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Tag: Successor

  • Edo 2016: Ogiemwonyi is Oshiomhole’s worthy successor

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole has presented a template; performance is that template. Whoever must aspire to step into the shoes of the comrade governor, therefore, must show evidence of performance.

    Having come into governance from the private sector, Governor Oshiomhole has employed the must-to-drive and the managerial efficiency of the sector to raise the bar of development in the state. Of course, this immediately narrows down the choice of who should succeed him. That person must be a professional who evidently proved his mettle in his profession.

    Considering the achievements of Governor Oshiomhole in the past seven years, this means a lot, for whoever succeeds him. Oshiomhole is perceived in the public as an achiever and indeed a pacesetter in governance in this dispensation. His popularity rating is very high. Whoever takes over from him must, therefore, be seen in the same light, an achiever.

    The Edo and indeed the Nigerian populace would want to know. So we can see, that though Edo is our immediate constituency, there is also a larger constituency of curious Nigerians from all walks of life who have taken to the Oshiomhole administration and would want to know who the party decides to bring out and why.

    Who is, therefore, this new person and what are the qualities that he will be brining into office to consolidate on Oshiomhole’s laudable achievements and sustain his gains.

    This is why the intention of Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi to contest the Edo State governorship this year is most welcome and should be celebrated. Engr. Ogiemwonyi, a former minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, wears a peerless and unassailable reputation.

    In the course of his professional and public service engagements, he is exemplary. He is credited with numerous philanthropic gestures. It is also remarkable that he is a product of the Harvard Business School.

    Engr. Ogiemwonyi belongs to many professional bodies, including the Society of Petroleum Engineers. He is a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and former President of the Nigeria Gas Association. He is a recipient of the Justice of Peace (JP) by Edo State Government and the Kwame Nkurumah Leadership Award. He is also patron to several bodies, including the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) and the Association of Community Newspapers Publishers of Nigeria (ACNPN), among numerous others.

    Now these are virtues that would greatly advance and deepen the nation’s democracy. To be sure, it is not enough to boast of high sounding institutions with democratic tokens. You need men and women of integrity and passion to drive these institutions.

    Sometime ago, the former U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton declared that what developing nations need really to succeed and join the league of advance nations are strong institutions and structure of government peopled by strong men and women of character. She said this has been the missing link all along.

    You can’t but agree with her. Indeed, when you look at the course of the development of the U.S. itself, you would notice the blend of abiding institutions manned by those with near-flawless pedigree. They were not saints, but as a result of their passion, selflessness and commitment they put great performance and left behind legacies which their successors latched on to offer their own contributions in their own generations. After all, government, as they say in political science is a continuum. Edo State cannot be different. “We need a man of repute and good record like Ogiemwonyi to launch the destiny of the citizens to a higher level than we are at the moment”. Because of his service in the strategic public sector of the society, he can be trusted to deliver on two counts.

    First, looking at the profile of Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi, he stands out as the leader and most experienced administrator and manager of men and resources. We can count on him to build strong institutions capable of delivering the much sought after dividends of democracy. This is the political talisman the American Secretary of State referred to above.

    Second, he has the capacity to transform the state into the one that will be worthy of emulation. This will perhaps explain why Emmanuel Gold Idehen acknowledges the fact that Engr. Ogiemwonyi’s outstanding quality has earned him the sobriquet, Mr. Integrity.

    He said: “Look at the United States of America. They need men like Ogiemeonyi to draw on their vast experience which beginners may not be able to offer. We need Ogiemwonyi as a governor in Edo, given his past where his ideas stabilise the polity”.

    The choice is, therefore, before Edo APC delegates as the survey shows that Ogiemwonyi will win the APC primary election. Edo APC delegates are no pushover. They cannot be deceived. They are not fools as some sponsors think. They have realized that giving Ogiemwonyi their votes will transform the state to another level.

  • APC, Oshiomhole and the worthy successor

    Governance, like most human activities, is governed, itself, by seen and, unseen factors that may combine positively for the Success Indices it may represent, or negatively for the failure it is noted for.

    Governance is a relay race. No government can completely exist in vacuum or be able to accomplish all its set goals within deliberately-contemplated time-brackets. The craze and haste to abandon those long-term policies, programmes and projects by successor-governments, without examining whether they can be adapted, reviewed or adopted wholesale, often leads to the wastage of scarce resources and a new cycle of abandoned policies, programmes and projects at the expiry of such governments’ mandate.

    It has become the norm and established ritual for most successor-governments in Africa to tend to rubbish, abandon or totally obliterate the strides, contributions and achievements of their predecessors through jaundiced commentaries or outright selective amnesia, all in the name and practice of politics.

