By Aiyevbekpen John Osakue
WHEN a man emerges from the dark valleys of his humble birth and near state of hopelessness to build for himself an ecosystem of superlative achievements, he would have eminently earned an exalted place of honour in the hearts of men and women who understand the true purpose of life! And when a man embraces spartan discipline of dedication, doggedness, resilience and persistence to his life goals, falling and rising, banging his head against walls in the process and finally emerging with garlands of super achievements on the other side, you cannot help but celebrate him. The man in question is Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who recently emerged stronger than ever before from one of the thickest political conspiracies in the history of Nigeria.
In 2006 Comrade Oshiomhole took the political stage in Edo State by storm as he went about galvanising support for his gubernatorial ambition after an unprecedented labour activism as President of the Nigeria Labor Congress, NLC, that saw him confront both military and civilian dictators over anti-people policies mostly at the risk of his life. Everywhere he addressed an audience, the grounds quaked and the people were held spellbound by the power of his wisdom and thoughts and the vision he espoused. Oshiomhole was a stunning new revelation as candidate of the then Action Congress, AC, that was little known. His message resonated and made him shine with the lustre of a messiah!
To be honest, only few uncharitable folks would argue the fact that Comrade Oshiomhole has, in and out of office, proven to be a master tactician of the game of politics and has remained the issue in Edo political space. You are either railed on the side of his fanatic supporters and admirers who glowingly idolise him or on the side of those who are opposed to him, who criticise and demonise him. The people who idolise him point to his fearless engagement of authorities as a labour leader, his doggedness in fighting for his mandate when it was imperiled, his compassionate and transformational leadership as governor and the courage with which he executed Benin City renewal programme that opened up the ancient capital of the state to the fresh breath air of modernity, such that it could now compete side by side with modern state capitals in terms of city beautification and road infrastructure!
On the other hand, those who demonise him accuse his government of lack of transparency in contract awards and argue that he was awfully disrespectful of elders. Whether openly or discreetly expressed, most citizens belong to one side of the coin or the other. His massive and overwhelming second term re-election victory at the polls during which he scored the unprecedented but now famous 18 over 18, is a clear rebuttal of those allegations. Its dismissal is buoyed by unconcealed twist in context. However, given the experience of Edo people before and after his administration, his admirers have remained overwhelmingly preponderant and rock solid!
Comrade Oshomhole is passionate about his convictions. Thus, on assumption of office as National Chairman of APC, he resolved to give practical expression to the shared vision of the party as encapsulated in her ‘Change Agenda’. He is too athletically and energetically motivated by a sense of purpose to be content with mere appellation of the office. As a leader, he has inspired the majority of the National Working Committee, NWC, members to be dedicated to the promise of change. And together, they have made great progress in putting in place a transparent system that commands faith, trust and confidence of party members and not the whimsical dictates of party patrons!
He has continued to implement a plan to transform the mechanics and operations of the party with a view to eliminating all extraneous forces and interest groups opposed to party constitutionalism. His personal approach, attitude and idiosyncrasies might not be agreeable to all members but no one can conscientiously fault the purity of his intentions. We are all different in character and attitude, and owe each other no apology for our inherent traits so long as we play our parts as powerful moral agents of the society!
Apart from mercilessly crushing the boastful political behemoths, otherwise known as ‘new nPDP’, which had perfected a coup de grace, thereby holding the presidency and the party to ransom, Comrade Oshiomhole has had the temerity to confront other internal political and economic contradictions, namely the negative role of cultural diversity and heterogeneity, political merchandise, democratic impunity, regional power irredentists and the dilettantism of greedy political patrons. He is winning the battle in all fronts. These are humongous obstacles that have continued to undermine genuine efforts towards growth and development of the democratic process. If these hydra-headed negatives are tackled with patriotism, thereby projecting the collectivity of the Nigerian project, they could be converted to positive strengths, resulting to a free and unfettered political system.
With a mindset of success, Oshiomhole is an exemplar of being the ‘salt and the light’ of his world. He has remained an aggressive firebrand whose activism has been moderated only by national responsibility! He exited office of governor on a superlative high note with legacy projects that have continued to interrogate mere merchants of hope of today and put them on edge. In order words, he successfully provided the spur for steady progress at a ferocious pace yet unmatched in the state. As National Chairman of APC, Oshiomhole has demonstrated that party leadership must be driven by vision and a capacity for aggressive campaign activism.
He is, therefore, not only the issue in the politics of Edo State but also, the ubiquitous and irrepressible force at the national level. The more we rise to celebrate an impactful life like this, the more we create more impactful lives to be celebrated!
Osakue, a political strategist / public affairs commentator, wrote from Benin City, Edo State