I was to title this piece: 'Oshiomhole: Demolition as act of self-destruction' butI considered it too simplified because even the nave and undiscerning personsknow that Governor Adams Oshiomhole, with his policy of demolition of illegal structures and some structures that did not contravene any laid down building rules in Benin City, is already on a sloping course to political destruction in Edo State.It is surprising that a government that is seeking the people's support would railroad itself, perhaps motivated by wicked politics, into taking a precipitate action that affects the well-being of the people. The demolition policy is ill-timed; this is why it has not added any value to his government; instead, it has earned him and his government public resentment and opprobrium.I sincerely do not sympathise with him. The comrade governor, the self-acclaimed people's governor (I doubt if he is or ever was) must bear the consequences of his anti-people policy. He must come to terms with the faux-pas he has committed; and what a wrong time to commit it! Perhaps, he is not interested in a second term in office! Otherwise, he would not have launched the immoral policy of demolition of illegal structures, along with legal ones, at this time.There is an ominous air around Oshiomhole and his politics in Edo. He is daily loosing grips and steadily turning himself into a monstrous architect of his own imminent destruction. This time round, he has used the malodorous demolition saga to present himself to watchers of his politics in Edo as a conquistador of the state. But if he has good advisers, or if he listens to their pieces of good advice, he should have known that he is only using the powers of his office to test his will against the collective desire of Edo people for change.The people will certainly triumph in the long run, notwithstanding the propaganda around his below-the-average performance vis--vis the humongous funds that the state, under his leadership in the last three years, has received from the Federation Account and other sources of revenue, including the unnecessary borrowing of over N60 billion from the Capital and the Bond Market to, largely, fund his second term political project (that is if he wants to contest).There is no doubt that his structure within the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state and the political calculations ahead of the July 14, 2012 governorship contest are under present and real danger of disintegration. This is because his actions in the last 10 months have put wedges between him and some prominent leaders and members of his party. And for a vote-seeking governor (that is if he is interested in begging for votes) who should have embarked on conciliatory moves to descend irredeemably into the arena of conflict, then the governorship game may well have been over even before it starts.If I may ask, where was Oshiomhole coming from' He came to power and struck a friendship with the PDP strongman (Anenih), the friendship which initially muted opposition to his position. He pounced on those close to the ousted Governor Oserheimen Osunbor, including the venerable Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia and Peter Obadan, one-time Deputy Governor (to John Odigie-Oyegun, 1991-1993) and retrieved from them cars that the Lucky Igbinedion administration had allocated to them through a legitimate appropriation process.He was soon to find an excuse to fight Anenih, heaping the worst forms of insult on him. What did he do' He ran back to the same Ogbemudia whom he had openly vilified. But then, things seem to have fallen apart as far as this friendship is concerned, with the demolition of two houses belonging to the wife of Ogbemudia by Oshiomhole's Task Force. Is this politics or immorality' Or is it political immorality or immoral politics'In the entire saga, it is the reaction of Oshiomhole to the incident (demolition) that I find curious. In response to public outcry against the emerging trend of using state apparatus to humiliate political opponents, he was to order the immediate arrest of the Chairman of the Task Force on Demolition of Illegal Properties, Loye. He (Loye) is now being tried in the court of law, charged with misdemeanor and abuse of public office.But standard practice would have been summary removal from office of the 'errant' official. But that would not be like Oshiomhole. There had to be melodrama. Read his rationalisation: 'As you have seen, this building that he has destroyed does not in any way affect the moat. There is enough space between the property and the moat.'The fact that you work for government does not give you license to visit harm and destruction on innocent people. I am convinced that he acted in bad faith; he acted in mischief. He is a sadist and his purpose is to bring confusion to the community and confuse the people about the genuineness of our intention.'However, Roland Owie, Senator for Edo South (1999-2003), wasn't so lucky. When his property was demolished on September, 2011, it didn't occur to Oshiomhole to lambast the Task Force Chairman for not taking directive from the appropriate authority before demolishing the building. Let me posit here that the fear of Ogbemudia is the beginning of wisdom for Oshiomhole, or how else does one rationalize his reaction after the demolition of Ogbemudia's houses'But then, read what he said of Loye: 'Major Loye is on his own. Without authorization from the Commissioner, he moved to this location and brought down this building. He is not a Town Planning Officer.He is only to carry out demolitions after a competent officer identifies a property that offends the right of way. He has assumed the powers of the Ministry of Land and Environment. On his own, without being told, he goes about marking houses indiscriminately.'So what is Oshiomhole going to do about the several demolitions that Loye orchestrated' The truth is that Oshiomhole is just being clever by half, as Edo State PDP Chairman, Dan Orbih, has noted. It is inconceivable that the government or Governor Oshiomhole was not in the know of the agency's itinerary for its demolition job.He is not likely to be taken in by the crocodile tears represented by the mock trial of Major Loye. He can see this action as an afterthought. He can now see that dualizing the major roads in Benin City is not all there is to performance. If he is looking for trust, he can see that Oshiomhole is not the one to provide it.So don't blame the retired Brigadier-General for feeling bitter. And don't be surprised that he'll root for a more trust-worthy person, particularly from Edo South where the PDP has decided to pick its governorship candidate, to work with in the 2012 governorship enterprise in order to do more work towards the transformation of the state, while making less noise.Imadiyi is a sustainable development advocate based in Benin City, Edo State.
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