By Olatunde Bello-Ishola
 
The offer is mouth-watering and irresistible. And it is in plain sight: no ambiguity or sophistry. Aside from his accretion of qualities, the practical and well-thought-out promises to salvage the state from the doldrums with the ‘SIMPLE Agenda’, there is so much more why Edo people are eager to vote for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the September 19th gubernatorial election. 
 
Don’t blame them. Who doesn’t like good things especially, when they are literally free? With Ize-Iyamu as governor, the state would also have his wife, Professor Idia Ize-Iyamu, an equally competent, cerebral and conscientious woman, as First Lady. Theirs is a pairing made in heaven and consecrated here on earth for the betterment of Edo people. 
 
For the past two decades, Professor Idia, a consultant orthodontist at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, had served as the unsullied force of hope and energy behind her lawyer-husband as he navigated through a successful private legal career and an illustrious public service. 
 
Now that he aspires to be governor of their beloved state, there is no scintilla of doubt that she would enhance and encourage his patriotic, heartfelt efforts and imbue him with the verve and value necessary to accelerate his wholesome and widespread growth plans for Edo State.
 
The job of a governor requires domestic felicity, an impartial omnipresent sounding board and informed adviser – someone to keep him grounded and focused on his campaign promises – a spouse that would have extraordinary resilience and grace under pressure. They don’t come better prepared and positioned than Professor Idia. 
 
Here is a woman, who has expertly negotiated her way through life, charting her own course, blazing new trails while building a thriving career in both public and private services, which she has also balanced with sterling family life, more so as a doting wife and mother. 
 
A 1992 graduate of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, she worked with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital from 1992 to 1993 and did her National Youth Service Corp, NYSC, at the Military Hospital, Bonny Camp, Lagos, from 1993 to 1994. She also had a brief stint at the Smile Well Dental Clinic between 1994 and 1995. 
 
But the allure of the academics was so strong that she moved back to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) as a lecturer in 1997 and has served in various capacities in the institution. She became an Associate Professor of Orthodontics in 2014 and is a Fellow of the West African College of Surgeons. 
 
She also attended the Oxford University United Kingdom on a Commonwealth Medical Fellowship in 2016. Prof. Idia is also the Pastor-in-charge of Teenage Church at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Trinity Sanctuary, Region 13, Headquarters Parish. 
 
So, Prof Idia, an inspirational, yet, unobtrusive, supportive, albeit stern professional and human, when it comes to the wellbeing of the people, will not just be an appendage of government, she would add value as an academic, a mother, an indigene and a medical practitioner. 
 
Noteworthy is that her riveting message – that the improved lives of women and girls in the state and the world at large will lead to stronger and safer economies – is proving to be transformational and catching up with the women and youth demographics. 
 
Recently, she told a gathering that women and children were the first victims of misgovernance. As such, she disclosed that there is a plan to train and empower Edo State women, provide infrastructure, and create gainful employment opportunities for the youths while noting that it was the fundamental duty of a responsible government to identify itself with the hopes and aspirations of the people.
 
Referencing her husband’s ‘SIMPLE Agenda’, she stated that with the population of 3.2million people and a landmass of 18,000 square kilometres, Edo State is bigger by land size and population than many countries. Yet, she lamented that the state does not have an institutionalised social welfare system to cater to the needs of its people. 
 
As a corrective measure, she promised that, “Every resident of Edo State will be allotted a personalised lifetime Social Security Number. Every child born here will also have a dedicated Social Security Number. With this, his government can track the need for assistance amongst our women, children, disabled, the elderly and vulnerable members of that society.” 
 
She further explained that the innovative system contained in the ‘SIMPLE Agenda’ would also assist the authorities to track the number of children going to school and those joining the labour market. And that each of the 192 wards in Edo State will have a social welfare officer and a team assigned to it while reporting to a coordinating office at the senatorial level that reports to the central database at the headquarters. 
 
“The Social welfare offices will be empowered by law to adjudicate on matrimonial problems and help resolve them through family counselling and mediation services,” she added.
 
The renowned academic believes that the scope and the significance of her husband’s ‘SIMPLE Agenda’ far exceeds social media-ready sound bites and, therefore, is also rallying professionals and religious bodies among others towards the elections. 
 
Conversely, some health professionals – her constituency – under the auspices of Better Health for Edo have endorsed Pastor Ize-Iyamu for having a detailed and realistic manifesto on how to provide quality and affordable health care for all. 
 
In a meeting with Professor Idia, the medical group announced its formation of ‘POI Health’ support group, which includes members of subsectors in the health profession charged with the mandate to conduct health awareness campaigns at strategic points in Edo to sell the POI health agenda to other professionals and the public.
 
She thanked the body for its support and assured it of her husband’s commitment to the health sector, including addressing the poor doctor to patient ratio and lack of infrastructure. 
 
“As a health professional, with years of practice in the state, I’m familiar with the issues you have raised. In Edo, today, we have less than 200 doctors in the 18 local governments to serve 3.5 million people. This has caused a poor ratio of one doctor to 17,500 people.
 
“The only good hospital we had as a state hospital, the Stella Obasanjo Hospital, Benin, which catered for a large number of diverse medical, surgical and gynaecological issues, was stripped of the state-of-the-art facilities and turned to a COVID-19 centre. 
 
“If you go to the Central Hospital, Benin, owned by the state government, there is no roof at the male medical ward. The dialysis centre is no more functional. The stench from the heap of faeces there is suffocating,” she noted with promising of a better future.  
 
She concluded that in the ‘SIMPLE Agenda’ is contained, a detailed and workable plan for doctors and solutions that would help to provide an enabling environment and build infrastructure that would generate employment and give the people a better life and livelihood.
 
Without doubts, it suffices to say that, behind the steely, serious, business-like, compassionate, trustworthy and promising mandate that the Ize-Iyamu candidacy represents is a sound and solid professor, who is coming all out to give her husband’s governorship bid the best possible push and support, both at home and in the public. 
 
*Bello-Ishola works and lives in Lagos

cc: mynd44

By Omobusola Afuwape
 
For the sake of the electorate ahead of the September 19 governorship election, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related matters Commission should promptly commence investigations into certain allegations of abuse of office raised against the incumbent governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki.
 
When news broke that the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related matters Commission (ICPC) had been petitioned to investigate some allegations of financial malfeasances raised against Governor Obaseki, two quotable shares from two globally renowned personalities quickly came to mind. 
 
First was the American whistleblower, who copied and leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency in 2013, when he was a Central Intelligence Agency employee, Edward Joseph Snowden and claimed that, “There can be no faith in government if our highest offices are excused from scrutiny – they should be setting the example of transparency.”
 
The former United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan is of the view that “If corruption is a disease, transparency is a central part of its treatment.”
 
Bringing these views home to Edo State, where the state holds governorship election next month, the onus of ensuring transparency and that the people retain their faith in government absolutely lies with the ICPC, a body constitutionally charged with the responsibility of exposing corruption among public officials.
 
The agency should dig down into the details provided by the petitioner and let the electorate and other Nigerians know the veracity of the allegations. The implication is that where the governor is found culpable of these allegations, voters can make up their minds on what to do with him at the ballot and on the other hand, if exonerated, he would not be deprived of the much-needed support. 
 
Interestingly, the allegations contained details that are easily verifiable. 
 
A member of the governor’s new political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ward 3, Orhionmwon LGA of Edo, Andrew Egboigbe, in a petition titled, “Petition against the unfairly advantageous awarding of Edo State Contracts to Afrinvest Limited by Governor Godwin Obaseki”, alleged that the governor abused his office by awarding inflated contracts to his company, AfriInvest Limited, an action that is contrary to the provisions of the constitution.
 
The petition already marked as received by the commission on Monday, August 3, 2020, also alleged that Governor Obaseki has been converting state funds for the purpose of setting up a regional bank awaiting approval by the Nigerian apex bank, the CBN.
 
Hence, Egboigbe charged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stand true to its core mandate of promoting sound financial system in Nigeria by declining the approval of the proposed regional bank purportedly linked to the governor and to investigate alleged payment of state funds into private accounts.
 
The petitioner alleged that Governor Obaseki, who founded his company, Afrinvest Limited in 1994 and stepped down as Chairman, Board of Directors in 2016, when he could no longer retain the position after he became governor, has been giving undue advantages to his firm, contrary to the provisions of Section 19 of the ICPC Act 2000.
 
Noting that despite the fact that the company remained “associate” as stipulated by Section 2 of the ICPC Act 2000, the governor’s emergence as governor has resulted in unprecedented financial boom for the company, whereas the governor and the company were unable to support his first term campaign with N10m.
 
“Mr. Godwin Obaseki’s emergence as governor suspiciously coincided with financial boom for Afrinvest Limited, leading to the firm winning contracts, notably from Edo State Government and making astounding profits it never posted since establishment. 
 
“On one specific occasion, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, abusing his office as governor, single-handedly, without the approval of his cabinet and the legislative arm of government, awarded a I.8 billion naira consultation contract on the Water Storm Project to Afrinvest Limited without justification of the inflated sum and the nature of the contract,” the petition reads in part. 
 
If investigation proves this allegation right, Governor Obaseki would have acted in contravention of Section 19 of ICPC Act 2000. 
 
Egboigbe further alleged that, “The security votes of Edo State, increased to an annual sum of 7.5 billion naira by Mr. Godwin Obaseki, since 2018 has been deposited in Afrinvest Limited bank account, and serves, alongside other illegally obtained profits, as the starting capital used to resuscitate Primus Bank, which Mr. Godwin Obaseki, acting through his proxies, is now seeking approval for, to operate as a regional bank.”
 
The governor’s main challenger, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has had the feeling that something was fishy about the security votes, not just because it was arbitrarily increased from N6 billion to N7.5 billion but because the police wasn’t getting enough to genuinely police the state.
 
In a maiden edition of his live broadcast on his Facebook page, Ize-Iyamu stated that: “The present government has not been able to show any serious commitment to the security funding of the state. Every month, the governor collects millions as security vote and gives the police little. That does not show commitment to security. The amount is not even enough to fuel vehicles.”
He expressed concern that Edo State was perhaps the only state in the South-south region without adequate investments in technology, which could be deployed to tackle crime.
“In this age, what is our investment in technology? Edo State might be the only state in the South-south that does not have trackers that can be used to trace kidnappers. The government must show sincerity in combating crime,” he said. 
On the abandoned Water Storm Project, which Egboigbe alleged was awarded to Obaseki’s Afrinvest, Ize-Iyamu restated his commitment to ensuring its completion, even as he expressed surprise that Obaseki chose to not complete it when he became governor.
“The water storm project cannot be abandoned. I didn’t initiate it, but we must commend those who planned it. Even four years ago, when I was contesting, I commended the foresight because flooding is a major challenge in Benin.
“To abandon the project the way it has been abandoned is imprudent and wicked, especially coming from a governor that was part of its conception. Afrinvest was involved in the financing of the water storm project.  How do you rationalise a governor, who was part of that process to now decide that he is not interested in the project?” Ize-Iyamu lamented.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Media Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC), through its Chairman, Prince John Mayaki, who was until recently the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, has sustained its accusation that the Obaseki administration was emptying the state’s treasury by sponsoring nefarious political activities, fake protests and campaigns of calumny.
 
Talking from an insider’s perspective, Mayaki opined that Governor Obaseki has been chasing shadows, while neglecting important governance issues, especially the management of flood and protection of lives and property.
 
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) listed Edo as one of the highly probable flood-risk states in the country.
 
The campaign council said: “The warnings by NEMA, based on the predictions of NIMET and NIHSA, that Edo is among the highly probable flood-risk states in the coming months, should send alarm bells ringing on Osadebey Avenue (Government House, Benin), as a matter of priority for the government.”
 
Etsako East, Esan Southeast, Ikpoba-Okha, Oredo, Etsako Central, Esan Northeast and Ovia Northeast local governments were identified as flood-risk areas in the predictions of NIMET and NIHSA.
 
Definitely, this governor isn’t finishing well let alone securing another term. But, in all, Edo’s money must be properly accounted for. 

*Afuwape wrote from Ota, Ogun State

cc: mynd44

continuation:

THE NEED TO ENCOURAGE LOCAL ENTREPRENEUR

Globally, specifically in nation's where the desire for economic development and growth is the driving force behind national policies, prominence is given to local entrepreneur who ventures into terrain that has to do with security.

For instance, the Nigerian local content Act 2010 was enacted to encourage same. If this truly the case why is the Minister more interested in getting a foreign firm to come and take charge of Nigeria's territorial waterways instead of encouraging a local investor who staked as much as $400million in purchasing vessels. Better still, the deal has the blessing of the Nigerian Navy whose mandate it is to secure the waterways. If the Navy is satisfied with the business offerings just as the owners of vessels patronizing the SAA are, why should we go for a foreign alternative at an initial cost of $195million to government for mere training? Who are going to be trained by the Israeli company, the Navy or NPA security staff? After the training, who will acquire the vessels and warships that will be required for their operations? Why place emphasis on the termination of the contract between OMSL and the Nigerian Navy which is at no cost to the government when there is no immediate alternative? If money is the issue, why not dialogue with the parties involved to work out something?

Many questions keep surfacing while trying to probe the rationale behind the quest to destroy the existing maritime security structure that has worked well for Lagos ports.

However, one cannot but submit that those opposed to SAA must consider the economics benefits of encouraging local entrepreneurs over and above foreign one. Where else can Nigerians businessman gather the necessary skills and experience to grow? Practice they say makes perfect. There is no better time to practice than now.

The example of Aliko Dangote is a proof that given the opportunity Nigerian entrepreneur against all odds can excel. This is why the government must ensure that willing and competent local investors are encouraged to venture into critical sectors of the economy. That way, employment, capacity building, invention, research and other components that brings about economic development would be achieved. Just as it is becoming obvious that government alone cannot provide everything, government must not be driven by the falsehood of looking for money kill initiatives that can substantially support the growth of the maritime sector.

OPERATORS REACT

Speaking on the issue via telephone with our reporter, Dr McGeorge who is also the the Managing Director of Jevkon Oil & Gas, Nigeria Limited, said his association is very concerned about the safety of the nation's waterways.

He stated that if nation's waterways are not safe we will loss business, stressing that the country remain a very important vessel destination in Africa.

He, therefore, called the parties involved to come to a round table discussion and tackle the grey areas with a view to resolving them in national interest.

Responding to the question of his associates' position on the issue, he said, ,"Our position have always been that we need a sustainable solution to security in our waters."

On the danger of the absence of definite security outfit and impact on his members, he said, "We are ship owners we have high tickets bank transactions on and we carry heavy loans to acquire our ships and we do not want our business distrupt by hoodlumbs and chalantters and pirates so we would support any action whoever weather it is government, weather it is private, public that is going to ensure that our waters are safe from pirates so that we can conduct our businesses properly."

Expatiating on why it's vital to ensure safety for the sector's operation, he said, "Shipping is 90 percent of global trade transaction and without shipping there is no shopping.

Dr McGeorge who stated that the association has written to President Muhammadu Buhari explained that they called his attention to the need to resolve the "confusion going on in our waters and that the president should intervene urgently. That he makes sure he calls all worrying parties to order so that we can have a safe ocean to do our business."

SAA- A NATIONAL SERVICE PROVIDER

Speaking further, he said, "What I am trying to tell you is this, Ocean Marine is a member of our association, we are Ship Owners Association of Nigeria. He is one of our key members and that is what is stated in that letter and they are providing a service for which we are benefiting and we have taking a position with the Senate in a public hearing and that position is that, they are doing a good job and the Senate agreed with us.

"So that’s our position, they have put an investment of 400million dollars in a shipping domain where we are still struggling in financing kits and so on. So therefore we should not allow such a business to die because if it does, so many people will be out of work and the progress we have made in shipping development will be loss.

"As a president of ship owners association, all I can say is that let everybody calm down, and let everybody come to the drawing board and proffer a proper solution.

"I am not ignorant of the fact that NIMASA and Ministry of Transportation has invested money to bring another set of security apparatus, we are still waiting, we have heard about the news and we welcome that news but we are saying that if the aim is for security then they should be an integrated security arrangement that will not be merge with any kind of confusion. In other words it will be straight forward for everybody so that all parties can dialogue.

