Revisiting Azu’s ‘Letter to Oshiomhole’ -By Peter Okhiria

Peter Okhiria

Azu Ishiekwene’s open “Letter to Comrade Oshiomhole” is really interesting to read; free-flowing, elegant language but contains some inaccuracies which shouldn’t emanate from a journalist of his stature and pedigree.

First, we thank Azu, as he is fondly called by all, for stating the facts and recognising the numerous achievements of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, in almost eight years as governor, who has repositioned Edo State to the envy of others in the country.

Azu is right when he wrote that in 10 years, the PDP made a total mess of the State – roads were narrow and impassable; there were rubbish dumps, instead of greens were everywhere; flood made parts of the state capital a no-go area during the rainy season, unless of course you had a canoe or a speedboat; and the crime rate was at an alarming and unacceptable level until Oshiomhole came and changed the state of Edo in such a way that even his most vociferous critic could no longer deny that something good was happening.

Under Oshiomhole, Edo now boasts of 6-lane roads with street lights, walkways, underground drains and greens everywhere in the state capital, Benin and other parts of the State. The rubbish dumps in hitherto forgotten places like Costain-Isonorho road, now renamed Gani Fawehinmi layout, have been removed and are now green areas. The roads in densely populated but hitherto forgotten areas like the aforementioned Costain-Isonorho, Iheya lane, Ugbiyoko area, Erediauwa, Upper Mission and many others in the State capital have been rebuilt and when residents don’t have electricity in their homes, they enjoy the glow from the streetlights powered by generators and maintained, courtesy of Edo State taxpayers.

Hundreds of schools which were no more than pigsties before Oshiomhole came in have been completely rebuilt, all wearing elegant new looks with red roofs, to the extent that Oshiomhole’s transformation of schools has been christened the ‘red roof revolution’ by Edo people. In fact, the public schools in some communities in Edo today are the most beautiful, the most modern structure in those communities. Of course, Azu, the Comrade Governor equipped the classrooms with what we call ‘one pupil, one desk’ furniture. Since Oshiomhole came in, students’ enrollment in our public schools have soared; students now get to schools early and are in no hurry to go home because of their beautiful school environment.

Flood and erosion control which had defied the half-hearted piecemeal approach by past governments is being tackled in such a holistic manner that a one-time US Consul-General to Nigeria, Mr. Jeffrey Hawkins Jr, during an inspection of the storm-water project, described it as “very effective”.

No doubt, the issue of godfathers and ‘godfatherism’ – a popular coinage used in the state – was a problem, as what could have been used to provide solid and lasting infrastructure for the people was diverted to sustain the financial appetite of the godfathers. This, Oshiomhole stopped; effectively putting an end to the issue of ‘godfatherism’ in the state. Note, Azu, that instead of feeding the godfathers’ greed, Oshiomhole built schools, constructed roads, built a spanking new 200-bed five-star Central Hospital, reclaimed gully erosion ravaged sites in Auchi, Queen Ede and Ekenhuan in Benin City, Ewu in Edo Central and in many other parts of the state.

Many people have bad stories to tell of how their cars were abandoned to flooded waters in the Ugbowo area of the state capital during the inglorious 10-year era of the PDP. Today, the flooding menace in that part of the State capital has become a thing of the past. Azu is correct on the good works of Comrade Oshiomhole. Edo has been completely transformed under him. Thanks for such gratuitous endorsement of the good works of the Comrade Governor in fulfillment of his electoral promises to the good people of Edo State.

However, it is instructive to note that Azu missed the point on the issue of godfatherism. To the best of our knowledge, godfatherism is completely dead and buried and there are no new godfathers in the making.

The facts are being twisted in some quarters, both within the APC and PDP to deliberately misrepresent the good intentions of Comrade Oshiomhole. They want to label him the new godfather, because, in Oshiomhole’s view, after much evaluation of the many aspirants of the APC, a particular aspirant would do better to continue to build on the good records he has set. To those who have parochial and selfish reasons, this, alone, means Oshiomhole is the new godfather. The governor has not imposed his preference on the delegates; he has not forced anyone to toe his line of thought. If anything, he has simply exercised his right of choice in line with the 1999 Constitution. If everyone has a right to freely associate and assemble, why must the governor’s right be taken away from him? Who is fooling whom? Why should every other person including state lawmakers, federal lawmakers and even members of the state cabinet have choices but Oshiomhole must stay aloof on what directly affects the state he presently governs?

Azu, wouldn’t you as a father entrust your legacies in the hands of a child, who in your estimation, appears better prepared to bring more glory to the family to sustain the family tradition? Does the exercise of his right now amount to godfatherism? Certainly not!

Oh, Azu, you seem to pick holes in Comrade Oshiomhole’s well-crafted tribute to the Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty, Omo n’Oba n’Edo Erediauwa. By the way, yours would be the second in the series of what is now seen as syndicated attack by “A&L”, on the iconic, iconoclastic word.

You mentioned the teacher, Mrs. Odemwingie and alluded to ‘a deep structural flaw’. What you surely know is that Comrade Adams Oshiomhole belongs to the class of brilliant minds, with a formidable oratory skill; a motivational speaker of note, and a deep thinker who is given to quick wit. His editing skill is also profound, and your friend who was once his appointee can attest to the fact that Comrade’s eagle-eye editing skills punctured several of your partner’s drafted speeches. Your comparison of this typographical mistake with the unschooled presentation of Mrs. Odemwingie beggars the issue. It is inappropriate, abnormal and completely out of sync. Perhaps you may need to do further reading on the usage of words and their contextual emanations.

The House of Assembly removed its Speaker, a common phenomenon in this part of the democratic world, but you were so quick to call it a ‘rebellion’ in the Comrade’s government. Pray, how is it a rebellion that members of an independent arm of government decided to effect a change in their leadership?

Perhaps what you don’t know, or what you chose to ignore since it was also reported in the newspapers, is that the Comrade Governor actually pleaded with the lawmakers, without success, to maintain the status quo, because removing Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror as Speaker would destabilise the ‘tripod’ arrangement which, politically speaking, pacifies the three Senatorial zones of the state. Linking Edoror’s travails to the governor is most uncharitable, most unfair.

Comrade Adams Oshiomhole does not wish to be the ‘author and finisher of Edo’s fate’ as you allege, he will hand over to another APC governor on November 12 and take a deserved rest. He will work assiduously to democratically enthrone another APC governor in Edo for continuity’s sake. For those who are thinking there could be an upset, they need to take their thoughts further. Edo is an APC State and it will remain so after September 10. Our confidence stems from the fact that the PDP is just hemorrhaging and cannot upstage the political calculation in the state.

Rest assured that Comrade Oshiomhole is no godfather. He will not impose his choice on the people; he will give his one hundred percent to anyone who emerges as the party’s candidate in a free and fair primary; he will campaign with the APC flagbearer across the state and hit the final nail on the coffin of the PDP in Edo state.

Peter Okhiria is Chief Press Secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole.