By now, you must have
known that the two most prominent figures, in fact, the anointed duo, in the
gubernatorial race in Edo State are not of Esan extraction. They are Pastor Ize
Iyamu of the PDP and Mr. Godwin Obaseki of APC. And they have formidable backings
in the persons of Comrade Adam Oshiomhole and Mr. Lucky Igbinedion who, without
any doubt, feel no scruples undermining the interests and concerns of those of
us from Edo Central Senatorial Zone in the evolving gubernatorial saga. Truth
is undermining our interests as these gentlemen are wont to do in the coming primaries
is tantamount to courting anarchy in the electoral process. Populating the APC
and PDP Gubernatorial primaries with "Non-Esan faces" is despicable,
vile, and an affront to the collective intelligence of the honorable people of
the Great Esan Tribal region. And we will not sleep until those who want to
ride on their proximity to power, money, and influence to pervert the age-old
mutual understanding that benefited candidates from Edo South and Edo North
handsomely in the past take the course of reason and show support for
candidates of Esan extraction unconditionally. That is not too
much of a demand to make. Or we will take our protest to the polling units.
Disturbing Facts
Chief Lucky Igbinedion,
a Benin native from Edo South was the Governor of Edo State for Eight years.
His Deputy for those eight years was a gentleman of Afemai native from Edo
North. For those eight years, Edo Central, consisting of Esan communities, was
left in the cooler. At the moment, Comrade Adam Oshiomhole, an Afemai native from Edo North, has been holding forth at Osadebe Avenue for the past eight
years, and his Deputy, Mr. Odubu, is a Benin native from Edo South. Again, Edo
Central of the Esan tribes was left out of the power game. In the last eighteen
years, an Esan native from Edo Central, in the person of Professor Osunbor, was
the Governor of the State for about two years. So, for the past Sixteen years,
the men and women of Esan land have been nothing, but mere spectators in the
activities of Edo State. And we persevered, confident that our time will come in
2016.
A few months ago, Chief
Lucky Igbinedion was alleged to have boasted that his goal is to anoint a Benin
native as the next Governor of the State. In a similar vein, confronted with the
accusation of scheming to impose Mr. Godwin Obaseki on his party, Comrade Adam Oshiomhole fired
back, insisting he has every right to support any candidate of his choice at
the primaries. Well said, Comrade. I want to counsel the two gentlemen that
though Edo Central may lack the numerical strength to surmount Edo South and
the Edo North at the poll, we have the right to embark on self-disfranchisement
and the gravitas, the organizing skills, and the brain power to render the
gubernatorial race a nullity. If a whole Senatorial Zone is forced by
circumstances beyond its control to ostracize itself electorally, then, those
who perpetuate the distortion in the electoral process that culminates in the
disfranchisement must be ready to bear responsibility for the eventual impasse.
No one should take our meekness for weakness.
That said, the question
worth asking at this juncture is what exemplary traits or attributes did Mr.
Obaseki and Pastor Ize Iyamu display in the course of their stewardship in Edo
State to justify dispensing with Esan candidates as Mr. Igbinedion and Comrade
Oshiomhole are hell-bent on doing momentarily? Or is the treatment of Esan a
reflection of the paucity of credible and electable candidates of Esan
extraction within the respective political circles of Mr. Igbinedion and
Comrade Oshiomhole? We will address those questions later in the essay;
meanwhile, take these.
Is Industrialization
Stupid in Edo State?
Hitherto, the three
major States’ owned employers of labor in Edo State, besides the State Civil
Service, were Bendel Brewery, Ewu Flour Mill, and Okpella Cement Factory.
Today, they are no more. Mr. Ize Iyamu was the Chief of Staff and later,
Secretary to the State Government for the eight years that Mr. Lucky Igbinedion
was the Governor of Edo State. In a similar vein, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has been
the Head of the Economic Team under Governor Oshiomhole since his first term in
office as Governor of Edo State. And for the purpose of record, it is under
these two administrations that Ewu Flour Mills, Okpella Cement Factory, and
Bendel Brewery, amongst other numerous state-owned businesses, went out of business.
Let it also be on
record that Edo State boasts of some of the finest professionals available in
any field of human endeavor, locally and internationally. Yet, the
administrations under which the two gentlemen served at a prominent level were
unable to develop a robust economic package capable of facilitating the recruitment
of competent and qualified candidates to run our companies for profit.
If the Administrations
that Chief Ize Iyamu and Godwin Obaseki plus Mr. Odubu, the present Deputy
Governor, served as key voices for sixteen years cumulatively couldn’t develop market-friendly mechanisms with a view to revamping the three major companies
in Edo State, and put Edo State citizens back to work, why must we trust them
with a new mandate? That is the crux of the matter.