"Security is security, the aim is to make sure that our waters are secured with everybody and I don’t think it is what only Ocean Marine can do and I want to say caterigorically that, Ocean Marine is not the only company that is providing security arrangement for especially the oil servicing industries with an arrangement with the Nigerian Navy.

"There are many other security agencies that have same arrangement with the Navy. It's not only Ocean Marine that has that arrangement so I cant see why they cannot allow all the security agencies involved to work together.

"For me it is the Navy who initiated the strategy and then leveraging with NIMASA and Ministry of transportation, they can as well now integrate a proper security structure in our waters and I don’t think it is rocket science it is something that can be done."

According to him, if our waterways are not safe the country will loss business. He warned that Nigeria is a predominantly importer natio, stressing that apart from crude oil the country hardly export anything.

His words: "Everything that comes to us here comes through the ocean and it is those ships that brings us all those goods that we are striving on here. Traders or any kind of person doing any business rely on shipping so if we are not able to have those ships come then even our economy will be impacted."

Also speaking in the same vein, Chief Executive Officer of First Planet Energy, Mr. Kennedy Rhima said that if the continuous engagement of Ocean Marine Solution Limited will bring about the safety and security of vessels in the Lagos Pilotage district.

He however called for a closer collaboration between the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, the Nigerian Navy and other stakeholders involved in the matter.

Rhima was of the opinion any attempt to stop the security services being provided by Ocean Marine Solution could spell doom for ships calling at the Lagos ports.

He said: "The matter has been a controversial, the safety and security of both vessels and personnel manning these vessels should be the goal of parties involved.

"I will urge Captain Okunbo to liase with the relevant agencies involved and straighten whatever needs to be straighten."

US TRAVEL ADVISORY ON NIGERIANS

Meanwhile, last week, the United States warned her citizens of what it called the risks of traveling to Nigeria.

The warning tagged: "Reconsider travel to Nigeria," listed proposed threny it's citizens are likely to face if they visit the country to include, "crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and maritime crime."

The US embassy then went ahead to list the areas with increased risk potential in the coastsl region as follows: Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, Delta, and Rivers states (with the exception of Port Harcourt) adding the restriction in this area is due specifically to crime, civil unrest, kidnapping, and maritime crime.

Interestingly, Lagos which is the commercial capital of Nigeria and a coastal city was excepted from the list even though it habour the largest seaports. A situation some experts have attributed to the SAA initiative that has reduced the cases of maritime crime in the region since it's implementation.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY'S EXONERATE OMSL OF FRAUD

Once again, to challenge the Minister's claim of fraud, late last year a joint committee of the Nigerian Senate and the House of Representatives on the Nigerian Navy, Marine transport and Finance investigated claims of illegality of the operations of OMSL at the SAA in Lagos seaport. The committee came out with a clean bill of health for OMSL and offered useful suggestions on how to advance the sector.

The committee's recommended among others, "That Ocean Marine Solution Limited (OMSL) should be commended for its genuine national interests in investing over Four Hundred Million ($400,000,000) Dollars into the Security at the Secured Anchorage Area (SAA) in particular and the Nigerian waterways in general by providing the needed platforms and logistics for the Nigerian Navy to effectively perform 24/7/365 patrol operations as well as to provide the required protection for vessels waiting to berth at the Lagos ports."

On the issue of defrauding the nation, the committee said, "That since no fraud is found in the operations of the OMSL and is operating at no cost to government, OMSL should be allowed to continue its operation at the SAA until such a time when a better and more cost effective system is put in place by the government.

And, "That the Nigerian Navy should be properly funded to enable it procure needed vessels to clear the over one hundred and fifty (150) vessels deficit to enable them carry out their constitutional responsibilities without over depending on Private Maritime Logistics Support Companies (PMLSC)."

LOOKING AT THE MIRROR

While it is pertinent to reflect at decisions before taken then, some industry watchers have attributed the unfolding scenario to a lack of understanding of the importance of the service being rendered by OMSL to the nation's maritime industry in particular and the Gulf of Guinea in general, others believe that it is propelled by the Nigerian fact.

Those who hold the later view wonders why some individuals after the decision by the nation's Senate, is insisting that it is not bond by such.

What this portrait in its entirety is an attempt to create a face off between the agency and the National Assembly. Those knowledgeable about such confrontations argues that the outcome is usually not favourable to national interest.

Interestingly, the management of OMSL has remained calm over the controversy as it has refused to join issues with anybody except for the invitation of the National Assembly it had to honour.

Moreover, in what some has described as working for national interest OMSL has continue to provide security service at the anchorage to the admiration of ship owners and operators that anchor their vessels at the designated area.

Hence the happenings is perceived as despising the National Assembly and trying to flex muscles with the lawmakers. As the move is a violation of the stand of the lawmakers as reflected in the committee's submission.

As advised by operators in the maritime industry, there indications that the management of OMSL is willing and ready to partner with the Nigerian Ports Authority on the secured anchorage area for the lager interest of the nation and its economy.

Stakeholders are however of the opinion that if the security arrangement in the Lagos Pioltage District is replicated in the Eastern and South ports, it will curb the issue of insecurity currently being experienced in that axis and boost the economy of both flanks and in turn benefits the Nigeria economy as whole. So, why threaten what is saving the economy.

cc: mynd44

In recent times, one issue that has dominated the centre stage of the Nigerian maritime industry is that of the Secured Anchorage Area (SAA) in Lagos port operated by an indigenous firm, Ocean Marine Securities Limited (OMSL).

The seaming controversy surrounding the operation of the scheme which was initiated to salvage the damaged image of Nigeria as it concerns the safety of vessels traveling along the nation's coastal region has been inundated with a lot of falsehood to gain cheap publicity and sympathy in some quarters.

This is done more often at the neglect of the true economic of the reality on ground.

THE FALSE ECONOMICS AND NARRATIVES

Anyone who has followed the debate as to the operation of the Lagos Port SAA project will realise that the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and his subordinates in the Managing Director of the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman and to some extent, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) have always painted a picture of "humongous" monies being made by OMSL in executing the project.

For instance, the minister while answering questions on a national television on the SAA recently described the project being operated in full collaboration with the Nigerian Navy as one “laced with fraud”.

Answering a question on why he thinks security services being offered by OMSL under the chairmanship of Captain Well Hosa Okunbo, via the SAA is not important, Amaechi ask the reporter rhetorically, "What security was he providing? He charges each vessel on the waters $2,500, then after that $1,500 everyday. He doesn’t pay back that money to the Federal Government.

“He makes $17million from that activity. Who approved it? Nobody!"

Speaking of the alternative solution he has to offer, he said, "As Minister for Transport, I said no, we can provide that security. $195 million was approved by the Federal Government to a company that is training Nigerians that will take over the waterways, and take care of the security, then Okunbo is now saying no no, I must do it, he can’t. I wonder why our personal interest will override national interest. I wonder what kind of country we belong to."

While doing all he can to fault that project, the Minister challenged the OMSL chairman to come forward with the approval letter he got from the Federal Government to provide maritime security on the nation’s waterways.

“If you said Captain Hosa was doing it, how come we are currently ranked number one in the world in terms of insecurity in the maritime sector. When we came, we were number three, but now we are number one in the world."

THE REAL FACTS

Meanwhile, even as the focus of this write-up is not to fault the Minister's choice on the acclaim financial gain, his refusal to go ahead and explain to his viewers what it takes to maintain the ships involved in the project may not have been deliberate, but perhaps an expression of his ignorance of how companies are run.

Again, while the Minister's proffered solution appears to be very economical and cheap on the surface, after all the country just have to spend $195million in training personal for his preferred Israeli company, Messrs HLSI Security Systems and Technologies, he failed to tell Nigerians the long-run financial implications of such deals.

While one is not canvasing the idea that the government should have a way of benefiting from OMSL's financial gains if it indeed do exist, we must not forget that huge investment was first put in place before the perceived returns.

Those familiar with the SAA project which is a partnership between OMSL and the Nigerian Navy say the cost of vessels acquisitions and operational running cost is at no cost to Government and never mandatory for ships, rather it involves ships that desire the service (A willing buyer willing seller arrangement).

Amaechi, a man who was once quoted as saying that he doesn’t like money, seems to have now changed his mind and has refused to understand that the money been charged by OMSL which he believes should be shared are used for operational costs as well as to provide bunker fuel.

Furthermore, it would seem very irrational for the minister and NPA MD not to at the least investigate and understand the security architecture under their preview by inviting all stakeholders but to unilaterally award a contract without knowing or understanding the implications to national security and local investment which was already on ground.

These may have motivated operators who are also vocal to state vehemently that the economic value of the SAA operation cannot be overemphasized.

Reacting to the recent threat by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, to scrap the security initiative which a joint committee of the National Assembly had applauded after investigation of it's activities, some key players in the industry charged all the parties involved in the dispute to resolve the matter amicably in the interest of the nation's maritime economy.

One of those who expressed concern over the threat to scrap the service of OMSL on the SAA while opting for a foreign security firm is Dr McGeorge Onyung, President of the Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN).

Also, operators are optimistic that it would become very irrational for the minister and NPA boss not to at the least investigate and understand the security architecture under their preview by inviting all stake holders but to unilaterally award a contract without knowing or understanding the implications to national security and local investment which was already on ground.

To this end, it is best stated that SAA, as an economic benefit, should be replicated on other locations and why OMSL should be encouraged to even take over and manage the deep blue project because of the humongous investment by federal Government which might be another failed project

THE REAL ECONOMICS

Interestingly, the operators of the Lagos SAA, OMSL has always pointed to the fact that it's main objective behind the initiative is 'National Interest.' To this end the company has modestly offered it by charging minimal cost to cover operations and maintenance. Recall, the company's chairman, Captain Hosa Okunbo, during his presentation at the National Assembly joint committee that investigated it's activities said, "The company has always operated on the charges incurred by fund collected from ships operating under the SAA"

Meanwhile, investigation has further revealed that it cost vessels that patronize OMSL operated SAA an average of $11,500, which works out to be $2500 for the first day and $1500 for the remaining days in a seven day period which is a maximum period that most vessels berth at SAA for the service provided.

This is against having three mercenaries costing the shipping company A WHOPPING COST OF $225,000 on a one month voyage at a cost of $2500 per mercenary which works out to at least $7500 a day over a total one month voyage of 30 days from Europe and much higher from farther destinations like singapore and United States and Far East. To this end, it leads to saving of at least $213,500 as against an initial WHOPPING cost of $225,000 before the SAA was introduced by the Navy and OMSL.

It should also be noted that the SAA traffic in a day has not been more than 20 vessels at any particular time. At each vessel paying a stipend of an average $1,650 per day works out to be $33,000 per day as earnings to OMS and with 8 vessels operating in SAA. To this end, operational cost and that of hiring these vessels average $4,150 per vessel if the vessels where to be hired by NPA or the relevant Agency.

This same vessels are hired to the oil companies for atleast $8,500 per day.

It will interest stakeholders to understand that NIMASA under the supervision of federal ministry of transport is hiring similar vessels with a contract running at $10,500 for each vessel per day and they currently have six of such vessels working with Nimasa for enforcement at a total cost of $63,000 which has no security bearings coming at almost double the cost of OMSL in rendering this very critical and security arrangement This brings to fore that indeed OMSL is on National Assignment rather than perceived misconception of profit making as the cost of $4,150 per vessel earned is to enable OMSL offset their running cost

The said amount can best be seen as a stipend compared to cost of attacks and import loss that may occur from pirate attacks, which led the shipping companies embracing such idea of operation.

Therefore, while the SAA operations continue to undergo criticism by government agencies, they (the concern agencies) refuse to accept the obvious and clear fact that the operational and maintenance cost are must to be offset, and such fund has to be included in the charges.

Unfortunately, what is more worrisome in the developing situation is the fact that before the decison to sack OMSL was carried out, stakeholders were not consulted otherwise, it would not be in the interest of any to suggest the later.

Concerns are constantly brewing to the fact that, Nigeria waters are vast and ports such as Port harcout aswell as other coastal areas are constantly been ravaged by sea pirates and operators, unavoidably in need of SAA replication to withal the storm which is costing Nigeria not only economic disadvantage but reputation snares across international mention.

Operators, however, calls for the need to set up similar services in warri and port harcourt axis to reduce the piracy and increase revenues to Government aswell as decongest the Lagos port which is now a safe haven for ships because of OMSL. The benefit of the SAA also spun in reducing the exorbitant price of shipping.

An Abuja High Court, presided over by Justice Suleiman Belgore, has granted orders of injunction restraining the Edo State Government and its officers from making further defamatory publications about business mogul, Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo (popularly known as Capt. Hosa).

The defendants to the suit are the Honourable Attorney General of Edo State sued as the 1st defendant, and Crusoe Osagie joined as the 2nd defendant.

Crusoe Osagie, as the Special Adviser, Media and Communication Strategy, Edo State Government, signed the defamatory publications in question.

A statement issued by Media Adviser to the business mogul, Samuel Ajayi, said the orders were given on Monday, August 10, 2020 in Abuja.

Quoting from the court ruling, Ajayi said the court granted, among others, orders “restraining the Edo State Government, whether acting through the first defendant and or 2nd defendant, its agents, representatives, officers, servants, proxies, assigns, trustees or any other person howsoever described, acting directly or indirectly for the Edo State Government, from publishing, causing to be published, circulating, further publishing, reporting or publicising the publication captioned 'Okunbo, Oshiomhole making plans to disrupt Edo Governorship Elections,’ and or any other related defamatory publication by any means whatsoever, including publications by/on print, electronic and social media platforms.”

In a suit filed by counsel to Captain Hosa, Dr Adedapo Olanipekun, the business mogul and elder citizen of Edo State, had sought an order restraining the defendants, by themselves, agents, representatives, officers, servants, proxies, assigns, trustees or any other person, howsoever described, acting directly or indirectly for them from publishing, causing to be published, circulating, further publishing, reporting or publicising the publication captioned ‘Okunbo, Oshiomhole making plans to disrupt Edo Governorship Elections,’ and or any other related defamatory publication by any means whatsoever, including publications by/on print, electronic and social media platforms including publications in The PUNCH and THISDAY newspapers.

The senior advocate had also sought a declaration that the defendants' publications of 20 July, 2020, captioned "Okunbo, Oshiomhole making plans to disrupt Edo Governorship Elections," which appeared on pages 26 and 53 respectively of The PUNCH and THISDAY newspapers, were false, fabricated, misleading, malicious, unfair and defamatory.

He also sought an order compelling the defendants to wholly retract or withdraw the false, fabricated, misleading, malicious, unfair and defamatory publications of 20 July, 2020, captioned "Okunbo, Oshiomhole making plans to disrupt Edo Governorship Elections," which appeared on pages 26 and 53 respectively of The PUNCH and THISDAY newspapers, from The PUNCH, THISDAY and any other platform/newspaper same was published.

Captain Hosa, through his counsel, is also seeking the sum of N4,000,000,000 (Four Billion Naira), “being aggravated and exemplary damages for the embarrassment, inconvenience, losses and damages done to the claimant’s person, character and interests, as a result of the defendants’ libellous publications of 20 July, 2020; (with) cost of legal representation/action assessed at N50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million Naira).”

cc: lalasticlala, mynd44

Akwa Ibom State Government has discharged another batch of 26 COVID-I9 patients who have fully recovered following treatment in it medical facilities.

The Honorary Special Adviser to the Governor on Health Matters, Dr. Dominic Ukpong, disclosed this on Saturday, August 8, 2020 while briefing Pressmen at the  Ibom Multi- Speciality Hospital, Uyo.

Dr. Ukpong who is also the State Incident Manager of COVID-19 pandemic, said that the facility is now managing only one new positive case from the forty five persons that were tested recently.

"...our joy today is because we have discharged 26 people and  we are happy because we are not reporting any death, as I speak to you now we have only one new case from the forty five test conducted yesterday.

"We have so far tested 1,300 patients and we've recorded only 8 deaths,  we are not happy that we lost any one, but those ones who died had lots of existing diseases which in medical parlance is referred to as comorbidities which includes conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, kidney failure, liver failure, some of them pulmonary failure, lung failure and multiple organ failure; when you have such situations and COVID-19 comes on you it may be difficult to safe you, but God has been with us and we are here to celebrate the mercy of God upon us", he explained.

