By Onome Akpodiete
If dynamic and seamless governance is necessarily the dream and intent of political leaders and if that in turn engineers and drives their political endeavors, then the people have no problem walking up the ladder of good life. The placement of a people on that ladder is a factor of the dreams and carriage of those dreams by that leadership into purposeful and result-driven actions. That brings us to Delta State, Nigeria.
Since the return to democracy, Delta State’s scorecard is been differently represented. James Ibori for sure has registered his name in Education, Roads, Rural Electrification et cetera. Arthur Okowa is giving meaning to his SMART’s program. Okowa’s good run and James Ibori’s corresponding run eight years before him may be encouraging enough, but the State can still be made better, much better. Yes, Ibori and Okowa have appreciably laid the ground work that could usher us to that destination; but it will need a man, a Real Man; an astute and sagacious politician, shrewd manager of men and resources, winsome character that can penetrate hearts, known remarkable achiever across disciplines and endeavors et cetera to get us there. Welcome then, Fred Okiemute Majemite.
It was Narendra Modi that said: “Good governance with good intentions is the hallmark of our government. Implementation with integrity is our core passion”. Majemite hugely buys into that, for when good intention drives governance and integrity propels implementation, it’s only a matter of time bringing home the beacon. This is what Majemite is promising; and certainly, a much rewarding covenant with Deltans this time.
A revelation of humility and urbanity, and yet a stern and unbending fellow in the pursuit of achievement of a common desirable goal, in Fred is a rare combination of two positive extremes. Again, his pleasant disposition and winsomeness makes him the man Deltans would gladly want to see at the helm of affairs in the State.
This democratic dispensation may have been full of turbulence in our State; the path we have trodden so far may’ve been difficult. Even though much of that has been sorted out by the duo of Ibori and Okowa, what is still left undone, however, remains huge and intimidating, and the unseen laying ahead no man can now fathom, but we know as Zig Ziglar would say, “Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. The best is yet to come”.
A raft of good policy decisions, political will to act on the side of the common good, robust execution of informed acts of parliament and good implementation of executive policies which the man Majemite promises and gearing up to drive the State through will take us to the desired beautiful destination. He is fixated on nothing less as we write; his dreams and projections startling, readiness and fitness for the onerous duty, if given the mandate, unquestionable. Robert Tew’s confidence-inspired aphorism or laconic phrase: “Trust yourself. You’ve survived a lot, and you’ll survive whatever is coming”, is apparently one of Majemite’s drives in life.
A man who has known startling successes in his political career, the gubernatorial mandate, if given, will be no exception. Yes, his dream is ‘gigantic’, and he is facing it as if he had known no success hitherto, facing it as the one and only success he needs to achieve; that when he is able to put Delta State in the class of some enviable climes out there, history and posterity will well represent him. Like Obafemi Awolowo, Majemite plans to govern with posterity hugely in focus. Like Awo, no farting, no rigmarole but serious developmental issues birthing turning points will constantly be in the front burner. And who doesn’t know that though long dead, Awolowo yet governs with the foundation, structure and benchmark he left behind in governance. Majemite dreams leaving a tall order behind, a feat that should not only be the talk of the day but that which should be a recurring decimal in discourse on national development, as it was and still is with Awolowo’s feat.
Gigantic dream, realizable vision! And what is more: He has started tacking everything together, for he must hit the ground running. After all, “vision is a destination, a fixed point to which we focus all effort …” (Simon Sinek), or as Brian Tracy would put it, “a clear vision, backed by definite plans, gives you a tremendous feeling of confidence and personal power”.
Though we can already savour much success, courtesy of Ibori and Okowa’s regimes, the best is yet to come. Though Ibori and Okowa have many a times navigated us through thick and thin and we can now get the feel of what the beautiful destination is from afar, we aren’t there yet. Majemite continually hits your mind as that man to take us there.
So, come 2023, we need a good captain to get the baton from Okowa and finish up this most appreciably, one not only to sustain his good run but actually to buckle down more to business, accelerate the pace and increasingly bring home the beacon without fail. But having someone who will undermine this present Okowa’s outing will be unspeakably disastrous. Those characters on the sorry side of politics called APC and others with moot intentions should be properly jettisoned.
Having come a long way, and scored good average as a State in many regards, for that coveted time of reasonable prosperity, great achievement, telling success and soothing satisfaction – the Golden Age – we must now get the man who can apply himself to productive duty, a man with a select team to pitch in, do the required task ahead and thus walk us to that destination. Until governance represents a paradigm, a model or pattern for others – as Awolowo’s Western Government – we really are marking time.
That Majemite’s “indefatigable role as PDP stalwart of our dear state has contributed to the remarkable and modest achievements recorded by the PDP led administrations for the past 20 years of governance” as someone said, cannot be overemphasized. He may not have ran the whole gamut of governance, but with his good and endearing run in government (as Special Adviser, Commissioner and Political Adviser at different times), and close affinity with drivers of the State since 1999, Fred Majemite can not only bring an intimidating scorecard with him to the apex of governance in Delta, but also sure to shore up a testament only to be referenced many years to come. A new and higher benchmark that is.
Akpodiete writes from Ughelli.