    In Edo State, the cardinal area which encapsulates the dreams, hopes and aspiration of the average Edolite, is the unprecedented reformation drive in infrastructure and human capital development that has tied the state’s future viability and sustenance with the diligent pursuance and execution of government’s policies, programmes and projects that will set the stage for industrialisation and commercialisation at the expiry of Oshiomhole’s government in November 2016.

    It is conventional wisdom that a good leader, with strong visionary disposition, should pursue that mission to project, plan and engender those programmes, policies and projects that will ensure a seamless and painless transition from heavy dependence on oil revenues to other lucrative alternatives (such as internally-generated revenue) by using the massive earnings from petroleum as a fulcrum for future development in agriculture, commerce and industry etc.

    It is significant to note that Engineer Christopher Aigbovbiosa Ogiemwonyi has keyed in into this novel and visionary concept of a re-engineered and re-focused Edo State, championed by the mercurial Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in the last seven years. In reality, the Comrade Governor has gone beyond rhetoric, grandstanding and self-serving platitudes to give holistic interpretation to sustainable development of the state through the proper utilisation of its present oil revenue earnings.

    As one of the frontrunners in the race for the governorship of Edo State in 2016, Engineer Ogiemwonyi stands out of the crowd of aspirants in his out-of-the-ordinary pre-disposition to adopting and sustaining those programmes, policies and projects of the Oshiomhole predecessor government, if elected for the benefit of all Edolites, post November 12, 2016.

    A consummate technocrat, he has through his people-focused Call To Service identified the critical areas of intervention in the affairs of Edo State to include infrastructure development; human capital development; agriculture development with emphasis on the provision of agro-based raw materials for production purposes; provision of clean, affordable and reliable energy and water supply; housing development; youth and women empowerment; increased resource allocation to education and social services; reduction in child mortality rates and improved maternal health; containment of HIV and AIDS, malaria and other endemic diseases and proactive actions and preparations for pandemic ones like Ebola Virus Disease, Dengue Fever, Haemorrhoidal Fever, Lassa Fever etc; environment protection; rural based micro industries; the establishment and construction of specialised macro-economic free-trade zones, industrial parks, clusters and co-operatives, preferably in mutually-beneficial partnerships with the Organised Private Sector – local or foreign; solid minerals; eco-tourism, etc.

    Engineer Ogiemwonyi shares Comrade Oshiomhole’s long-term vision that the concept of Edo State’s future micro and macro-economic development should be pursued form two angles: (a) By prudently utilising revenue from the petroleum sector to develop other core and key sectors of the state’s economy and (b) By diversifying the internally-generated revenue base of the state with probable earning from agriculture; tourism; free trade zones, industrial parks etc; small and medium-scale enterprises etc.

    This will only be possible if there is no break in the chain either through a deliberate jettisoning of the concept by a new administration or a feeble or marginal implementation process that will not benefit the people of Edo State.

    The relativity of a flawless and fluid changeover during any relay race define the human factor in the core area of synergy between time, space and movement that is not borne out of a chance-happening or the uncoordinated interplay of efforts of those who are just “fulfilling all righteousness” in running their various legs!

    Good governance and bad governance are like most relay races. They are either sequentially-planned to succeed and thrive or visionless and rudderless in concept and administration.

    Good governance that elicits success and attainment is like a good relay race where one plays a key role attaining giant strides, achieving successes or leaving legacies behind for future generations to savour.

    Eight years on, there is no gainsaying the fact that Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole is primed to leave behind a catalogue of lasting legacies that can only be sustained by a worthy successor on November 12, 2016.

     

    • Casmir Osolase a Public Affairs Analyst based in Abuja
  • ‘Oshiomhole alone can’t decide his successor ’

    ‘Oshiomhole alone can’t decide his successor ’

    Former Edo State Deputy Governor Peter Obadan is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview with  Correspondent OSEMWENGIE BEN OGBEMUDIA, he speaks on the Oshiomhole administration, the Land Use Charge Law, the succession battle and the anti-corruption crusade of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    What is your assessment of Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s scored card in the last seven years?

    It is out of place, I will say, for me to start scoring the Comrade Governor as APC leader in the state. I think those who are watching us and those who are seeing us govern that ought to score. It is like asking the Comrade Governor to score himself. We have enjoyed relative peace in Edo State, without a peaceful co-existence there cannot be development, be it social or economic. For that, I think we can give ourselves a pass on the back. There is also no doubt that we can look back to the last seven years of the administration and declare that the administration has done better than what the previous administrations did or achieved, that we can also declare. I must also highly commend the ability of the government to pay salaries as at when due, it is one of the very, very few states in the country that has kept fate with the people on the issue of payment of salaries. There are so many areas you can talk about in terms of comparative analysis between what it is now and what it was before. But like I said the public is always the best judge of what they see and perceive of the APC administration in the state.