The Incident Manager expressed appreciation to Governor Udom Emmanuel for the support and passion shown towards the health of the citizens in the state. 

Dr. Ukpong who warned on the possibility of re-infection among those discharged, advised that safety measures should be maintained by those who have been given clean bill of health.

"...according to research there is a possibility of re- infection. So people who are discharged should not take chances, they should continue to wear facemask and continue with their personal hygiene and social distancing", he stated.

Speaking, the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Prof.  Augustine Umoh, described the event as a remarkable response to COVID-19 pandemic and explained that Covid-19 is real.

He  warned that people should observe safety protocols to help mitigate the spread of the pandemic.

Also, a Respiratory Health Specialist and Pillar Lead, Case Management of COVID-I9 ,  Prof. Etete Peters, disclosed that a total of 26 patients have been successfully treated and discharged, thus bringing the total number of patients discharged in the hospital to 200.

He thanked Governor Emmanuel for supporting the health care sector to achieve the significant success in combating the scourge.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Comrade  Ini Ememobong, harped on the need to pass the message and not the virus, stressing that the gradual opening of the economy calls for utmost responsibility towards safety.

Hear him , "pass the message not the virus, it is critical that we pass the correct message at a time we are reopening our economy. As you are aware, markets have been reopened with a caveat on the protocols involved, you are aware that schools for the exit classes have been reopened with a caveat, therefore the duty of care passes to individual responsibility. We must be responsible both for ourselves and the people around us".

One of the discharged patients, Princess Mfonobong Ekanem, while confessing to the fact that COVID-19 is real said : "after experiencing symptoms I went for a test, when my result came out it was positive. Heaven knows that I cried for one whole day because this is something I never believed it existed and i think God wanted to use me to tell people that COVID-19 is real".

She thanked Governor Udom Emmanuel for committing huge resources into the treatment of COVID-19, and also thanked the health personnel for their care, advising that all should adhere to the safety measures as enumerated by NCDC and WHO in order to stay safe.

cc: mynd44

The lingering crisis in the Edo State Hose of Assembly is simply the handiwork of Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Those who are not familiar with the crisis presently bedeviling the Edo State may probably not know where to place the blame for the ongoing brouhaha in the State House of Assembly. The fact remains that the outgoing governor of the stte, Godwin Obaseki laid the foundation for an unprecedented crisis in the state’s body polity. 

Not at any time in its political history has Edo State seen a governor with a penchant for grandstanding and brigandage as during the era of Obaseki. Though openly at loggerheads with his predecessor and former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiohmole, his action at the State Assembly is what is currently plunging the state into avoidable crisis. 

On June 17, 2019, the 24-member Edo State House of Assembly was inaugurated with just 10 members allegedly loyal to Obaseki and ever since then, the haphazardly inaugurated legislative house has continued to make laws for the state. Every attempt to implore the governor to do the needful fell on deaf ears. 
 
Thus, what transpired among the lawmakers on Thursday, when the 14 lawmakers previously shut out by the governor and three more, who dumped him were inaugurated by the Deputy Clerk of the Edo Assembly, was therefore a backlash of the illegality initially perpetrated by the governor and the vandalism of the Assembly Complex, allegedly on the orders of the governor, was his smartest way to ensure that the lawmakers were unable to seat to make laws as provided for in the constitution. 
 
Though Governor Obaseki has said he would deploy all ‘constitutional weapon’ at his disposal to resist any attempt to forcefully take over the state House of Assembly, available facts show that he is the main villain in the ongoing characterisation of the Edo gladiators. 
 
The National Assembly, particularly the House of Representatives disapproved the controversial manner the Edo State 7th Assembly was inaugurated with 10 members out of a 24-member House.
 
The House of Representatives inaugurated Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas (APC-Adamawa)-led 13-member committee on July 10, 2019, to investigate the assembly crisis after a unanimous adoption of a motion moved under matters of urgent national importance by Hon. Julius Ihonvbere (APC-Edo).
 
The lawmaker was concerned about the improper inauguration of the Seventh Edo House of Assembly on June 17, expressing worries that at that time only nine out of the 24 elected members were sworn in and that was done without the knowledge of the other 15 members-elects.
 
The clerk, working in connivance with the governor, secretly inaugurated the nine members-elect at about 9.30pm, which according to him, was outside the time of legislative business.
 
Subsequently, the House of Representatives issued a notice to Governor Obaseki to inaugurate a fresh 7th Edo House of Assembly within one week or it would take over the functions of the Assembly as prescribed Section 11(4) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
 
The House also recommended that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Director-General, Department of State Service (DG DSS), should shut down the State House of Assembly and provide adequate security. This was after the House received the report of the ad-hoc committee on the need for intervention in the Edo State House of Assembly crisis.
 
But in his usual character, the governor rejected the position of the National Assembly. He resisted the intervention of the federal legislators and carried on with his lawmakers in a lawless manner. 
 
As a result of the governor’s political rascality, Hon. Gani Audu, Hon. Chris Okaeben, Hon. Sunday Aghedo, Hon. Victor Edoror, Hon. Washington Osa Osifo, Hon. Michael Ohio-Ezomo Hon. Crosby Eribo, Hon. Seid Oshiomhole Hon. Vincent Osa Uwadiae, Hon. Ahmed Waziri Oshomah, Hon. Kingsley Ugabi, and Hon. Ugiagbe Dumez, have not only been denied membership, their constituents had been denied representation under Obaseki’s administration.
 
Two others, who disagreed with the improper assembly inauguration absconded, and their seats were subsequently declared vacant by the Speaker, Frank Okiye.
 
Politics is a game of interest and the interest is best served by your numerical strength. Unfortunately, in the case of Obaseki, while he does not have the numerical strength, he wants his will to supersede that of the others.  
 
The crisis started because while Oshiohmole wanted Victor Edoro as the speaker, he preferred Okiye as speaker, and rather than either conceding or negotiating further, he opted to ensure that all the lawmakers loyal to Oshiohmole were unable to operate in the House. That has been the grouse and what got the Edo Assembly to where it is today. 
 
The reaction of a former national chairmanship aspirant of the APC, Chief Ibrahim Emokpaire, who urged Governor Obaseki, to issue fresh proclamation on the Edo State House of Assembly and allow the alienated 14 members of the assembly to be sworn in to carry out their legislative duties succinctly captures the mood and the reaction of many party leaders. 
 
Emokpaire, who was unhappy that just a fraction of members of the Assembly continued to legislate on the affairs of the state, had stated that, “His (Obaseki’) action shows that he has no regard for the constitution of Nigeria and the constitution of the party,” lamenting also that, “fourteen state constituencies have not been represented in Edo State House of Assembly for almost a year now.
 
“It is a known fact that the outgoing governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has treated the House of Assembly, an independent and co-equal branch of government, as a mere extension of his office through the brutalisation of members-elect and the denial of representation to the majority of members.
 
“In Gestapo style, the outgoing Governor hijacked a tiny minority and purportedly inaugurated them in the dead of the night. The sham inauguration was condemned and set aside by both arms of the National Assembly after their separate investigations revealed that the members, and indeed the Clerk, were forced to participate in the illegality under threat to life.”
 
Reacting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Obaseki for pointing fingers at APC and Oshiohmole as the brains behind the purportedly planned forceful takeover of the State Assembly complex, the APC governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu said Obaseki should be the one explaining to the people of the state.
 
According to him, “Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, or the APC, does not control the police. When Obaseki went to obtain a questionable court order challenging the position of Comrade as the APC National Chairman months back, he was locked out of the National Headquarters of the party in Abuja. If indeed he has any control over the Police, wouldn’t he have instructed them to leave and grant him entry?
 
“The Edo State Government should explain to the world and Edo people what is going on. And they can start by explaining why a branch of government meant to carry out oversight functions and check the excesses of the executive arm has been holding plenary inside the Government House for months over a supposed ‘fumigation and renovation exercise’ at the Assembly complex’.”
 
For clarity, the latest development in Edo State barely six weeks before the election is that the alienated 17 lawmakers have re-converged, were to be inaugurated by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Yekini Idiaye, while they would have impeached the Speaker, Hon. Francis Okiye on Thursday, but catching wind of the plan, the Obaseki-lawmakers quickly impeached Idiaye. 
 
This explains why Okiye, said Idiaye was impeached, because he was planning with the leaders of the APC and the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, “to illegally and violently take over” the Assembly.
 
In what is confirming Governor Obaseki’s dwindling political fortunes, the impeached deputy speaker and some lawmakers pledged their support for the APC governorship candidate, Ize-Iyamu last Monday.
 
From all indications, the governor instigated the Police presence at the Edo State House of Assembly complex on Thursday for fear that the APC lawmakers were up to no good. 
 
The vandalism of the Assembly, which included removing its roof and trucks from the Government House offloading gravels at the entrance of the Assembly complex while the suspected vandals trooped into the building were all orchestrated by the governor to make the complex unavailable to legislative functions. 
 
Though Governor Obaseki has been threatening violence, he must have met his match in the 17 APC lawmakers. The latest development is that they have also elected Hon. Emmanuel Agbaje representing Akoko Edo II as new speaker Extempore for the state as they inaugurated the 12 members left out by the governor’s men.
 
The last has surely not been heard in this lingering Edo’s theatre of the absurd, where elected lawmakers are prevented from participating in the process of lawmaking simply because a governor does not like their faces. 

*Edosa wrote from Benin, the Edo State capital

cc: mynd44

In what has been hailed as a great display of bipartisanship which has taken many people in the State by surprise, given the highly contentious atmosphere that enveloped the State during last year’s gubernatorial elections, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel has sent his condolences to the family of the late Chairman of the All Progressive Congress -APC, Honourable Ini Okpoido, who passed on yesterday after a brief illness.

In a condolence message released by his Chief Press Secretary, Ekerete Udoh, Governor Emmanuel said he was  “ deeply saddened by the sad and unfortunate demise of the Chairman of the APC in the State, Honourable Ini Okpoido whose sad event took place yesterday (August  5th, 2020.)

On behalf of myself and family, I extend our deepest condolences to you and your dear family on this very sad and unfortunate development. Even though you belonged to a different political party, there is no denying our common humanity and the abiding desire to engender a speedy development of our dear State and ensure better quality of life for our people which you shared and which is what I have sworn to executing.  

You were a great Akwa Ibom patriot and I pray the Almighty God to grant you eternal rest and your family and loved ones the fortitude to bear this sad loss.”

cc: mynd44

History has a cynical way of repeating itself. A few months to the 2018 governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State, it had become crystal-clear to former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode that the party was not keen on returning him for a second term. 

The party was unequivocal in its stance that Ambode had towed the path of dishonour by abandoning an otherwise flourishing and effective Lagos developmental blueprint but running a one-man show in government. 

Indeed, at the time, Lagos had virtually retrogressed to its pre-1999 days, when humans jostled – breath to breath – with mountainous heaps of refuse for space on the streets; traffic was chaotic and virtually all the roads in the state had become deplorable. Crime and insecurity were pervasive and the people lived in constant fear. 

Ambode had lost his marbles and Lagos was no longer working but he was adamant on a second term. Yet, a negligible section of the populace was still sympathetic to him. They believed, rather that, he was being unfairly treated by his godfathers, and party leaders, until that Sunday afternoon in late September 2018. 

He had called a press conference to speak on the forthcoming primary election and other topical issues in the state. The media had congregated on the lawn of the Governor’s Office, Alausa – a typical American tradition. Without much formality, Ambode burrowed into his prepared speech and it read smoothly until he segued into spilling dirt about his major contender, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. 
He told a bewildered populace on a live television that Sanwo-Olu did not have the mental capacity to run Lagos, because he previously underwent treatment for mental health challenges and challenged curious residents to proceed to Gbagada General Hospital to obtain the records by themselves. 

Until he decided to contest for the governorship seat, Sanwo-Olu was an appointee of Ambode as General Manager of the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation.

Ambode also stated that Sanwo-Olu had a criminal case in the United States of America for spending counterfeit notes in an American club. If Lagosians were shocked, Ambode’s aides, who were privy to the original script, were mortified. That wilful resort to personal attacks and character assassination was not part of the script, some of them confided in close associates. His fate was sealed therefrom. 

Even after leaving office, Lagosians never forgave him. For a governor, who also started pretty well, succeeding the iconic Babatunde Raji Fashola, Ambode decided to go rogue, dismantling structures and processes laid by his predecessors to the detriment of the people of Lagos State. It is so bad now that his name has become a euphemism for regressive politics.
Alas, it is this same pathway to political and electoral hara-kiri that Obaseki has chosen to tow, warts and all, forgetting that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it as the guinea pigs of history. 

Ordinarily, by now, he should be on the home run, with his catalogue of achievements enough to earn him a second term rather, his sordid stewardship continues to haunt him and dog his electioneering. 

More perplexing is that his Make Edo Great Again MEGA slogan is an appropriation, showing lack of ingenuity and perspicacity, of American President, Donald Trump’s campaign slogan four years ago. Obaseki had four years to make Edo greater but he frittered the opportunity away on the altar of paranoia and power-drunkenness, electing to fight rather than work with party leaders and state stakeholders. 

Whilst he hasn’t publicly described his opponent in the September 19th governorship election in unsavoury terms, his proxies are out in full force with their puerile and purblind propaganda. 
Days back, a news report surfaced on social media claiming that Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, was HIV positive. 

A phantom test result to that effect also made the rounds while one Dr. Lizzy Oghenerume, purportedly an official of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), where Ize-Iyamu’s wife, Prof. Idia Ize-Iyamu, is a Consultant Orthodontist, has claimed that she had been diverting anti-retroviral drugs “meant for poor people who have the disease in the state to her husband to keep him alive, so it is no news that the APC candidate has the disease.” 

The Ize-Iyamus have graciously ignored the so-called Oghenerume and her repellent and reprehensible tales in the understanding that if she truly existed, she was just a pawn in the hands of Obaseki and his Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, acolytes. 

These are, indeed, desperate times for Obaseki, who is staring defeat in the face and like a drowning man, is clutching at everything in sight to stay afloat. Unfortunately, for him, and his cheerleaders, this is a lost cause. Edo State indigenes have their minds made up on a change of government and Pastor Ize-Iyamu ticks all the boxes in what they desire in a candidate. 
So, no matter how much mud is splattered the APC candidate’s way, the people can decipher the truth. Even Obaseki’s immediate family members know the truth; they have seen the light and have unanimously declared that it is either Pastor Ize-Iyamu or nobody. 

So, Obaseki deserves pity. The ringing endorsement of his opponent by his relatives further underscores this. At Ize-Iyamu’s private residence in Benin City recently, some of the governor’s relatives led by his first cousin, Victor Obaseki, admitted that although the governor was their kin, he would not get the support of the family. 

Victor stated: “I am here today in the company of my cousins to support Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki, the executive governor, is our cousin. Generally, the Obasekis have their way of doing things. We are a different branch of faith. We are supporting our brother, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, with unalloyed support fully for him. I have supported him before, and I would continue to support him. We would do all our campaigns for him without let or hindrance, fully from the bottom of our hearts.”

Following suit was the Deputy Speaker of the Edo House of Assembly and member representing Akoko-Edo Constituency I, Hon. Yekini Idiaye alongside four other members of the Assembly, who pledged their support to Pastor Ize-Iyamu, bringing the number of elected members, who have done likewise in the Edo Assembly to 17. 

Barely 48hours after declaring his support, Idiaye was impeached by the Assembly, a sad testament of Obaseki’s intolerance and imprudence that have blighted his administration and which would ultimately cost him the election. No doubt, the September 19 election is already lost and won. Congratulations to Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu!

Thomas, a public affairs analyst, wrote in from Benin City, Edo State

cc: mynd44

In politics, globally, and in life generally, emotional maturity and emotional intelligence are two different but symbiotic factors essential to maintaining healthy relationships.

Experts describe emotional maturity as the ability to handle situations without gratuitously escalating them. Instead of seeking to blame someone else for their problems or behaviour, emotionally mature people seek to fix the problem or behaviour and always accept accountability for their actions. 

No matter the situation, or so the experts assert, emotionally mature people don’t lie in uncomfortable situations. Rather, they face the reality of the situation frontally. And, they don’t resort to personal attacks during a disagreement; they address only the issue.

They are not impulsive and don’t speak recklessly. They ensure that they are calm and think before they speak.

