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Blessed Beyond Measures: Life and Times of Nze Simeon Soludo
By Christian ABURIME
In 1939, at the tender age of eight, Simeon embarked on a transformative journey, departing his home for Onitsha.
Under the tutelage of his kinsman, Mr. Joseph Anyaonu, he apprenticed as a trader for seven formative years. It was a period etched with hardship and tribulation, a grooming in resilience amidst adversity.
In the face of challenges of life and tests of fate, a beacon of change emerged when, in 1943 at the age of 12, Simeon found solace and guidance within the folds of the Boy Scouts Movement at the Holy Ghost Catholic Parish in Onitsha.
Here, he imbibed the essence of Spartan discipline through rigorous drills and partook actively in expeditions and benevolent endeavours. The Scouts Movement became an enduring sanctuary, endowing him with essential survival skills that fortified his spirit through the trials and tribulations that lay ahead.
By 1946, Simeon returned to his village to embark on a new chapter: marriage. The subsequent year, however, marked a pivotal turn. Driven by a quest for purpose, he ventured to Port Harcourt in the company of Mr. Lawrence Okpala-Ibejekwe.
Despite being merely 16, uneducated, and lacking formal skills, he secured employment at the Shell Petroleum Development Company as an office assistant. A couple of years later, in 1948, destiny saw him journeying to Siroko in Ondo State to toil as a sawyer alongside Mr. Gilbert Afuzobugwu.
Amidst the laborious task of felling trees and fashioning timber for export, Simeon encountered the harsh lessons of life’s toil and hardship. Tragedy struck in the same year with the sudden demise of his father, Soludo, plunging the 17-year-old Simeon into the abyss of grief.
The weight of this loss bore heavily upon his young shoulders, cushioned only by the support of his step-mother, Obele, and the venerable guardian, Akuano.
After laying his father to rest, Simeon resumed work as a sawyer and joined the Sawyers Association in 1949, continuing his journey of self-sufficiency.
However, it was in 1953, while in Ilesha under the guidance of the Late Daniel Ike, that he received a tumultuous mix of news. His wife, Mgbafor, welcomed a son named Ikechukwu (later christened Emmanuel) while the passing of Akuano left a profound void in his life.
The years unfolded with Simeon’s nomadic journey: from Omanenu in Rivers State where he plied his trade as a sawyer before venturing into the hospitality industry by establishing a restaurant in 1956.
That was also the year that his wife, Mgbafor, gave birth to a baby girl named Paulina, followed by another baby boy, Silas, two years later in 1958.
Unfortunately, however, both Paulina and Silas died in their infancy.
Meanwhile, the restaurant business venture that Simeon had established at Omanenu, which initially promised riches swiftly crumbled in 1959.
The years 1956 to 1959 were years of despair, punctuated with losses and graded afflictions.
Hope dawned anew with the birth of his second surviving son, Charles Chukwuma, (former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the current Governor of Anambra State) in July 1960, coinciding with an opportunity at the Nigerian Cement Company, Nigercem Nkalagu.
His association with a French company during his Port Harcourt days facilitated this job offer. Despite an invitation to France, Simeon declined, anchored by familial responsibilities.
His role in the Civil Engineering Department commenced in 1960, later confirmed in June 1965, while his third surviving son, Ogochukwu, entered the world in 1964. Pastor Dr. Ogochukwu Soludo is currently the General Missions Director of African Missionary Empowerment Network (AMEN) as well as the Initiator and Chairman of Advanced Development Solutions Initiative (ADSI) Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited.
*To be continued…*
*_Credits: Materials and pictures support by Pastor (Dr) Ogochukwu Soludo_*
The Supreme Court of Nigeria will on Thursday, deliver judgments in two cases involving the leadership crises rocking the African Democratic Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.
According to information on the official website of the court, the matters, listed under “Political Appeals”, have been added to the cause list for Thursday, April 30, 2026.
While judgment in the ADC matter, marked SC/CV/180/2026, has been fixed for 2 pm, there is no time yet for that if the PDP.
President Bola Tinubu has written the Senate, seeking the screening and subsequent confirmation of fifteen nominees to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The letter was read by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
The letter seeks the reconstitution of the commission’s board in line with statutory provisions with the list comprising nominees from diverse professional backgrounds, including the media and legal sectors.
Among the nominees are the President, Nigeria Guild of Editors and Editor, Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Eze Anaba; and Dr. Salamatu Hussaina Suleiman, who has been proposed as chairman of the board.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Anthony Ojukwu (SAN) is to retain his position as the Chief Executive Officer.
Other nominees include Mrs Roseline Tasha, Ambassador Adam Yubak Baku, ACG Felix Lawrence, Mr. Edmund Chinonye, Mr. Chinonye Obiaku (SAN), Oluwakemi Asiwaju Okere-Odo, Professor Adedeji Ogunji, Kingsley Chidozie, Mohammed Adelodu, Maupe Ogun Yusuf, and Otunba Francis Meshioye as members.
Also nominated are Patience Patrick and Hawwa Ibrahim, listed as members.
The President said the nominations were made pursuant to Section 2(3) of the National Human Rights Commission (Establishment) Act, 2010, which empowers him to constitute the board subject to Senate confirmation.
He explained that the reconstitution of the board was necessary to enhance the commission’s institutional capacity and enable it to more effectively discharge its mandate to promote and protect human rights across the country.
If confirmed, the new board is expected to play a critical role in reinforcing the NHRC’s oversight functions, particularly at a time of heightened concerns over rights protection and accountability in Nigeria.
Following the presentation of the request, the Senate referred the nominations to its Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for screening and report within two weeks.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has revealed that it investigated the founder of Streams of Joy International, Pastor Jerry Eze, for six months over suspected money laundering before clearing him.
Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the Commission, disclosed this on Wednesday while speaking at the Jerry Eze Foundation Business Grant Award Ceremony in Abuja.
According to him, the probe was triggered by intelligence reports and petitions after the commission observed large inflows of foreign currencies into the cleric’s domiciliary account.
“We work by intelligence, we work by petitions. At some point, I saw there was an account, a domiciliary account. Dollars, pounds were dropping in like raindrops, from Colombia, from America, from Sri Lanka, even from Togo.
“I said who is this man? Yes, I’ve been hearing about his name, I’ve seen his face a couple of times. I never bothered about what he was doing. I knew he was a pastor.
“So they said this one pastor of streams of joy, go and investigate him. So we went to the investigation. We combed the books,” Olukoyede stated.
The EFCC boss said he subsequently invited Eze for questioning after preliminary findings were compiled by investigators.
He added that upon meeting the cleric and reviewing the findings of the investigation, the commission found no wrongdoing.
“So he came to my office. He told me what happens and all of that, and how the money came, what he does, how he has been helping people, and all of that.
“I said, you know what, I didn’t call you here to explain to me. We have already done our work. I called you here to commend you,” he stated.
The remark drew applause from the audience, as Eze, who was present at the event, acknowledged the commendation.
He noted that the commission has a responsibility not only to investigate financial crimes but also to recognise individuals found to have acted with integrity.
The EFCC chairman, however, stated that the agency would continue to monitor financial activities where necessary, stressing that its preventive mandate remains critical in tackling corruption.
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