Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo, who is more known as Captain Hosa, is a main investor in Edo State, where he has huge investment in greenhouse farming and other areas of vast corporate presence.
He is no doubt a perfect example, a drive and a true motivation to a horde of investors, including those who are Nigerians and indigenes of the state that are somewhat wary of investing and doing business therein. Indeed, Captain Hosa’s usual public testimonies and his exemplary actions that are often witnessed by the global public, is of a man who strives to help make Edo the hub of investment.
Captain Hosa, a son to a visible Reverend gentleman, Edo community leader and a disciplinarian, obviously takes after the trainings and glorious footsteps of the Rev. Robert Okunbo, who passed on some years ago. And so he is a cynosure of respect before a teeming Nigerians, particularly the youths, who see him as a role model, a detrabilised Nigerian, who is sold to the ideals of progressive movement of Nigeria and its peoples. Particularly in Edo, his home-state, he is perceived in the same glowing lights as his late father; a peacemaker, a generous giver and a rallying figure.
Despite his noteworthy stand and immense contributions to society’s wellbeing, in Edo, Captain Hosa is presently being wrongly spotlighted in the contrary, by some detractors, to the effects that he, a notable society builder, is now the very destroyer of a baby to which he is an abiding nuturer. No thanks to a needless campaign of hate emanating from the flank of Mr. Godwin Obaseki, incumbent governor of the state, who Captain Hosa had assisted to power. This, however, is out of a political difference, where Hosa is begrudged for not supporting the governor’s reelection bid, to support Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the governor’s opponent in the forthcoming governorship election in the state. And Okunbo, the very one calling for a peaceful election, especially amongst the youths, is the same alleged to be goading them into violent conducts.
Without gainsaying, if Captain Hosa himself is not already getting frustrated and regretting having come to Edo, his home state, with such huge investments, instead of doing so outside, where many would prefer, indications are that those he had tried to woo to look in the direction of investing in the state, might now be saying that they are damned lucky for not doing so.
However, this takes a queue from the juxtaposed where the Edo State governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, who had always defended the use of Edo monies to scout for local and foreign investors for the state, should be the one to discourage pointless duel with Captain Hosa. Such information of crisis with a key investor could scare away would-be investors if they access such media information.
That brings to fulfillment a commentary in one of my past articles, in which I posited that a governor and a government, who profess to going abroad to woo investors ought to have good working relationships with those who have invested in the state and have stable links with the same investors. Also, it behooves on such governor to appoint seasoned information managers and not inexperienced media handlers whose propensity is divisive and retrogressive information dispense.
Regrettably and similarly, a greater part of the expiring four years tenure of Mr. Obaseki, had been wasted on needless political crisis, which had gone berserk to demean good governance and social service items delivery to the hapless Edo populace, who were in high spirit to vote him to power, four years ago. Blameworthy is the raging crisis that had besieged the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
While the crisis rages on, it was quite obvious that business investments in the ‘civil servant’ state were negatively impacted against, with business recoiling into the doldrums.
By the way, a civil servant state had become an existing Nigerian state, where scanty government’s presence is all that is visible rather than tangible business investments, whereas the hope for more investment inflow is often dashed. Obviously, the Edo political crisis randomly scared away external investors, with low patronage for the small and medium scale businesses and few huge firms existing within.
And apart from medium and small scale business, that barely survive hash investment environment like that of Edo, big time businesses usually need the indigenous local and state governments to create the enabling environment for their survival, much so that invested capital needed to be safely guaranteed.
Some of the promising indigenous entrepreneurs of the South-South geopolitical zone often have their businesses destroyed out of sheer political differences with their brothers and sisters in authourity. Yet, elites from the zone would always play to the gallery and call for tangible business investment in-there. But, as alleged against Messrs. Obaseki and Rotimi Amaechi, two sons from the zone, an ongoing contract awarded to Captain Hosas Ocean Marine Solutions Limited (OMSL), about which the Senate had given Hosa a clean bill of health, was said to be similarly stalled by both men.
A Captain Hosa, who holds one of the keys to the successful marketing of Edo to investors, who had always assisted the governor in the regard, in and outside the country, shouldnt be a subject of the governors media duel. For it is on the public information domain where he was accused of housing some estranged Edo lawmakers in Abuja to fuel his governorship ambition. Also, he had been lampooned for sponsoring a governorship candidate against the reelection ambition of the governor. That done the media was awash about a gun shooting spree at the palace of the revered Oba of Benin, where Obaseki went with his retinue. Captain Hosa was also allegedly fingered as one of the masterminds.
In another instance, the public was startled by Captain Hosas revelation that Edo State government was planning to burn down his multibillion Naira greenhouse farm located in Benin City, the state capital. Also added to the farm which is said to be the largest in West Africa, were series of his huge investments in the state.
It sounds unbelievable that a keen investor would want to cause mayhem in a place where he has vast investment, knowing fully well that they would be destroyed in the ensuing crisis. This is taking into account another accusation through the mass media by the Obasekis led government, that Captain Hosa was recruiting armed youths to disrupt the September 19, 2020 governorship election holding in the state.
▪︎Tony Erha, a journalist and pro-democracy activist, writes from Benin City, Edo State.
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