On the other hand, emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions as well as the emotions of others. You can identify an emotion and respond to it rather than react, which is another critical skill. 

But those who – like Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State – are deficient in these areas see a breakdown in communication and, ultimately, complications in or the breakup of their political, business or even romantic relationships. 

Perhaps, because he doesn’t even know what they are or understand how they work – both separately and in tandem – Obaseki forgot to acquire the skill-set needed to navigate life and politics, which is why the house his predecessor literally helped him build for the collective sheltering of Edo indigenes with sweat and sheer willpower, has collapsed under his watch.

Even the umbrella that he sought refuge under is now leaking porously. Everything that can possibly go wrong with a political campaign is going wrong with Obaseki’s. From the gale of resignation to a groundswell of apathy by the electorate to his ambition, all the indices are that the second term bid of the governor is dead on arrival.

Obaseki and his cheerleaders were in denial all along as they continued to run on their contrived popularity and propaganda but the penny has dropped with happenings in their camp in recent days.
Last Tuesday, Mr Patrick Iyoha, the Director, Obaseki/Shaibu Movement, resigned his appointment with immediate effect, citing personal reasons. The resignation of Iyoha, also a member of the Edo State Waste Management Board, threw the campaign organisation into disarray, as he was the nerve-centre of Obaseki’s re-election bid. 

But it was not only Iyoha that resigned within the week. Two members of the State Post Primary Education Board – Mr Gabriel Oiboh, Chairman and Mr Osanyemwere Osawe, a member of the board – also resigned their appointments. Oiboh and Osawe said their resignations followed pressure by Obaseki to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Earlier on Monday, July 27th, three commissioners of the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Area Development Commission had resigned their appointments. The commissioners – Osamwonyi Atu, Emmanuel Odigie and Rilwanu Oshiomhole – hitherto represented Edo South, Edo Central and Edo North senatorial districts. 

Particularly, Odigie said he was resigning, because “The appointment was given to me based on my membership and commitment to the APC. I have contested elections twice to the House of Representatives on the APC platform, as a party loyalist, and based on my principles, I strongly believe it will be unfair to cross over to the Peoples Democratic Party.” 
Oshiomhole echoed the same sentiment, adding that as a loyal party man, his resignation was to enable him to work for the success of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the APC governorship candidate in the September 19th election.

The previous Friday, Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability, Dame Omoua Oni-Okpaku resigned from the state cabinet, joining a long list that includes several cabinet members and senior aides of the governor.

These resignations were preceded last May by the shocking exit of Taiwo Akerele, the immediate past Chief of Staff to the Governor. 
Those conversant with Nigerian politics and how the government – whether federal or state – works, know that the appointive position of the Chief of Staff is usually given to an ally of the governor or president as the case may be.

Akerele was seen as Obaseki’s eyes and ears in the government, the major interface between the governor and the people, stakeholders in the state and appointees.

The blame of Akerele’s shocking resignation was laid squarely at the feet of Obaseki, who was variously accused of having evolved into an imperious and inexorable leader especially as it became clearer by the day that he was taking on too many pointless, ego-driven battles. 

When John Maiyaki, a former Chief Press Secretary to Governor Obaseki resigned his appointment in 2019 long before the governor defected to the PDP, he said it was the people of Edo State that are opposed to the governor’s second term, not the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomole. 

Maiyaki said those, who worked for the election of the governor in 2016 were disappointed that he abandoned the developmental agenda on which he was elected and had subjected the people of the state to abject poverty. He further alleged that it was indisputable that Governor Obaseki has refused to implement the continuity agenda promised to the Edo People in 2016 describing it as a needle to the bubble of lies created by agents of underdevelopment and poverty in the state. 

According to him, “It is a decision made after a clear evaluation of the competence, actions, and intentions of Godwin Obaseki, who though admitted to the success of the administration he succeeded, has merely reversed the gains recorded in a futile attempt to create a political dynasty founded on nepotism, ethnic division, corruption, and disregard for the rule of law.

“Certainly, no right-thinking member of the society would support this. It is therefore not a surprise that Edo citizens, high and low, young and old, have abandoned personal sentiments or affiliations, and resorted to logic and core hard facts in their collective rejection of the governor. 

“This simple truth is backed by the fact that Godwin Obaseki is presently fighting to earn the approval of his own family members who have since embraced the party and the Edo People’s Movement in the mission to kick out the inept leader from office.” Maiyaki should know. He was Obaseki’s spokesman for three years. 

Like Dr Mike Murdoch once said, “A foolish man will enjoy a perfect today and lose a perfect tomorrow. A wise man will forfeit a perfect today to gain a perfect tomorrow. Maturity is the ability to delay gratification.” 

Obaseki seamlessly rode into power on the wings of the accomplishments of his predecessor. As noted by Maiyaki, he was supposed to consolidate on the gains bequeathed to him but deviated and took the state many years back. Alas, where the people expected political maturity, they found scapegoating and scaremongering. 

His subsequent projections, including paranoia, an inability to self-analyse, and a lack of emotional intelligence will lead to his downfall at the polls. 

In the twilight of his administration, especially, Obaseki began treating governance as some spectator sports by fomenting trouble where there was peace with the intent to distract the people from their daily drudgery and to expect somehow, at the end of it all, that the miracle of a better-governed state would emerge.

But there is a silver lining in all these, of course, and the informed electorate of Edo State has fully come to terms with the sure-fire power of their votes to effect a change in government, which they have unanimously consented to do on September 19th. 

In the end, it is left to Pastor Ize-Iyamu to help the people sort through all of the debilitating disruptions of Obaseki. He is coming adequately prepared for the job. 

Apart from having spent the best part of his meritorious existence in the state, he has acquired, along the line, political maturity and dexterity, and a leadership skill-set that would come handy as he attempts to put the state back in order from the day he is sworn in as the next governor of Edo State. 

George-Hanson lives in Lagos

cc: mynd44

Obaseki’s Exasperating Desperation 
 
By John Amenaghawon
 
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki’s recent recourse to threats of retaliating violence against his perceived political opponents is rather unbecoming of someone occupying an exalted office as the governor and whose primary responsibility is to protect lives and property. 
 
By many of his actions, outgoing Governor Obaseki has shown very poor temperaments that are not gentlemanly enough for his current job, the latest being his threat to resort to violence if his perceived political opponents perpetrated violence any. 
 
Though some news media reported that the governor issued warning to perpetrators of violence, however, watching the governor’s statement on national television it was obvious that instead he threw caution to the wind while he vowed to unleash violence in retaliation for violence.
 
Governor Obaseki’s words were clear. “Nobody has monopoly of violence. If they want violence, we will show them violence. So, if you see anybody smashing any car because my poster is on the car, let us know and we will show that person that we are in government,” he said.
 
He did not stop at that, the governor indicated that his response would be lawless but even at that he would be protected by the immunity that exempts state executive and their deputies from facing the legal consequences of their actions while still in office. 
 
“We will show that we are in government and I am governor and Philip is the deputy governor. We will show them we are the only two, who have immunity in this state. We are the only two today, who have immunity and I am sending a very clear warning,” Obaseki further explained.
 
The signal the governor sent was that he could use state apparatus to retaliate violence. But that is wrong! As a governor, he is the Chief Security Officer and as such, must not be seen to be perpetrating or encouraging violence for whatever reason. Rather, he is expected to take all necessary actions to move against anyone instigating violence. 
 
By his statement, Governor Obaseki ran foul of Section 12(2b) of the Nigerian constitution, which provides that security and welfare of the citizenry is the basic purpose of government. So, referring to the president as Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces and governors as Chief Security Officer is not by choice. It is a constitutional responsibility to which they swore an oath to uphold.
 
The governor’s utterances have continued to elicit responses and increase tension. He has been at loggerheads with his predecessor, Comrade Adams Oshiohmole, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a cross section of Nigerians, who had already taken to their social media accounts to castigate him for stooping so low in his desperation to return for a second term. 
 
Speaking against the backdrop of the fracas between the governor’s supporters and his party supporters recently at the palace of the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, the former APC national chairman said the governor should have selected better words to quell possibility for violence and not elect to stoke it by his uncouth statement.
 
"If they want violence, we will give them violence, a leader does not talk like that. All he should say is that those merchants of violence I am pleading with them whether they are in my party or in another party they should take it easy. When a leader on live television says we will give them violence, fire for fire…” Oshiomhole said, noting with disdain that the governor should have been a peacemaker. 
 
The APC Campaign Organisation for the Edo State governorship election, which has maintained that the governor was up to no good and that he plans to unleash violence on it members, described Governor Obaseki as a confused man, who is only speaking out the criminal plans he and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are hoping to executive before, during and after the election.
 
The party said the governor and his party, the PDP are aware they had been rejected by the people of Edo State.
 
The APC explained that it was the only party campaigning on its documented manifesto, because its sole strategy to win the election is by winning the hearts and the goodwill of the people through well thought-out programmes and policies that will bring relief and erase the failures of the past four years.
 
Former media aide to the governor, who is presently the APC Campaign Organisation spokesperson, Prince John Mayaki, said: “Despite spending four years in office, Obaseki has neither achievements nor plans to show. He is campaigning largely on empty rhetoric, revisionism, and shameful blackmail and propaganda.
 
“Election may be weeks away, but the truth has finally dawned on Obaseki. He is on his way to a sound, comprehensive defeat so like all failures, he is already preparing the grounds for his defeat with false, ridiculous accusations.” 
 
Meanwhile in the fallout of the violent exchanges outside the Oba’s palace, Vice Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee of the APC Campaign Council, Mr. Patrick Obahiagbon, raised the alarm, alleging that the governor has sinister motives towards Oshiomhole and a business mogul, Captain Idahosa Okunbo.
 
Obahiagbon claimed that after the palace incident, APC supporters were attacked on the streets of Benin, saying it was “unacceptable to us as a party. How long more can we persuade our teeming party loyalists to hold back?”
 
The former House of Representatives member, who said the opposition PDP unleashed terror on the citizenry by enlisting the support of renowned cultists in Benin, further alleged that Obaseki is working on plans to arrest the duo of Oshiomhole, Okunbo and other APC leaders on the eve of the election for not supporting him. He also claimed that there was a plan to set Okunbo’s farm on fire. 
 
“The PDP and the governor were planning to arrest and detain the former National Chairman of the APC Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on the eve of the election and also set fire on the farm of billionaire businessman, Captain Hosa Okunbo for refusing to back the second-term agenda. 
 
“Obaseki is planning to continue his persecution of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole with trumped-up and inconsequential charges at the eleventh hour of electoral politics. His plan is to arraign Oshiomhole for a probe that has been revealed as nothing but a targeted political witch-hunt and then deny him bail on eve of election to paralyse the APC.
 
“He is planning to use COVID-19 as a ruse to neutralise grassroots leaders of our party, the APC on the eve of the gubernatorial election by abducting and detaining them in isolation centers. This way, disenfranchising them and forestalling the political force they would deliver in pursuant of APC’s victory,” Obahiagbon alleged.
 
Everyone in the governor’s camp who is familiar with some of his major mistakes would agree that apart from setting out to wage a protracted war against his predecessor, his attack on Captain Okunbo is perhaps another major mistake he made in his quest to return to power in the September 19 election.  
 
Though the governor is not without one or two of his supporters cheering him up on his violence agenda, his handlers should be smart to enough to evaluate the negative public opinion that trailed his unfortunate and irreversible commentary on the social media. 
 
A France-based Nigerian scientist, Mr.  Oshinubi Kayode wrote: “I just watched ObaGone (Obaseki) on Channels News saying, ‘if they want violence, we will give them violence’. This is coming from a sitting governor and number one leader of Edo State. His handlers should let him know it is a reckless statement. He will lose this election and heaven won’t fall!” 
 
A public affairs analyst, Christopher Sunny was of the opinion that “Obaseki doesn't know anything about politics and it's late to start learning. From what is happening now, and for the real and verifiable fact that Oshiomhole alone has won over the voters to the APC candidate, Obaseki now speaks like a frustrated person. He's lost already.” 
 
For Tunde Olamide, who said he previously has some degree of sympathy for the governor, his position that he would match anybody violence for violence, deprived him of that support.
 
“I had sympathy for him going into this election, but that was a reckless and irresponsible statement coming from the Chief Security Officer of the state,” Olamide stated.
 
Kelechi Onyeaka was particularly appalled that rather than issuing threats, he should be convincing the electorate on his policy statements and realisable campaign promises.  
 
“These are some of those issues. No policy informed debate. This has become a norm among those vying for elective offices. No plan for post COVID-19, economic recovery, security and education,” he said.
 
Soji Oladejo, who is an advocate for good governance said: “When I heard him say that, and the way he looked charged and aggravated, I knew he had lost it. Completely reckless and a grossly irresponsible thing to say by a sitting governor.” 
 
Judging from the governor’s utterance, Kalita Aruku feared that Nigeria might not be ripe with state police yet despite the advocacy by many Nigerians, noting, “You can imagine! Those are the characters we want to give state police to?” 
 
Whatever are the governor’s arguments he should not be carried away with so much rage as to throwing caution into the wind! His ambition is not worth anybody’s life. He could take a cue from a former president of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who saw defeat and bowed out honourably rather attempting to force himself on the country thereby provoking violence and avoidable bloodshed.  
 
Amenaghawon wrote from Owerri in Imo State

cc: lalasticlala, mynd44

The re-election campaigns of Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, and his new political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recently suffered a major setback, when they were totally disgraced penultimate week outside the Palace of the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II.
 
The governor’s convoy was blocked. The angry residents numbering hundreds booed and jeered at him and his guests. They called him various derogatory names, particularly “thief." It degenerated into violence, scores were injured and properties vandalised. 
 
That development did not go down well with the governor and the PDP and has generated different reactions from both parties, because of the potential implications it has on the governor’s political fortunes. The direct interpretation of the incident could that he had been rejected by the people and that his defeat is not just imminent, but would be overwhelming.
 
Not anybody could fathom that level of outrage outside the Benin palace against an incumbent governor and the implications are huge. For one, if it was just the youth, who reacted like that, they had sent a clear signal to the Oba that they weere done with Obaseki. 
 
The reason was simply because in Edo State, the Oba of Benin is well respected in political decisions and a politician, who does not have the backing of the palace would find it very difficult, if not impossible to garner the support of the people. 
 
The PDP claimed that the APC sponsored the attack and that the grand plan was to eliminate the entire opposition leadership, because Obaseki had the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, members of the PDP National Working Commissttee (NWC), Governor Neysome Wike (Rivers State), Governor Ifeanyi Okowo (Delta State), Governor Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto State), Governor Seyi Makinde (Oyo State) and other notable leaders with him. 
 
Earlier, at a press conference, the APC had pointed fingers at Governor Obaseki over the violent incidence at the Oba’s palace. The Vice Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee of the APC Campaign Council, Mr. Patrick Obahiagbon, specifically blamed the clash on the PDP. 
 
He alleged that the governor resorted to violence, because the duo of former governor and former National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and business mogul, who his government had been victimising for fear that he was planning to pick the APC governorship ticket, Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo.
 
Obahiagbon stated that after the palace incidence, APC supporters were accosted and attacked on the street of Benin, stressing that it is “unacceptable to us as a party. How long more can we persuade our teeming party loyalists to hold back?”
 
The former House of Representatives member, who said the opposition PDP unleashed terror on the citizenry by enlisting the support of renowned cultists in Benin, further alleged that Obaseki is working on plans to arrest the duo of Oshiomhole, Okunbo and other APC leaders on the eve of the election for not supporting him. He also claimed that there was a plan to set Okunbo’s farm on fire. 
 
“The PDP and the governor were planning to arrest and detain the former National Chairman of the APC Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on the eve of the election and also set fire on the farm of billionaire businessman, Captain Hosa Okunbo for refusing to back the second-term agenda. 
 
“Obaseki is planning to continue his persecution of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole with trumped-up and inconsequential charges at the eleventh hour of electoral politics. His plan is to arraign Oshiomhole for a probe that has been revealed as nothing but a targeted political witch-hunt and then deny him bail on the eve of election to paralyse the APC.
 
“He is planning to use COVID-19 as a ruse to neuter grassroots leaders of our party, the APC on the eve of the gubernatorial election by abducting and detaining them in isolation center. This way, disenfranchising them and forestalling the political force they would deliver in pursuant of APC’s victory,” Obahiagbon alleged.
 