Analysis
Granted, Governor
Oshiomhole and former Governor Lucky Igbinedion have every constitutional right
to support and stand for any candidate they like at any given election, be that
as it may, the reality on the ground today in the Governorship race in Edo
State does not support candidates from any other tribes in the state other than
those from Esan Tribe.
Besides, the two
candidates, names recognition aside, seemingly lacked depth in serious questions of
reinventing government and management re-engineering in light of the
unpardonable stagnation scale of new ventures in Edo State.
The term Technocrat is nothing,
but an abstraction; it becomes meaningful only to the extent that those so
labeled manifest audacity, ingenuity, rare charisma, and pragmatic touch in
the course of the execution of their mandates. These gentlemen are celebrated, not for the grace they displayed as public servants, but
celebrated due to pervading work ethics in Nigerian civil service defined as a culture of low expectation.
The comatose state of
Ewu Flour Mill, Bendel Brewery, and Okpella Cement Factory and the fact that
these two gentlemen occupied highly strategic positions in two of the last
three administrations under which the listed State companies went out of
business is a disqualification. It is worth restating that Mr. Ize Iyamu was
the Chief of Staff and later Secretary to Government under Governor Lucky
Igbinedion for the eight years Mr. Igbinedion was Governor of Edo State. In a similar vein, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has been the Head of the Economic Team under
Governor Oshiomhole since his first term in office as Governor of Edo State.
Granted, the buck stops
at the Governor’s desk; nevertheless, as Head of the Economic Team to Governor
Oshiomhole for many years, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has some explaining to do on how
the listed state companies went out of business. In a similar vein, as Secretary and Chief of
Staff to Governor Lucky Igbinedion for many years, Edo voters would want to
know where Pastor Ize Iyamu was when the three state companies were plagued
with mismanagement. Both gentlemen hold all the aces in the administration
where they served and still serving - revenue generation, hiring, and
investments, among others.
In addition, what
innate visions or rare peculiarities did they exhibit during their stewardship
in the government house to justify their vaulted status that Chief Lucky
Igbinedion and Comrade Adam Oshiomhole considered lacking in Esan men and
women?
Wherein lies the economist or the geniuses in Mr. Obaseki that he so diligently
displayed in the present administration that, but for the orchestration of those
geniuses, Edo State wouldn’t have surmounted its unindustrialized status? Assuming,
of course, Edo State has succeeded in overcoming its industrialization deficits,
which, in fact, it has not. In other words, Godwin Obaseki did not display any
form of economic wizardry or pragmatic fervor to merit the vaulted fame.
As Head of the Economic
Team, what hiring process did Mr. Obaseki initiate in the Oshiomhole
administration to ensure that round pegs were placed in round holes towards
reviving the three companies? Would Mr. Obaseki have hired a candidate like the author of this piece with no political affiliation?
Let it be on record
that most of the ongoing erosion projects in the state are World Bank funded.
Those that are not within that category are financed with funds from federal
sources to federal agencies in the state. They are not projects funded by internally generated revenue. So, where are the products of Mr.
Obaseki's mandates in this administration as Head of the Economic Team? Where is
that ennobling policy framework bearing his stamp? Or was it just about borrowing and spending
and concocting some convoluted Property Tax Laws?
Barr Ize Iyamu was the
Chief of Staff to Governor Igbinedion for eight years as Governor of Edo State.
For those eight years, Benin City had a look of an abandoned City. In fact, the
entire state was like a ghost town. And Ize Iyamu, a Pastor and a celebrated
philanthropist was there for those eight inglorious and uneventful years as
the eyes and ears of everything that Chief Lucky Igbinedion represents. In
other words, Chief Ize Iyamu was part and parcel of the profligacy that
characterized Governor Igbinedion’s eight years in office. Under that
administration, the squandering of Edo State’s riches was unprecedented in the
history of the creation of our beloved state.
Reality Check
Ask any of the two
gentlemen to give you a breakdown of their policy packages or blueprint on
strengthening revenue drive in Edo State in light of the dwindling revenue
accruing from crude oil, and the ready answer: is industrialization. Well Said.
While Chief Dangote is
building Cement factories all over the African world and at our own Okpella
Kingdom, raking in millions of dollars in profit annually, the administrations
that these two gentlemen served at the top-level couldn’t manage or run our own
cement factory located at the same Okpella Kingdom.
What about Ewu Flour
Mill? The market for flour is more robust now than it has ever been. The pounding of yam to Ema via the age-old traditional method (o’kor) is getting out of
vogue. Today, Ema comes in the form of powder in sachets just like Amala. In
addition, the consumption of Semo and Oat Meal is on the rise. Yet, the administration
in which the two gentlemen served couldn’t think outside of the box and go
about recruiting smart and independent-minded Edo men and women to breathe life
into the management cadre of Ewu Flour Mills and turn it around for good.
