Oshiomhole: Rage of a desperate governor

 

 

By Ralph Odua
...In his first year in office he raised Edo State debt from N4.4 Billion to N18.8 Billion, the Central Bank of Nigeria was disgusted, it decided to nail Edo state and four others for over loan abuse
Governor Oshiomhole’s party ANC won two of the three senatorial seats in Edo State. He was shocked by the unexpected defeat at the hands of the PDP in Edo Central senatorial district. How did he react? He sacks all the Commissioners and Aides from Edo central senatorial district. Later he sacks more, and more and more.
Some of his victims are: Tom Adodo, the Transition committee chairman of Igueben local government area; the transition committee chairman of Esan Central; Tony Momodu; Special adviser on legal matters to the governor, Efosa Urhoghide; Chairman, State Broadcasting Board, Philip Olumese, and his State Water Board counterpart, Frank Erewele.
Gov. Oshiomhole who ironically was the president of Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) for many years and an advocate of one-man-one vote did not fire these officials because they failed to what they were hired to do in their various positions, he took the anti-labor decision because they could not help him win election by all means in their constituencies. They were sacked, military style with immediate effect; no reason was stated for their punishment.
The hyperactive Oshiomhole was the first to say the election as free and fair. He failed in Esanland because of his ineffective campaign, and the effective campaign of PDP, and lack of popularity as a result of lack of achievement in Edo central and for increasing school fees, especially in Edo State University, Ekpoma. Instead of taking his message directly to the people, Oshiomhole was busy buying SUV’s and distributing millions of naira to party thugs to help him win by all means.
Oshiomhole’s lack of performance is not limited to Edo central alone, it’s throughout the state, for example at General Hospital Agenebode, and operations are carried out with torch light, a typical example of the failure in our health system. It’s the same story all over the state.
Would a sane person sack his employees or appointees and blame them for election loss in their constituencies? Oshiomhole is crazy; those benefitting from the massive looting of Edo State treasury will continue to defend him, right or wrong. We understand that.
The much publicized one man, one vote campaign initiated by comrade Adams Oshiomole sounds splendid, it had some positive political awareness for the people but it was actually a means to attack opponents and force members into Oshiomhole’s Action Congress of Nigerian. The one man, one vote campaign is nothing short of electioneering campaign for a desperate man.
Oshiomhole claimed he used N165 billion for infrastructural renewal, in spite of the “paucity of resources confronting the state.” In his first year in office he raised Edo State debt from N4.4 Billion to N18.8 Billion, the Central Bank of Nigeria was disgusted, it decided to nail Edo state and four other states, three from the Northern region and one from the South South, over loan abuse. Financial Institutions in Nigeria were prohibited from honoring and granting loan request to Edo state government in a circular that emanated from the office of the Central Bank Governor, CBN, Mallam Sanusi Lamido.
Oshiomhole’s government has put Edo State in a perpetual state of debt repayment for generations to come.
A copy of the appraisal of debt profile of the state in the about three year’s old government of Governor Adams Oshiomhole shows a frightening economic trend. In November 12th 2008 when Adams Oshiomhole took over the reign of government from Senator Oserheimen Osunbor, he met a debt profile of 4.4 Billion Naira; this plummeted to 18.8 Billion Naira by December of 2009.
Within 6 months in office, from the first quarter of 2010, Governor Oshiomhole has acquired N5billion from Sky Bank, another N5billion from United Bank of Africa (UBA), N2.2billion from Equatorial Trust Bank (ETB) and N2.9billion from First Bank of Nigeria. Though the state government already owes contractors over N10 Billion naira as at then, most of the contracts were hurriedly awarded to curry the support of the people. Many of the projects embarked upon despite the House of Assembly’s advice that there were no resources for bogus projects at the same time were abandoned. Contractors have left the sites in Edo South and Edo North because they were not paid.
The recommendations in the appraisal report also implicated Governor Oshiomhole as one who did not have regard to due process in the loan processes, a behaviour many governments also display because they are using the instruments of governments.
Most of the contracts were political moves to assuage the Edo South Bini speaking people ahead of the just concluded 2011 and 2012 gubernatorial elections. Apart from rumours of high extravagance by Comrade Oshiomhole, he is also believed to have perfected a system of awarding juicy contracts to his cronies especially through Commissioner Clement Agba.
Oshiomhole who runs a dictatorial administration, a departure from his avowed commitment to democracy during his time as NLC President shut ten opposition members out of the state House of Assembly, passing laws with only13 members of his Action Congress at the House.
He sacked local government chairmen at will and denied them of many of their allocations like the oil windfall share. Governor Oshiomhole who lives extravagant lifestyle with hordes of women always around him, frequently travels abroad giving room for possible drug habits.