Not unmindful of the attacks on him just on the ground of assumption that he was the preferred candidate for the governorship and his perceived support for the APC candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Okunbo was quick to state that he had no hand in the embarrassment the governor faced at the palace. 
 
He said: “I condemn the booing of the governor and the PDP team, and the reprisal attack. I am particularly pained that some ungodly insinuations in some quarters have linked me with the unfortunate saga.” 
 
But away from all the rhetoric, the governor’s goodwill is fast dwindling among the people and so also is his political fortunes. 
 
In 2016, his cousin, Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki categorically urged the people not to vote for him. He didn’t stop at that, he stepped down his ambition and endorsed Ize-Iyamu of the PDP then on the ground that he was the “best candidate” for the election.
 
“I will rather support Pastor Ize-Iyamu, who represents the collective aspiration of Edo people than support Godwin Obaseki, who is being promoted by external political and economic investors,” Obaseki stated in 2016.
 
Talking about making a choice between Ize-Iyamu and Obaseki, his first cousins said: “Osagie is actually an uncle and Godwin is a cousin, so both of them are family. But it is not the family I am looking at because I can no longer wish Edo State based on family filiations; I cannot because someone is my brother because we answered the same name wished away the collective patrimony of the entire Edo nation. 
 
“You don’t need to be told I am a very convinced young man, I have come to praising my conviction even as a young boy, when we were fighting as a CLO Director, running radio Kudirat and in Godwin I would not lie, I see nothing that represents my vision to change Edo State.”
 
The APC candidate, Ize-Iyamu, also feels there are enough reasons why the people don’t want the governor to have a second term. In a recent interview, he said contrary to claims that Obaseki has been a performing governor, who is hated by a political godfather that is mad at him because he was not allowing the access to the state’s purse, but identified several factors that made the governor ineligible for a second term.
 
“They say we have a technocrat as a governor. How can you have a governor, who didn’t pass his school certificate? How was he able to enter university with three credits and none of them were English and Maths? He is always talking about godfather. Who is the godfather? This is the governor, who increased security votes of the state from N6bn to N7.5bn. The money goes to him.
  
The APC governorship hopeful said Governor Obaseki is not getting the people’s support, because he has not made good his campaign promises in the education, security and health sectors, and that despite all accolades he receives for his major achievements in the education sector, Edo Best, he did not employ teachers throughout his first term of office.
 
While he continues to appeal to his supporters not resort to violence, Ize-Iyamu has repeatedly assured the people of the state that given the opportunity to lead, he would ensure that the people experience economic growth and infrastructure development.
 
Thus, from the orchestrated show that held outside the palace of the Oba’s place to the much anticipated election of September 19th, it is evident that the battle is already a lost for Obaseki and that indeed, the governor’s defeat would come handy as a critical lesson in poor and vindictive leadership. Importantly, re-electing Obaseki coud mean rewarding treachery, betrayal and ingratitude. 

Biliaminu wrote from Kaduna

cc: lalasticlala, mynd44

It may not be out of the context of a sincere analysis of the Edo political space to assume that the former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is a major issue in the September 19, 2020 governorship election.

Apart from the two major contestants, Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the APC, the other person directly linked to the two is Oshiomhole.

It was Oshiomhole, who brought Obaseki in 2016 and sold him to the people of Edo. But to convincingly market him, he had to destroy his main challenger, Ize-Iyamu. The aftermath of those scathing words, left in the trail of the pastor’s destruction, is yet to subside.

Interestingly, four years after, the situations have switched places. Oshiomhole no longer wants his beloved friend, Obaseki, who had done everything humanly possible to destroy his benefactor without as much a reason other than blackmail. And, in his place, Oshiomhole would rather the man he claimed was a no-do-good some four years ago.

Today, on both sides, Oshiomhole comes handy as a principal campaign tool. While the PDP thinks the former APC chair had done sufficient reelection work for them four years ago with his strident de-marketing of the pastor, the APC is struggling to explain that his words do not hold true of the person of the pastor.

It is, however, smart and strategic, that the APC has tried to let those things remain in the past and refusing to engage the opposition on a cheap character debate. But are the words of a campaigning politician in an election really bankable, especially, those that have not been subjected to scrutiny or thorough fact-check?

It was a former governor of New York, Mario Cuomo, one of whose sons, Andrew, is the current governor of New York and another, Chris, with the CNN, who said you “campaign in poetry and govern in prose”. There’s nothing more to add, because his words are self-explanatory.

Although a renowned political blogger in the US, Kathleen Kelly Reardon, tended to disagree a bit because of the misinterpretation that seems to be adduced to it often, not much could be taken away from it still.

She wrote:-

“Whenever I hear this phrase, I shudder. It’s usually said as if we’re supposed to accept that candidate lying during election campaigns is fine. Recently, CNN’s Chris Cuomo attributed this phrase to his father, Mario Cuomo. But out of context it can have a different meaning than his father intended.

“I remember hearing Mario Cuomo speak eloquently at Stanford University about how getting rich is fine so long as you give back. He cared about the underserved and also about the truth,” she explained, a disposition that is not far from Oshiomhole’s.


Continuing, she explained further: “Elizabeth Kolbert of the New Yorker considered the poetry vs. prose phrase one of many melancholy ones Mario Cuomo repeated. These tended to have a dose of reality within them gleaned from years of experience in politics.

“Campaigns do involve putting one’s best foot forward from the perspective of those you wish to influence. But this observation is not an acceptance of political duplicity.

“Words matter. The more we hear ‘campaign in poetry and govern in prose’ as advisory, the greater the risk that lying will become acceptable even as it dupes the electorate and undermines democracy.

“Campaign in poetry and govern in prose can be misused effectively to justify duplicity by the duplicitous among us. When that happens, we’ve abdicated our responsibility to expect honesty from those who aspire to lead,” she added.

The truth is that Oshiomhole is not duplicitous as the writer fears in her submission, but simply campaigning in poetry by putting his best foot forward, only for election purposes, which of course, turned out as he envisaged. And to be honest, this has always been Oshiomhole: campaigning in poetry!

What Reardon did not envisage, also, is the inanity of the opposition to misapply mere campaign rhetoric for a thoughtless mischief. Unfortunately, for the PDP, the Obaseki they are desperately hawking to sell to the Edo people, they also condemned just months ago, alleging he had stolen all of Edo’s money.

Therefore, if in their reckoning, all they were doing at the time was play politics, in what slant are they going to dismiss the obvious that Oshiomhole, four years ago had only campaigned in poetry without meaning a line of all he said about Ize-Iyamu, more so that none of those things could pass a simple test?

It is public knowledge that Oshiomhole talks too much and does not always filter the words that proceed out of his mouth. This does not change the fact that Oshiomhole is by all standards a good man, who means well for his people of Edo State and Nigeria in general.

On the contrary, the PDP and the Edo people must be wary of the nature of Mr. Obaseki, who history has vindicated today as coming from a family of traitors that hold no loyalty to friendship or reciprocity of good deeds. He delights only in his greed. He had said far too many kind things about a man, who made him what he is today than to turn around and deny himself.

This is why we will rather pay attention to a man, whose worldview and philosophy are deserving of a serious study, owing largely to his underpinning historical character traits and whose treachery should not be entertained or tolerated by anyone worth his salt, especially those who boast enviable upbringing.

Thus, in the September election, the problem is not what Oshiomhole said four years ago and which have been found to be untrue. The problem lies in the fact that a certain Governor Obaseki is today living true to the warnings handed Oshiomhole, when he mooted the idea of fielding him as his successor. If there’s anyone who is duplicitous and undeserving of the votes of the Edo people, it is the double-faced Obaseki, whose unconscionable nature is irredeemable.

Adekunle wrote from Lagos

cc: mynd44

NSG Concludes Plans with Manzuwa Ventures for Minna City Expansion and Bypass

At Conferences Room of the SSG this morning Niger State Government reached an understanding with Manzuwa Ventures Limited for the expansion of Mina City and the development of Abubakar Sani Bello bypass.

The bypass is a forty (40) kilometer road from Pago to FUT permanent site, and in between this road would be a city and layout.

The N10 billion project which would be entirely financed by Manzuwa ventures will integrate the community members, and discussions with Minna Emirates Council has commenced to that effect.

Niger State Government was represented by SSG, Alh. Ahmed Matani while Manzuwa ventures was represented by the C.E.O Alh. Adam Ibn Adam in the presence of Perm Sec of Ministry of Works, Engr Abubakar Sadiq Balarabe, Perm Sec Ministry of Lands and Housing, Dr Abdull Husaini, Perm Sec, Economic Affairs, Alh. Yahya Baba Wachiko, Director Civil Engineering, Ministry of Works, Engr Ahmed Tanko and Directors of Manzuwa Ventures, Alh Sagir Nagogo and Farouk Sani Yakasai.

The project will take off by October, 2020.

cc: mynd44

Obaseki’s Intolerant and Sadistic Leadership
 
By Yakub Mohammad
 
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki appears to have added a new preference to his unkind character traits and it’s called SADISM. He’s suddenly developed an intentional penchant for delighting in the misfortune of others. And as a political neophyte, spurred only by the irrationality of his infantile choices, his inability to strategically channel his bile, especially for logic-driven results, is quick to expose him and his petty ecstasy. 
 
I suffered a momentary pang of shock recently, when I learnt of the lies being joyfully spread around by the Edo State governor amongst his close-knit allies. The embattled outgoing governor of Edo State has been propounding to his sycophantic cliques, his new theory on why the All Progressives Congress (APC) does not stand a chance in the September 19 governorship election.
 
According to him, a certain individual from the northern part of the country, who used to assist the ruling party by arranging some dollars from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is no more, and therefore, the party would be unable to muster enough funds for the election, which automatically leaves him in a position of strength as the incumbent.
 
How more wicked, satanic and insensate can a character be, all in the name of an ambition? His excitement, when others suffer misfortune is both legendary and incomprehensible. This also underscores why all the good people in Edo State today are standing in a camp different from his.
 
For eight years, Obaseki headed former Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s economic team and managed the state with him, literally taking the decisions from behind the scene. This, understandably, was the reason Oshiomhole, against all odds, deemed it fit to push him forward as his successor, because not only was he with him for that long, he was in charge of the state’s economy.
 
No sooner had he assumed office than he started seeking the fall of his benefactor as the national chairman of the APC, aligning with Oshiomhole’s traducers in the party to victimise and denigrate him till he was eventually pushed out of his position as the APC chairman.
 
To get him into office, Oshiomhole did everything within his reach, including projections that were never to be and allusions that were later proven overtime as incorrect. But to pay back, he’s done practically everything, including telling palpable lies and painting Oshiomhole black. It was the ‘cutest thank you’ ever in appreciation of all that Oshiomhole did for him.
 
But he didn’t stop with Oshiomhole. He’d probably read some puerile laws of power and decided to go after everyone, who contributed to his success, as not just his payback for their good deeds to him, but also to gloat, if misfortune eventually befalls any of them.
 
This, of course, brings to mind, the speed at which he went after Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo. Curiously, this started after some people moved to get Okunbo into the governorship race, an overture he expressly turned down.
 
But on getting this hint, Obaseki went after the retired commercial pilot. Although he did not want Okunbo to run for the position, he never sat with him to solicit his support.  Yet, the only time he made a remark about the governorship to Okunbo was at a reception in Lagos, where he derisively addressed him as “Incoming Governor”, to which Okunbo immediately dispelled and reiterated that he wasn’t interested in the office of the governor.
 
Coincidentally, as Okunbo narrated recently in a lengthy press statement, on the same day that the reception held in Lagos, the story of a move by the Nigeria Ports Authority against Okunbo’s company, the Secured Anchorage Area (SAA), was published in some of the dailies.
 
The story had insinuated again that Okunbo was interested in the Edo governorship, even when intelligence had reached the Edo-born businessman and philanthropist that Obaseki was the one behind the rumour.
 
“As God would have it, while in the company of some friends at the governor’s house in Benin, on one occasion, I confronted him that he was the one behind the attack on my company.  In a bid to defend himself, he put a call through to someone in Lagos and, perhaps, mistakenly left the phone speaker.  
 
“He asked the person at the other end: ‘Why is the MD of NPA worrying Captain?’ and the man replied: ‘Godwin, I thought you said this man was fighting you.  The MD of NPA is fighting your battle for you.’  I quickly told him that I had caught him. On this occasion, I had witnesses and, if further probed, names could be mentioned,” Okunbo narrated. 
 
Okunbo also recalled that, when Obaseki was the chairman of the National Economic Council’s Ad-Hoc Committee on Oil Theft and Pipeline Vandalism, “I got a feeler that a damaging report was going to be written about my company by the Committee.  
 
“I was then given an opportunity to address the Committee on the matter to defend my company and its job.  My defence was excellently delivered, but at the end of the day, when the report came out, it was still damaging even when I had complied with my threshold and responsibilities.
 
“It is sad that Governor Obaseki has been paranoid about me even before he became governor, for reasons best known to him,” he noted, adding that he had since known that the disagreements “between Comrade Oshiomhole and myself, during his eight years administration in Edo State, were orchestrated from the background by Governor Obaseki.” 
 
Need I say more that, Obaseki is irredeemably evil and sadistic and that ingratitude remains his stock-in-trade? How does anyone situate the video of a colleague-governor, Abdulahi Ganduje, conspicuously placed at a roundabout in Benin, just because he is leading his party’s campaign in September? What joy does it give him?
 
How do you even start to define the character of a governor, who ordered a crackdown on his people in a campaign period? Do I need to say it more expressly that he lacks wisdom, patience and the perseverance required to occupy his current office? He is simply innately wicked hence his going after all the illustrious sons and daughters of the state.
 
It’s in Obaseki’s interest to stop looking at the rear mirror of bringing back the untruths about Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, because it helped him to win the 2016 election. He should look at the windshield of the future of what Ize-Iyamu has to offer the Edo people in the next four years and if he must look at the rear mirror, then he should tell us all what he too has done for the Edo people in the last four years, definitely not on power-point presentations of things that have never happened.
 
The general belief is that he actually has nothing to campaign with and his only escape is to attack the character of his opponent and try to discredit them. Obaseki has nothing to offer Edo and when given the chance in the last four years, all he has done is to impoverish them and sold to them projects only on paper with propaganda and nothing to show on the ground. But he has kept his social media rats busy, promoting paper presentations of his achievements and encouraging them to abuse their elders. Is that the 200,000 jobs he promised the youths?
 
Well, whoever it was that Obaseki claimed was no more but had always provided financial back-up for the APC through the CBN, it is yet to be seen how Obaseki too would survive the post-office financial scandal that is definitely to come on his trail after the September 19 election. Fingers crossed!

*Mohammad wrote from Abuja

cc: mynd44

Amidst the din and disgrace that heralded Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and his high profile guests into the palace of the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku’ Akpolokpolo Ewuare II, Saturday, July 25th, as part of his second term electioneering, some voices echoed loudest; they were that the governor is a total failure and an irredeemable liar.

Echoes of ‘Obaseki, Ole (thief)’ reverberated around the hallowed grounds of the ancient kingdom. These were not paid thugs at a random political rally; they were the voices of everyday indigenes and subjects at the palace of a most revered king and father of the state. 

The people of Edo State idolise their King, as such, if they were not harried and frustrated with Obaseki and his administration, they would not have chosen the Oba’s palace to vent their anger, frustration and disappointment. So, the shared sentiments could never have been bought. Interestingly, what happened last Saturday was not an isolated case. 

In September 2019, while attending the 74th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States of America, alongside other governors and government officials, Obaseki, on his way into the venue, was heckled and booed by disgruntled natives, who had laid siege to him. 

They hurled expletives at him for his below-par performance in office while chanting, yet again, ‘Ole’. The video of the embarrassment made the rounds on the social media for several days.
It is instructive, therefore, that the ignominious welcome of the governor and his Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, acolytes, was a ringing testament to how badly the people want him out of the Government House.

And, they cannot be blamed. This was a governor that they unanimously voted for just four years ago with the mandate to take the state further than his predecessor, the intrepid Comrade Adams Oshiomole. Oshiomole had set the state on a path to prosperity, as many acknowledge across the state and beyond. 

