“I Believe Prince Otu’s Governance Would Be A More Realistic Version Of The Duke And Imoke’s Era Than The Panicky Measures We Had Witnessed”

“WHEN I saw the way the outgoing governor BEN AYADE was treating me and few others who are in the same party despite all he hears or sees me write regularly to reduce detente and educate the public on the benefit being truthful, including my involvement in politics as one of those who started the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) in the state, I knew that I cannot support Senator Sandy Onor with similar characteristics to become Governor of the state. I could guess what a hell we would’ve been in for, except for those who are ready to kowtow or be accompanied on their visits to the Governor’s office with sister Magdalene. Everybody who was in the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) with us during Duke’s tenure as Governor knew how he treated me as young as we were then. All this happened because the former Governor, like most highly liberated human beings all over, has had the level of exposure that enabled him to discern the dictum which emphasises that to be successful in whatever you’re doing as an intelligent person, you need if you can find one or more who are ready to honestly work with you, of an equally intelligent person, despite their minor weaknesses, grab them, you’ll attain greater success. And not to despise or treat such people around you disdainfully. You’ll miss the mark.”

“IF you ask me, honestly, I will immediately tell you that from my observations, the outgoing governor, with all due respect, does not accommodate highly intelligent and independent-minded persons around him (you can make a round check to confirm) except those who see him and relate with him, either by pretence or in actual reflexes as a saviour, especially those he is convinced within himself that they have high regard for him over and above what and who they’re and therefore their association with him will bring about another glorious dimension of their life that wasn’t there hitherto, he will highly tolerate such persons or bring them close to being used. I guess that was his problem with me. I may be wrong. I am so independent-minded and sophisticated in thought for his liking perhaps, and I am used to mumbling out my mind frankly accompanied by a huge audience on my trail made up of people of all strata in society who enjoy and absorb my writings and on over nine popular platforms on social media across the country. It shows I must be giving out something interesting and informative to attract such audiences consistently without being a bore to them.”

“PEOPLE should not stay out of politics and be dictating as busybodies to political leadership what to do with those who have suffered along with them to earn their victory. Or stay out without participating, after elections are fought and won, you find all of these machinators start positioning themselves for possible appointment by making contacts, sponsoring people to write articles or do so themselves full of praises and indirectly suggesting to the winners what choices of those to have in their cabinet and so on, indicative of what they claim to have, which they assume is not found amongst those who are presently in the political parties that worked tirelessly to secure the victory for their candidate in question.”

“THESE are seen as a panicky measure of government which is meant to assuage the over-bloated intake of unskilled manpower meant to create impressions barely, and has nothing to add to the economic growth of the state more or less which were to spread and not concentrated except for the temporary and psychological relief it brings to the system for assuaging youth restiveness somehow as if that’s the only method. This is where I believe the difference would lie from what I know of Prince Otu’s approach of harnessing incapacitated persons who are known to be his supporters in thousands and the downtrodden who deserve the same treatment generally. Nothing panics the incoming Governor, Prince Bassey Otu.”

– Obi Ojage

I have argued severally that those of us who decided to join politics are not stupid. Gone are those days when only dropouts or frustrated individuals opt to be involved in politics, not so today. Both academics and people of various professional backgrounds, including journalism and law, are into politics full-time. And this has made a huge difference from what we used to have in those days when very few of this calibre of persons opt to play politics.

People have realised that this is the only area around where you can stay and influence policies and make valuable contributions to government decisions on important issues affecting your people and not outside of it. If you are determined and have the qualities that would make the people love and accept you, you will easily attain positions of leadership either as a councillor, chairman of the council, state and national assembly member, Governor or even the president. Nobody stops you.

But people should not stay out of political terrain and be dictating as busybodies to political leadership what to do with those who have suffered along with them to end their victory. Or stay out without participating, after elections are fought and won, you find all of these machinators start positioning themselves for possible appointment by making contacts, sponsoring people to write articles or do so themselves full of praises and indirectly suggesting to the winners what choices of those to have in their cabinet and so on, indicative of what they claim to have, which they assume is not found amongst those who are presently in the political parties that worked tirelessly to secure the victory for their candidate in question.