    Who do you think should succeed Governor Oshiomhole?

    Well, Edo State is no longer a state where we present a learner for the management of the State. So, we definitely would require somebody with a measure of experience, somebody with a good level of qualification, somebody with good level of interaction with those at the centre, that also has a fame knowledge of the country, that is the type of man we would want in addition to ability to develop the state, to attract investment to the state, to enhance the productive capability of the Edo people. That is the kind of person we are actually looking at, and don’t forget in this state now we have the National Chairman of the Party who is from Edo State and it should be a pride to all the Edo people to ensure APC produce the next Governor of the state. It will certainly be a thing of Joy if we have a candidate that is returned un-opposed. Don’t also forget that the Comrade Governor will be leaving behind a legacy, he would want somebody who will equally excel. So, that is the type of character we will be looking at. Also the politics of Edo State is leadership driven.

    The leaders of Edo State politics are yet to meet to look at the issues wholistically, it is not going to be one man show, I can assure you on that, it is definitely not going to be one man show.

    So, the leadership of the state will look at the whole issues, because this time around we will definitely pick the best for the people of Edo State because there are some that are going to be playing their last cards in politics and they will be going into political retirement. So, nobody is going to allow a godfatherism, which is the basis some of us hitherto pulled out of the PDP. I think at the appropriate time who ever emerges from APC will be a thing of joy to everybody, he must be a man that has learnt how to follow.

    There are fear that the opposition party may ride on the alleged anti-people’s policies of Governor Oshiomhole to power. What is your view?

    Governments policies or pronouncements can never be favourable to everybody, that is what people must learn. The interest of the generality of the people, this is what is paramount where policies are being formulated and then policies are formulated at times because executive needs to step on toes, it is only those with fore sight that appreciates such policies but policies must be implemented with the milk of human kindness, it cannot be draconic which is always the problem at times. In my opinion, policies when formulated and presented, if the original intention or the intent for which it was created turns out to neglect the intended objective, the policies formulators are always willing to withdraw, there is no shame about it because when you talked about management by objective, you also talked about management by exemptions. So, you look at the two, you want to achieve a particular goal if it is not definitely favourable, you discovered that the effect will not achieve the objective rather will sink you further, such policies are withdrawable and there is always no shame about it. That is why some of these policies are laid before the peoples opinion and like they say you present it before the court of the public. So, APC is a grassroot party and APC will do anything that will favour the majority of the people. We cannot be playing to the gallery yard, promoting the interest of the very few every time. To make it clear, and what I am saying in effect is that, yes there are noises about some recent policies but I don’t have all the facts that led to the formulation of all these policies but I know the state is eager to raise money. With an attempt to equalize, you don’t   keep increasing the gap between the rich and the poor, a good manager will try to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, that is the economic management.

    I know I have always heard from the Comrade Governor, that we are stratifying, that this policy will affect these areas and will not affect these areas, especially the land use charge. Even if that is done, they may also have to look at the rate. But I did not hear about the intention of the government to demolished churches in GRA directly from the Governor and I think those are overzealous people even of course, personally I would resist such acts against churches unless and unless government does not realize or appreciate what government itself is benefiting from the church. When you pulled out churches from the system, you create avenue for criminalities.

    Are you calling for the reversal  of these policies?

    If churches and mosques are included I will say they should be excluded because they have a secondary role which they play,they are actually supportive of the intentions of the government. Whatever laws the government make to create peace and order, to create happiness within the system, churches and mosques compliment in no small measure the efforts of government to realising this. That is why churches and mosques cannot be subject to taxation but individual there who earn income could be taxed but the church itself cannot be regarded a trading concern because it is a charitable organisation.

    So, if that aspect of it was included I think it is an error. But again one thing many people have not given consideration to is which area constitutes the GRA by the definition of our law? Which are the churches within GRA actually, maybe the ministry of land would have to tell us. In my opinion the whole GRA is bounded by the boundary road, the airport road, the Sapele road, Ikpokpan, that is the old GRA, anything out side that is not GRA and I have looked round the four walls, I don’t know the church that are there, maybe one or two. The church of God mission, airport road, which I belong to is not in GRA, what about the Faith Centre, is equally not in GRA and they cannot be taxed. One man cannot use this pen to draw a GRA for us because we have a GRA that was  legally created and that is the way I see it.