Obaseki was just supposed to build on the legacy of his predecessor. However, he whimsically derailed and plunged the state into retrogression, while battling his benefactors and depriving the people of quality governance. 

The widespread opinion in the state is that the people have not had it so bad in terms of his reprobate and regressive leadership. From Egor to Etsako, Agenebode to Auchi and everywhere in between, it is the same story of Obaseki’s underwhelming performance, promotion of insecurity, brigandage, unemployment and divisive politics.

Largely deemed to be suffering from a narcissistic personality disorder, Obaseki, the people of Edo believe, has evolved into an imperious and intolerant governor. It is either his way or the highway.
Now, the chickens have come home to roost.

The people of Edo State are on a mission to rewrite their narrative by pitching their tents with a man they affirm understands their plights and what needs to be done to better their lots from the first day in office. So, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the September 19th governorship election has his work cut out for him. 
Beyond his pastoral calling and heritage, and meritorious service to the state since 1999, Ize-Iyamu is widely popular and seen as very grounded. 

The people reckon that more than the incumbent governor, who lost the plot long ago and has seen his administration careening to the craters, Ize-Iyamu understands, where the shoe pinches them and has the personal and political resolve and readiness to right the wrongs of Obaseki.

What has further convinced the people is his thoughtful and thorough blueprint for the development of the state aptly titled: ‘The Simple Agenda’, which by every definition a manifesto of hope.

Therein, he clinically analysed the problems besetting the state and proffered practical and profound solutions. According to him, the potential of the state are huge in terms of the ability to attract tourists, investments and quality jobs, but the current security situation in the state makes the realisation of these potential unrealistic and unattainable.

“The state of insecurity assumed its peak, when Governor Godwin Obaseki cultivated and nurtured the habit of fanning the embers of divisive politics by making unguarded statements, particularly with words and phrases as ‘crush,’ and ‘my second term is non-negotiable.’

His determination to physically assault any fellow party faithful, who aspires to run for governor or is not willing to support his ambition has created a tense and volatile environment.” 
To this, the APC candidate avers: “Edo State under our charge will build brand new security architecture,” Ize-Iyamu said, while also accusing the governor of failing to address the high rate of unemployment, which he posited had resulted in youth restiveness in the state.

“Youth unemployment and under-employment is a huge nightmare in the state, with eight out of 10 qualified youths unable to find jobs. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that Edo State has a high rate of youth unemployment at 25.1 per cent. The rate of unemployment in Edo State increased from 19.6 per cent to 25.1 per cent in the same quarter of 2019. This is contrary to the promise of creating 200,000 jobs.

“The unemployment situation largely accounts for the prevailing incidence of youth restiveness, which manifests in high rates of armed robbery, kidnapping, thuggery and cultism. Edo State is now literally a sanctuary for disgruntled youths, who invariably vent their frustration and anger over their social marginalisation of law-abiding and hardworking citizens,” he said.


He has also stated unequivocally that the dangerous situation in the state could only be reversed by a change in the leadership that would be tolerant of different views, accommodating and committed to peaceful engagement. And, the people believe him wholeheartedly.

In ‘The Simple Agenda’, Ize-Iyamu asserts that the change that the state requires is not premised on mere sloganeering or rhetoric, but contended that, “We have analysed the challenges facing our state, consulted widely across the 18 Local Government Areas, and based on the APC manifesto, we have come up with a robust blueprint to launch Edo State on the path to sustainable prosperity and holistic development. 

“Ours is a genuine road map to transform our state from its present unacceptable condition of underdevelopment to an attractive state with a vibrant economy.”

Indeed, the purpose of government is the pursuance of happiness for the greater majority of the people, which is why Pastor Ize-Iyamu has said his administration would strive to meet this purpose at all times, “and serve the needs of the good people of Edo State efficiently, effectively and fairly through good governance that is geared towards solving social problems in Edo State.” 
However, if there was anything that has arguably established Obaseki’s clueless approach to governance and leadership, it was the fact that his trip to Lagos at the weekend where he met with newspapers operators of different categories was a waste. 

Can you imagine a governor seeking re-election saying to media operators that he only came to thank them? Really? Thank them for what? He simply does not understand the issues and clearly unable to sell them. Never again will Edo walk the path of Obaseki in her political trajectory. It’s a definite goodbye to leadership misfortune.
 
Nwaneri lives in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city

cc: mynd44

Organisers of the Afro-Heritage Broadcasting & Entertainment Awards (AHBEA) have postponed the 2020 edition of the award due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement issued to newsmen, the organisers said it sympathizes with countries and families that have lost their citizens and loved ones to this deadly virus as it also commends the efforts of the frontline workers and caregivers who stake their lives to provide healthcare services and supports to all those infected by this virus all over the world.

"

We will like to encourage us to continue to strictly adhere and observe the protocols and guidelines as issued by the World Health Organisation, diseases control agencies and the various health care institutions in our different countries.

"We, at AHBEA, wish to further lend our voice to encourage you all to stay safe and protected by ensuring you always put on your face mask, wash your hands with soap and running water frequently, use alcohol-based sanitizer and ensure you constantly observe social distancing at all time.

"We regret any inconveniences the postponement of this year's event will cause you and our sponsors all over the world."

cc: mynd44

The linking of a renowned and revered businessman as Capt. Hosa Okunbo to the humongous corruption allegations against former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke is nothing but a ploy by mischief makers to dent his hard earned reputation, a group has said.


Concerned Maritime Operators (CMO), said  “All the co-travellers of Diezani are either in exile or in court with her." It said their is no basis whatsoever to associate Capt. Okunbo with the alleged misappropriation of state funds by the former minister.


Recall, Capt. Okunbo had said "I have never written a statement in the EFCC or any anti-corruption agency to date. If, indeed, I was with Dieziani, will I still be doing business in the NNPC where I am a champion for service delivery?”


For the past four years, a patently false story had been circulating about his purported business dealings with the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke, especially as regards the controversial offshore processing agreements (OPAs) popularly known as oil swap involving the former minister and her cronies. 


Captain Okunbo, a former commercial pilot, is the chairman of Ocean Marine Security Limited, an offshore asset protection company, rendering services to major oil companies in Nigeria, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC.


The former minister Alison-Madueke has been under investigations since the outset of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in 2015. The United States Department of Justice had list her and two other businessmen, Kola Aluko and Jide Omokore as persons of interest in a civil complaint filed at a District Court in Houston, Texas, detailing how the duo laundered millions of dollars on her behalf which were used in buying properties in the U.S. and the UK in return for oil contracts. 


CMO Chairman, Mr. Tunde Hamzat said: No cowardly soul resides in the likeable billionaire businessman, Captain Hosa Okunbo, because he is no trembler in the world’s storm-troubled sphere. Cowardice and doubt disperse in the blaze of his scorching righteousness because his business and personal ethics are so firmly anchored on the steadfast rock of conscience and integrity.


"The renowned and revered businessman would never use gilded words to mask deceit neither does he brandish fickle principles and statistics to conclude with a false truth. He is, indeed, unlike many rabble-rousers who flashes documents to lock down evidence but never real facts to back their proof," the group said in a statement that was issued yesterday.


There were reports that more names involved in the multi-billion dollar deal would be revealed as investigations continued.


Hamzat who said he expected the media to end such malicious reports, expressed displeasure on what he called sheer laziness and unprofessionalism on the side of some bloggers who have sustained the misrepresentation of the contract that formed the basis for the misleading publication.


According to him, the falsehood is being assisted with the ubiquity and freedom of social media and that it had become increasingly clear that maintaining silence further would be misconstrued for consent.


The group averred that neither he nor any of his business entities had ever been engaged “in any deal requiring lifting the tiniest drop of oil, crude or refined. I am not a trader; I have never submitted nor participated in any “Oil Swap” deal, neither do I own a company trading in any petroleum products.”


Hamzat said Capt. Okunba's over four decades in business spanning engineering and technology, energy, integrated service in the petroleum sector, maritime, security, agriculture and others, integrity has been his guiding principle and a core value with which he has been able to earn trust and confidence of companies and corporations of global repute.


He claimed that Okunbo has never stood before any administrative, judicial or legislative panels to answer any questions related to any shady deal. 


He challenged anyone whether in the NNPC, the media or anywhere else to come forward with any evidence that can puncture his assertions while declaring, “I implore cowards and mischief makers who are quick to broadcast unverified Whatsapp messages and the Nigerian media to be thorough, fair and objective in their journalistic responsibility.”

Capt. Okunbo is a globally-certified Ambassador of Peace who has been decorated home and abroad as a Citizen of Humanity. Though his businesses, which have added immeasurable value to the Nigerian economy and philanthropy, Capt Okunbo makes history every hour and industriously adds page after page, volume after volume, as if nature were holding up a monument to his exploits.


One of the few blessed men who started from the scratch, kept their nose to the grindstone and turned seemingly insignificant ideas into behemoth industries, Capt Okunbo is a man that would be sent to Mars and still treat it as a stepping stone to Saturn – the quality of constant invention and self-improvement that has earned him worldwide acclaim and prosperity, he stressed. 


"Okunbo exudes the lustre of the proverbial leading light thus distinguishing his persona amid a range of middling men. He radiates compassion, ardour and acclaim that no life’s odd could tame. Having hacked his path to affluence in honest, industrious strides, he spreads out like a bastion of human aspiration even as his exploits become objects of the world affection. Everywhere he navigates, he exudes a spirit of humaneness and generosity that even the world’s finest and most daring philanthropists live in awe of. 


"No wonder he was, in 2019, bestowed with the prestigious Order of Lafayette award at the United Nations day for Global Peace. The Order of Lafayette is a patriotic, hereditary, nonpartisan, and fraternal organization established in New York City in 1958 by Colonel Hamilton Fish III (1888-1991), a former Congressman from New York and decorated veteran of the First World War.

Captain Okunbo was especially honoured for his distinguished role in encouraging, engendering and entrenching peace and harmony in Africa and the world at large. He was presented with his award by His Excellency, Robert Blum, chairman of the Order of Lafayette Awards. Present at the auspicious and exclusive awards presentation were diplomats and political and economic leaders from all over the world who had all come to celebrate with one of their own," Hamzat said.

cc: lalasticlala, mynd44

A long time ago Governor Abubakar Sani Bello established a reputation for paying salaries promptly. Salaries were paid as early as 24th of the month to the praise of many. It was to dismiss this fit as minor that his critics like to argue that, “paying salaries is not an achievement.”

But there are those who might disagree with this assertion and argue that paying salaries is an achievement worthy of commendation, like the former state chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Yahaya Ndako Idris, who during the 2018 May Day Celebration, commended Governor Sani-Bello for prompt payment of salary in the state.

That is why the hullabaloo between the state government and the NLC over salary payment surprises many people. Seeing as Governor Bello always pays salaries in full and on time, Labour, more than most, should understand that circumstance must have forced the hands of the state government and influenced her decision to pay only 70 percent of the total of June and 100% of July salary.

Many observers are beginning to suspect that the Labour union has been infiltrated and compromised by politicians, or why else is Labour endangering the lives of the poor residents of our state by shutting down government institutions and barring our people away from hospitals in this time of health crisis even as health workers in the state have been fully paid?

Is Labour unmindful of the fact that the poor masses cannot afford private hospitals? Are they so insensitive that they would let the poor die so as to hold the government to ransom over a matter that the government has little control over?

Labour must contemplate the legal and moral implications of her actions. For example, do they have the right to close ministries and keep our political appointees who are willing to work and to achieve the mandate of our people?

Let us be clear: Niger state is not peculiar on this matter of salary deduction. All over Nigeria states have had to cut back. Only recently Delta State Government with a monthly allocation of over N16 billion, after meeting with organized labor, agreed to slash salaries of state government workers for 6 months starting this July. Other states like Kaduna have done this before now. And the unions in these states with higher allocation and IGR have shown appreciation of the economic situation of the world. Why is Niger state Labour Union different?

It is true that Labour’s duty is to negotiate a better life for its workers, but one cannot ignore the fact that Labour is only concerned for the small percentage of the population of the state who make up the civil service.

Niger State Government on the other hand is responsible for every person, including the persons Labour fight for. This why it is imperative to understand that it is not a reasonable request to ask the government to hand over her entire allocation for a month to the less than 10 percent of the population of the state and forgo other pressing matters like insecurity which the state is being faced and it is also a first line priority to government which if left unchecked may consume us all. The state has other issues like running of offices, ensuring that hospitals are powered to deal with.

What Niger State Government asked for was simple: accept 70 percent of the June salary and when things improve, the government will pay the remaining. And there are instances in the state and under this very political dispensation that this was done and the government kept her word. Let us not destroy our dear state because we seek to make political profit. Our people and posterity will judge us and judge us harshly.

Ahmed Suleman Tanko write from Suleja

cc: lalasticlala, mynd44

There have been reports of an ugly and unfortunate booing incident that took place outside the palace of our revered Royal Father, the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, on Saturday, July 25, 2020, during the visit of members of the National Campaign Council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The PDP entourage, including the Edo State Governor and governorship candidate of the PDP in Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, were reportedly booed while going in and out of the palace by a motley crowd of mostly young boys, according to media reports. 

Some members of the crowd who reportedly embarrassed the PDP team and the State Governor were said to have been subsequently attacked allegedly by some gun-toting thugs and sustained varied degrees of injuries in the attack.

While I condemn the booing of the governor and the PDP team, and the reprisal attack, I am particularly pained that some ungodly insinuations in some quarters have linked me with the unfortunate saga. It is against this backdrop that I have deemed it necessary to make the following clarifications:

1.   That I was invited to the Palace of the Oba of Benin for a very private ceremony, which I did not even attend with my friends; and that the private ceremony, which had no bearing at all with politics,  took place hours after the booing incident happened outside the Palace;

2.   That I was not privy to the ugly incident during which Governor Godwin Obaseki was reportedly booed;

3.   That as a responsible citizen and elder statesman who respects constituted authorities, I would not subscribe to any act that tends to disrespect or denigrate any constituted authority whether in Edo State or any other State in Nigeria;

4.   That I sincerely frown at the brazen act of disrespect for constituted authorities by the crowd of young men who reportedly became unruly on sighting the entourage of the PDP National Campaign Council and Governor Godwin Obaseki at the palace of the Oba of Benin;

5.   That I will never, ever be a party to any plan, plot, action or inaction to embarrass our most revered father, Oba Ewuare II, who is non-partisan; and who plays the role of a father to all sons and daughters of the great Benin Kingdom;

6.   That I was not associated with the activities of the unruly crowd and therefore could not have been sent to the palace by me to embarrass the PDP entourage, including the State Governor whom I respect as the number one citizen of the State;

7.   That I have equal measure of respect for other State Governors who were on the entourage with Governor Godwin Obaseki, some of whom are my personal friends; and could not have encouraged any plot to boo or embarrass them;

8.   That just as I was not privy to the ugly incident outside the palace of the Oba Of Benin, our revered Royal Father, Oba Ewuare II, was also not even aware of what transpired outside until later after he had been briefed about it;

9. That those who made insinuations linking me with the ugly incident were just trying to drag me into their politics and create the impression in certain quarters that I was responsible for their rejection by the people;

10. That I state solemnly that, in my position as a role model to our teeming youths who look up to me for guidance and support, I cannot, under any guise, undertake directly or sanction indirectly any action that will place me in a position of disrepute before them and other well-meaning members of the society;

11. That, for the records, our revered Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, will not, at all times, condone any act of indiscipline by the youths;

12. That I urge my good people of Edo State, associates and supporters to rest assured that I remain the person they have ,good neighborliness who is committed to the promotion of peace, security and orderliness in our society;

13. That I have always preached to the hearing of everybody that the ambition of any man is not worth the blood of any Edolite;

14. That I call on all Edo people to join hands to ensure that they eschew violence in the electioneering by the political parties and in the forthcoming September 19, 2020 governorship election;

15. God bless Edo people; God bless Edo State; God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Oba Gha to Kpere, Isee!
 
Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo
Sunday, July 26, 2020

cc: mynd44

Governor Abu Sani Bello has taken up road construction across the entire state to a level that even the staunchest critics now agree is unprecedented in the history of the state.

The administration has put all hands on deck to ensure that not only are the projects delivered timely but that they are of the highest possible standard.

