In Nigerian politics, there appears to be a new definition of “opposition” which, in absolute terms, admits of nothing good or positive. By this definition, a government in power is never given any credit by opposition politicians, even when the government’s policies and actions have been confirmed to be beneficial to society and the people. Call it extreme cynicism or what you may, but that, unfortunately, is the bizarre reality of the current political firmament in the country.
The kind of reports that came from the gathering of the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benin City, on Wednesday, 12th November, 2014, in celebration of the 6th Anniversary of Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s administration in Edo State, was to be expected. The event was an endless recitation of what the opposition politicians referred to as the failures of the administration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. The list of celebrants included Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, General Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and APC’s new found hero, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal. One after the other, the politicians reeled off a litany of “inadequacies and failures” by President Jonathan, as reasons he must give up the Presidency now or not seek re-election in 2015.
To massage Oshiomhole’s ego, Bola Tinubu, the self-acclaimed Leader of the Yoruba race, called on President Jonathan to resign for having “failed Nigerians in every respect.” Tinubu also seized the occasion to lash out at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which he accused of being “an arm” of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). As if it was of any consequence, he, then, threatened President Jonathan that he would sweep him away with the APC broom, should he refuse to leave office voluntarily. And, to complete the circus, Hon. Tambuwal and some other opposition chieftains, including the party National Chairman, Chief Odigie-Oyegun, added their voices to the Jonathan bashing.
The highlight of the celebration was the Oshiomhole show! Those familiar with the Comrade Governor know very well that he would not let such a golden opportunity pass, without rehashing what had been his past-time for many years, as a trade unionist, before becoming Governor. In his usual theatrics, Oshiomhole tried to discredit the person of Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in the guise of criticising his administration. Too clever by half! Oshiomhole’s disingenuous craft of trying to separate the person of Jonathan from his administration was all too hypocritical, and too obvious to hide. In fact, Oshiomhole has always sold the impression that politics aside, he is a friend and supporter of President Jonathan. That way, he has been eating from Jonathan as well as from his political enemies.
During the 6th Anniversary, Oshiomhole’s main criticism of President Jonathan and the PDP-led Federal Government was anchored on the Sure-P programme of the administration which he described as a “Sure fraud”, referring to the Ofosu-Benin Road Project, commissioned by the President in September, 2014, as the only thing ever done for Edo State during PDP’s 16 years of rule at the federal level. The rest was the usual incoherent ranting of Oshiomhole, aimed at manipulating the psyche of the Edo people.
The tragedy of Oshiomhole’s assessment of the Jonathan administration is his utter disrespect for facts. It was convenient for him not to mention the on-going 450MW Azura Power Plant in Edo State; he also found it convenient to gloss over the N4.4bn Edo/Delta Link Bridge which Vice President Namadi Sambo commissioned on behalf of President Jonathan in October, this year. In March 2014, Oshiomhole, the revisionist, commended President Jonathan for the completion of the Ukpoke irrigation project in Benin-City. Juxtapose these with his claim that the Jonathan administration has done only one thing in Edo State and you will appreciate his dishonesty. Now, take a look at the Governor’s own record of performance across Edo State for the 6 years he has been in power. It is obvious that in the areas, constitutionally covered by the Governor’s mandate, there has been no appreciable improvement in physical infrastructure, nor development in social amenities, nor in the people’s standards of living. It is a known fact that Oshiomhole’s development strategy has been to embark on cosmetic projects, such as the dualisation of the Airport Road, the beautification of a few areas, refurbishment of a number of schools and resurfacing of some popular highways.
In contrast to the acclaimed achievements announced to Nigerians at the celebration event, Edo State today remains a story of massive underdevelopment. In the capital city of Benin, most roads are still impassable while many areas of the city lack the rudimentary infrastructure of modern urban existence, with poor drainage, lack of sewage system, shortage of potable water, poor garbage disposal system and inadequate street lights. Of course, the story is far worse in most of the rural towns of the State. The people of Edo State know about these massive failures of Oshiomhole, but they have been manipulated into silence by his powerful propaganda of development.
Listening to President Jonathan’s declaration speech, just a day before Oshiomhole’s celebration, the difference between honesty and hypocrisy was clear. President Jonathan’s scorecard enumerated all he had done nationwide, sector by sector, State by State, including Oshiomhole’s Edo State. For instance, the President talked about major achievements in agriculture, resulting in a huge drop in food importation; he referred to the education sector, the establishment of 14 new federal universities, the almajiri and girl-child schools etc; he talked about the massive infrastructure development, roads, railways, water transportation, electricity, women and youth empowerment and the national economy, which is now growing at the rate of over 6.5%. The President was honest enough to admit that there were challenges such as in the area of security, but expressed the determination of the Federal Government to tackle the problems.
The question, then, is: Does Oshiomhole have the moral authority to criticise President Jonathan, given the wide gap in the scorecards of the two? Well, it might be argued that in a liberal society such as ours, everyone is entitled to the freedom of speech. However, what is worrisome to many Nigerians is Oshiomhole’s lack of decency and decorum in his manner of criticising President Jonathan, who is the number one citizen of this country and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He deserves the respect of us all, including Oshiomhole.
Oshiomhole’s penchant for boasting in the most insipid manner is a familiar trait, but that should not be an excuse for him to peddle falsehood such as: “The PDP Federal Government controls 52.8% of declared federal collections and Edo State share of that 52.8% and all they have to show in 16 years is the resurfacing of Ofosu-Benin old carriage way.” Not only is this statement blatantly false, it is misleading, mischievous and deliberately calculated to incite the peace-loving people of Edo State against the Federal Government.
But why would Oshiomhole, a State Governor in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, play such an ignoble role? Two quick answers offer themselves: First, Oshiomhole knows that he has failed the people of Edo State and that the time for reckoning in fast approaching; he is aware that sooner than later, he will be called upon to account for the billions of naira he has drawn from the national treasury (both Federal and State) in the name of the people. So, he is desperately searching for a escape-goat; and he seems to be doing this by deploying methods that tarnish and disparage President Jonathan and his administration. The second answer is that the APC has zoned the position of Vice-President to the South and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole seems determined to stand taller than his competitors – Governor Babatunde Fashola and Rotimi Amaechi – in the race for the number 2 position though the APC. Goodluck may well be what Oshiomhole needs to clinch victory. But, as the English says goes, you cannot have your cake and eat it!
- Mr Ehigiator sent this piece from Benin City through f_ehigiator@yahoo.com
