Obaseki Plants, Ighodalo Waters: Towering Antecedents Required of an Aspiring Governor, not Mediocrity
By John Ewah
That you are bumped up to first chair in the orchestra does not mean you can compose a symphony. Experience and qualification are necessary ingredients for any leadership endeavor. Unlike the Elizabethan era, a rigid world order does not pertain to modern existence, as anyone can break through the ranks and establish themselves in whatever their passion so desires. This, I do not oppose.
A panel beater for instance can vie for a senatorial position and by mere provision of chance and that sinister intelligence known as fate, emerge winner, even without prior knowledge or background in the new found territory.
And so, as a winged bat, he soon begins to consider himself a bird, with the notion that his new found position gives him an edge to vie for the governorship of an entire state; that means, being able to take life-dependent decisions on behalf of approximately 5 million people, and having the entire existence of a state in his palm.
While it is not just ridiculous but also ludicrous, to say the least, that just anybody these days can present themselves for leadership positions; a common phenomenon in Africa and many developing nations where the fate of millions are placed in the hands of mediocres, it is nothing short of a mortal mockery.
Leadership choices must be based strictly on experience, antecedents, qualification, competence and character, not withstanding one’s freedom of aspiration. While it is everyone’s right to vie for any elective position, it is the people’s choice to make their selection based on competence, as they must risk placing their common destiny in the hand of one with the intellectual requirements to navigate complex socio-economic dilemmas, not some mediocre who has been bumped into fame and power by time and chance.
The current developmental trajectory of Edo State and the pedestal Governor Godwin Obaseki has placed the state on, needs someone with the requisite experience to consolidate on ongoing programmes, infrastructural developments and reforms.
From experience, whatever the All Progressives Congress (APC) touches in Nigeria ends in chaos. From the total economic collapse to the free fall of the Naira, from the hike in the price of fuel to the high cost of living, from increase in electricity tariff to the exorbitant rate of food prices, evidence abounds which places APC at the epicenter, the ground zero of Nigeria’s problems. Anyone who thinks otherwise is living in delusion, either thrusted upon or self inflicted.
Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is a founding partner of the law firm Banwo-and-Ighodalo, a corporate and commercial law practice in Nigeria which specializes in advising major corporations on Corporate Finance, Capital Markets, Energy & Natural Resources, Mergers and Acquisitions, Banking and Securitization and Project Finance. He was the Chairman of Sterling Bank, a Director at the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), and Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group.
While his profile is quite broad and intimidating, such experience and expertise are needed for the collective pursuits and interests of a people. The common patrimony of the state cannot be left in the hands of power hungry individuals whose daily venoms and public displays already portray the severity of their desperation.
In the heat of the endless altercations, the meaningless rantings of self-seeking politicians; amidst all the turmoils, the political permutations, the ceaseless debates and counter arguments from different quarters, it all comes down to choice.
The choice is a life-dependent one, just like the majority of choices we make in our daily lives. Whoever emerges winner will become Governor of the entire state, not a particular political party. The current travails in the country should put issues into proper perspective for us all. Just as the suns hotness does not burn until when focused on a specific spot, so would a slight shift in perspective help bring the issues into proper focus for us.
The emergence of Monday Okpebholo of the APC, will reset the state to the dark ages. Insanity will return to the streets of Benin, and the political space will be thrown into cataclysm once again. The economy will crumble, and rather than operate a genuine tax system, thugs will flood the city center to commence illegal revenue collection from public places, and every sanctity we once enjoyed as a people will become history. Like Israelites in exile, we would sit by the rivers of Babylon and weep, when we remember Zion.
Nigeria is harsh enough already to live in. Recently, someone lightly classified living in the country as one of the one thousand ways to die in the world. Any further crunch or lack of judgement in our collective decision may become the ember that would ignite a full scale socio-economic downturn.
Leaders with the intellectual capacity like Asue Ighodalo often establish a system that works for all, whether you know them in person or not.The PDP candidate has a proven track record to earn our collective trust as a people and take over the management of our commonwealth. A mere look at all the candidates in the race makes the choice simple and easy.