    Don’t you think that President Buhari’s, anti-corruption war appears to be directed at former PDP Governors and Ministers

    I want to say if you have an APC governor been invited for questioning then  he was never an APC man. Who were those who managed the resources of the country, they were the PDP Governors and PDP Presidential aids, they were the ones, they had all the money they got looted and I just pray that the net should be widen to capture everybody including the ministers. Ministers who could hardly change their cars started talking of billions, trillions.

    So, those are the issues, it is not targeted at the people but it is targeted at the corrupt minded people. There were some PDP gentlemen who went through the process and they did not stain themselves, they are there and they are not been invited. You know the impunity some of these governors acted, it was as if there was no tomorrow, it was as if nobody could ever called them to order with the way they acted. So, I believe that APC is not even involved with what is going on, no instruction has been given to anybody but the wind of change that has taken effect has created in the minds of the guys in EFCC, ICPC that look there is a change, things must have to be properly done.

    In the past these things were overlooked or influenced to handle, they are now turning the pages because they know their own job is at risk. Like the judges, we also have been having fantastic judgements, nobody has been able to fault their judgment but it was not like this in the past whether we like it or not. I think we are at the right footing, if they are been invited and their hands are clean, they also need not be afraid to stand before the judgment seat and the judges there will clear them and it will even be a thing of pride for them have gone through the EFCC.

    So, it is not what we should make too much noise about. I don’t think President Muhammadu Buhari is there to witch hunt anybody or crucify anybody.

  • Ajimobi to Ibadan elders: I’ll not impose a successor

    Ajimobi to Ibadan elders: I’ll not impose a successor

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has promised not to impose or pick his successor.

    The governor made the promise at a civic reception by Ibadan Elders’ Forum (IEF) to celebrate his  re-election.

    He told the senior citizens that his successor would “come naturally”.

    The A-list event, held at the Ibadan House, in the heart of the ancient city, at the weekend, witnessed an assembly of prominent Ibadan sons and daughters.

    Dignitaries who showed up to celebrate Ajimobi’s milestone were his wife, Florence; renowned industrialist Chief Kola Daisi; Chairman, Kakanfo Inn and Conference Centre Dr. Lekan Are; Chief Adeniyi Akintola; former Chief Judge Justice Nurudeen Adekola; Central Bank of Nigeria Deputy Governor Bayo Adelabu and a former Vice-Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof. Adeniyi Osuntogun.

    Also at the occasion were a former Head of Service of the Federation Prof. Oladapo Afolabi; an Ibadan industrialist Chief Bode Amoo; IEF President Amb Olusola Sanu; founder of Splash FM, Ibadan, Chief Adebayo Akande; Prof. Kunle Adeniran; House of Assembly Speaker Michael Adeyemo and Majority Leader Kehinde Subair, among others.

    Vowing before the elders to deviate from the norm, Ajimobi said he would provide an enabling environment and level playing ground to facilitate the emergence of his successor.

    The governor was responding to an advice by Sanu, who in his speech, urged him to start grooming his successor.

    He said: “Although the norm is for the incumbent to anoint a successor, but I will deviate from that path.

    “ I will not impose anybody on the people, who I trust to make informed decision during the election.

    “My conviction that imposition is sometimes counter-productive stems from the fact that I’m not a product of imposition neither during my first tenure nor now that God made it possible for me to break the second term jinx.

    “I’m confident that my successor will come naturally through his vision, track record, achievements, courage and commitment to the masses.

    “We have many efficient, hardworking and competent people capable of succeeding me on personal merit.”

    The governor urged citizens distancing themselves from politics to have a rethink.

    Ajimobi, who called for attitudinal change, said “environmental sanity” would be restored in January.

    In his welcome address, a former President of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Chief Adebayo Oyero, said the IEF was formed to return Senator Rashidi Ladoja to office.

    He said: “But when it was clear that his party (Peoples Democratic Party) would not give him the ticket, IEF scouted for candidates from other  parties.

    “After analyses of other candidates, IEF decided to back Senator Ajimobi, who was in the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).”

    Oyero added that since then, the forum had not wavered in the pursuit of the political interest of Ibadanland, “hence in 2011 and 2015, the forum analysed the chances of all Ibadan candidates before it endorsed Ajimobi”.

    “All praises be to God; we are here today celebrating  the choice we made,’’ Oyero said.

    In his keynote address, Sanu said Ibadan people were very proud of Ajimobi for his listening ears.

    He added that most of the governor’s programmes and achievements were products of consultation.

