By Eferovo Igho
It was May 29, 1999. Democracy beckoned all of us away from military dictatorship. And we started out experimentally, so to say, and not too sure how far we could go before some crack shots in khaki came cocking their guns. At that inchoate and experimental stage we nevertheless expected the new political actors to deliver Olympian results, the military having dealt a severe blow to our national psyche, commonwealth and values.
Not that we expected the politicians to turn Nigeria to Japan, or Delta State to Montana or Utah in a moment, or thought governance was a one stroke of the pen deal, but truly, expectations were high.Within two years of the politicians’ return, however, you started regretting the exit of the military.
Morales sunk deep within so short a time. Whilst this was the case nationally, in Delta State it was plus anguish all over. Here, a clique swarmed at us, a hitherto unknown figures surging their ways to our vaults, and they, with their forceps have been there, there in our vaults, unperturbed the third decade running.
So, necessarily in a sweat, because of the magnitude of the thievery, some of us wrote ‘hues and cries’ volumes for the decades they have been here. Knowing that one day they will be sacked, we still write: Because of posterity. The time to unmistakably show them the exit door is now, which is why the present entry of Omo-Agege into the guber race – a man that knows them well, knows his onions, and have what it takes to uproot them – is both salutary and commendable.
After being run through the thickness of darkness where we could hardly find our bearing as a State, courtesy of their inactions, blind runs and misadventures, indeed, apical misgovernance, Omo-Agege has stepped out to now lead the Liberation Movement.
And how fitting he has been! Because those boys have already obfuscated governance and given us near Kafkaesque nightmare we really cannot afford to have another misfortune of having them on. Not when a benchmark outside our clime is Omo-Agege propulsion as we write.
Deltans will get it right with him running our affairs. Not to worry! We can only now hope for a man coming to up governance in the State and to give us proper leading and the much missed compass as 2023 comes around; a man well groomed, knowledgeable and equipped enough, a man with age, gusto and dynamism on his side to come raise the bar of governance in our dear State.
The man Omo-Agege! Ingrained with political expertise, and with great grasp of nubs of governance, Omo-Agege is a political thoroughbred able to be saddled with the demands of this political (gubernatorial) mandate.
And with such consummate pragmatist and go-getter accustomed to facing duty with all guns blazing and with sleeves rolled up, a new vista – panoramic pleasantry on the political, economic and indeed all fronts – widely opens up for the long waiting great people of our dear State.
This is the man not only poised to fitly reengineer an endearing Delta, but indeed promises to be seen as such, if given the mandate. A great grassroots man and equally hugely treasured by the grassroots, he will not disappoint them knowing what they want; and if you may hear it, he has been reaching his constituent and beyond with life goodies as a Senator in way completely outside the hitherto ordinary ways of his predecessors and present colleagues in Senate.
He wants to ‘balloon’ that good reach as Executive Governor, a job he hitherto not only been prepared for but is now poised to make really good once in the saddle. Even his few detractors own that Omo-Agege has over the years unarguably gained much political mileage with the offices he has occupied hitherto.
We nod to that and add that this is a rare feat that can be converted or spill to more outstanding results; he operating, with executive dynamism from Everest. Who the cap fits indeed!Good enough, he has nudged himself, saddled his political horse, set in motion his political machinery to good effect.
Suddenly, the whole State is agog: Omo-Agege, Omo-Agege, Omo-Agege! As if there have been no politicians before him, as if he has no competitors! Of course, you get the import; else we know that they, the people, know there are pretenders to the race to Delta State Government House.
So, now fully answering the clarion call by Deltans for him to walk to Asaba, bring sanity to governance, you see a man who knows the urgency of the work that needs be done: a work of reengineering the State, putting it at a pedestal commensurate with the brains and resources Providence has bestowed on the State; a State, given the brains and resources available, that should compare favorably with some regions in the axis of the Asian Tigers, IN THE FIRST INSTANCE.
Tall visions are possible here too in Black Africa. If only you know or can remember that Awolowo’s Western Region was in many ways better than many of the present day Asian Tigers, and even had a television station before Spain; and O that you may recollect too that the present Delta State was part of the Western Region.
How things crumbled! Yet, they call themselves leaders – bleeding us dry, instead of leading.Come on then Omo-Agege. Take us past through all this rubbish, get us to become like those Asian Tigers that shot passed us when we had our coffer ‘bleeders’ for leaders.
From such good groundwork, other great visionaries and achievers can there from move us steadily on till we begin to share great qualities with the likes of Montana or Utah.
This is now the inevitable upward trajectory for Delta State and Providence has so positioned us for this except for the scavengers, who we must now dump through the exit door. And Delta shall be light to the rest of Nigeria.Come on Omo-Agege! The mandate is guaranteed, and no judicial sabotage.
We trust your lens, your prism ne’er blurred and the focus rare. On the side of the people, a palpable ever increasing public confidence in you there is. You won’t fail. Take us then away from this gross shame and indescribable pain called governance these 24 years.
Make it easier for others after you to walk us to Everest.Hoc fieri potest, folks exspecta (This is possible, folks wait for it).
Igho, a veteran public affairs analyst, wrote via eferovo@gmail.com
