EDITORIAL: YEARS OF HARDSHIP, DEMOLITIONS AND IMPERVIOUS
DICTATORSHIP: ADAMS OSHIOMHOLE’S 3 YEARS IN OFFICE AS EDO STATE GOVERNOR:A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF 3 YEARS GANGSTERISM & TOTALITARIANISM
The Government of Governor Adams Oshiomale is celebrating
its 3 years anniversary this week with many programs on the menu for the event
and it becomes imperative to cast a view on the performance of the government
for the past 3 years with a view to accessing its success, problems, prospects
and failures in the aspects of governance of one of the most illustrious State
in the Nigerian Federation.
A] DECLINE IN EDO STATE
EDUCATIONAL GROWTH
The regime of Governor Adams Oshiomale started out by
increasing the school fees of students in all the higher institutions of
learning. The fees which stood at N15 000 Naira per annum before the advent of
his government suddenly jumped up to N80 000 Naira per annum in almost all the tertiary
institutions of the state. And coupled with others aspects of books, feeding,
up keeps of student the cost of sending children to school became prohibitive to
the parent who has to cough out at least N200, 000 naira per annum for each student.
And student stayed at home due to school closure in most cases, out of student
unrests.Etc
This has endangered the human resource development of the
people of the state while other states that fees are low accelerated in the training
of new leadership of tomorrow EDO State lacked behind which will in turn
reflect in the overall productivity of the State at not too distant future of
social entropy.
B] EDO STATE
INDUSTRIAL UNDERDEVELOPMENT
The regime of Gov Adams Oshiomole pursued a policy thrust of
dumping the industrialization of the state into the hands of a non existent
private sector/ real sector entrepreneurs in the state due mainly to decade of mundane
adventurism of previous kleptomaniac and impervious leadership; the real sector
of the state has collapsed with no factory or industry in operation. The Okpela
cement company has closed shop for decades, the Ewu Mill, the fertilizer plant
in Ikpeshi and Auchi, the Timber industry, the rubber industry, the Palm oil
industry, the textile industries all has closed shops for a while; so many
progressives anticipated that with the advent of Gov Adams Oshiomale a former Labor
Leader, most of these comatose industries will be re opened and new once to be
attracted to join the industrialization of the state. But till this very moment
no industry of standard manufacturing company is functional in the entire state
of more than 5 million people. This obnoxious policy thrust has underdeveloped
the state in the context of industrial development, which begins to affects other aspects of
measure in the standard practice of assessments…conclusively the real sector of
the State for the past 3 years is stone
dead.
C] EDO STATE DYSFUNCTIONAL POLICY THRUST IN
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT:
Gov Adams Oshiomale’s policy thrust was crafted on an
assumed accelerated infrastructural development scheme which is questionable in
the contextual nature of classical budgeting as to balancing the aspects of Capital
Expenditure, Recurrent Expenditure and Lastly Social spending… The aspects of
Road construction which is capital intensive in most economic schools of thought
from the Prof. Aboyade School, to Dr Pius Okigbo’s School, to the post modern
Soludonomics ,as well as from recent theories of supply side economic theories,
Schumpeterian, Keynesian, Ricardo, Adams Smith, and other medieval economic
theories classify road construction and other social amenities as social spending
despite that the financial outlay is colossal..
This is because road
construction and other social infrastructures has not got the ability of direct
return on investments , and on the other hands classify investments in
industries like Okpela Cement factory as
capital spending because it contribute to the direct growth of the industrial
and economic growth of the state. So this has made what ever meager success
achieved in the tacit road infrastructural development of the Edo state by the Government of Adams
Oshiomale ,to have no real impact on the economic and industrial growth of the
state as industry , entrepreneurship are comatose and non existent;
Fairly good roads with no industries to use them. Like
moving in one spot in the context of industrial and economic development.
D] EXCESSIVE AND OVERBEARING
TAXATION-IGR
A point of note is that this infrastructural development is
being financed by loans and bonds raised from the Stock Exchange with little or
no hope of repaying them back perhaps only through excessive taxation of the few
artesian, houses, tenement rates, and a handful of teachers and civil servants
in the state.. maybe through commodity taxation and floating of several
agencies of extortion as tax forces with a view to raise the Internally
Generated Revenue to tolerable margins of N2 billion targets monthly… taxing
the shit out of the blood of the people of Edo state through hawking levies,
Okada riders and motor transporters levies and all forms of sundry taxation
including the recently introduce hotelling taxes and taxes on drinks,
beverages and mundane, strange, sharp misdemeanor [ stranie perechuda- Russian]-like
taxing pets etc in the name of generating revenue.
