The frenzy, spearheaded by Rev. Francis Waive, among serving Delta State's National Assembly (NASS) members over Governor Sheriff Oborevwori's puerile gift of jeeps to them is the height of glorification of insensitive governance induced by extreme greed and shamelessness.
Since March 14th, a rubber-stamp Delta State House of Assembly, playing Governor Sheriff Oborevwori's script, has suspended Hon. Matthew Omonade, a member representing Ughelli North Constituency 1, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The victim's offense was protesting that the Governor had plagiarized his intellectual property. A bill he (Omonade) conceived and presented for the House's hearing was swept under the carpet by Speaker Emotimi Guwor. The same Speaker would read the same bill, word for word, to the Assembly as an Executive Bill.
Not only is the intimidated lawmaker a constituent of Rep. Waive, but Omonade got his state assembly seat on the same platform as Waive got his NASS seat.
Waive cannot claim ignorance of the trials of Omonade. As informed and self-righteous as Waive, he doesn't need to be reminded that as a key opposition leader in the PDP-ruled Delta State, he and his party, the APC, should come hard on Governor Oborevwori for unjustly punishing the strongest opposition voice in the state assembly.
No, conceited Waive and his Delta APC have been mute on the tyranny against Omonade. Of all the gratitude from the beneficiaries over Oborevwori's self-glorifying Greek gift to Delta NASS members, it was holy Waive who lost his emotions the most.
He sang, "You have done what has never been done in our history by extending the kind gesture to ALL irrespective of political party affiliation. Today I received mine, and all of us in the Delta caucus of the 10th National Assembly appreciate you.
"You have demonstrated again and again that you are Governor of all Deltans. And posterity will not forget you. This is a new dawn in our polity. Please keep carrying everyone along. I pray the Almighty God bless you and reward you Himself." God have mercy on Delta.
Of what benefit is the donation of SUV Jeeps to Waive and fellow Delta NASS members from a local champion whose misgovernment has become the pain and shame of a state?
Recently, the media was awash with public curses and condemnation of federal lawmakers restocking their official vehicle fleets with 360 SUVs estimated at N57.6 billion. Three young members of the National Assembly rejected theirs, saying it was not needed by them.
Waive, who had benefited from that new jeep, is now excited about receiving another one from a kindergarten Governor Oborevwori, who has not completed any project since taking the reins of power but is transforming Delta in the media and imagination of hired praise singers and is only visible at the funerals, birthday parties, and marriages of political associates while the populace suffers.
Days ago, Oborevwori invited Goodluck Jonathan to commission a building housing High Courts in Asaba to mark a year in office. In a smokescreen for the records, the high court building was started in the administration of Chief James Ibori, who was known for shoddy jobs. His cousin, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, resumed work on it, and Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa completed it and allowed it to be used partially without full painting and furnishing.
What incumbent Oborevwori did in that high court building was to paint, provide furniture, and do a few finishing touches. As always, he is crazy about claiming vain glory by inviting former President Jonathan to make a big show of nothing.
Oborevwori, who was in Rivers State days before, should tell Deltans about the luxuriant Customary Court he saw there and the kind of projects he was invited by Governor Siminalayi Fubara as a Special Guest. The Governor of Lagos State just commissioned another 270 housing units in Egan-Igando.
Kindergarten Governor Oborevwori, with evident lack of capacity to lead a state, is busy setting misplaced, egoistic priorities having no bearing on the common man, setting a new tone in misgovernment. And it is Waive, a sanctimonious APC Reps member who should be constructively criticizing the local champion governor, that has assumed Oborevwori's chief cheerleader, because of a car gift at the expense of the majority of neglected Deltans.
A few days ago, I re-echoed the sorry state of Orhowhe Primary School Iwhrekan-Edjophe in Ughelli South LGA, with dilapidated buildings, leaking roofs, and no chairs, tables, or desks for teachers and pupils. Ughelli South LGA is one of the three LGAs Waive is representing in NASS.
Okuama, a constituent community under Waive, needs urgent humanitarian aid and rebuilding after the Nigerian Military, due to Oborevwori's puerile handling of the situation, leveled all living structures except a church in ruthless vengeful occupation of the community over the killing of some soldiers.
The hundreds of millions of naira the 'money-miss-road' governor wasted on gratifying Waive and colleagues would have gone a long way in renovating Orhowhe Primary School Iwhrekan-Edjophe and starting meaningful interventions in rehabilitating and resettling Okuama people.
Instead, the governor is making promises to rebuild the school and health center for the community when he is supposed to have commenced action as soon as the military withdrew from Okuama. Sen. Ede Dafinone visited and made the same empty promises. Now Waive is cheering his new jeep while Okuama people need urgent help.
I ask Waive, how many of his church members can eat three healthy square meals a day? How many can afford WAEC registration fees for their children without struggle? I have said it many times, the problem with this country is not leadership. Once a person is elected or appointed in public office, he/she loses moral conscience and begins to destroy the very society he is entrusted to transform.
The Nigerian populace continues living in abject poverty, including the soldiers, police, and DSS guarding the officeholders and politicians who continue to flow in the wealth of the people forcefully taken from them. There is always a day for the thief. We have seen some suffer karma before.
Zik Gbemre
June 8, 2024
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