It is in order to continue to achieve this objective that the Chairman Infrastructure Committee and Chief of Staff, Alh. Ibrahim Balarabe Kagara visited Broadcasting Road to inspect the ongoing reconstruction.

The Chief of Staff found the job impressive so far and commended the contractors for a job well done.

cc: lalasticlala, mynd44

Eid-el Kabir: Governor Sani Bello Bans Sallah Festivities As Government Grants Conduct Of Eid Prayers In Juma’at Mosques

Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has directed the cancellation of all festivities that would take place during the forth coming Eid-el Kabir Sallah celebrations across all the eight emirates of the State.

A statement issued by Secretary to the Government of Niger State (SSG) and Chairman, Niger State Task Force on COVID-19 Pandemic, Ahmed Ibrahim Matane disclosed that while the State Governor granted permission for the conduct of Eid congregational prayers in Jmma’at Mosques across the State , such would be done under strict compliance to COVID-19 safety protocols.

The SSG further explained that the decision to ban the festivities was part of Government effort to curtail the spread of coronavirus as well as consolidate on the successes achieved in the fight against the pandemic.

The Chairman urged Muslims to use this period of Eid-el Kabir Sallah celebration to increase supplications and prayers for Almighty Allah to bring an end to the coronavirus pandemic as well as security challenges bedeviling the State and the country at large.

Ahmed Matane stated that this year’s Eid-el Kabir Sallah has come at a trying moment occasioned by the debilitating effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the World, adding that in order to get rid of the virus completely, Nigerlites must adhere strictly to physical distancing, wearing of face mask, regular hand washing with soap and water and application of hand sanitizers, among others.

The Chairman stressed that COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated unprecedented changes to the lives of people, thereby affecting the socio- economic wellbeing of humanity in the world.

The SSG also appreciated the dedication and sacrifice of health workers in the State who were the first line of defence against the coronavirus pandemic and urged them to sustain the tempo with a view to achieving the set objectives.

He condoled with the family members who have lost their loved one as a result of this pandemic and prayed God to grant the departed eternal rest.

cc: mynd44

There are eerie similarities between Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and Icarus, the son of Daedalus, the famous craftsman in Greek mythology. As the story goes, Icarus and his father attempted to escape from prison using wings that the older man constructed from feathers and wax. 

Icarus' father warned him about complacency and hubris and asked that he flew neither too low nor too high so that the sea's dampness would not clog his wings or the sun's heat melt them. Icarus ignored his father's instructions and flew very close to the sun, then, the wax in his wings melted and he fell into the sea. The moral of the myth is the need for personal ambitions to be guided by knowledge, balance and self-discipline.

The absence of these qualities in personal, professional or political dealings is now globally known as the Icarus Complex, which many, who know say, Obaseki is suffering acutely from. This was first made public by the governor’s first cousin and acclaimed filmmaker, Dr Don-Pedro Obaseki, who on the eve of the 2016 election said Obaseki is an accustomed traitor, who could not be trusted with power and, therefore, undeserving of the people’s votes. 

However, the people were swayed by the robust and rousing promises of former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, a leader they had implicit confidence in and who vowed and assured the people that

Obaseki would continue with his legacy and take the state further than he did. That, of course, was all that the people needed to trust him with their mandate. 

What Obaseki met on the ground was a feasible and functional template, which he only needed to build upon. Alas, he came with a different agenda that is self-serving at best and hideous at worst and which has, unfortunately, plunged the state into a quicksand. 

Obaseki has come full circle. He has unravelled as a patently retrogressive and power-drunk, who cannot be trusted with public office and the people’s common patrimony. He is now sold on his faux invincibility and has crossed into the age of hubris during which he started fighting many avoidable battles. He also wilfully weaned himself of those who could steer him aright. 

Things are so bad for him right now that that at no time in recent memory had a people unanimously and openly made it known that they were better off with a pre-schooler than him as a governor.

Without a doubt, his desire for a second term is legitimate but his wanton mismanagement of the state and the people, as well as his massive ego, which is a kind of deformity akin to virulent cancer that is constantly metastasising to the point of self-consummation, has turned him into an anathema in the state. 

No government or society can survive without the private sector yet, Obaseki’s blasé intolerance and scant regard for the rule of law with the consequent inability to attract investments, has almost driven the private sector in the state into extinction. It is the same intolerance that has seen him engage in several confrontations with many Edo elders notably Oshiomhole and one of Edo State’s most illustrious sons, Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo. 

Despite several rebuttals that he has no interest in the governorship of the state, Obaseki has been using every available means to throw mud at the successful businessman and philanthropist. But, instead of rolling in the mud with him, Capt Hosa, as he is fondly called, has maintained an avuncular and dignified stance. 

A businessman, who has conquered the air, land and sea and with honours from all over the world, Capt. Hosa is not just an epitome of integrity and incorruptibility; he is a straightforward individual, who does not shy away from taking responsibility for his actions. 

Capt Hosa has told whoever cares to listen that the only thing close to his heart now is giving back to humanity from the abundance of what God has blessed him with, not a political office. 

Still, Obaseki paid no heed to this admonition as he continued to denigrate and deride a man whose ingenuity birthed among other economic concerns, the $750m Wells Hosa Green House Farm in Ovia North-East area of the state, which stands on 27 hectares of land and has the capacity for 28 hydroponic greenhouses, projected in the first instance to generate 25,000 direct jobs and 60,000 indirect jobs.

That’s just one out of many things he does for his people. Captain Hosa’s philanthropic activities are the stuff of legends. It is this selfless man that Obaseki wanted to get rid of. What a joke of a governor!

Well, the governorship election is just a few weeks away and the mood in the state is already upbeat. Many cannot wait for September 19 to come so they can lawfully replace him with Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC. And it is not hard to see why there are so much expectation and enthusiasm towards Ize-Iyamu’s expected electoral victory. 

Pastor Ize-Iyamu is a thoroughbred Edo son and lawyer, whose political experience is peerless. With the return of Nigeria to democratic rule in 1999, he was appointed as Chief of Staff to former

Governor Lucky Igbinedion. When Igbinedion was re-elected for a second term, he elevated Ize-Iyamu to the position of Secretary to the State Government. 

He went on to serve as Director-General of Oshiomhole’s second term campaign organisation. Beyond all these, the people have come to embrace his SIMPLE Agenda to rejuvenate and rebuild the state.

The SIMPLE agenda, therefore, is centred on Security and Social Welfare, Infrastructure Development and Urban Renewal, Manpower Development, Public-Private Partnership, Leadership by

Example, as well as Employment and Empowerment Scheme.

“The summary of the SIMPLE agenda with its deep intentions and objectives, are unified in purpose and conception, showcasing a deliberateness that is vital for progress and development. As you all know, unfortunately, these are traits missing in the Edo leadership as presently constituted, where the scarce resources rather being used for the betterment of its citizens, are channelled to promote violence and thuggery, victimisation and plunder,” he said.

It is yet to be seen how Obaseki, with his current political misadventures, intends to beat the September 19 defeat. Certainly, not with the odds increasingly stacked against him. He’s picked too many but wrong political battles and definitely set to stew in his own juice, come September 19. 

Thomas wrote from Benin, Edo State

cc: mynd44

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the September 19 gubernatorial election in Edo State, is currently leading Governor Godwin Obaseki, the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in an online poll conducted by Ripples Nigeria.

The online poll with the headline ‘Who would you vote in the Edo Guber election: Obaseki or Ize-Iyamu has 4,292 votes as at 7:14pm on Wednesday July 22.

In the result, 48 percent of respondents said they will vote for Ize-Iyamu while 46 per cent picked Obaseki. Five percent of the respondents picked other candidates aside the two main challengers.

John Mayaki, the Chairman of the Edo state APC Media Campaign Council, said the poll was sponsored by Governor Godwin Obaseki to test his might.

Crusoe Osagie, Media Aide to Governor Obaseki, could not be reached for his reaction.

Recall that the New Nigeria Collective (NNC) group has accused the Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki, of running his government based on lies.

According to the group, Governor Obaseki is best known for hounding opponents who refuse to support his government.

In a press statement sent to journalists on Wednesday, July 22 and signed by its chairman, Adeola Adewunmi, the group also accused the governor of making several attempts to intimidate one of the respected men in Edo state, Captain Hosa Okunbor.

cc: lalasticlala, mynd44

The New Nigeria Collective (NNC) group has dismissed the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, as an incurable liar for failing to own up to his acts of ingratitude and cruelty to Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo.

This followed his recent outright denial of everything accused him of in his reply to Captain Okunbo’s letter to President Muhammadu Buhari and the people of Edo State on the state of the state preparatory to the September 19 governorship election.

In a press release signed by its chairman, Adeola Adewunmi, the group, which described Obaseki as an incurable and habitual liar, said Captain Okunbo’s detailed letter advertised in a majority of the key national dailies on Monday, painted a vivid picture of the governor’s crimes against him, citing places, names, witnesses and dates.

This, the group maintained, was an indication of a man, who came clean to the public with all the facts before him, unlike Obaseki, who only resorted to emotional blackmail and danced round the issues without paying attention to the clearly identified issues.
“We read with absolute shock and its resultant helplessness, albeit momentarily, all the lies put together by Governor Godwin Obaseki, in an attempt to look good before the public against the well documented grouses of one of Benin’s great and illustrious sons, Captain Idahosa Okunbo.

“We are quick to note that your reply is a cocktail of lies and an afterthought, which is of no consequence. Where were you when your men, armed with falsehood and deceit, were throwing stones at Captain Hosa? If truly he was your brother or friend as you claimed, did you ever reach out to him even after he said at different times that you and your men should leave him alone?

“Why didn’t you also confirm to the whole world that Captain Hosa was your brother and friend by asking your foot soldiers to stop all their attacks against him, at least, after you saw a letter he personally wrote and addressed to the public? But after that, the attacks escalated.

“You are but a very wicked man trying to draw the sympathy of the public. You brought down the hotel of an innocent citizen, who once supported you just, because you couldn’t get his support this time around and sent your agents on a bombing spree of perceived and real political opponents and more,” the group alleged.

According to NNC, the governor also went further, using his libelous claims through his Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Crusoe Osagie, without any iota of proof and that exposed the modus operandi of the state, which he stated, automatically brought to naught, his reply to Captain Hosa, intended to draw up sympathy

“With Crusoe, Adaze and one Lukeman still on rampage against Captain Hosa for unsubstantiated claims on various social media platforms, the governor must be delusional to have written such a letter just to attract the sympathy of the unsuspecting public. But that’s no more.

“Deep down in his conscience and before God, Obaseki knows that all Captain Hosa stated in his statement were true and if he was actually his friend or brother, he should have also known that the Captain does not tell lies.

“As a major stakeholder in Edo State and your brother and friend as you claimed, did you ever tell him you were interested in a second term and therefore needed his support and vote? Anyway, we can say unequivocally that Captain Hosa is ready and willing to face the consequences of his choice as indicated in your letter.”

The group further noted with disdain, Obaseki’s penchant for calling Oshomhole a godfather and yet was the greatest beneficiary of that status he so conferred on the former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“As the economic adviser to Oshiomhole for eight years, why did you not resign your appointment since you said you did it pro bono, especially if the man was evil as being painted now the same way you are trying to paint Captain Hosa with lies.

“Captain Hosa could only have supported the truth and nothing but the truth, rather than draw him into an ethnic war with Oshiomhole, who is more Benin in mind and actions than yourself, because you had nothing to offer him like the carrots you were throwing at others after making them hungry and creating poverty in the land,” the group posited.

Restraining from mentioning the names of people allegedly at Obaseki’s house the day he made the ‘embarrassing phone call’ that exposed his evil plots against Okunbo, “because of the enormous respect we have for such individuals”, the group said, “But if you strongly contest it, we will be very glad to summon witnesses to court to prove the allegations

“Besides, don’t forget that the receipts of the tickets that captain Hosa bought for you to China are still with him as evidence? Why, therefore, would Oshiomhole even need you to steal Edo’s money, when he already did his eight years?

“We make bold to say Oshiomhole did more infrastructure developments than your propaganda of the last four years, orchestrated by some young men, who need genuine help but whom you have hired to be abusing their elders in the name of politics? Politics has never being played this way before in Edo State. This is the lowest and thanks to you, Governor Obaseki.”

It would, therefore, be delusional for Obaseki to think Captain Hosa would reckon that his poorly written letter was in good faith, when indeed, it was a deceit intended to once again mislead the public and attract undeserving sympathy in his desperation for a re-election, the group claimed.

cc: lalasticlala, mynd44

Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu in early 2016. I had never met him but someone had given him my number.

He said:-

“My name is Osagie Ize-Iyamu. I would like you to come and work for my campaign. I have seen several of your articles and one thing that is not in doubt is that you love Nigeria. Well, Edo State is Nigeria. Here’s a chance to get your feet in the mud.”

I was bowled over, thankful that someone so esteemed had recognized my work and at the same time thrown a challenge. You challenge an Esan man to your peril. We do not back down. He sent me a ticket and I flew to Benin to join him at dinner. Before my trip, I had called up some of my friends in Benin to ask them questions. Who was this fellow? What does he stand for? What are his antecedents? Everyone I spoke with, friend or foe, had one thread running through their assessment of him—- a common refrain about him was——-That guy is a leader.

Our country has been in search of people who would lead from the front. Since the demise of the First Republic when the titans were vanquished in an unfortunate coup and subsequent counter coup, Nigeria has been in a state of suspended animation. Nothing has been spared the hurricane of military governance that blighted the moral, economic, political and ethical fabric of our country.

However, Edo State was in some measure, spared the disaster that befell the nation in those years because we were fortunate to have Samuel Ogbemudia and Professor Ambrose Alli. Those two, helped to stop the general slide of underdevelopment that enveloped the rest of the country. In my discussions and interactions with Osagie leading up to the elections of 2016, what I saw was a man who was very single-minded and focused on the task ahead, calm, rarely agitated and always ready to listen.

These are attributes we need sorely in Nigeria but which, sadly, have been missing from the political landscape. As the 2020 elections are upon us, we need to take a cursory look at Edo State in the last four years. One thing is clear. Obaseki is no longer an unknown quantity. In 2016, he barely spoke a word. Oshiomhole spoke for him, interviewed for him, danced for him and sang for him. Obaseki just stood by Oshiomhole’s side, smiling, almost handsome, compared to his godfather. We all wondered, mouths wide open, our brains spinning. How could a man stake so much for another human being?

Oshiomhole at the time reminded me of John the Baptist. John, humbled that he would baptize Jesus, quickly became small in his own eyes and we all know that John was no small guy. A man who could confront Herod and challenge him that what he had done by taking his own brother’s wife could not have been a small guy by any measure. However, when he saw Jesus—— he declared without equivocation ——- he must increase and I must decrease. Even though I was working for Ize-Iyamu at the time, we could not but admire Oshiomhole’s total endorsement of Obaseki and his willingness to stake his own future on a man he barely knew. We then concluded that Oshiomhole must have known something we did not know.

After my candidate lost, I joined him for dinner one evening and I asked him what he was going to do next. His reply surprised me. “Well,” he said, “we have a governor who has been elected by the people and affirmed by the courts. I will work with him if he is willing to accept help. The guy does not really know the people and the people do not know him but we can help him.” I had tears in my eyes. It was comforting to hear those words coming from a man who had just lost an election to which he had devoted so much time and resources through the past year. Such is the metal from which Osagie Ize-Iyamu is forged and the Cloth from which his character is cut.

As Obaseki’s tenure began to unfold, we were at first hopeful that he would bring great development to the State when we saw construction equipment prowling the streets of Benin, fixing roads. I was impressed. The press coverage of his achievements were positive and everyone began to applaud his choice.

It did not take long for him to bare his fangs and begin to growl at his benefactor. He rode roughshod over all the political blocs Oshiomhole had deployed to take him to Osadebey House. In Macbeth by Shakespeare, King Duncan famously expressed the lines—— there is no art to find the mind’s construction in the face —after he was informed that the Thane of Cawdor had been executed for his crimes of treason. I do not know Oshiomhole. I have never set eyes on him in close proximity.

All I know of him is from press coverage of him when he challenged the Obasanjo regime as he fought for the rights of workers. Everyone loved him and late Gani Fawehinmi begged him to run for president. The man went to Edo State to run for governor, and helped along by people like Osagie, he ascended the throne at Osadebey House. The relationship between Osagie and Oshiomhole got complicated to the point that Osagie felt he needed to get out of the way completely to allow Oshiomhole do his job, unhindered. He did.

