SOCIETY inevitably continues to undergo social changes in-spite of any prevailing economic condition. Changes are inevitable and inexorable. Sometimes, they are induced willy-nilly by leadership policies or decisions as in the case of the Edo Society of today. By the benefit of social analysis, we note that Governor Godwin Obaseki deliberately ushered Edo into an Age of Enlightenment by governance policies and ordered public service behaviour. Although slow to resonate with the conservatives, it was to be quicker to succeed with the youthful population, who are more tech savvy and information curious.
Gradually, it started to sink in that Government House was for Government Business and not for rowdy touts and philandering itinerant mamas, or a share – the – money rendezvous. Yes. It started to sink in that the Civil Service was not designed to be a pool of obtuse, somnolent no – gooders, but actually a critical mass of Edo citizens with latent abilities that can be dragged out by reforms and technology. It started to sink in that indeed, Edo State need to graduate from that lazy convenient appellation of being tagged a “Civil Servant State” into an industrial hub engendered by high profile investments. Oh yes. It started to sink in that our Culture and Tourism, which are our most unique natural resources can again be re imagined as a vehicle of ‘Edo to the World!’
It started to sink in that we can, by intentional political will, reverse the stigmatization of Edo being the notorious ” Italo – ashawo – suppliers, to being Edo young tech savvy chaps supplier to the world. It started to sink in that the insipid physical infrastructure and moribund environmental ambiance can be reinvented into modernity and relishing aesthetic ambiance by rebuilding the Edo State Civil Service Secretariat into a State of the Art, opening rooms for malls to spring up every where. Government itself building a world class one in City centre etc
It started to sink in that rather than have our communities ruled by notoriety, formalized by a name, CDA, we should return it to hoary headed custodians of our traditions, values and ethos. Yeah. It started to sink in that the world is not going to reverse back to analogue age because of Edo State, so we had better catch up with technology as resiliently preached by Governor Obaseki.
This collective of ‘sink-ins’ was of course re-calibrating the minds of Edo citizens and exposing them to high quality standards of governance, thereby raising the bar of demands on government and of seekers of public office in Edo State. Simultaneously also, it was introducing classy economic viewpoints and modern social thinking which quite easily resonated with Edo youths and Edo diaspora, who incidentally are hugely influential over their families at home. And when you remember that Edo diaspora is in tens of thousands, the highest in the country, you can begin to measure the potential impact of their influence.
I need to mention that because of space economy, I have not listed more than half of all the Governor did that started to sink in.
So as I said, this sink- ins inevitably ushered in an Age of Enlightenment, where today, standards of critical appraisal is so high that even Governor Godwin Obaseki himself is judged by Federal, or foreign Governments’ Standards. Well, he has no one to blame, he himself raised the standards so high!
However, the beautiful thing about raising standards is that you also raise people’s consciousness of appreciation and sharpen their sense of balanced judgement as well as their observation and information sieving skill. All this is going to serve the PDP in good stead and win victory for it in the Edo 2024 Guber election. We are already seeing the positive effect in the way Edo youths and diaspora are resisting all the futile antics of the APC to misinform them or mislead them. They are demanding competence and blueprints. They are asking for antecedents!
Unfortunately, the APC can only present a litany of woes: hike in fuel, hike in VAT, subsidy removal, hike in transportation, hunger, anger and despondency! Nigerians are totally overwhelmed with the APC, which has now found its true name at last: Another Problem Coming. I would say whoever discerned the ‘APC’ as such, is a genius!
Anyway back to our narrative. The question now would be, how would the APC convince enlightened Edo citizens, especially the younger generation that they should accept Another Problem Coming (APC) when God has already put them miles ahead of the afflictions of the APC? Because, only recently it has started to sink in again that whereas the PDP took care to get a candidate, who knows what Obaseki knows and, in fact, contributed to all the good news that Edo is today, the APC brought in a man, who till today doesn’t know whether he wants to be in the Legislature or in the Executive branch of government. A man who despises the mandate given to him by his people to represent them in the National Assembly to begin a misadventure driven by confusion.
The man is no where to be found. Where is he? If he is running away from speeches, why filling the space in the first place and denying those who are not afraid of addressing the National Assembly from occupying the position? Now he is not talking for Esan at the National Assembly and he is not talking to Edo people at home. Where is he?
I understand he is hiding behind shadows; a very convenient way to waste one year of Esan people’s mandate, doing nothing! So, Edo people, can’t you see the Problem Coming? Part of the problem is that we are going to have a Governor forever behind Shadows, while others run the government for him. Trust me, those lions and Tigers love such backstage Governor! Edo shine your eyes. APC cannot self improve. The only option is to Reject them!
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