E] COMPLETE BASTARDIZATION OF
LOCAL GOVERNMENT TIER OF GOVERNANCE:
The regime of Governor Adams Oshiomale completely
bastardized the third Tier of Government in the state as in the Local
Government which is a constitutionally enshrined institution of governance
created to have interactive development of the grass root of each community in
the state. The Nigerian Federation outlay monthly statutory allocations of
Billions of Naira and dollars to the Third tier of Government on a national basis
and EDO State has 18 Local Government Structure with 18 allotments received
from the federated accounts monthly but paid into the joint account operated by
the State government and to be able to access this money for the use by the State
government it is imperative to install stooges and cronies as local Government
chairmen and the uncompromising once are booted out by force as in the sacking
of the OredoAkoko Edo Local government chairmen which even the court
reinstated some of them back but to no avail… Lastly the governor checkmated
the Chairmen ALGON by dissolving the Edo state INEC BOARD as well as sacking
all Local Government Chairmen whose term of office seems somewhat elapsed and
installing cronies and hanger on side kicks as the new Administrators of the
Local Governments and refusing to conduct fresh elections for the past 2 years
into the Local Government councils.. All these stratagems addressed to monopolize
the funds acreage to the councils and appropriate it at his own discretion,
whips and caprices; as the state Governor is the sole signatory to the joint
account. This obnoxious stratagem of incapacitating the Local Governments has
made it impossible for the dividend of democracy to reach the commoners and the
rural dwellers that live in abject poverty, misery, want, hunger and destituted and
F] POLITICS OF BITTERNESS:
The complete disfranchisement and lack of patronage of
perceived enemies in the state with a view to either force the state into a one
party state or you are out of business. All the stalwarts of other parties
seeing the impervious impetuosity of the governance of the state that does not
tolerate the co existence of a vibrant democratic argument and being accepted
as you are in the context of multi party panorama of the Nigerian superlative
constitution have all long decamped to the governors party or checked out of
the state on self exile, as a tacit personae non granta status addressed to
avoid strange tragedies..
POLITICS OF SELFISHNESS: CHOP
ALONE, DIE ALONE:
Gov Oshiomole has cornered all the contracts, allocations, loans,
LG funds, grants, ecological and UN funds to himself and his cronies alone in a
selfish do or die, chop to quench manner and forgot extending goodwill of love
and olive branch to other political parties as in winning and leading in
humility, love & grace in accordance with the adamantine will of the Holy One
the ever gracious and the benefactor of all. His style is shrouded in the
methods of Esu the beast, the evil deity
and the progenitor of Elegua and Elegbara the natural principalities of the
darker realms of subsequent creation… the situation is really mean and
despicable….
G] COMPLETE DOMINATION OF THE
MEDIA IN EDO STATE;
The Edo State est. while vibrant media has been caught in
this web of domination and control, as it is virtually impossible to espouse a
constructive criticism of the style of governance and be allowed to have access
to be published.. This tacit band wagon crowd effect of keeping silent under
tyranny has snowballed into the George Orwellian state of Animal Farm where the
boss know it all, the boss has a monopoly of wisdom and we are all equal but
some are more equal than others; and it was as if the great classic writer
George Orwell, improvised on the future of that particular [ samadershavi
chudovishu-Russian] kind of Devils’ stronghold as his primary source of
material while ruminating about his classics.
H] REDUNDANCY, POVERTY,
MISERY AND SCAVENGING:
Because of the dysfunctional policy thrust of the Oshiomale’s
government it is impossible to create jobs for many Edo youth most of whom are
roaming the streets unemployed and this results in poverty, misery, crimes, scavenging and prostitution.
I] THE LIBRATORS DILEMNA
The general psycho analysis of the dilemma of the Liberator
seems to be manifesting in the case of EDO state where a perceived liberator
becomes more dictatorial, totalitarian and impervious after taking over the
realms of governance and in the Marxist school of thought, new radical leaders
are usually trained to avoid this phenomenon of self pity and deep guilt…as no
body is omnipotent this phenomenology has no basis in reality as to be imbued
that one is indispensable and invaluable…wallowing in a labyrinth of
illustability of a kind of authokiness illusion.
J] POOR HEALTH, NO WATER AND OTHER MATTERS ARISING:
This impetuosity begins to rear another problem of poor
service delivery of virtually every aspect of the community which are now taken
for granted in the mundane lackadaisical milieu of self worship and
glorifications of Area boys wallowing in lager mentality and the Lilliputian
delusion of grandeurs.
