A journey of discovery

BY MICHAEL OVIENMHADA

I had gotten tired of staying abroad, in a country built by others, with the sweat and blood of their own people, Black, White, Brown, and every colour in between. My case is a peculiar one. I am a thorough-bred Benin boy, though born in Lagos. I did my primary, secondary and high school education out of 69, Igun Street, Benin City. That was the community where many of the bonds I have carried through life were formed and nurtured.

I had first returned in 2007 to plant a business. Nigeria has a way of teaching you a lesson on how and how not to do business. I suffered immensely, but while it took a while to recover, I knew for certain that my fate was sealed. I belonged in the Nigerian landscape under the bright Nigerian skies, unyielding in its humidity, unrelenting in its bustling population that strives on—against the odds. There is no doubt in my mind that this is where I belong, among my own people, with my people to be a part of the sculpting of the future, where that future begins with finding a formula that works for the short term, medium term and long term benefit of our people.

I met a man on the plane, a total stranger. As I made to sit next to him, I said to him: “We’re gonna be neighbors for the next 6 hours, so, we had better become friends. My name is Michael Ovienmhada. People call me O’meekey”.

He introduced himself by his first name. And so, as is usual with any two Nigerians in a conversation, everything quickly devolved into politics, intense politics. You can say what you may about the average Nigerian, but one thing you cannot deny him is that patriotic zeal that burns through, seeking solutions to problems that have defied solutions for 63 years, problems that have obvious solutions, but problems for which their solutions lie, in the mind of the average Nigerian in immediate gratification, the future be damned.

Therein lies the dilemma of a leader in the Nigerian landscape —how to lay a foundation for the future whilst not turning a blind eye to the belly needs of the people— the temptation to do things that will cause a leader to be loved by entrenched interests, opinion moulders in society versus doing things for the long term benefit of a larger proportion of the population, therefore, becomes the challenge, a major challenge for such a leader. A simple example comes to mind.

Let’s take a hypothetical man who has been in government since 1999 at the highest corridors of decision-making at both state and national levels, who in these various positions was known to have been adequately compensated. He comes to the governor and says he wants to go abroad for medical attention and wants the governor to pay for it. In times past, this would have been a non-issue. Memo raised, memo approved, hail to the governor. The word spreads — “The governor is very generous. The question that is not asked is— “With whose money?”

The governor cuts right through. He says to himself: “I cannot in good conscience release so much money for the medical treatment of one man. What happens to the gateman who has the same medical issue but lives on a minimum wage of N40,000 a month? Does he not also deserve to be flown abroad at government expense? Is he less a human being, less a citizen than the honourable gentleman who has access to the governor, who has accumulated wealth in his previous forays in the corridors of power, but who has a continued sense of entitlement?” And so, the governor says to the honourable gentleman: “I am sorry sir, but I cannot help you”. The man fumes and storms out.

The governor does not, however, stop there. He calls in his aides and instructs them to create a health insurance scheme, one which will not only benefit the honourable gentleman but will also benefit the gateman. I will be picking up my card when I get to Benin.

I am thankful for the six hours of uninterrupted privilege I had to sit next to a man who in “normal” times with the position he currently holds in Edo state government should have been sitting in first class, but was in economy class with yours truly. It was in that context that I came to an understanding of the quality of the mind of the man whom he serves. Just before we landed in our beloved Lagos, I said to him: “Obaseki will only be loved by history because he believes in the basic philosophy of teaching a man how to fish versus giving a man fish”. We said our goodbyes.

As I jet-lagged through the night unable to sleep, I began to ruminate on the many issues my newly discovered friend and I had touched on. We discussed issues with the deputy governor, issues with Oshiomhole and how the Edo electorate rose up to the occasion to save Obaseki’s second term bid and I wondered what legacy the governor would be leaving behind after eight years of an incredible, life-changing, landscape transforming opportunity. Whilst it was clear from our conversation that he would be leaving behind great IT infrastructure which would guarantee that the next Facebook creator comes from the hills of Kukuruku, it would not be a surprise that the next Elon Musk and Bill Gates might be coming from Ohordua and Iguobazuwa respectively. IT infrastructure is the new leveller in human affairs. A laptop in the hands of a six-year-old child in Auchi is just as good as a laptop in the hands of a six-year-old child in Osaka, Japan. They are now equals. His government has made sure of that as optical fibre cables are being laid across Edo state. He added boastfully: “Edo state government is now 100% digitised—paperless. The quality of the civil service in Edo state is higher than any other in Sub-Saharan Africa”.

My friend, however, conceded that they had not done well with roads. He wonders what magic the governor would be able to pull in the short time left. People want to see good roads. No one cares whether a road is state or federal-owned.

About the 2024 election, I quizzed him if it was true that the governor had an anointed candidate. He hesitated. This is where I believe Obaseki can leave a legacy equal to or greater than his IT legacy. Let him throw it open, not to the man or woman with the deepest pocket, or to a trusted high-achieving friend but to debate. Let him change the dynamics — the way a candidate emerges from the party. The old extortionist approach of getting 100 aspirants to purchase forms who then go on to vie for the attention of 576 delegates otherwise known as kingmakers needs to change. These delegates are tin gods. They crouch like tigers in the Savannah brushes, waiting for prey. When a moneybag without an agenda to change lives emerges, he must therefore come in with vengeance, great vengeance to loot our common patrimony. If a man has paid a delegate millions of naira to get the nomination, no one can deny him the right to loot as well. Obaseki has the power to change all that.

Will he?

Ovienmhada, (O’meekey), an author, inventor, poet, playwright, businessman, wannabe politician and public affairs commentator. He can be reached via [email protected].