An American politician,
Benjamin Franklin, once remarked: “Human felicity is produced not as much
by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen as by little advantages that
occur every day.” One noteworthy reality is that politics is about the
economy and economy is about the people. It is about prioritization and allocation
of values. Put succinctly, politics is about the people.
One major factor that has influenced my support for Governor
Ifeanyi Okowa is his discipline towards time lines. For once, contracts are awarded
and completed within the given time.
I have always lived in and out of the State until 1989 and I noticed
that up till Chief Felix Ibru’s brief stint in office as Governor, no new roads
were tarred, neither were old ones repaired. After Ibru, the military administrators
posted to the State continued with the old pattern, they were not bothered about
infrastructure. So, by the time Chief Ibori mounted the saddle, almost all the
roads in the State had become so impassable that it was not out of place to ask
if there had ever been a government in place in the State.
But today
the mantra is not just about awarding multiple road contracts without focus towards
finishing. After studying the experiences of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates,
it has been discovered that the major secret towards their development lies in being
discipline towards time lines. Without being disciplined towards time lines, you
can’t make good progress. What is the purpose of awarding new contracts when you
are yet to complete existing ones. Despite the recession and the attendant fall
in revenue receipts, Governor Okowa has shown right from the beginning, that he
is a stickler to time lines and that has endeared him to me. It is just unfortunate
that at present, the economy is in bad shape.
Why did he choose to become
a story of courage to the State, especially at this time? But Max Weber’s option
of courage amidst the tragedy and the savagery of
primordial sentiments has again brought to the fore, the way we are as a State
and as a people. A few questions will suffice. Why is this visionary, being
tagged a ‘debtor-governor’ because of local government salaries, when,
indeed, in the universal space called salary palaver, Delta is just a sample
space for other States in Nigeria? The dilemma arising from the challenges associated
with local government workers’ salary is something that needs greater attention
and discussion of the entire nation.
The whole issue of salary at
the local government level is a policy matter. What comes to the local
governments even in two months from Abuja cannot pay their one month salary and
that of primary school teachers whose faith is inextricably tied local
government workers. In more ways than one, local government workers salaries are
not strictly speaking, the direct responsibility of any governor. But ill-informed
opponents of Governor Okowa will always capitalize on this to misinform the unwary
public. And this is most regrettable and unfortunate.
Again, why are they
equating his vision for Delta State with a mission of not caring for human
beings. I imagine that the Governor has consistently wondered why trying to put
good infrastructure in place should be misconstrued for not caring?
Democracy has become so acceptable in this part of the world that
we now regard service as an established fact. It is important that lovers of
good governance use the opportunity that has been provided by posterity to
support and give Governor Ifeanyi Okowa the chance.
Spectatorship and uninformed opposition are not options in an
event that is designed to shape the future of our State as well as define the
destiny of its people.
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