By this I am not referring to those who became what they were not before their joining politics, suddenly, after being favoured for the role they played with political appointments as Commissioners, Special Assistants, or become chairmen of councils where they now stay to acquire fathom degrees and certificates from institutions of what they’re unable to defend nor had taken time out to earn on merit through actual studies, but those who joined politics on purpose after accomplishing whatever it is they had aspired in their chosen field.

If you think you have something special to offer, leave your comfort zone and join the risky waters of politics and work for the victory of whoever you believe can lead well or those who are deserving of your service, or, on the alternative decide to vie for any of the positions yourself and stop staying outside to make inoperable suggestions miffed only to turn around to claim you are not doing so to curry favour or to be given appointment whereas that’s the opposite.

I see many of those writeups daily this day by persons who feel others are fools to have joined politics and labour, take the risk to have their candidates win elections only for outsiders (idiots) to be brought in to benefit where they did not sow, claiming to have expertise. That’s so far perfunctory what I can deduce, I need not say much.

Recently, some well-meaning personalities in the state had accused me of attacking my friend the former Governor of our state, Mr Donald Etim Duke, in defence of the outgoing Governor Ben Ayade and felt that was not what they expected of me at the level of my disposition where I have been known for my objectivism and unbiased analysis, however, the situation may have turned, they felt I should remain indifferent. I had a series of such calls and scripted messages from these persons expressing their misgivings.

Unfortunately, those assertions had hasty undertones. It is highly biased and inconsiderate of the issues involved. I am not always afraid to say the truth on any issue even when it affects my returns for service rendered. Because I am not looking for anybody to give me what I do not deserve from the Lord or through hard work over contributions I have made deserving compensation, especially in politics. I merely tried to come to the defence of the office of the Governor the same way just as I used to do in my thankless defence of Mr President against those most of whom I wouldn’t go against but because they intend to denigrate the exalted office of the president, I did. It could’ve been anybody in this case.

And that was also done to reduce the effect which Duke’s outburst on Ayade would have had on the election of our candidate, Prince Bassey Otu, considering Donald’s popularity over his support for Sandy Onor; amongst our people in the Southern Senatorial District at the time, and the besmirching utterances concerning the incumbent Governor that had the potentials of robbing negatively on the chances of Prince Otu more or less if an appropriate counter didn’t come forth immediately.

To the contrary, I have said more glorious things unsung in my writings severally about Duke, Imoke and Sandy Onor using my platform, time and money to have it go viral, than anybody I know of, both within our state and out of it without their soliciting for that level of propagation and eulogy.

People merely singled out a few of those times and moments where I tried to put things straight as a free thinker and critic, especially on the differences that existed then between myself and Senator Onor, my Ejagham junior brother which were purely political and made in an open defence of the truth of the issues as they were and the towering nature of our candidate over his most prominent opponent being Onor both of who incidentally, were my friends.

I may have used high-sounding words meaningfully to decorate the lines in my sentences or inject some poetry and vocabulary in adjectives that sounded immodest to some ears or confusing to be fathomed on their face value literally by those who thought otherwise. And this became obvious because of the relationship that had existed between myself and the fellows, meant purely to convey exactly what the issues and biases were, which nonetheless reflected at the time under the circumstances; to endear me deeply in the psyche of those whose support I sort on behalf of my candidate. I needn’t do lest; less I fail over what I professed.

I challenge anyone to point out any of the writeups where I ever talked of these individuals in a light to put them down, or what I did that touched on who they are not, or what they’ve not achieved with the hope of changing the public perception of them other than those issues in contention over which I had reasons to commend on or challenge their stands over? I bet anyone who can point out areas of such nature in my writings to do so or ever remain silent.

These fellows are great men, and for me, they remain my friends whether close or far. I am not saying so because I may want something from them now that I couldn’t have when they were in power or had some authority, far from it. Nobody loves a dead sage. I have sufficiency in my new acquaintances, besides my capacity to survive. When we had things going together, openly and without any reservation nor contradictions, they all showed me great respect and expressed how great and intelligent they found my explorations and beliefs to those who had enquired from them why they showed such respect and regard for me despite my usual controversial stands on issues. Besides, is never in my nature to do evil or pay vengeance.

