Right of rejoinder to Mr. Ebi Joshua Olowolayemo’s opinion on my frank evaluation of Ondo State NDDC Rep, Hon. Otito Atikase.
By Dayo Awotula.
The essence of evaluating our elected or appointed leaders is to salute them when their stride attracts salutary remarks, giving them a pat on the back in a gesture that indicates that the only expectation for a good work is more good work or to outrightly voice out our collective disapproval if such leaders are obviously underperforming or apparently foot dragging on their performance benchmark. Such evaluation understandably should engender robust and intelligent discourse and reaction from people of like minds since our society should not be populated by ‘yes men’ or people who ‘do not hear or see no evil’ as long as ‘the leader is their choice for a political office.’ People are not bound to view issues generally from the same prism, that is why we are rational human;albeit there are happenstances that are obvious and cannot be subjected to being twisted no matter how one tries.
At this juncture, I have to say I am delighted by the prompt reaction of a certain Ebi Joshua Olowolayemo, Esq, who indicated in his piece that he wrote his reaction ‘for the Asiwaju Mandate Group ( AMG) Ese-Odo.’
In my response to Ebi Olowolayemo, Esq, I shall painstakingly indulge him on the mandate of The Niger Delta Development Commission , NDDC,briefly, lest we all sink into some giant size collective amnesia. The Board has a broad mandate that focusses on facilitating the sustainable development ( emphasis on ‘sustainable development’) of The Niger Delta region. Key aspects of the mandate encompasses infrastructure development, youth empowerment and education, economic development, project completion and delivery. These broad based mandate are important in this discourse as I shall hope it shall help in interrogating the feeble defence of my gentle man friend and champion of Asiwaju mandate, Ese Odo, Ebi Olowolayemo. It is quite unfortunate that Mr. Olowolayemo will bandy the projection that representation on a Board such as NDDC should not be assessed based on infrastructure that is impressive and elaborate; his words, “Awotula’s argument seems built on a narrow definition of representation , judging only by grandiose infrastructure. Yet, the NDDC mandate is not exclusively about mega projects …. ‘ In his opinion while defending his boss, sustainable intervention should not be magnificent, impressive , ostentatious or splendid, ‘ all of these synonymous to grandiose. Pointedly, it is this type of pedestrian opinion as bandied by Ebi Olowolayemo that births the tokenism mentality of ‘ the give away’ policy in which a leader can assume intervention can come in guise of wrapped few kilograms of staples for the people of the mandate area.
I encourage Mr. Ebi to bear with me as I direct his attention to another NDDC State of Akwa Ibom where Apostle Abasiandikan Nkono is the State Rep on The NDDC Board. In the same two years under review, the Apostle of exemplary representation has attracted and not limited to the following to his state: provision of 10,000 litre solar-powered water system for Ibiono Ibom, LGA; provision of Teachers’Quarters at Essien UdimLGA, Provision of NYSC quarters at Uyo in Uyo LGA, completion of Road Projects in Eket, while 318 projects are ongoing , building of 600 meter Ibeno bridge connecting communities and improving access to medical facilities. The list goes on. I live the conscience of Mr. Ebi in all his fairness to conclude if he still believes his own position that NDDC sustainable intervention should not be about ‘grandiose infrastructure’ in his own Ondo State. It is apt to say that followers of political leaders contribute to mandate areas’ underdevelopment because they are blinded by sycophancy and their longing to be seen as faithful to the boss zips their lips from demanding what is fair and just for their communities. With this flow of blind loyalty sustained unchecked hardly will any development goals come to the mandate areas.
Olowolayemo Esq misunderstood token giveaways of food items to what population of the people of the mandate areas (?) in 25 kg bags as a measure of development. Instructively, he admitted that the people of the coastal area have their fishing livelihood disrupted by pollution and seasonal flooding. I am afraid he has not been to Aiyetoro Ilaje where ocean surge has almost erased the ancient community. If he has, he will be more opened to matters of combating the surge that keeps tearing through the once bubbling coastal city beyond distributing fleeting indomie noodles and vegetable oil to some countable numbers of vulnerable Ilaje women. It will interest Mr. Ebi to know that while a multipurpose training center has been commissioned at Otuokpoti, Ogbia LGA of Bayelsa state courtesy of the State NDDC Rep, the center can accommodate up to 1000 trainees and this same center function as skill training and vocational center for youth empowerment. If you are talking of Millennial sustainable development goals courtesy of NDDC, those are exemplary templates and they go beyond the food patronage carnival for 200 women.
While still citing examples of modem by colleague representatives from other NDDC states, particularly as it bothers on infrastructure on peer review, since our friend said our representative is not in a hurry and his projects are in phase roll out, it may interest him to know that in Abia State, 23.7 kilometer of road project has been completed in Ikwuano in Umuahia South LGA, 18.26 km Asphaltic pavement and 736 meters of line drains have been completed at Isi court -olokoro Oboro road , all in Abia by their NDDC Representative. It beggars belief that in the estimate of Mr. Ebi, 20 antiquated wheel chairs and crutches ‘ fill a real social gap’ for people living with disabilities (PWDs) across Ilaje and Ese Odo. While his defence based on population spread of 20 people living with disabilities is a matter of his loyalty to his boss, it’s a matter of fairness to data representation too and as followers and leaders , we should allow our conscience to prick us once in a while!
Criticism of operatives of government is meant to rouse them from slumber where they are apparently underperforming if not for the sake of their own political future then for the sake of the collective mandate of the people which is reposed in them by the reason of their appointment and for the sake of posterity.