K] MASSIVE DEMOLITION OF
HOUSES, MILLIONS OF PEOPLE RENDERED HOMELESS ETC;
Millions of people have been rendered homeless due to the
massive demolition of houses for the questionable infrastructural development
projects at prohibitive bills to the tax payers.
The Houses of a former highly respected Military Governor,
General Osaigbovo Ogemudia who is a PDP stalwart was demolished and that of a
former great Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Senator Owei and many
others.
L] MILITARISM OF EDO STATE BY
ELECTIONS IN AKOKO EDO
The re run election into the AKOKO EDO constituency 1 is a signal
of the dictatorial and gangster style of leadership of the state… the Leader of
the PDP Party Honorable Tunde Akogun posit the following crucial points in a
widely published world press conference about the conduct of the AKOKO EDO by
elections held on the 24 th of August 2009:
Hon [Colonel-Rtd] Tunde Akogun former Majority Leader of the
National Assembly of the Nigerian Federation offers the followings:
1] On the 21 st of August2009, a lorry load of thugs loyal
to the AC party-[The Governor’s party] recruited from the neighboring states
arrived the LGA armed with various dangerous weapons and invaded the
constituency by midnight.
On arrival the thugs commenced a reign of terror firing gun
shots indiscriminately in all the areas of the constituency.
2] The thugs attacked the house of the PDP candidate and
riddled most of the parts with bullets and the incident was reported to the
Ibillo Divisional Police Office that made an on the sport assessment of the
incident.
4] That the thugs headed afterwards for the INEC office in
Igarra and took over the place shooting sporadically in the air to the shock of
all and sundry including the police security attached to the office.
5]A complain about this strange anomaly n an erstwhile peaceful
community was done to INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner about this strange
faces and that the election materials be delayed so as to resolve the issue but
that the complain was ignored. But nevertheless the commissioner it was alleged
made a categorical warning that all those that has no business in the election
should leave the LGA with immediate effect, but Dr Tunde Lakoju the
commissioner for Agriculture responded that they the Executives of the state
had earlier applied for privileges to
monitor the elections.
6]That as soon as he election materials where distributed AC
party thugs took over the entire voting area snatching ballot boxes , shooting
sporadically into the air, intimidating voters, snatching ballot papers under
the full supervision of the Deputy Governor of Edo State Dr Pius Odubu.. And
the Chief of Staff to the Governor Odion Ogie, commissioners, the ADC to the
Governor, Secretary to the state government Hon Pally Iriase, AC Minority Whip
EDHA Hon Philip Shaibu, and a host of other top government functionaries.
7] The ADC to Governor Adams Oshiomale DSP Yusuf in company
of other Police men went to Onumu and other areas of the constituency snatching
ballot materials while the deputy Governor was at Ugboshi area, thumb printing,
stuffing ballot boxes and writing election results.
8] The 26 thugs of AC party where arrested in the house of
an AC chieftain Mr. Augustine Amune who is the Chairman Edo state LGA Service
Commission. And one of the owners of the houses used as armory for the
recovered arms
9]And the following arms where recovered from the thugs2AK
47 KALASHNIKOV RIFFLES, 9 Pump action guns, one biretta riffle, 2 locally made
shot guns, 7 English made pistols, 2 double barrels guns, 325 Long range
ammunitions, 115 AK 47 AMUNITIONS, 55 Biretta ammunitions 2 life cartages, 59
AK 47 MUNITIONS and six revolvers pistols..
10] Based on these anomalies the PDP in EDO STATE REJECTS
the drama called election which was highly manipulated by the Edo state Govt
aided by the Nigerian Police force and the INEC who in spite of the general
insecurity and uncondusive atmosphere accompanied by snatching ballot boxes and
election materials still went ahead to announce an already prepared result…the
election turned out to be a charade.
These were the statement of Hon Tunde Akogun about the AKOKO
EDO rerun election.
NOTE TO INEC AND THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA:
As history repeats itself the Government of the Nigeria
Federation, The President of the NIGERIAN FEDERATION H.E. GOODLUCK EBELE
JONATHAN, and the NEW INEC Chairman Prof Atahiru Jega, are strongly advised to
take note of the above press release of the former Majority leader of the House
of Representative of the Nigeria Federation HON TUNDE AKOGUN, about the
character of the governance of Edo State and its attitude of Do or Die in
election ethics and to make sure that this is checked in the next coming
GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION OF EDO STATE IN 2012 JULY 14TH.AND IN THE EDO
STATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS
LONG LIVE THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC
OF NIGERIA.
AMEN.
SIGN: PRINCE FRANK ONAIVI UKONGA- SDMP CANDIDATE-EDO
GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION 2012.