But I have all the rights in this world, as one who knows these men to an extent, criticise them if I must do constructively as a public affairs analyst and critic. People expect that from me anyways, if I should be worth my salt as a truth searcher and a Christ Devotee.

My material standing or state in life has nothing to do with it. Rather, it has more to do with my stance on truth, the fight against evil and its accomplices whom I call the human devils, most of whom are those who are seen to be in charge of affairs and muddling them to suit their whims and until they’re out of the scene, people like us can not do much.

I know what I did, however, cannot be compared to one Yoruba man in our country today who is notorious for heaping insults and abuse on people outrightly with words that can turn one crazy on social media in the name of politics or the public interest, without minding who these persons are or what they have meant to him In the past, or the society provided that singular act done would afford him an immediate place in the satisfaction of his belly. If I were, I could have been quite well done in a material sense all because of such insane roles.

Incidentally, the outgoing Governor Ben Ayade, had never met with me in person before. I had the privilege based on who I am, not as his appointee nor his friend, to speak with him as the Governor on the phone two or three times ever, and that was during the electioneering period recently because of our common interest in the candidacy of the incoming Governor, Prince Otu.

If not for that purpose perhaps I may not have had the opportunity to speak with him ever because he had shown so much bias and loathe for my pleas all because I did criticise his insistence on having only those he brought from the PDP to take over all sensitive party positions with the exclusion of the old members of the party on the ground when he defected to meet us. Just because others did not quite see the danger, I became the target of persecution ever since he became Governor on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) while I was an old member. He was previously of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP). All that I believe had to do with one’s mind, exposure and values.

I couldn’t imagine for any reason that with all I have been doing as an activist, writer, opinion moulder, theosophist and politician who chunks out accurate political analysis to help the party navigate properly based on experience earn where a greater number of our elites, the low, high and mighty read my opinion on social media with conviction, a Governor as vibrant as we have in the person of the professor, could not take advantage of my service which would have in turn enabled me as a hardworking citizen to also enjoy some level of government patronage which is seen all over his loyalist who drive Prado and other jeeps around the place on government expense, as politicians, for doing nothing.

Not necessarily to give me those of his state appointments, he hasn’t suggested my name ever for once to take part in any of the several ad-hoc activities, especially when we became members of the same political party. People had expected that to happen but it didn’t up to now that he is going away in a few weeks. Such an act kills democracy and the spirit to embrace it in any society where jealousy, envy, and discrimination take Centre stage.

So, I didn’t bother one bit. I knew when his tenure is over, he will leave the stage for another person, and I was determined for who I have always been in the politics of my state before I took ill and was away for many years out of the scene, to be directly involved in whoever should become the Governor of the State after him. And I proved that. Anyone who didn’t feel me and the role I played must be a Witch. And those with bad hearts are the problems we have in the country.

I did promise myself that no matter the misgivings, I wouldn’t bring myself to engage in public confrontations as others, with the outgoing Governor or his government. I know how explosive that would’ve turned out to be given what I know, the kind of support I would have had and my capacity to drive my story convincingly with a huge audience on social media ready to read and absorb my opinion however lengthy, but I choose to leave every bad treatment meted on me by our admirable outgoing Governor and his loyalist who are those who run the party presently who were brought in through means which were not Democratic.

And that had a negative toll on the party’s winning chances down in the Northern Senatorial District where the Governor lost his election back to the Senate. And it is the areas where the majority of the actors of the party are from. This happened all because of their excessive pride due to their access to free government funds allowed them by the Governor which has helped in the boost of their unsubstantiated air of bravado and braggadocio all because of the numbers of cars and houses they now own.

You find them everywhere boasting without substance. They made sure those who were capable of helping out were eliminated from the system and from playing active roles because of the huge amounts involved.

If you ask me, honestly, I will immediately tell you that from my observations, the outgoing governor, with all due respect, does not accommodate highly intelligent and independent-minded persons around him (you can make a round check to confirm) except those who see him and relate with him, either by pretence or in actual reflexes as a saviour, especially those he is convinced within himself that they have high regard for him over and above what and who they’re and therefore their association with him will bring about another glorious dimension of their life that wasn’t there hitherto, he will highly tolerate such persons or bring them close.

