With another governorship election around the corner in Edo State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) having weighed their chances and come to the conclusion that Edo people would retain the All Progressives Congress (APC) as their preferred party, it has deployed a diabolical propaganda as the only way out of the political woods. They believe if they start telling so many lies from now till September against the person of Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, people could be deceived to mistake their lies for truth.
But Edo people are wiser by the day and cannot be fooled by the outlandish smear campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state. This understanding became evident last week with the alarm by Mr. Dan Orbih, the seemingly untenured Chairman of Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who jolted most citizens with his tissue of lies, leaving Edo people in consternation as to how desperate people could be in their quest for political power.
At the gathering of the never-do-wells, Dan Orbih called on the House of Assembly to impeach Governor Adams Oshiomhole, for allegedly “spending N18 billion unbudgeted funds to establish Edo State University, Iyamo, in Etsako West Local Government Area.”
The PDP, in their hallucination, also called for the immediate resignation of the Commissioner for Education and the state Accountant General. They also claimed that there was nothing to show that the House of Assembly approved the expenditure for the university’s establishment.”
Their claim about spending unbudgeted sums is a an open display of ignorance of the workings of government of Edo State because there is no money spent by the Edo State Comrade Governor in his very bold and courageous effort to develop the state that is not budget for. Even after the annual budget is exhausted, the Comrade Oshiomhole administration if need be returned to the House for supplementary-budgetary approvals in the course of the financial year. There is no money spent last year by the Edo State Government that was not budgeted for, so where did Dan Orbih and his PDP got their tissue of lies from?
Even the State Commissioner for Information, Prince Kasim Afegbua has since cleared the air on the bourgeoisie claims of the PDP. He told the public that , “as a government that has exhibited a high sense of prudence in the management of state resources, whatever we embark on, by way of projects, is usually captured in our budget proposal. The State Executive Council approves contracts when they have met all the requirements of bidding in line with Procurement Act.”
Since he cleared the air, I expected Dan Orbih to immediately come out and apologise to Comrade Oshiomhole for maligning his person and government, rather he and his ilk have recoiled into their cocoons as they did when they were chased away by youths of PDP after the presidential elections.
Recall that Chief Dan Orbih and his lieutenants in the PDP executive took to their heels when angry youths that rented crowd for President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign came demanding their share of the alleged N1.6bn sent from Abuja. Since then, he has been into hiding only to resurface in the public view with Prince Ekpen Erediauwa on a hazy issue. Orbih then claimed sacrilege, urging Benin Commissioners in Oshiomhole’s government to resign. This was how the same Dan Orbih deceived some Edo House of Assembly members to go and be holding parallel assembly without providing resources for them. Edo people cannot forget in a hurry that after several months of idleness in the king square, the deceived law makers retraced their steps back to the House led by Rt. Hon Uyi Igbe.
The same Orbih is now propping members of the current house to embark on an impossible mission of impeaching the Comrade Governor barely five months to the end of his tenure. I trust that the Elizabeth Ativie-led Assembly would not be moved by the evil call of Dan Orbih as there is even no basis for any impeachment. No commissioner would resign from Oshimhole’s cabinet as there is no basis for that.
He tried again to play dangerous ethnic politics when he claimed that Oshiomhole funded the completion of the Edo State University, Iyamo and did not do same for the Tayo Akpata University of Education, Ekiadolor. His evil mission here is to incite the Binis against the Comrade Governor. But he has failed in that regard because, we the Binis love Comrade Adams Oshimhole and one million Dan Orbihs cannot change our love for him. No amount of politics can alter our believe and love for him as did Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Erediauwa. The reason is not far- fetched. There is no governor that has developed Edo land as much as he did these past seven years. Even Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia openly said Comrade Oshiomhole has surpassed his achievements for Edo people.
Now, let no one make mistakes. The Edo State University Iyamo has come to stay and it is for Edo people. Oshiomhole is not going to attend the university, neither his biological children, but he has established it for Edo people, its being sited in his birth place, notwithstanding. That was how Prof. Ambrose Alli of blessed memory established the Bendel State University and located it at Ekpoma and the Dan Orbihs of that time were attacking him and called him the kind of names that they are calling Oshimhole today. What is the situation of the university today? Is it Ambrose Alli that is attending it from his grave? Is it the daughter? So, we must be careful with these Dan Orbihs of today who are wickedly whipping ethnic politics against Oshiomhole on the Edo University, Iyamo.
Secondly, the Tayo Akpata University, Ekiadolor was only upgraded to a university, it was an existing institution before its upgrade. There are buildings and lecturers there already and they just need additional buildings and more professors and PhD holders to beef up the academic team. There is a procedural issue that need be sorted before it takes off fully. That is, having to separate the College of Education away from the University. A Vice Chancellor has been appointed and they are already setting up Tayo Akpata, University of Education, what then is Dan Orbih and PDP’s problem if they are not out for a mischief?
It is an incontrovertible fact that Nigeria is currently experiencing a critical manpower development challenge. The numbers of qualified candidates seeking admission into higher education is far greater than the numbers that can be effectively and efficiently accommodated.
There aren’t empirical data on the number of students who are frustrated to study outside the country as a result of these inadequacies and others whose reasons are far from the above. It is, however, in recognition of this enormous challenge and given the obvious fact that education is the biggest industry of its citizens that early in the second term of the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole’s administration, he put in motion a machinery for the establishment of the two new universities for Edo people. The Bills for their establishment went through the due process of law-making and were promptly passed and signed into law. The same progressive House of Assembly had to make some amendments into the establishment of the Edo University, Iyamo.
Oshiomhole did a good thing by ensuring the take-off of both universities in Edo State so that our children suffering from having places in federal and private universities can find a place in the new universities. He therefore deserves commendations and gratitude from Edo people, not condemnation. Posterity will definitely remember Oshiomhole many years after he may have left office.
Mr. Dan Orbih needs to clear himself with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) regarding the N700million looted money by the Jonathan administration used for campaigns. Hiding under the claim that you were ignorant of the source of the money is not an excuse before the law. In as much as you took delivery of the bullion van and its N700million content, you remain an accomplice in whatever the source of the financial crime is until otherwise cleared by a court of competent jurisdiction. Today, the wind has blown and the anus of the cock has been exposed. Dan Orbih and the PDP governorship aspirants should go and answer the EFCC and stop distracting Edo people concerning the meritorious services of our comrade governor and the resolve to return an APC candidate in upcoming September governorship poll.
• Mr. Dan Owegie is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Edo State.