     

  • Oshiomhole’s legacy lies on his successor

    Oshiomhole’s legacy lies on his successor

    It’s expected that while the bell tolls consistently for Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s imminent exit that the succession storm will readily gathered with higher intensity after nearly eight years in the saddle. As the governor of Edo State, Oshiomhole has demonstrated seminal leadership; ministering to the two most basic purposes of governance: the people and the State. His success story can only be entrenched with the quality of the person who takes over from him.

    So far, Governor Oshiomhole has provided leadership which has to do with steering people towards mutually shared values in order to accomplish a clear goals and objectives. In another sense, it is taking responsibility for what members of one’s group, community or society do. Governor Oshiomhole’s leadership style encompasses visioning, passion, commitment and challenging the status quo to make the state, institutions, community or society perform better.

    However, leadership is not just about espousing policies, programmes and projects that will bring about meaningful development and progress that the people are yearning for, but also the singular obligation to ensure that those who take over from them are people of trusted characters. Every leader at any level, in any sector, or any institution has the cardinal duty of ensuring that capable and effective leadership does not end with him or her. This is an indispensable component of a truly successful leadership and in the wholesome re-engineering of POSITIVE CHANGE!

    It is no accident that the countries that have become leaders in the world today are the ones which successfully allowed effective generations of leaders to emerge, albeit seamlessly. The Chinese Communist Party is an example. While some would question the democratic credentials of such a leadership recruitment and selection process, the fact that cannot be denied is that emergence into a position of leadership in China is based on careful preparation. And this process has over the past three decades delivered the stupendous rates of growth that have today transformed China from a backwater into the world’s second leading economy.

    The path that forward-looking societies and organisations toe is courageous leadership orientation. Edo State will only be placed on the path of progress, growth and development when we get our leadership question resolved. It is indispensable for success in any vocation and it is time for Edo people to urgently start the process of disallowing untutored and untested persons from mounting the saddle of leadership.

    The reason is that it is the character of a country’s institutions and the aptitude of its populace that determined its success. The basic truth is that where the people failed to chose their leaders, or prevented from doing so, there will be dearth of motivations, development and political institutions will suffer. Where these basic determinants prevailed, development will never occur.

    The governor can better be appreciated when his leadership personifies the ideals and orientation of passing the baton of leadership to worthy successor whose public and private sectors career has elevated standard; created verifiable growth and jobs, promoted fairness, intensified productivity, reduced graft and encouraged sustainable development.

    Whoever succeeds Governor Oshiomhole must be conversant with the nitty-gritty of the dynamics and synergy of the three arms of government – the executive, legislature and judiciary and maintain a working balance for the benefit and well-being of all Edo people. His successor should be able to deploy his cognate experience (especially in the public sector and governance sector) and positive networks to enhance and strengthen the levers of the good governance of Edo State as the craze now is Development Through Competition.

    At the last count, more than seven aspirants having been jostling for the Edo top job, under the All Progressives Congress, APC platform alone. The same goes for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, but very many of the aspirants are reluctant to address the issues of developing Edo State beyond the present level. That Edo State was in a parlous state until Governor Oshiomhole came on the rescue mission was partly because the people were easily deceived into cueing behind make-believed leaders who are far removed from development initiative.

    Governor Oshiomhole’s steady and cautious leadership which has seen the development of many sectors of the state’s economy will definitely bring about far-reaching development if the governor gets the succession struggles right. The Achilles’s heel of Africa leaders, i.e, “area of weakness or vulnerable spot” is the succession crisis that constantly plagues, hurts and arrests development which further yields grounds to comatose infrastructure, abandoned projects and grand looting.

    The writer Chinua Achebe once declared that the problem with Nigeria is the problem of leadership. No one can agree with the literary icon less. However, having identified the problem, the search for solutions should now engage our earnest attention and energy for sustainable leadership. The lack of adequate preparation for political leadership, especially in public life, is a critical missing link in our search for solutions.

    A few weeks ago, Edo State under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole marked the 7th anniversary of his stewardship as the governor of the state. The event hugely tell the story of the governor’s visible achievement and provides an opportunity both for stock taking and for looking ahead. It is also a good time to reflect further on the challenge of leadership and succession, especially at this point in our national life, when our country is passing through arguably the greatest existential threat of Boko Haram; poor resource generation, lack of basic amenities, collapsed education, lack of health facilities, tax crisis, corruption and the like to its corporate survival since the Civil War.

    To resolve  these crises, largely cause by the dearth of effective leadership, Edo people, the APC and Governor Oshiomhole must carefully and studiously  planned thier succession process to avoid the consequence of accidental leadership; stunted development and building of enduring systems that utilise experience of people who have occupied leading positions in the country to fly the party’s flag.

