

The governor-elect of Anambra State, Charles Soludo, has appointed Nigeria’s former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili as the head of a transition team ahead of his takeover from incumbent governor, Willie Obiano.

Soludo, an ex-CBN governor and candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance was declared winner of the November 6, 2021, governorship election in Anambra.

Although the governor-elect is yet to make a formal announcement, Peoples Gazette reported that official sources familiar with the development confirmed that Mrs Ezekwesili would head the transition team when Soludo would be sworn in as the state governor in March.

The transition team’s inauguration, according to the sources, will be held on January 20, at Agulu Lake (Golden Tulip) Hotel in Anambra.

Although members of the team are still unknown, as the team leader, the former minister will develop a transition plan, ensure its implementation to ensure a smooth and successful takeover of Mr Soludo’s administration.

Ezekwesili, a former presidential candidate in the 2019 general election earned a worldwide reputation as a social justice crusader after she led the campaign to #BringBackOurGirls. A campaign was launched after 276 Christian female students were abducted on April 15, 2014, by Boko Haram terrorists in Chibok town Borno State.

In December 2021, she was given an international appointment as she became a member of the Board of Directors of Nexford University, Washington D.C., United States.

In the 1990s, she co-founded Transparency International, a civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption. In March 2007, Mrs. Ezekwesili was appointed the vice president of the World Bank.