When Oshiomhole completed two terms and nominated Godwin Obaseki to succeed him, one thing was clear. Oshiomhole was not going to let Godwin Obaseki go into the field against a tried and tested political giant like Osagie Ize-Iyamu in Benin by himself. He would be eaten for lunch. Oshiomhole had to deploy everything in his arsenal to fight for his nominee. For people like me who had a front seat in that epic battle, the day Obaseki began to spew venom at Oshiomhole, I called up friends in Benin to confirm if he had not been misquoted. He had to have been. No way.

Alas, it was true. Obaseki had gone to the trenches very quickly to wage war against his benefactor. I saw a screaming headline that read --- it's fight to finish. Obaseki would take no prisoners. He would stop at nothing until he not only tore down Oshiomhole but also put him behind bars after a hurriedly assembled Commission of Inquiry which implicated his benefactor in heinous crimes.

I found that laughable because he was by the man’s side for seven years as trusted economic adviser. If he saw the wrongs at the time, why did he not expose it and resign?

Everything Obaseki has done to Oshiomhole speaks to his character as a human being. The reader may draw his or her own conclusions but this is my view when it comes to the nature of Nigerian politics.

I do not like godfatherism. It may be beneficial in some cases but I think it is mostly bad for our democracy. If a man has enough confidence in himself and in his own ability to galvanize a followership, he may form his own political party and run for office.

That way, he would not be beholden to any special interests. If however, a man bows down to another man, be it in a shrine as in the case of Abia State, many years ago, or as in the case of Oyo State in Adedibu versus Ladoja, or in Ambode versus the Jagaban, it is my view that you must play by the rules of the godfather.

The godfather never sleeps said JK Randle and nothing could be truer of the godfather in Nigerian politics. Adedibu killed several cows everyday in Ibadan to feed the hungry and pay house rent for the needy and school fees for children whose parents did not have jobs.

The political machinery of the godfather has to be oiled for it to keep on spinning and producing the same way you as governor were produced. It is, I believe, a betrayal of the cause for a beneficiary of the largesse of the godfather to turn around and not only despise the godfather but seek to bite off his head. This is where I have always stood on the matter of godfathers.

I do not belong to any cult and I do not like cults. When people choose to join cults or covens and enter into covenants, they owe a duty to that institution. Let it be clear to my reader that I have no part in covens or covenants but let it also be clear that covens and cults have rules. Their overriding rule is not higher than the natural law---- you cannot eat your cake and have it.

You cannot approbate and reprobate. This is where I stand and I therefore draw the line. In the matter of Oshiomhole versus Obaseki, I have no doubt in my mind that Oshiomhole is the better man. I applaud him. I respect him. He may have suffered short term setbacks but history will judge him better in this matter.

In the old days in Israel, there was famine in the land. There was no food to eat. Two women came to an agreement. Hear the complainant in her own words to the King as she requested that the matter between her and her neighbor be adjudicated. Hear her: this woman said to me, give thy son that we may eat him today and we will eat my son tomorrow. So, we boiled my son and did eat him: and I said unto her the next day, give thy son that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son. The King looked at them, bewildered. He had his own problems. He wanted to kill Elisha the prophet. Such my friends is the nature of covenants, even evil covenants. There is a price to pay.

Now that the battle lines are drawn between Godwin Obaseki and Osagie Ize-Iyamu, one thing is certain. Obaseki must run on his own record. He promised 200,000 jobs. Did he deliver? Let the electorate shine a light on his period in office and let them judge him. Does Edo deserve four more years of a man who spent the last three years fighting his benefactor?

Does Edo deserve four more years of a man who has set the EFCC on all his political opponents? Does Edo deserve four more years of a man who has been revoking C of Os of political opponents and pulling down their property?

Does Edo deserve four more years of a man who has not made new friends in four years as governor but has managed to create so many enemies? I asked this question a while ago of a friend--- does Obaseki plan to live in Benin when his tenure comes to an end? My friend just chuckled. I chuckle too. Obaseki was given so much by his benefactor. The people of Edo State gave him so much support. It is my verdict that he has squandered his time in office by essentially scoring own goals.

We have a choice before us in a few months in Edo State. Osagie is prepared with the Simple Agenda. He told me in one of several meetings we had that he wanted to be to Edo State, what Awo was to the Western region.

He broke it down in practical terms. He believes that with prudent management of the resources of the State, we can have free and qualitative education and put a laptop in the hands of every child in Edo State. He believes that the State can go into partnership with BEDC instead of fighting them, to improve the state of electricity substantially in the State.

He believes that every young man and woman who needs a job should be able to come to Edo State as a mini Nigeria to find one as he plans to embark on an agricultural revolution that would put 6 acres in the hands of every young farmer in Edo State, back them up with infrastructure and capital and have a Commodity Marketing Board ready to purchase the produce for exportation to the rest of Nigeria and outside.

He plans to introduce skills acquisition to the school curriculum such that every child upon graduation from Secondary school, would have two certificates. One can send him on a journey to University to pursue a dream.

The other can help him to start his own business as a skilled entrepreneur with capital at the ready from a Small Business loan, prepared to create jobs and raise a family.

With these core beliefs, I do not think anyone should be in any doubt that the man whom everyone who has been privileged to interact with, calls --- leader, would indeed lead when he gets the chance. Let us all, therefore, join hands to help propel Osagie Ize-Iyamu on his journey to Osadebey house and we must also be prepared to hold his legs to the fire for the next four years. Long live the people of Edo State and may our Oba be blessed.

By Michael Ovienmhada, a Political Commentator, Playwright, Poet and Author.

cc: lalasticlala, mynd44

Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger states insists “We must begin to respect the rule of law in this country”, as he swears in Mallam Safiyanu Yahaya of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Chairman of Magama Local Government Council.

Law is law, it is often said. But law is what the leader often wants it to be. Some leaders have again proven this to be true. The leader is often seen as being in a position to voice his interests, even if and when such opposes the rule of law and the constitution. Such an attitude may not always be with some executives who feel the law must be respected, irrespective of personal interests and party positions.

There is no better time and avenue for Governor Abubakar Sanni Bello to prove his respect for the constitution and rule of law than the occasion of the upturning of the electoral success of Salihu Ubandoma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the elected Chairman of Magama local government in the November 30, 2019 local government election by Minna High Court 5. The court had upturned the election on grounds of pre-election offence, declaring the runner up in the election, Mallam Safiyanu Yahaya as the duly elected Chairman of the Council.

The Court then declared Yahaya of the main opposition, PDP, winner of the election, directing the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC) to withdraw the certificate of return earlier issued to Ubandoma and issue same to Yahaya as the duly elected Chairman of the Council.

Abubakar did not stop at just declaring “We must begin to respect the rule of law in this country”, he personally superintended the 15-minute swearing-in ceremony for Yahaya held at the Government House in Minna. This however came amid protests from his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

A source in Government House had clarified “What Governor Bello just did has been what we all know with him. He is always factual, down-to-earth, fair and just all the time. Mallam Safiyanu Yahaya, himself had told declared “This kind of behaviour is unprecedented. No one ever did anything like this before.

But the conduct came to many as a surprise, a revolutionary move which triggered a new age in governance and precept in political conduct of a state chief executive. It opposed all known traditions since the return to democratic rule in 1999. The rule had been that a ruling party would do anything, stopping at nothing to twist and manipulate all processes of local election to have a favourable electoral outing. The party often does this with tacit supports of the state chief executive.

Following Ubandoma’s failure to secure stay of execution from the appeal courts, and complying totally with the verdict of the Minna High Court, Governor Bello saw himself as not only a party leader in the APC, but a leader of all parties, sections and religious groups, insisting “Democracy is all about the rule of law”.

Before the swearing in, the state APC Chairman, Jibrin Imam had personally urged the governor to discountenance whatever pressure to swear in the opposition candidate on the excuse that the APC had appealed against the High Court judgement, noting such a move would jeopardise the interest of the APC.

Imam had contended that former governors had at one time or the other defied court verdicts in related cases without any consequence, to favour their own parties. Imam had equally in a press conference just hours before the swearing in, said the case was already before the Appeal Court seeking a reversal of the judgement, noting: “It will be counter-productive and embarrassing to the party and current administration if the governor did anything contrary”.

The governor had opposed him, noting “The rule of law must take precedence over any party consideration.” He therefore ordered that the Chairman be sworn in, an event which, after about two hours of meeting with stakeholders, he oversaw exactly 4:05pm when he walked into the council chambers where he took his seat as Justice Salihu Alhassan Majidadi administered oaths of office and allegiance on the Chairman.

The governor, opposing both his party and the state chairman, maintained that as a two-time beneficiary of court/tribunal judgements in his quest for political headship of the state, his decision to respect the court verdict was right and proper, adding that although many who similarly enjoyed the grace of law had later turned their backs upon the law upon assumption of the number one position in the past.

The governor was referring to the two times he had had to defend his electoral success at the Tribunal, succeeding at both times, a development which had hinted watchers the likelihood of his committing any illegality to favour party interests.

However, many would believe it would be unfair on the governor to see his latest ‘surprise’as unique. In the preparations towards the primaries of the party to elect candidates for the 25 chairmanship and 224 Councilorship seats for the November 30 local government polls, the governor had similarly resisted all attempts and pressures from individuals and the party to anoint any aspirant.

His refusal to side with or anoint any of the candidates then had occasioned some furore, with violence in almost all the local government areas in the state. But the governor had told all aspirants then to campaign for people’s votes, saying the field should be level for results to represent genuine wishes of the electorate.

At a stakeholders parley with all the candidates of his party (APC) before the election, Governor Bello had clarified that he would not impose any candidate on the party or anoint anyone as his candidate, maintaining “the people must be allowed to make their choice. That is the only way that we can minimize electoral violence in the system”.

He further warned all elements planning to foist trouble to change their decision, as, according to him, government would not tolerate any act of political violence or brigandage in the state, insisting “People want to elect their representatives”. He had urged both candidates and party to put their house in order ahead of the election to ensure desired victory.

But despite his statements, the declarations were still held by many as a mere political statement, until when the governor lost his central ward in Kontagora local government area to the opposition PDP and all attempts by the party to overturn the result in favour of the governo was rejected by him. He had bluntly insisted “if that is what the people want, so be it”. He had also come out to tell all contestants across party divides before the polls that “people’s votes must count”.

In his reaction, Chairman of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Niger State chapter, Alhaji Ibrahim Abubakar Bosso described the governor’s action as highly commendable, noting that “it is high time we began to respect the rule of law and build confidence in the electorate. We cannot continue to reinforce past anti-democratic behaviors.

His words:-

“We, Chairmen of local government in the state sincerely commended the action of the governor and we respect his decision, because despite pressures from the party for him not to swear in the opposition candidate’s Chairman, he chose to obey the rule of law.

“The governor did what is right even though some governors in the past had disrespected court verdicts in a similar circumstances but we cannot continue to do the wrong thing as a people. We should begin to do things that will make people have confidence in our democracy and the rule of law.

“I strongly appealed to our leaders to emulate the governor and turn a new leaf. We should try to respect the rule of law in this country, the judiciary is the last hope of the common man and therefore we should not rubbish the judicial process”,

he submitted.

Also, the state commissioner for local government, community development and chieftaincy affairs, Alhaji Abdulmalik Sarkin Daji, advised the party executive not to see the action of the governor as a respect for the party, stressing that “the governor is merely respecting the court verdict”.

He explained that the governor just had to allow the swearing-in of the Chairman for now, adding that “if by tomorrow the appeal court decides otherwise, the governor will not hesitate to swear in the party candidate.

Said he:-

“But for now, let us respect what the lower court says. There is no point heating the polity, the party should understand with the governor for his stance on this matter”,

he insisted.

After his swearing-in, the new Chairman described Governor Sani Bello as a man of Justice who had demonstrated an absolute respect for the rule of law by acting in compliance with the directive of the Court, adding despite belonging to another political party, the governor took the best decision by respecting the decision of the High Court.

By Danladi Mohammed from Minna

cc: lalasticlala, mynd44, seun

See more photos:-

In continuance of inspection of ongoing projects in the state, today again, His Excellency, Gov. Abu Sani Bello along with the Infrastructure Committee were at Tagwai Dam road.

The 10km road whose contract was terminated after non-performance from the initial contractor was rewarded few weeks ago.

The Governor urged the contractor to speed up the work as users of the road have suffered enough and should be provided ease of movement as soon as possible.

H also noted that even as the Infrastructure Committee will continue to monitor the progress of the project, he himself will be visiting the road as often as his schedule permits to ensure quality is up to standard and that the work is completed in a timely manner.

cc: lalasticlala, mynd44, seun

The General Overseer of Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministries Prophet Dr. Emmanuel Omale has made an urgent call on the Nigerian government to send farmers back to the farm immediately, despite the lockdown occasioned by the Covid -19 pandemic.

In a recent set of prophecies just released, the man of God foretold of an imminent food crisis accompanied by extreme starvation and violence, if farmers are not sent back to cultivate food massively.

He advised the government to do this with a sense of urgency, while insisting on social distancing on the farms.

According to the prophecy, farmers all over the country should be encouraged and massively supported with financial resources, inputs and necessary equipment or implement.

Such urgent action, he said, would be the only way to avert pervasive hunger in the land, the type that would see women on their way back from the market being attacked and robbed of their purchases, and people being attacked and robbed of the food they are cooking in their homes.

As he did in a previous outing, Prophet Omale declared the ingenuity and giftedness of Nigerian doctors,stressing that God had given them a cure for the new Coronavirus, which they would discover from research.

He also called on government to look inward for a solution to the pandemic, by listening to the professional advice of
Nigerian medical practitioners, and supporting them, rather than inviting foreign ones.

By prophetic insight, he assured the Nigerian medical doctors and researchers that the results of their research would be accepted by government this time, so they should have no fear of working in vain.

The man of God also prophesied that 18 Nigerian medical practitioners would make discoveries that would provide solutions to several diseases in the world, for which they would become famous and wealthy.

He restated the important role of Nigeria and Nigerians in God's plan for the world, and called on the citizens to rekindle faith in the government, to usher in prosperity for the nation.

Prophet Omale emphatically condemned violence in all its ramifications, describing it as a senseless way of trying to solve problems, since it only ends in destruction of lives, property and the national fabric.

Rather, he called for unity and more prayers for the nation and its leaders, in order to actualise the greatness ordained for it by God.

cc: lalasticlala, seun, mynd44

*AIG Ibrahim Accused Of Interfering With Investigations, Group Wants Him Disciplined*

A socio-political group “National Coalition Against Abuse of Office” (NCAAO) has asked the Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu to urgently and immediately discipline the AIG Ibrahim Lamorde for interfering with investigations and obstructing the discharge of a lawful instrument of court because of a personal and prurient interest he has with a suspect thereby bringing to ridicule the sterling reputation of the Nigerian Police force and the critical office he occupies.

According to the group’s National Coordinator, Walid Ahmed, AIG Lamorde, has disappointed those who had always thought he was a great cop and an incorrigible crime fighter by compromising his professional ethics and bonafides to shelter a known blackmailer.

“About two weeks ago, a certain known blackmailer and an inveterate social climber, Blessing Ossom made some exceedingly wild and slanderous accusation against important citizens of Akwa Ibom State.

She knew what she said was false and highly libellous, yet she went ahead to cause to be published on her Facebook the deeply slanderous materials against key persons in the State. Legal procedures were put in process and she was ordered arrested.

It was at this point that AIG Lamorde who it is alleged is her close family friend stepped in and blatantly obstructed investigations.

Investigators that were sent to Abuja to get to the root of the case were ordered out of Abuja on the instruction of Lamorde who is AIG Lamorde.

The AIG has practically shielded Blessing Ossom and has been heard boasting that no Jupiter can cause Ms. Ossom to be arrested.

We are calling on the Inspector General of Police to immediately call AIG Lamorde to order and ask him to allow proper investigations to be conducted on the slanderous and libellous accusation and blackmailed the woman caused on the sterling reputation of the people she had slandered.

In an era where our dear President Buharai has made corruption in high places a major element of his governing agenda, AIG Lamorde should not cast a dark pall on the great work he President has been doing”

the statement added

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