    Amongst the lots angling for  Oshiomhole’s job after November 2016 is Christopher Aigbovbiosa Ogiemwonyi. He holds the ace given his giant strides and successes in the management of human, material and financial resources at national and international levels. His daunting credential of successes sets him head and shoulder above the mottling of crowds racing to Osadebe’s Avenue. It was his known steadfast commitment to development that led to his appointment as the Minister of State in the Federal Ministry of Works from 2010 to 2011.

    Looking at his background, Chris Ogiemwonyi stands out as the leader and most experienced administrator and manager of men and resources with over 30 years of work experience in the oil and gas industry. All those years, there is no telling that he brought to bear his exceptional management skills and professional competence on the job as one time General Manager of National Petroleum Investments Management Services (NAPIMS).

    The vacuum that will be created by Oshiomhole’s exit on November 12, 2016 can rightly be filled by Engineer Ogiemwonyi. The expectation of the APC delegates across the 18 local governments; 191 wards and 2,627 Polling Units is to vote for a governorship candidate whose experience in both public and private is solid enough to take Edo State to the next level. Engineer Chris Ogiemwonyi fill that bill.

     

    • Ikhueoya writes in from Benin City, Edo State capital

     

  • Okorocha is Zik’s successor, says Sule

    Okorocha is Zik’s successor, says Sule

    •‘My mission is to build bridges’

    Frontline northern leader Alhaji Maitama Sule has said Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, was the only Igbo leader who truly represents the unity of the country, through his contributions to national development.

    He described Okorocha as the direct successor of the late Nnamdi Azikiwe, who he said made the greatest contribution in the struggle for Nigeria’s independence.

    Sule, who spoke during the graduation of the Rochas Foundation College in Kano, said the detribalised actions of Okorocha helped in promoting the country’s unity.

    His words: “Our founding fathers like the late Sarduana of Sokoto, Tafawa Balewa, Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikiwe, laid the foundation for Nigeria’s unity and today, Okorocha is the symbol of that unity because his actions are uniting Nigeria and he is using one of the most effective tools of uniting a people, which is education.

    “The joy of every father is to see his successors. I have seen a worthy successor in Okorocha. He has taken after the great Nnamdi Azikiwe. He is the direct successor of Azikiwe. His contributions to the development of the educational sector, especially in providing free education for indigent children has proved that he is our Tafawa Balewa, Awolowo, Azikiwe and Ahmadu Bello. Okorocha has made me proud because his benevolence does not benefit only his region but the entire nation”.

    The social critic called on wealthy Nigerians, especially politicians, to emulate Okorocha by investing in the educational and the health sectors instead of stashing money in foreign banks.

    “It is my appeal to our politicians to bring back the monies they kept abroad and invest in our education and health sectors so that our country can grow.”

    Governor Rochas Okorocha has reiterated his determination to build bridges of peace to strengthen the relationship between the North and the Southeast.

    Okorocha spoke when he visited his Kano State counterpart, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, at the Government House in Kano. He urged the House of Assembly to enact a law for the transfer of the Rochas Foundation College as the property of the Kano State government.

    He said his aim, among others, was to unite both Houses of Assembly, noting that both had become one.

    Okorocha said the school had graduated over 2,000 students since its establishment 11 years ago, adding that indigent children should enjoy free education to the university level.

    He promised to extend the school to Sokoto and Adamawa states, as well as to over 100 other countries as sponsors come from Korea and China.

    Ganduje hailed Okorocha for abandoning regional politics for national unity and peaceful coexistence. He noted that the Okorocha played a significant role in the emergence of the new Nigeria.

  • Obasanjo’s choice of successor

    Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo last week, threw some insight into the rationale for his choice of successor at the twilight of his regime. In an interview with a local television station, he said he chose the late Umaru Yar’Adua because he was the only one among those eying the job that was not corrupt.

    According to him, while one of those who wanted the job was heavily corrupt, another contender came to him and said – Sir, I like your job. But I cannot do it the way you are doing it. His reading of the latter was that the contender had plainly told him he did not have the kind of stamina (he) Obasanjo applied to the job. For that reason, he does not see any appeal to help him get the job.   Justifying his decision further, he said “with all the people that are available for successor, what we came out with was about the best we could think of at that time,”

    What can be deduced from the above is that the desire to enthrone people of impeccable character into that elated office as a prelude to battling corruption weighed very heavily in Obasanjo’s calculations of who to succeed him. Thus, in considering those he needed to help get to the exalted office he took into account their records in the public offices they then held. Based on this critical index, he said his choice of Yar’Adua was the best at that time.

