{"id":74903,"date":"2020-07-18T21:17:32","date_gmt":"2020-07-18T20:17:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=74903"},"modified":"2020-07-18T21:17:32","modified_gmt":"2020-07-18T20:17:32","slug":"the-grave-sin-of-godwin-obaseki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/articles-opinions\/the-grave-sin-of-godwin-obaseki\/","title":{"rendered":"THE GRAVE SIN OF GODWIN OBASEKI"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
By Tony Usidamen<\/p>\n

If you have been following events on the Nigerian political scene, then
\nyou would know about the protracted battle between the erstwhile
\nnational chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams
\nOshiomhole, and the incumbent governor of Edo state, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.
\nThe feud cost the former his exalted position in the party and forced
\nthe latter out. But what is the real cause of the rift? What is
\nObaseki’s grave sin? Well, I’ve got answers.<\/p>\n

Here’s how it all started. Following Comrade Oshiomhole\u2019s tenure as
\npresident of the Nigeria Labour Congress in 2007, he had more or less
\nsettled into private life when a few Edo professionals who were
\ndissatisfied with the quality of governance and the socio-economic
\ncondition of the state reached out to him. They prevailed on the former
\nunion leader and dogged fighter to wrest power from the political elite
\nby running for the office of governor. He acceded.<\/p>\n

Numbering twenty, these well-meaning sons of Edo mustered up the funds
\nto prosecute the election. They backed the Comrade all the way to the
\nCourt of Appeal, which\u2014on 11th November 2008\u2014upheld the 20th March
\n2008 judgment of the State Election Petition Tribunal declaring
\nOshiomohle the duly elected governor of Edo. The court deemed that he
\nhad polled the highest valid votes in the 14th April 2007 elections. Mr.
\nGodwin Obaseki led that group.<\/p>\n

When Oshiomhole assumed office, he understood that a clear vision of the
\nfuture was necessary to guide the journey of change. So, he set up an
\nEconomy and Strategy Team (EST) to assist in developing a comprehensive
\nroadmap that would ensure a better, more prosperous future for all Edo
\ncitizens. And, to lead this critical task, he called on Mr. Godwin
\nObaseki. For seven and a half years, he served the state diligently. May
\nI add that he did so without requesting a dime?<\/p>\n

Before that time, Edo was akin to a rudderless ship on a shoreless sea.
\nThe privileged ruling class was divorced from the realities of the
\nmasses. At best, they saw their office as a means for self-enrichment.
\nAnd you could feel the people\u2019s disillusionment with the machinery of
\ngovernment. But under Oshiomhole\u2019s leadership and Obaseki\u2019s
\nguidance, Edo was transformed from a disarticulated political structure
\nto one with a sense of mission. There was renewed hope.<\/p>\n

It came as no surprise, therefore, that the Comrade Governor found in
\nObaseki a worthy successor. His background as an investment management
\nexpert of over thirty years, and the experience garnered as chairman of
\nthe EST, had prepared him well for the task of governance. He had a firm
\ngrasp of the issues confronting the state, and had articulated a clear
\nvision. Edo people concurred. And\u2014at the September 19, 2016
\npolls\u2014handed him the mandate to lead.<\/p>\n

Since his inauguration on 12th November 2016, Governor Godwin Obaseki
\nhas continued to demonstrate that government can, indeed, work for the
\npeople\u2014with policies and programmes that benefit the majority, rather
\nthan a few. His strides across the six focal areas\u2014institutional
\nreform, social welfare enhancement, economic revolution, infrastructure
\ndevelopment, environmental sustainability, as well as culture &
\ntourism\u2014are visible for all to see.<\/p>\n

While Edo can\u2019t be said to be El Dorado\u2014the fabled city of gold
\nwhere everything works\u2014the state has made real progress in critical
\nareas of human development. Citizens have greater access to healthcare,
\nas primary healthcare centres are being revamped and upgraded statewide.
\nThe quality and enrolment rate of school-age children in public primary
\nschools has increased, thanks to the reforms in basic education. And
\nthere has also been a boost in Technical and Vocational Education and
\nTraining. Young people are being equipped with vital skills to make them
\nmore employable or to start their own business.<\/p>\n

According to data obtained from the Edo State Skills Development Agency,
\nand verified by independent agencies, an estimated 161,271
\nmulti-sectorial jobs have been created (as at the time of writing this
\npiece). The bulk has been from the state\u2019s agriculture development
\nprogrammes. Under this administration, salaries of civil servants are
\nregular and prompt. Arrears of pensioners, dating back to 1996, have
\nbeen cleared. And monthly pensions and death benefits are paid as and
\nwhen due. Also, there are massive infrastructure projects ongoing across
\nthe state. And marked progress has been made in sports development.<\/p>\n

So\u2014now that we know the history that both men share, and have a clear
\npicture of happenings in the state\u2014what grievous offense did Obaseki
\ncommit? To have made him an outcast in a party on whose platform he
\nemerged governor? From all the Comrade and his loyalists in the APC have
\nsaid in public, nothing remotely suggests that Governor Obaseki has
\nfailed in his duties as the chief executive officer. That would not be
\nconsistent with the glaring record of achievement. The only coherent
\ntune from the cacophony of voices is the lack of patronage from the
\ngovernor.\u00a0 And that says a lot about the values of our leaders.<\/p>\n

Obaseki\u2019s grave sin\u2014it seems\u2014is putting the interest of Edo people
\nbefore those of entitled politicians, his refusal to channel public
\nfunds into private pockets. That is the paradox of the Nigerian society.
\nIt goes against the principles of democratic governance, which\u2014as
\nAmerican civic activist, Nick Hanauer, puts it\u2014is to maximize the
\ninclusion of the many to create prosperity, not to enable the few to
\naccumulate money. Indeed, the loyalty of elected public officials should
\nbe to the people, not self-acclaimed godfathers. Governor Obaseki has
\nmodeled this over the last three years. And Edo people are the better
\nfor it.<\/p>\n

In reality, the fight is not about the person of Godwin Obaseki; it is a
\nstruggle for the “heart and soul” of Edo. Political buccaneers\u2014led by
\na former comrade-in-arms who has morphed into the same imperious figure
\nhe once fought against\u2014are laying claim to the state’s treasury. But
\npower lies in the hands of the people. And only we can determine our
\nfate. We have the choice to go back to the biblical Egypt\u2014where a few
\ngreedy men held the reins, and brazenly plundered our commonwealth. Or
\ngo forward to the Promised Land. That is, a modern and progressive Edo
\nwhere every citizen is empowered with opportunity to live life to its
\nfullest. Choose wisely!<\/p>\n

Tony Usidamen, a public affairs analyst, writes from Lagos.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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