Sometimes early in 2006, I got a call from Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who said he needed to see me for an urgent discussion. I was then the editor of THISDAY newspaper. On the agreed date, we met at Eko Le Meridien hotel in Lagos and we were joined by TELL Editor-in-Chief, Mr Nosa Igiebor. Apparently, it was the two of us he needed to see. Without wasting time, he said he invited us because he was about to take an important decision and he wanted to hear our take. He said he was not happy about what was going on in Edo State and he believed he could make a difference if he became governor. He took time to analyse the situation: the challenges facing the state in all spheres and what could be done even with the meagre allocation from the Federation Account. But there was a lacuna: how could he possibly be governor? He said that was why he invited us.

According to Oshiomhole, he had a mission and that meant he had to be pragmatic in his approach, adding that there were only two platforms in Edo under which he could possibly realise his ambition: either the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP). The problem was that the expectation of most Nigerians was that if he joined politics he had to be in the Labour Party which he said had no support base in his state and he was not going into politics for the sake of making a point. He wanted to contest with a fighting chance of winning, he argued. So the reason for inviting us was to court our support in the event he joined ANPP to realise his ambition. Neither of us gave the endorsement he sought that day and we must have spent about four hours discussing all the possible pitfalls. We met about three times later and by the time Oshiomhole finally joined the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), he had secured my full support.

What struck me back then was the time Oshiomhole spent consulting with people, stating his case and sharing ideas. I had never until then seen such attention to detail, such planning and such respect for people in any Nigerian politician. Oshiomhole prepared long and hard but on election day in 2007 he was upended. The story of how he eventually became governor, following a titanic legal battle, is already well documented but given the support I offered, he is one of the few governors today in whose administration I have a stake.

Incidentally, by the time he would assume office, I myself had become spokesman to the late president so we had opportunities to collaborate on a number of national issues which made me to respect Oshiomhole even more but those are stories for another day. Shortly before I left for the United States last year, I visited him and he took me round Edo State on an inspection tour of the projects he was working on. By then he had not spent two years in office yet I was impressed with what I saw but I will have to go back to really assess what he has done before I can endorse him for a second term. He is, however, one governor I am very proud to associate with so when he invited me to be at the reception organised in his honour by Edo indigenes in Abuja to mark the conferment on him of the Commander of the Order of Niger (CON) national honour on Monday, I gladly joined him.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/arise-o-great-ife-1-/103006/

Interestingly, in the course of the dinner, Alhaji Aliko Dangote who was earlier same day honoured with the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON) strolled in. While disclosing for the first time that Dangote was one of his financiers for the 2007 election, Oshimohole said what distinguishes Dangote from most other wealthy people in the country are his unique Nigerianness as a wealth creator and employer of labour who does not relate with people on the basis of ethnicity, religion, class or status. To the amazement of most people at the dinner, Oshimohole spent considerable time extolling Dangote’s virtues. I can attest to everything Oshiomhole said about Dangote who I have known for about one a half decade now as a brother and friend.

He may be the wealthiest man in Africa but those close to Dangote know that money does not in any way define him. What sets him apart from other rich men in Nigeria is his humanity. Granted that by virtue of his closeness to those in power there are people who have issues with Dangote’s business modus operandi which I intend to seriously interrogate one day but what is not in contention is that he invests all his money in our country and he is adding tremendous value to our economy. What particularly endears me to Dangote is not his wealth but rather his person. He is one man many people can call, and rely upon, as their friend because his relationship with them is never transactional. In any case, most people know that Dangote is very disciplined (I hesitate to use the word stingy) with his money!

But he places value on friendship and family and those enduring virtues count much more for him. I cannot recall the number of times Dangote has visited my house (starting from long before my adventure in public office) and I know he does that to many other friends, high and low. My last child is now well over eight years and Dangote was at the naming ceremony in my former Ajah, Lagos apartment. Wherever friends are celebrating or mourning, Dangote would be there for them. He is an extraordinary man who lives a simple ordinary life. It indeed speaks so much about Dangote’s character that he was at the Edo State dinner on Monday. Even though he bagged the highest honour earlier that same day Dangote would rather attend the ceremony in honour of the Comrade Governor (whatever that means). And it was rather gracious that Oshiomhole would turn his own ceremony to a celebration of Dangote.

All factors considered, I am one of those people who believe President Goodluck Jonathan got it right by offering GCON to Dangote but I will not go as far as those who distort history to say he is the first president to break with tradition on national honours. The man who did is President Shehu Shagari. The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo never ruled this country yet Shagari gave him the highest national honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) in 1981. It was all the more remarkable because as at the time he did, he himself had no national honour since he was too much a gentleman to confer one on himself as it happens today. It would take many years after he left office for President Shagari to bag GCFR.

But it’s commendable nonetheless that President Jonathan gave Dangote GCON. And, as far as I am concerned, it is well deserved.

A fair write-up.

mbulela:

Interestingly, in the course of the dinner, Alhaji Aliko Dangote who was earlier same day honoured with the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON) strolled in. While disclosing for the first time that Dangote was one of his financiers for the 2007 election, Oshimohole said what distinguishes Dangote from most other wealthy people in the country are his unique Nigerianness as a wealth creator and employer of labour who does not relate with people on the basis of ethnicity, religion, class or status. To the amazement of most people at the dinner, Oshimohole spent considerable time extolling Dangote’s virtues. I can attest to everything Oshiomhole said about Dangote who I have known for about one a half decade now as a brother and friend.

He may be the wealthiest man in Africa but those close to Dangote know that money does not in any way define him. What sets him apart from other rich men in Nigeria is his humanity. Granted that by virtue of his closeness to those in power there are people who have issues with Dangote’s business modus operandi which I intend to seriously interrogate one day but what is not in contention is that he invests all his money in our country and he is adding tremendous value to our economy. What particularly endears me to Dangote is not his wealth but rather his person. He is one man many people can call, and rely upon, as their friend because his relationship with them is never transactional. In any case, most people know that Dangote is very disciplined (I hesitate to use the word stingy) with his money!

But he places value on friendship and family and those enduring virtues count much more for him. I cannot recall the number of times Dangote has visited my house (starting from long before my adventure in public office) and I know he does that to many other friends, high and low. My last child is now well over eight years and Dangote was at the naming ceremony in my former Ajah, Lagos apartment. Wherever friends are celebrating or mourning, Dangote would be there for them. He is an extraordinary man who lives a simple ordinary life. It indeed speaks so much about Dangote’s character that he was at the Edo State dinner on Monday. Even though he bagged the highest honour earlier that same day Dangote would rather attend the ceremony in honour of the Comrade Governor (whatever that means). And it was rather gracious that Oshiomhole would turn his own ceremony to a celebration of Dangote.

All factors considered, I am one of those people who believe President Goodluck Jonathan got it right by offering GCON to Dangote but I will not go as far as those who distort history to say he is the first president to break with tradition on national honours. The man who did is President Shehu Shagari. The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo never ruled this country yet Shagari gave him the highest national honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) in 1981. It was all the more remarkable because as at the time he did, he himself had no national honour since he was too much a gentleman to confer one on himself as it happens today. It would take many years after he left office for President Shagari to bag GCFR.

But it’s commendable nonetheless that President Jonathan gave Dangote GCON. And, as far as I am concerned, it is well deserved.

STory, sTOry

my dislike for Adeniyi is well noted and i am not a big fan of Dangote but i fail to dismiss this article or its content.