Otherwise, it is rear to find him reaching out to persons especially those known by members or rumoured to be useful just because they are not in the clique.

I guess that was his problem with me. I may be wrong. I am so independent-minded and sophisticated in thought for his liking perhaps, and I am used to mumbling out my mind frankly accompanied by a huge audience on my trail made up of people of all strata in society who enjoy and absorb my messages and on over nine popular platforms on social media across the country. It shows I must be giving out something interesting and informative to attract such huge audiences without being a bore to them.

He makes sure he compensates these fellows who constantly sing his praise by recircling them in every public assignment and engagement including adhoc activities of the party to make additional cash since he became Governor, even when they are others around who were better equipped to carry out the same assignment, making these selected few feel great artificially, but inwardly he sees them not more than their weaknesses and fallibility.

And these persons have been in their appointment post for well over seven years nine months consecutively of his being Governor, undisturbed, where each of these folks has become laws unto themselves all because of the fortune they’ve made in those positions unhindered over the period as if they were elected. This has never happened in the state. Others should be given chances to contribute their quaternary.

I was reliably informed by one of such appointees that they are told usually to use their brains to empower themselves however they know to do, using the office they have been given, which is largely responsible for the reason we find all manners of illegal taxation found in every corner of the state by persons known to be his loyalist, without remittances being made to the state coffers.

These are seen as a panicky measure of government which is meant to assuage the over-bloated intake of unskilled manpower meant to create impressions barely, and has nothing to add to the economic growth of the state more or less than the temporary and psychological relief it brings to the system for assuaging youth restiveness as if that’s the only method.

This is where I believe the difference would lie from what I know of the incoming Governor, Prince Otu’s approach of harnessing incapacitated persons who are known to be his supporters in thousands and the downtrodden who deserve the same generally. Nothing panics the incoming Governor.

When I saw the way the outgoing Governor Ben Ayade was treating me and a few others who are in the same party despite all he hears or sees me write regularly to reduce detente and educate the public on the benefit of being truthful, including my involvement in politics as one of those who started the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) in the state, I knew that I cannot support Senator Sandy Onor with similar characteristics to become Governor of the state.

I could guess what a hell we would’ve been in for, except for those who are ready to kowtow or be accompanied on their visits to the Governor’s office with sister Magdalene. Everybody who was in the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) with us during Duke’s tenure as Governor knew how he treated me as young as we were then.

All this happened because the former Governor, like most highly liberated human beings all over, has had the level of exposure that enabled him to discern the dictum which emphasises that to be successful in whatever you’re doing as an intelligent person, you need if you can find one or more who are ready to honestly work with you, of an equally intelligent person, despite their minor weaknesses, grab them, you’ll attain greater success in the process. And not to despise or treat such people around you disdainfully. You’ll miss the mark

In the alternative, he surrounds himself with those he had made to become something, what they hadn’t themselves made any effort to become within their circumstance prior to his coming, by placing them to function in positions meant for those already qualified to handle at the time to derive the needed result, is not democratic nor evenly. And that is against what he preaches.

Education alone does not make one a better person but the attitude we bring to bear on the quality of our reasoning and the way we regale people gives us an edge over others no matter their claims or affluence.

The difference with the incoming Governor, Prince Otu is in his additional gift of discernment and the touch of spirituality. That’s what uniquely glued our private relationship.

He knows deeply my worth even from a distance and appreciates my endowment and exhaustion and is never threatened by my display of isolated confidence on the bases of what I know which I often share over and against what I was taught to believe, but always willing to see how much he can be a true friend to me indeed haven’t being inundated with all the unpleasant things said about me born out of fear and envy by those so-called friends most of whose minds are evil. He sorted to know me better himself. And here we are. Those talebeares have their place in life no matter their claims of this or that.

In the next part of this essay, I shall endeavour to state why we had a peaceful and less conflict and confrontations during the last Gobarnatoral elections in the state and what was responsible for why Sandy Onor of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) lost the manner he did despite the drift, call it exodus of most of the elite who were with us in the All Progressives Congress, (APC) to join the original Caterpillar willingly. The real reasons the outgoing Governor lost his Senate bit. Please, stay with me.

End Time Message!

GOD WITH US….

Continued In Blunders Part 2

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