Edo 2016: A question of finishing ‘strong’

The word “strong” in the body of a piece written by a certain Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s social media activist, lauding the governor’s achievements tickled my curiousity. One is literally eviscerated when words are abused to achieve determined dubious ends, having been in the voyage of literary/words structuring for nearly two decades. The dubiety inherent in the word ‘strong’ in the context where it was used is nothing other than reducing our cherished democratic struggle as a people and nation to something profane.

There is no gainsaying the fact that Governor Oshiomhole made minimal dents on the governance of the state, namely: reconstruction of roads, renovation of schools (red roof) and the building of a single hospital that many referred to as a whited sepulcher! If a few reconstructed roads and schools and hospital are all we can get in eight years of Oshiomhole’s over dramatised administration(let’s add the regular payment of less than 5,000 state’s civil servants workforce), then finishing ‘strong’, which connotes potency, effectiveness, authority, resourcefulness, firmness, solid, stable, fortress, uncompromising, fervent, thoroughness, vivid was lavishly and wrongly used. Talking about thoroughness and fairness, shall we say Governor Oshiomhole has demonstrated leadership in those areas in terms of political appointments and infrastructural allocations? How about job creation, award of bursary to students and student’s scholarship? What happened to the promised rejuvenation of state-owned existing industries like Bendel Brewery, Edo Line Transport Limited and the Fruit Processing Company in Eho and many more? Shall we regale ourselves with the failed retreat being the chief anchor of a faded slogan called One-Man-One-Vote?!

The majesty of democracy is inherent in its pluralism: accountability, openness and equitable patronages of political positions across the various interest groups. But that cannot be said of Governor Oshiomhole’s nearly eight years in the saddle. Against all logic, merit and fairness, Governor Oshiomhole as the visitor to the two state-owned institutions: Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma and Edo University, Iyamho appointed Prof. Ignatius Onimawo and Prof. Emmanuel Aluyor from Etsako, respectively. If the appointments of Prof Onimawo and Prof Aluyor came as a surprise to Edo People and to those from other parts of Edo North who are eminently qualified for the job, the appointments of Dr. Mustapha Lekki and Mr. Pius Akpaibo as the INEC South-South Commissioner and Federal Revenue Mobilisation Chairman simply rattled them, as both of them are from Etsako.

What with Governor Oshiomhole’s selection of Hon. Philip Shuaibu as Deputy Governor on the APC’s ticket, an Etsako man like himself from the same ward and local government? Ditto Senator Francis Elamikhena from the same Etsako as Governor Oshiomhole. To make the matter worse, all the Etsako people in his government who constitute more than 60% of the state’s political appointees (just three local government) are reportedly receiving what they called Iyamho (double) salaries different from what every other political appointees take home. The Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy in section 14 subsection 4 of the Nigeria Constitution is against concentration of political appointments or elected political office holders in a given space to the detriment of other parts of the state thus: “The composition of the Government of a State, a local government council, or any of the agencies of such Government or council, and the conduct of the affairs of the Government or council or such agencies shall be carried out in such manner as to recognise the diversity of the people within its area of authority and the need to promote a sense of belonging and loyalty among all the people of the State/Federation”. Subsection 2 and 3 states: “Accordingly, national integration shall be actively encouraged, whilst discrimination on the grounds of place of origin, sex, religion, status, ethnic or linguistic association or ties shall be prohibited. For the purpose of promoting national (state) integration, it shall be the duty of the State government”. In the eye of the Nigeria’s Constitution, Governor Oshiomhole is not merely an ethnic potentate, but a dictator who prides himself as an emperor who conquered the same institution and people that brought him to power. It all began during the 2013 local government election with each subsequent manipulation becoming progressively easier. With less than 130 days to the end of his administration, the Governor grudgingly gave 10% mobilisation fee to two contractors for the flagging off of two political roads in Ekpoma and Okpuje, Esan Central and Owan West, respectively. This was done after he had fixed more than 30 roads in the three local government areas in Etsako land, leaving Esan land: Owan East, Owan West and Akoko-Edo to wallow in economic degradation. How do we discuss Governor Oshiomhole’s job creation fiasco without mentioning the over 20,000 Edo youths (Edo YES Empowerment scam) who were sacked after being casualized for nearly three years? How do we describe the anguish of Egor, Orionmwon, Owan East and West local governments whose workers haven’t received any alert in their bank accounts in the last 18, eight, seven and five months, respectively? Governor Oshiomhole’s earlier momentum has faded, instead of ‘finishing strong’. His determination to turn Edo into a cluster of hit parades suggests to Edo people that it wouldn’t take much, now, to push him over the edge. Erasmus Ikhide, a social Activist wrote from Lagos. Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com