    Obasanjo is entitled to his opinion. His claimed commitment to very credible and non corrupt leadership at that level may have been the critical factor for his choice of successor. Thus, the appeal of Yar’Adua who according to him, stood shoulders high above his peers within that matrix. There was no doubt that Yar’Adua was a modest, selfless and honest person. Not many will fault him on that ground. The issue that was copiously raised against his candidature bordered on his fragile health which many feared could not withstand the rigors of that office. Unfortunately, the same fears came to pass through his unfortunate demise barely two years in office.

    His death may have denied the nation the benefits of those high-minded virtues that endeared him to Obasanjo for which he thought he would have been a shining example in probity and accountability- leadership qualities the nation is in very dire need of. With his passing on, it is difficult to fathom the impact he would have brought to bear within this critical index. By the same twist of fate, there are no sufficient grounds to fault Obasanjo over that choice even as the stamina of an obviously unhealthy person was also in doubt. So we are left with no option than to believe that Yar’Adua, given this rating, was the most suitable among those who showed interest for that office within the ruling PDP.

    By extrapolation, the choice of his Vice, Goodluck Jonathan followed the same consideration. Obasanjo paved the way for his national ascendancy when in a very crude manner he procured the services of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC to impeach his boss, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha in the most controversial manner. He was also to pick him to run with Yar’Adua. Obasanjo acknowledged this role in his controversial letter to Jonathan titled “before it is too late” He had in that desperate letter designed to dissuade Jonathan from running the last elections, captured Jonathan’s impression of his role in his life thus, “You put me third after God and your parents among those that have impacted most in your life”.

    In that letter, he also levied all manner of allegations against Jonathan. These included incompetence, running aground the economy, training snipers and corrupt practices. Today, the impression is high that the Jonathan administration encouraged corruption. The allegation has been bandied and bought into by sundry personages including those who personify all that is bad about corruption in our national life. If this impression is taken as the correct representation of extant realities, would Obasanjo not take vicarious liability for its outcome?

    Beyond this however, there are issues that have been thrown up by the revelations from Obasanjo. And they have wider repercussions for the type of democracy we operate in this country. There is the inevitable impression given the way he spoke that the choice of his successor was solely his. And his perceptions rightly or wrongly determined what was best for the country. The other fallout is that freedom of choice- a cardinal feature of representative democracy had to succumb to the dictatorship of a behemoth. There are serious problems with such a reality because the views of one man or an oligarch in such critical issue as who leads a country can be highly circumscribed. And as can be gleaned from his choice of Yar’Adua and his deputy Jonathan, Obasanjo shares vicarious responsibility for the current mess the nation found itself. The convoluted impression by a few people that they would ever remain the conscience of the country because of the positions accidents of history entrusted on them is at the root of the nation’s retardation. Had Obasanjo and his henchmen allowed that freedom of choice which is the lynchpin on which democracy revolves, those thrown up through popular will may have turned out better. Perhaps also, the country could have been saved all the distractions these past years that nearly dismembered it. Obasanjo fell short of regretting those choices when he admitted that ‘if you take your son as your successor, you are not sure of what he will do when he gets there’.

    The other evidence of faulty interpretation is shown by his reading of the statements of one of the contenders who had told him he liked the job but could not do it the way Obasanjo was doing it. Curiously, the former president interpreted this to mean the man does not have the stamina to do the job. That is a simplistic perspective of the obviously loaded statement. Obasanjo should have asked himself what is that way he did the job the contender said he could not? Answers to this will vary. He may even discover to his dismay, that some of his ways may have fallen short of known best practices. He may have even found out that his way may not be another persons’ way and that approaches to statecraft vary a great deal. There is even the added possibility that his style may have even been an unmitigated liability to the flourishing of the pristine tenets of the democratic culture. The boundaries of such inquisition and possible exposures are limitless. But then, why must Obasanjo want his successor to go about things the way he did it. When has his style become the standard practice or moral guide for action?

    Take the issue of corruption which he said was the major consideration. Were those he described as rottenly corrupt not products of the system he superintended over? How did that system allow them to amass such humongous wealth with him in control?

    These posers come handy because of the obvious excesses and overbearing influence that characterized his days in power. That was the time the EFCC was straddling the landscape like a colossus. That was the time the same Obasanjo procured the services of the body to impeach duly elected governors. He may argue that impeaching some governors the way it happened during his regime represented his own response to battling corruption. That could as well be. But that strategy did incurable damage to the image and credibility of that commission such that even today, it is being seen as a partisan tool in the hands of the ruling government. That time saw the EFCC being variously and viciously deployed to haunt and tackle political foes or those who refused to toe the line of the president. There was therefore a lot wrong with Obasanjo’s style of administration to expect that his ways amounted to the right ways forward.

