Not a dull moment with Adams Oshiomhole. The Comrade Governor of Edo state is ever hyper active. He has been rated in several ways. In his first six months in office as Governor, he earned for himself the master of ceremony governor (MCG) because he was romancing the microphone every where he went. The moment he settled down for serious work which is the transformation of Edo state, the appellation MCG went into the winds.
He is undoubtedly the worst dressed Governor. Oshiomole hardly appear in public functions in suits and never in flowing Agbada. He is easily identified with the Labour- style French suit with two chest pockets, never in any fashionable colour but khakhi. With this dress, he puts his commissioners and aides on their racing toes when inspecting projects. Oshiomhole’s troops of critics are led by the Edo state PDP who are wont to capitalize on every slip, inaction and every little indiscretion to put him on the slaughter slab. Undaunted and unperturbed, Oshiomhole soldiers on to the chagrin of his critics. It seems to me, criticism gives him the fillip to fly into stardom, and I can say that his pedigree as an active and visionary labour leader provides immense advantage.
Monday December 2, 2013, Oshiomhole was in excessive revelry. He was going round the Benin metropolis doing the job that should have been done by agents of the war Against Indiscipline and there was this woman; Joy Ifijeh, a widow by circumstance, was doing her petty trading by the highway pavement. The restless and voluble Comrade Governor was in rage. His anger became uncontrollable, like a cyst, he vented the anger on the poor lowly woman who perhaps could have been better than state that pushed her into street trading, were the husband alive. It was as if a rat is driven into the ground by a moving truck.
Poor widow, she begged, held the comrade Governor by the leg, and with tears asking for little mercies. Did she make a mistake to have uttered the words that “she would die”? All of this could still pass as Executives restlessness. But now, his gaffe. “Go and Die”. That was an idiotic slip from a Governor who once went into trenches to lead the deprived and oppressed Nigerian workers.
Televisions feasted on it. The social media celebrated it. Shortly, senses returned and decency prevailed. The rampaging Oshiomole recovered quickly and sent searchers after the widow to fetch her. Still sulking, the widow was chauffeur driven to Edo government house, this time to the warm welcome of the comrade Governor. If the smiles that greeted her was what she got in return that would have been enough for the wretched widow. But she got more than that. She sat with the governor on the gubernatorial sofa, served with the governor’s tea.
Apart from an embrace, she received raw cash, Two Million Naira with a pledge guaranteed by the Governor’s Daughter of Scholarship for his Children. Is that providence or divine? Whatever. Besides, she is now on the employment of WAI to join in the fight against indiscipline and street trading.
The PDP, still finding it difficult to overcome the electoral defeat, Oshiomole dealt to it had been lurking around to catch in on any slip to take Oshiomole to the laundry men. This gaffe was just enough for the PDP and it went to work, shot a documentary which berated the comrade Governor. The PDP used up all the silly adjectives to smear Oshiomhole showing visuals of despoiled and deplorable roads.
As a bitter opposition, that was indeed expected. The documentary was shown on AIT. Shortly after the documentary another programme followed to celebrate Oshiomhole. Now see the PDP’s Guff.
The same roads showed in the documentary as in terrible shape appeared on the latter’s programme as models.
My deductions? The road Visuals in that documentary were shot before the administration of the comrade Governor. It certainly was that of Lucky Igbinedion, the student whose father begged to be given an opportunity to repeat the same class having failed the promotion examination. After eight years in office, Igbinedion was succeeded by a PDP, Professor Osunbor, a law Prof. whose reign was cut short by the court, to give way to comrade Governor.
Those roads had been fixed, dilapidating school building rebuilt and urban renewal at feverish point.
Using that documentary as evidence, the PDP lacked the facts and even the figures to wrestle Oshiomole down.
A woman who marries two husbands can tell who between the two is better. The same applies to the people of Edo State. They have tasted the bad and the good. The Choice is theirs now. It is not possible for anybody or party to deceive them with falsified reports or documentary lacking in merit.
My last line for Oshiomhole.
The slips are becoming too frequent. He should now take steps to be discretional, cautious and be reverent.
I rest my case.