Talk about Bendel
Brewery! The Brewery business has never been that lucrative in Nigeria. When I
was growing up, you could count the number of beers available in the Nigerian market
– Harp, Gulder, Star Lager, Stout, and Crystal. Today, Beer comes in styles and
shapes too numerous to count. And as always, the struggling Nigerian guy still
relishes the age-old habit of drinking his sorrow away with equanimity. Yes,
there is still a huge market for booze out there; sadly, not for our beloved
Crystal. While Nigerian Brewery and Guinness are flooding the market with
uncountable brands, our state-run Bendel Brewery couldn’t sustain the only
brand it has.
There is a pattern to
all these stories.
The setbacks that
bedeviled the three mentioned companies in this essay are not market-related or
the lack of it. It has everything to do with the hiring process, nepotism, and
political patronage. Embezzlement of public funds is a collateral matter. It
thrives because political leaders like those mentioned in this essay cannot overcome
the culture of patronage, populating top management positions with
opportunists, stooges, and candidates whose major goal hinges not on profit
margin, but on how to get rich fast and pay homage to bosses and sponsors.
The two gentlemen are notable figures in the decision-making
process within the administrations that couldn’t run state companies. And they
are notable figures that didn’t see any reason to resign, assuming of course,
the decisions of the two Governors in managing the three companies, were at
odds with their economic philosophy and at the same time inconsistent with global
and modern best practices.
This essay is not about
me. Nevertheless, I want to state categorically that given the opportunity;
I can revive any of the listed three companies within a year. In addition, there are capable nonpolitical Edolites at home and abroad I can vouch for who could
have revived these companies within one year, transforming them into the best of
their kind anywhere in the world. But the greediness and insecurity in all these over-hyped technocrats won’t allow them to take a step of faith out of their
comfort zone and go about recruiting a stellar workforce to breathe life into the
state-owned companies; boost revenue for the State Government and expand job
opportunities for the jobless.
Vouching for Esan Men
and Women
If the argument for the
vaulted fame of Mr. Godwin Obaseki and Pastor Ize Iyamu in the gubernatorial
race hinges on the inability of Governor Oshiomhole and Mr. Lucky Igbinedion to
find credible, capable, and electable candidates of Esan extraction, to groom
and sponsor to Governorship status after eight years of their respective
stewardship in Edo State, then, to a considerable degree, it explains the
nature of the individuals and personalities of Esan extraction that the two
gentlemen surrounded themselves with, and were comfortable working with during
their respective terms in office.
If on the other hand, the integrity of the Esan men and women that Comrade Adam Oshiomhole and Mr.
Lucky Igbinedion surrounded themselves with over the years is not in question,
then, once again, to a discerning mind, the apparent disconnect between the
twosome and the interests and concerns of the Esan people in the emerging saga
is a travesty of history and blatant betrayal of a people who showered them
with love and support unconditionally over the years.
Again, if the
credibility of the Esan men and women known to Mr. Lucky Igbinedion and Comrade
Oshiomhole is not an issue, but the ability of these Esan men and women to
command support and win at the polls, then, once again, it tells on the quality or capacity of the individuals of Esan extraction that Comrade and Mr. Igbinedion had access to
over the years. Be that as it may, the fact that Comrade couldn’t find
gentlemen or women of Esan Extraction worthy of his while for Governorship
support, he should have taken a step of faith and stepped outside of his comfort
zone to start the search for men and women of Esan extraction that would comport
with his benchmarks long ago. But he didn't. (Please reread this paragraph).
I can name four
individuals of impeccable character and stellar academic credentials who have
what it takes to stand before Kings and Queens and the Commons and do what is
right for the people. They are Mr. Odia Ofeimun, presently running under Labor.
The Next is Mr. Sonala Olumhense, a first-class public affairs analyst. The next is Mr. Austin Okolo, a devoted
husband, a true Christian, and a first-class Economist, followed by Mr. Benjamin
Omole, a selfless public administrator and the former Chairman of Esan South
East Local Government Council.
Mr. Odia Ofeimun, a
Political Science graduate of the University of Ibadan, and former Chairman of the
Association of Nigerian Authors was at a time the Chairman of the Guardian
Newspaper Editorial Board, and notably, the Simon Peter of Awoism - the
first known Personal Secretary to the late sage, Papa Awo, the best President
Nigeria never had. That Mr. Ofeimun is a true disciple of Papa Awo is not in
doubt. His present manifesto under the Labor Party platform showcases his awesome
grasp of the ills of our state and the required actions to overcome them.
