By Osehobo Victor Ofure
I read a treatise he chose to title, “The Primacy of Truth (Part 1)”. I mean Pastor Crusos Osagie, the Special Adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Media Projects latest post. For me it was a wasted and unnecessary effort, as it was easy to see through the acclaimed journalist struggling to be a clergyman’s failed attempt to squeeze water from a stone.
My summary of his efforts follows. He discusses the importance of truth and the consequences of its suppression, drawing parallels to historical events like the Nazi regime’s suppression of knowledge.
He highlighted efforts by certain unidentified political actors in Edo State to rewrite history for personal gain, and woefully failed to contrast Governor Obaseki’s so-called redirection of resources towards developmental projects.
He lied about initiatives that his Boss, Governor Obaseki has in seven and half years inflicted on Edo State. He said Obaseki faces opposition from entrenched interests threatened by his reforms.
The beleaguered clergyman, lamenting the challenge of combating misinformation in society, ends his pathetic piece, promising a second part, with a call for support obviously of his boss’ third term through the upcoming gubernatorial election. That desire is dead on arrival. And he knows.
Edo people know for a fact that the only people who fit into Crusoe Osagie’s defined selfish political interests to silence the voice of reason, truth and upend objectivity can be found inside Osadebey Avenue, Benin City. They are the governor’s praise singers and sycophants who get occasional crumbs from his table.
They are the small segment of political actors who chose to join the governor in his failed attempt to rewrite the history of Edo people in the last seven and a half years, for pecuniary gains. It was they who advised him to betray his predecessor in office and other benefactors. They praised him when he demolished private residences with official C of Os. They clapped for him when he demolished legacy public institutions like the Central Hospital and the State Library. They sang choruses for him when he wanted to misappropriate the Benin artefacts.
These people are the beneficiaries of his spurious MOUs, partnerships and alliances including that of a seaport which gulped millions of Edo tax payers money in feasibility studies but never saw the light of day. They are the only ones who clap for him over promises of the never-to-see-reality Benin Industrial Park, the Airport in Fugar, Uzairue and Okpella, the Benin City Railway line, the University of Innovation etc.
They jubilated when he closed down all tertiary academic institutions across the state, and sacked their staff with arrears of salaries unpaid. Need we mention the oil derivation funds, the bail out funds or the refunds for Federal roads reconstructed by the state, which disappeared without a trace or explanation?
Unfortunately, Crusoe forgot Governor Godwin Obaseki’s approach to governance occasioned by the flagrant misuse and misappropriation of public funds, the abuse of due process and the lack of transparency in the award of all contracts with the absence of public advertisements of contracts or open bids. Pastor Crusoe knows this.
Crusoe was conspicuously silent on the ownership status of key assets like the Edo refinery, MOWAA, Shoprite, and the Ossiomo power plant. Perhaps he intends to address these in his anticipated Part 2, where he may also shed light on the Sobe farm and other farms allegedly funded by a N2bn CBN loan. His silence regarding the substantial amount of Edo State funds reportedly locked up in Sterling Bank Plc only serves to exacerbate suspicions. By evading these crucial questions, he undermines his own credibility and raises further doubts about the transparency and accountability of Governor Obaseki’s administration.
Funds that could have been deployed for employment of civil servants and school teachers badly needed, used for the rehabilitation of schools, hospitals and equipment of primary health centers, road construction, flood and erosion control have simply disappeared without any trace in seven and a half years. What of the loans feom home and abroad, earning the state the award of one of the most indebted in Nigeria. Is it the borrowing from the Central Bank of Nigeria to pay workers? Edo State Funds have been ferried away ro Lagos, Asia and India in a wild goose chase during this period.
As Pastor Crusoe rightly said, the jury is truly out and the battleground is the State gubernatorial election in September 21, 2024. Edo people are overwhelmed by the deluge of lies of the current regime and its leader’s desperation for a third term through the back door. A new Edo is rising!
*Osehobo is Assistant Secretary of Edo APC*