    Perhaps, it is safer to assume Obasanjo was compelled to those choices having been boxed to the corner by the premature death of his third term gambit. Someone engrossed with such a weird ambition would be left with little time for a workable succession plan. What we are facing today may be the prize for stopping Obasanjo from his self perpetuating plan. Even within the index he assessed those to hand over to, it is still a moot issue if he represented a good example.

  • ‘Competence should determine Amaechi’s successor’

    A frontline politician in Rivers State, Sam Agwor, has said the major criteria for choosing the successor to Governor Rotimi Amaechi must be competence.

    Agwor spoke in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

    He said the best persons, devoid of ethnicity, must be presented as candidates during the 2015 elections.

    He said the era of upland/riverine dichotomy had passed in Rivers State, with emphasis now being placed on competence, political experience and capability to deliver, rather than sentiments.

    Rivers Ijaw and the Ogoni are campaigning for the governorship of the state to be zoned to their area. The riverine people, who are Ijaw, are saying they have not led the state since 1999. The Ogoni are also making the same case.

    Candidates from other upland part of the state, such as the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, are also saying they are entitled to run for the office.

    Agwor, a former Special Adviser to the ex-Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, also called for concerted efforts to battle terrorism.

    He observed that terrorism should not be given room to fester before being nipped in the bud.

    He said: “It has become clear to everybody that the security situation calls for cooperation of all. Boko Haram has no limit and does not respect personality. We must work together and become watchmen for the country.

    “If you see strange movement in any place, you must report to the appropriate security agencies. With such cooperation, we will be able to check insecurity in Nigeria.

    “The security situation in Nigeria is to undermine the Federal Government. They thought it would constitute an instrument with which they would continue to say the Federal Government is inefficient.”

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain urged public office holders facing impeachment should deeply reflect on their performance and activities, in order to avoid whipping up sentiments.

  • ‘We want worthy successor’

    A group, the Akwa Ibom Professionals in Lagos, has urged Governor Godswill Akpabio  to ensure he has a worthy successor

    Members of the group spoke when they visited the governor in Uyo.

    The group president, Mr. Udeme Ufot, hailed Akpabio for transforming the state.

    He said: “The transformation witnessed in the state has not only changed the physical infrastructure, but it has also affected the people’s mindset.”

    Ufot said the giant strides resulted in a sense of pride and fulfillment in an average Akwa Ibom indigene.

    He enjoined the governor to ensure that the development is sustained by his successor.

    Akpabio thanked the delegation for the visit. He lauded them for their support and encouragement.

    The governor recalled his earlier meeting with the professionals and advised them to contribute their quota to the development of the state.

    “We require your expertise to move Akwa Ibom forward in hospitality, education, banking, publishing and the like,” he said.

    The Akwa Ibom Professionals in Lagos is an umbrella organisation of Akwa Ibom indigenes, who live and have distinguished themselves in professions in Lagos State.

  • Igbo youths advocate Iwuanyanwu as Ojukwu’s successor

    Igbo youths under the aegis of the Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) have advocated Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu as the successor of the late Ndigbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.

    They described him “as the man whom the cap fits.”

    OYC’s position was contained in a statement issued yesterday by its leader, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro.

    He said the group visited Iwuanyanwu at his Owerri home a few days ago and urged him to take over the Igbo leadership from Ojukwu.

    Stressing the need to fill the vacuum created by Ojukwu’s death in November 2012, the OYC leader noted that Iwuanyanwu had paid his dues.

    Isiguzoro, who re-affirmed Iwuanyanwu’s position as the grand patron of OYC, said his contributions to the progress of the Igbo nation were outstanding, adding that he was the bridge between the Ndigbo younger and older generations.

    “He has been a beacon of hope for the Ndigbo younger generation the way the late MKO Abiola was a beacon of hope for the younger generation of the Yoruba. Iwuanyanwu, having paid his dues in the cause of Ndigbo during and after the civil war, should step into Ojukwu’s shoes,” he said.

    The OYC leader said God kept Iwuanyanwu alive to mentor the younger generation, who are the leaders of tomorrow, adding that he should be cherished as a symbol of respect for Ndigbo and Ohanaeze.

    He urged President Goodluck Jonathan to accord him the respect he gave Ojukwu.

    The OYC National Secretary, Okwu Nnabuike, enjoined other Igbo leaders to emulate Iwuanyanwu’s selfless service, commitment to the cause of his people, love for the younger generation and desire to carry everybody along.