Our attention has been called to a press statement from the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) in Delta State alleging invidious acts in the governance style of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and casting aspersion on the integrity of our respected traditional rulers.
Delta State Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), decision is to denounce the APC tirade for what it is, a poorly crafted propaganda and baseless hogwash, which sadly reflects once again, the long-term amnesia now synonymous with the APC and most disturbingly the coarseness, contempt and discourtesy directed at our revered traditional rulers and institutions.
“We are not surprised by the wrong-headed disposition of the APC, except to express PDP’s dismay at the frustration and dementia induced by the serial election defeats the APC has suffered over the years, have led the party to engage very colourless and unimaginative spin doctors whose crass lack of imagination and articulation is sadly a true reflection of the confusion that has bedevilled the APC in all its political nomenclatures in recent times.”
Indeed, The Delta PDP is truly disappointed with the tone and content of the recent APC press statement titled: Your Approach To Governance, Invidious TO Deltans. Delta APC Tells Okowa, issued on 23rd December 2019 and signed by Barr. Ogheneluemu Sylvester Imonina, Publicity Secretary, APC, Delta State. We would, however, in the spirit of the Yuletide season, resist the urge to join issues with Mr Imonina at the pedestrian level of his baseless hogwash propaganda, but it is imperative to set the records straight as regards some of the misinformation contained in his statement.
First, let’s talk about the recent and very commendable employment programme which absorbed close to 500 bonafide, properly Identified and certified Deltans into our very robust and highly motivated civil service, especially at a time when most States are even still grappling with paying the old minimum wage.
With all due respect to the status and pedigree of the principal figures involved in the said 2015 employment saga, we wish to state categorically that fundamental to every employment process is then laid down procedural guidelines defined and established by the civil service extant rules. Those who witnessed what happened at that time will quickly concur that that employment process was flawed from the onset and shrouded in all manner of discrepancies.
We do not wish to delve into the unsavoury shenanigans and clandestine misdemeanours that hijacked the programme, including the arbitrary impunity of employing persons who never attended any of the screening processes or the gross and monumental fraud of impersonation of bonafide Deltans by persons intent on shortchanging and denying eligible sons and daughters of Delta State from their entitlement to gainful employment in their own State.
We will also not dwell too much on the amazing governance wisdom and political calculation that informed the absorption of about 3,000 persons into the State workforce, less than two months to the expiration of an eight years tenure, especially when it had already been confirmed that the Federal and State governments were even borrowing money and collecting bonds from financial institutions, to pay salaries to the existing workforce in the last few months of that tenure.
Today, Delta State has not only employed over 1,000 teachers and absorbed the screened and certified persons from the list of suspended civil servants, but Governor Okowa, the Ekwueme of the universe, has already directed that Delta workers will start receiving the new minimum wage from this December 2019. Suffice it to add further that employment is an ongoing process and we are confident and fully assured that every avenue of employment through which eligible, qualified and properly screened Deltans, including the highly successful YAGEP, STEP, PPSP, the dynamic Development Agencies and other great initiatives of the Okowa administration, which will complement the periodic civil service employment scheme, will be explored and strengthened incapacity to accommodate all Deltans in the course of building a ‘stronger Delta’ in this second tenure.
As for the ridiculous bellyaching by some sponsored wailers on whose bleatings the APC’s mumbling propaganda machinery has temporarily found a muffled whimper of half-hearted disapproval, we can only say that it is extremely hilarious for the opposition to even suggest in Barr. Ogheneluemu Sylvester Imonina’s words that Governor Okowa “inveigled and did cow some of our Traditional Stools into hurriedly putting up an award ceremony for him and some members of his political family, thereby desecrating the age-long revered Traditional Institution… It is preposterous that Governor Okowa was given an award and/ or declared the best in a race, he is yet to finish…”
Traditional rulers and institutions have transformed into integral stakeholders with the evolving and deepening of our democracy. Nigeria is predominantly an ethnocultural society. Elections are campaign-based and robust election campaigns by serious political parties are basically conducted at the grassroots were traditional rulers and institutions hold sway. Political power belongs to the people and those who genuinely desire to lead the people must first enjoy a cordial and harmonious relationship with the custodians of the very essence of their cultural and traditional identities.
Perhaps, we need to remind the APC that their ‘own’ President Buhari has played host to countless traditional rulers from different parts of the country including those from Delta, led on such visits by recognized APC political chieftains. He has even received political endorsements for his presidential ambition from prominent traditional rulers across the geopolitical sections of the country and Delta APC made political mileage out of all these meetings with President Buhari and even some recent meetings with their newfound political leaders.
