Rt. Hon. Ochor Ochor; The Making Of A Leader And Political Icon (2) -By Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

In the first part of this, I tried to introduce Rt. Hon. Ochor Ochor as a leader and a political icon who has provided service and effective representation to his people but I could not complete the essay for want of space. Clearly, comments about an achiever and adorable personality like Hon. Ochor Ochor would usually attract a long assay as I am compelled to do right now.

The main purpose for which I have taken the pain to put this piece down is to draw the attention of our politicians to the fact that politics and public service is a call to service. It is not a place for corrupt enrichment and personal aggrandizement. Their stewardship as representative of the people is on record. And that those who have excelled need to be commended to keep the fire burning while others need to be told to turn a new leave.

It is clear that our conception of politics in this part of the world is very poor but not with the likes of Hon. Ochor Ochor who has a clear-cut political philosophy anchored on service to the people. Service is his watchword. His main “focus is anchored on good governance, security, Infrastructural development, education, youth empowerment, environment and socio-economic development of the people.” Furthermore, as indicated elsewhere in his citation, “he believed in the fact that public life is a veritable platform to change society for the better, if guided by integrity and passion to serve. He has been involved in the formulation of policies and programmes that can guarantee peace, security and happiness of members of the society.”

Indeed, his sojourn into the murky world of politics is not by chance. He was fully aware of the task ahead and was well prepared for it. He knows that Ndokwa land which he is one of their representatives is a land of peace-loving people with rich cultural heritage. Ndokwa land is a land with rich natural endowment that can be productively harnessed to the benefit of the people. He is fully aware of the challenges facing his constituency as well as the potentials therein. He knew what he wanted from politics ab initio and that is to alleviate poverty from his people and he came prepared. His idea about poverty alleviation is not about distributing handouts but about empowering the people to create wealth and contribute meaningfully to their own lives and the society to quick they are part of.

To this end, he had designed many economic enhancement programs to build capacity and empower his people. He had organized the start-ups in his constituency into groups and business clusters and through his Ochor Ochor Foundation empowered them. For instance, on 26^th December, 2019, he empowered people in twenty-four different groups comprising mostly girls and women with various items like saloon equipment, sewing machine, generator and cash in a colorful ceremony attended not just by the political big wig in the state but by his people and admirers. At various times too, he has organized vocational and entrepreneurial trainings as well as assistance in business registration services. In an interview, he granted to the press recently, he spoke of efforts and plans of attracting big corporate giants to engage in public private partnership (PPP) to develop his constituency. He loves his people. In the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic, while some selfish politicians where hoarding the official palliatives it was reported that he had provided some palliatives for his people ex-gratis.

He has been actively involved in the design and implementation of laudable people oriented projects in his constituency and across the state during his tenure as a commissioner and as executive director in Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC). And as a public officer representing his constituency, he had forged collaborative team with others the other relevant arms of the government to bring home the dividends of Democracy to his people. He had in relation with the executives, attracted effective development projects to his constituency especially in the area of youth empowerments, road rehabilitation and construction, building of schools, market constructions among others.

In the political sphere, he associates with progressive ideas. He believes in playing by the rules. He believes in dialogue and consensus building. He believes that meaningful economic progress is not attainable in an atmosphere of rancor and acrimony and hence he loathed the do-or-die syndrome. He hates politics of bitterness. As a conflict manager, he believes in the efficacy of alternative dispute resolution, dialogue and consensus building. When he was the transition local council chairman, he worked assiduously with the people and the various security agencies to ensure adequate security in his area. His effort yielded good results as the various security problems ranging from kidnapping, armed robbery, cult-related activities, ritual murder as well as other social vices reduced drastically during his tenure.

As a leader, Rt. Hon. Ochor Ochor is a leader like no other with charisma and unassuming personage; a courageous fighter and a defender of the defenseless who does not believe in impossibilities. Hon. Ochor Ochor understands that Life is only meaningful when it is shared. Life is about interdependence. A man’s achievement is not measured in terms of his material acquisition but in the many lives he is able to touch positively in his earth’s journey.

The mood and the excitement you see in his people when his name is mentioned is something to cheer about. In the place where I dwell, I have a neighbor who happens to be from his Ukwuani Constituency. This fellow speaks glowingly about the qualities of Hon. Ochor Ochor as does everybody from his constituency. And if the words of testimony from his people are something to go buy then Hon. Ochor Ochor can be likened to a messiah of a sort for the Ndokwa nation. Even his political opponents can attest to the fact that he is fair and evenhanded.

Concluded

Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

hajiahadizamohammed@gmail.com

An actress, social activist, politician

London, UK