On his part, Mr.
Olumhense is also a Political Science graduate of the Nigerian premier
University, the University of Ibadan, with a Master's degree in Mass
Communication from the University of Lagos. Sonala was a founding member of the
prestigious Guardian Newspaper and he was for many years the Editorial Page
Editor before he left for the US following the crackdown on Press Freedom by
the Military dictator, General Sani Abacha. He has been working at the UN for decades. Why he was not made the Chief of Staff to President Buhari still troubles
me to this very moment. He is an enigma - a public policy Phenom.
Mr. Austin Okolo is a
US-based financially successful Certified Public Accountant. He has a Bachelor's
Degree in Economics from the University of Benin and an MBA from the University of Lagos.
He is also a Chartered Accountant in Nigeria. He worked at Lever Brothers for
many years at the Managerial level before relocating to the US. He is a man of
impeccable Character and a quintessential Community Organizer. His Accounting
and management skills are second to none. And he is an exemplar of nobility.
Last but not the
least, is Mr. Benjamin Omole, a British-trained Public Administrator with a
Master's Degree in Public Management and a former Chairman of Esan South East
Local Government Area before he was kicked out of office along with civilian
Governors and fellow council members by the Abacha coup. Benjamin is a man of
stellar work ethic, with unblemished public records - a very distinguished
gentleman, the type who can hold his own high anywhere anytime. He remains an
underexplored and underutilized national treasure like thousands of other Nigerian
out there.
The Test of Comrade
Oshiomhole’s Performance in Edo State
It takes enlightenment
to know the enlightened. And given the enlightened man that Comrade Adam
Oshiomhole is, feigning ignorance of the existence of these gentlemen and what
they represent feeds into the narrative that he has for a long while been
predisposed to superimposing a non-Esan candidate on the electorates in Edo
State. If Comrade Oshiomhole was really keen on an Esan candidate he would have
started the search long ago.
If on the other hand, the obsession with the Benin candidate is a result of the alleged monstrosity of
the electoral strength of Edo South, one is inclined to wonder what has become
of the APC brand. Comrade Oshiomhole’s popularity and his performance in Edo
South in the past eight years are at stake. Or are we saying that the native
Benins are so race-biased that they will vote against a non-Benin candidate at
the poll, forgetting all that Governor Oshiomhole and APC administration did for
Benin City and its environs in the past eight years? Or is Comrade Oshiomhole
undermining and underestimating his relevance and popularity in Edo State. Or
he is simply unwilling to stake them for an Esan candidate? These are questions
that Mr. Governor should answer with dispatch.
Statistically and
population-wise, Oredo Local Government Area, Ikpoba Okha Local Government
Area, and Egor Local Government Area are highly cosmopolitan. In other words,
the possibility of the PDP garnering 80% of the vote counts if they field a Benin
candidate is very unlikely. On the other hand, voters of Orhiomhon Local
Government Area will most likely vote against the APC candidate in light of the
open animosity between Governor Oshiomhole and his Deputy, Mr. Odubu. In a similar vein, the Ovia council will rally around their own son, Mr. Lucky Igbinedion, and cast all their votes for a PDP candidate. But you cannot say the same for
Oredo, Ikpoba Okha, and Egor Local Government Areas. An Esan candidate with
strong APC/Oshiomhole backing can split the vote counts in these local governments
by half against the PDP candidate.
Mathematically, if Edo
North can rally around their worthy son, Mr. Oshiomhole, and give APC candidate
85% of their vote counts, and Edo Central, with four local government councils,
voting in a similar pattern, the chances of APC fielding an Esan candidate wining
a landslide victory is very real if they are able to split Oredo, Ikpoba Okha,
and Egor 45/55 with PDP.
So, whether by
personality factor or population consideration, it is not a doom day story for
Esan candidates under the APC. But is Mr. Oshiomhole interested? From all
indications, he is neither interested in mathematical projections nor willing to
stake his performance and put his popularity to the test on behalf of an
Esan candidate. Simply put, he feels no scruples undermining our interests and
concerns. Indeed, Pastor Ize Iyamu and Mr. Godwin Obaseki have every right to
run for any office in the land, but the truth is, they are perverting age-old
amicable understanding that has sustained peaceful coexistence and benefited
Edo South and Edo North handsomely over the years at the expense of Edo Central. They want to take advantage of their
proximity to power, influence, money, and name recognition to hijack what
belongs to the people of Esan land. And we will not stay silent. This is our
time. And fight we will fight, if need be, to secure our rights.
Mr. Alex Aidaaghese
Sugar Land, TX
June 10, 2016
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