I was amused, weekend, when I read a news report carried by an online publication, DNA Nigeria, of one Julius Ogboru’s characterisation of the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole,

as a shoe-shiner in terms of development of Edo State compared to what Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has done in Delta State. I consider this unprovoked attack quite unnecessary and uncalled for, particularly as it was reported that Ogboru, described as a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Uduaghan on Community Affairs, “made this statement while commenting on the finishing strong slogan of the administration”. It is evident from the report that Ogboru was not asked his opinion on the performance of the Comrade Governor of Edo State nor was he asked to do a comparative analysis of the developmental efforts of the two governors.
Julius Ogboru was quoted as saying: “When you are far from the government, you feel the government is not doing anything but having started working with the state government, I now see that sometimes we stayed at a distance and start criticising the government over things we know nothing about. A close look at what the administration of Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has done and that of our sister state, Edo, you will agree with me that Governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is a shoe shiner as against the impression the people are having.”
If Julius Ogboru, who has been living in Delta State, did not know what Governor Uduaghan of the PDP was doing in Delta until recently when he was asked to “come and chop”, how would he be expected to know what massive infrastructural development Comrade Oshiomhole of APC has brought to Edo State where he does not live in? It is doubtful if Julius Ogboru, a brother of Chief Great Ogboru, has travelled through or stepped foot on Edo soil in the last five years. If he did, surely he would not have failed to see the change noticeable everywhere in the state unless he has glaucoma and has a blurred vision.
It would have been more appropriate not to dignify Julius Ogboru by writing this piece, but considering his age and antecedents, I consider this necessary in order that he will not go thumping his chest before Governor Uduaghan that “I have delivered, bring more ‘pepper’”, as they say in Warri. There is no basis whatsoever for comparing the two governors. They govern two different states with different endowments in terms of people and places, resources and needs. Even the platforms which brought them to office at different times are not the same. While Uduaghan has been in office as governor in Delta State for close to eight years, Comrade Oshiomhole has done only five-and-half years in Edo State. While Uduaghan started from the foundation laid by his predecessors, Comrade Oshiomhole had the misfortune of clearing the debris left behind by PDP administrations in the state and laying a foundation for the rapid transformation and development of the state.
It is necessary for the information and education of Julius Ogboru that Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is acclaimed in Edo State and Nigeria as one governor who has demonstrated a commitment to turning around the infrastructural decay which he inherited from the previous PDP administrations. The opposition party which is presently harbouring migrants like Julius Ogboru acknowledges the developmental strides of the present administration in Edo State headed by Comrade Oshiomhole.
With a meagre monthly allocation of an average of two billion naira and an internally generated revenue of less than same amount, Comrade Oshiomhole has maintained a motivated workforce paid as at when due; built, renovated and reconstructed primary and secondary schools across the state; rehabilitated, reconstructed and constructed health facilities; built and reconstructed roads and streets designed and completed with covered drains, walk ways and street lights; provided communities across the 18 local government areas in the state with portable water and electricity as well as flood control, environmental sanitation and beautification. Benin City, the Edo State capital, is undoubtedly a cleaner, safer, orderly and beautiful city compared to the decay of the past.
Compared with Governor Uduaghan’s huge monthly allocation of an average of twenty billion naira and internal revenue receipt of eight billion, Comrade Oshiomhole by all standards qualifies to be termed a genius in financial management, prudence, accountability and transparency.
Who is Julius Ogboru? His only pedigree is that he is a brother of Chief Great Ogboru, a former governorship candidate on the platform of the DPP in Delta. Julius Ogboru requires a lesson or two on how not to cause friction between the governments of two sister states, then it is unfortunate that Governor Uduaghan, in an attempt to score a political point, chose the wrong person to do a job meant for saner minds.
An independent observer would be better to assess the two states based on income and output. The slogans “Delta Beyond Oil” and “Finishing Strong” which have become slogans in Delta State, may remain what they are, mere slogans, if someone like Julius Ogboru is part of the team to drive the change.
Julius is no doubt a shoe-shiner, whose sole intent is to polish his master’s ego and bring himself into political limelight, having stayed in the shadows of his more illustrious brother over the years.

Yakubu, a Public Affairs Commentator, lives in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State

http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/opinion/29277-oshiomhole-ogboru-and-the-shoe-shiner