ETSAKO Central Local government Area is one of the local governments created by the then Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babaginda on August 27, 1996 and was influenced by late Admiral Mike Okhai Akhigbe and having Fugar as its administrative headquarters.
The local government council is comprised of three main zones, that is, Avianwu zone, Ekperi zone and South-Uneme zone with each zone having a political leader. And through this period of creation, the local government has had about 4 elected and three appointed chairmen with head of local government administration in between to run the affairs of the local government like others in the state.
With the return of democracy in 1999 till date, the local government has had political heavy weights such as former Vice president; former deputy governor/Chief of Staff; PDP state chairman, former deputy senate president among others thereby making the local government a political battle field among the politicians as most of them at one time or the other fought for supremacy and power. Though, late admiral Mike Akhigbe was generally regarded as the political father in the local government but there were however few individuals who never saw him in that manner but rather tried to battle with him.
Ever since the last administrations in the local government of Hon Joseph Ugheoke, Hon Suleiman Bagudu and now the present administration, the local government has never known peace as a result of those who never see anything good in any of the chairmen once their pockets are not filled financially at the end of every month even when their children/relations are being employed by the local government.
In the case of Hon Ugheoke, it was obvious that he tried his possible best as a local government chairman to provide the necessary amenities for the people and common man on the street by constructing roads across the local government. But surprisingly, some people were being used to flood EFCC/House of Assembly with petitions making the chairman to spend the remaining part of his tenure battling to save himself from EFCC.
As if that was not enough, the Bagudu administration experienced the worst bashing in petitions thereby distracting the chairman from concentrating on how to provide the much needed amenities to the people. Though he tried despite the petitions, throughout his tenure in office, he was running the local government for EFCC and House of Assembly members. It will interest the readers to know that today, the same Bagudu is being regarded as one of the best chairmen the council has ever had as the people are calling for his reappointment any time the need arises.
On April 22nd, 2013 a new chairman was sworn-in by the state governor to run the affairs of the local government. It is shocking again to see that these same people instead of learning from the past are still busy writing petitions against the chairman over allegations that were supposed to be discussed at the round table making the local government to look like a haven of petition writers.
Having analyzed the last 2 administrations till date, there are some questions begging for answers which are; For how long are we going to continue with this?,  when are we going to have a chairman that will be free from petitions/allegations and which zone is he going to come from?. Have the petitioners always achieved their aims as the local government money is always being spent at the end?
It will interest the readers to know that since the death of our hero, late admiral Mike Akhigbe almost two years ago, the local government has never had it so good in terms of leadership. The ones that claim to be the leaders of the local government are sell-out that was why I wrote in my first article titled “Sheep without Shepard”. That is how Fugar and the entire local government is now.
For how long are we always going to be deceived by mere throw of seeds of corn at the people and political leaders?  In the last election for example, as other local government leaders were battling and fighting for political positions for their local governments and candidates e.g. House of Representatives which ought to have been the turn of Etsako Central local government based on equity, justice and fair-sharing, the leaders of the local government were the first to betray the people by accepting jeeps gift from one of the candidates.
As far as I’m concerned in that local government, I have never seen or heard when a petition is written to the governor or party leaders demanding for a particular political position to be zoned to the local government or even to nominate somebody from the local government for ministerial post even though such a person may not be appointed. I have seen when somebody risked his elective position for chairmanship to come to Fugar and with the help of our hero, late Admiral, the chairmanship position was given.  Which role did the leaders play during the struggle?
What really prompted me to write is the looming crisis that is about to engulf the local government as some politicians and some leaders are allegedly sponsoring petitions calling for the removal of the council chairman and his deputy; party chairman and his deputy; and legislative leader from their offices. The question is, if all these people are removed from their offices, who will be in their positions that will be free from petition and allegations and generally accepted by the people?
In as much as I’m not in support of any person or group of persons over the crisis, but the local government should not be made to look like petition writers as there are worst issues in other local government that are being resolved at round tables as no battles have ever been won at the battle field.
APC has come to stay in the local, state and federal levels the politicians should not wash their dirty hands in the public as it would be too early for the party to start having crisis as any problem started in the local government always snowball to others.
Yes, change it is said is the only constant thing in life. Those who were there yesterday are no more there today so whatever position one may find oneself either by election, selection or appointment we should try as much as possible to give little hands of support to such a person because we do not know when it can get to our turn. But if one feels one is getting the full support from the people today it just because he has not been tested with Power, Money and Position (PMP) usually brings, out the real person we are.
The political leaders in the local government are being negatively perceived by outsiders as petition writers which is not telling well of the local government and should try to always let peace reign in the local government as there is no meaningful development can strive in a place of rancor.
Again what surprised me most is the accusation against the party vice chairman in the local government for losing election in his village Osomegbe where there are other prominent leaders like the zonal leader, four executive directors, SSA, board members, councilor among others who ought to have been in charge of the units in the village. Are they trying to tell the people that he is more powerful than all of them put together in the place?
It is my passionate appeal to the state leadership of APC to as a matter of urgency intervene in the crisis as the party is sharply divided in the local government between the leaders and the party executives.