As early as 8.am, students from different primary and secondary schools, crowd of party faithful, military and Para-military personnel and cultural ensembles, in their thousands, surged and fought their way to be part of the future that was being ushered in with the swearing-in for the second term of the new light of Edo politics, Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole.
At exactly 9.30 am, the stadium was already filled to the brim in kaleidoscope of colours don by an ecstatic and jubilant throng of citizens ready to hold the future in their own hands.
Security personnel had a challenging time controlling the hordes of guests who wanted to be part of history that was being celebrated. History not because it was the first time a governor was being sworn in for a second term, but history that records the victory of one man one vote crusade that began sometime last year. History that celebrates the interment of the politics of godfatherism. History about a kingdom regained. History about a return from the wasteland.
Despite the water-tight security, the crowd was ready to break barriers to see their governor, who has come to be known as ‘Oshio Baba’ coroneted for yet another voyage that would put Edo State firmly in the pantheon of democratic and developed state.
The Edo people were not alone in their felicitation with the Comrade Governor. Friends and associates, cutting across political divides braced the early morning showers to register their camaraderie. As at 10.30am, the roll call of political gladiators included the former head of state, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ACN National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, Peter Obi of Anambra State, Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, ACN National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Muhammed. Also on hand to honour Oshiomhole were former governors of Ekiti, Ogun and Anambra States, Chiefs Niyi Adebayo, Segun Osoba and Chris Ngige respectively, among others.
A phenomenon that he has become in the state, even those in opposition could not but admit that this was an epochal as they turned out to witness the coronation of the diminutive gadfly whom God has given to the state. A gadfly who, even before his assumption of office, has fastened himself upon the citizenry, persuading and jolting them out of their political docility and obsequiousness. And a reproach for a few who for long reduced the state to a fiefdom.
Much more than the convergence to witness the inauguration of Oshiomhole’s second term, was a demonstration by the people that once they find a leader who is not only selfless but one who has a demonstrable skills to lead, they are ready to follow. And with shouts of “Osho Baba”, “Osho Baba”, there was no denying the fact that this was a leader they had long been in crying need of. This was why they turned out in their thousands to celebrate what they regard as the extermination of the forces of darkness. A state whose people were for a long time reduced to miserable spectators, persuaded to believe that Edo was no longer viable as a state by a godfather and a coterie of his followers, the showpiece could not be embraced any more than as a political emancipation of some sort.
In a veiled reference to the brusque manner with which the ghost of the godfather of Edo politics was exorcised, echoes of “Hurricane Adams”, “Adamant Adams” wafted all round the stadium.
For four dizzying years, the people believed and anchored their hope in the Comrade Governor and in the end, it turned out to be a voyage of promises kept, hope kept alive and an unprecedented transformation across the state.
Speaking to The Nation in Benin, a former PDP member, Mr. Osahon Obazele, who said he defected to the ACN said: “For once, Edo people can trust their governor.”
After nine years of growth stasis, the people can look back and heave a sigh of relief that the pains and deprivations of the past have been righted within so short a time by the Comrade Governor in the saddle. So far, there has been what Obazele described as “evidence of democracy for development, democracy for good schools, democracy for new roads, water supply, for women, children and youths.” Without fail, the slogan of ‘no youth, no election, no children, no tomorrow, no women, no nation became the plank on which the governor has anchored his developmental agenda for the state.
KINGDOM LOST
Regretting how the ancient Kingdom of Benin suddenly became a ‘Paradise Lost’, Governor Oshiomhole traced the cause of the rot to lack of planning and neglect:
“Regrettably, in the recent past, the State became riddled with mismanagement, oppression, corruption, poverty, marginalisation of the people, suffocation of civil society, and the general neglect of the basic needs of the masses. There was hardly a difference between the rural and urban centres in terms of planlessness, unemployment, infrastructural deficit and decay, unaccountable leadership, political manipulation, waste and criminal diversion of state resources, and general insecurity. Investors refused to come to Edo State, security forces were overwhelmed, schools and hospitals were dilapidated, workers were not paid as and when due, many retired without benefits, pensioners died without pension and our people just continued to hope against hope. This situation, in a general sense, continued until November 12, 2008 when a new dawn began in Edo State.”
This explains why in the first four years of his reign, he was focused on a blistering campaign of urban and rural renewal to regain the lost kingdom of Benin. For Oshiomhole, development remains the greatest weapon against the godfathers who, he accused of being opposed to development.
EDO IS WORKING
As part of strategy to engender hope in the people and address the rural/urban drift, there was urgent need to take development to the people, if anything, to instil a sense of belonging in them. After reminding the people that everything that was considered impossible has been made possible, the governor belched with contentment and added that Edo is working, but not without firing a potshot at those he labeled godfathers. “We have proved the godfathers wrong and today, Edo is working,” assuring that in his second term, he would attract private investments, revisit water supply in Benin City and pursue the sinking of boreholes in the rural areas. Apart from developing the new Benin Layout and an effective land use act, he vowed to make the rural areas centres of development so that people “will no longer travel to the capital city to see civilization.”
Lending voice to the governor’s rural/urban renewal effort, Chief Ihemien Omorodion told The Nation that until Oshiomhole became governor, access to electricity and potable water was a mere wishful thinking. The people were far removed from modernity. According to him, “For long, we were far away from civilisation. We did not know what electricity was, neither did we know how pipe-borne water tasted like. Yet we had people who carried on like our leaders, but failed provide leadership. But they are now in their senility. We cannot thank the Comrade Governor enough. The reason we are here today (the day of inauguration) is to show that we are solidly behind him.”
The next four years
Unveiling his administration’s agenda for the next four years, Governor Oshiomhole said there will be conscious effort at rebuilding faith in the citizenry and mobilize the people to rededicate themselves to the collective growth and development of the state.
“In the next four years, we shall continue to rebuild faith in government and governance at all levels; mobilise our people to commit to collective growth and development, and strengthen institutions for efficient and effective service delivery. It is our hope that traditional leaders and institutions as well as religious bodies and civil society groups continue to mobilise their members to complement our efforts. We shall not fail to deliver on all our promises and to complete all on-going projects.
“Allow me to say that while we will continue to work on infrastructure, we plan, in the next four years, to place emphasis on promoting sustainable economic growth and development. Our Government will emphasize human capital development, training and retraining of teachers and public servants; promotion of agriculture for food production, employment and increased income to our farmers and rural dwellers; small and medium scale industrial development. We shall continue to attract local and foreign investors to Edo State so as to create more jobs for our people.”
Humbled by the overwhelming endorsement of his administration’s collective mission and support for the struggle to refocus, reposition and redefine Edo State for peace, progress and prosperity, Governor Oshiomhole was seemingly lost for words to qualify his gratitude to the Edo people whose unparalleled and unflinching support and encouragement saw his administration overcome all obstacles, booby traps placed in his administration’s path.
Symbolically, Oshiomhole’s return for a second term, the turnout as evident in the mammoth crowd for his inauguration, was by all means an open endorsement of his governance approach as well as the people’s collective rejection of domination, bad governance, bad leadership, and undemocratic conduct in the management of the state’s commonwealth in the nine years preceding his assumption of office in 2008.
He summed up his scorecard tersely: “Collectively, we set an example and political milestone for Nigeria and Africa as we showed that it was possible to defeat negative political forces, run elections without violence, and campaign on performance and the support of all strata of society.”
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