He who must come to equity must not forget that cleanliness is sacrosanct. You do not fight the anointed and expect to be favoured. Indeed, this is a master class of the Governor to ascertain how unfocused and irrational he is towards discharging his mandate to Edo state.
That Clem Agba is a government official does not make him a less threat to those who perceive his outstanding and enduring work as a threat. Many who have a foresight and lovers of development have easily distinguished him from others, following the manner he craves for development and the ability in keeping to his promises, not only making sure things are done diligently, but follow the right way towards making the people happy; his ingenuity in governance has endeared him to the public at local, state, national and most recently international levels, following his practicality in dispensing what belongs to the people to them.
I have followed his policies and programmes, and I see a man who had, from the beginning, not now, given a voice to the voiceless; everyone I came across confirmed that, what he does today is not strange to them but why he has not changed over the years and following his involvement in politics is what amazes them.
He could go to the extent of fighting for people he has never met; so, feeling threatened by Clem Agba cannot be misconstrued by the public, even though the present dictators of our dear state are on the plough to drag him into what they paint as community clash.
Immediately, the dictators came at it again by dethroning the King of Uzanu, HRH Chief Benjamin Ikane, after they previously abused the office when their first assignment was to change the official address of Edo University, and having communicated with quite a number of Edo people living home and in the Diaspora, I realised that those who clapped for him in the past were so disappointed at his famous abuse of the Oath of office; I write to educate the public who may at this time be misled.
“We woke up to read the sad news of my boss but that community has experienced peace, traditionally, so what is the link between boundary issues and dethronement of king? For this man called Obaseki, to have done this further confirms that what they said about him is true and it is being displayed because he is acting like a “demigod”.
My disposition and why I never supported Godwin Obaseki and Philip Shaibu in the beginning to run the affairs of the state is now validated.
When Obaseki was introduced, I saw someone who lacks moral strength to serve a state, expatiating, therefore, as an enlightened, educated, experienced and well cultured media personality and as a child who was mentored by a liberal father, I knew from the day one that a bad product was being introduced to my dear state; my father then, used to tell me that a good product is bought and not introduced and he mentored me to grow up to be a good product. This alone and many other events made me to lose hope of having a better Edo in Obaseki. I had met him in several places; he is empty and short of intellectual oil to grease the state and that is what he displays today.
When Philip Shaibu was elected to represent my Constituency at the House of Representatives in 2005, I knew he was not going to make us proud because his ‘thuggish’ nature won’t flourish on the floor of the National Assembly. I supported him to succeed but when he was asked to become a running mate to Obaseki, I knew his supporters had made a huge mistake and I wrote several articles to say Shaibu won’t do well at the state level because of his bullying tradition.
It is very clear today that, what I predicted has come to pass and the people are dumfounded and disappointed in their immoral attitude and hatred for those who are not in their camp.
Who signed the letter and in whose interest?
Even a primary six pupil would not write such an empty letter, obvious enough to know they are haters of development and the said undated letter without an extract of the Constitution backing the decision, and shabbily written can lead them to a sad end and confuse the good people for ages.
It was in 2017 after they were already forced on us that those who described me as a rebel started seeing that they had a prophet in me, who spoke to them but they did not listen. It is very painful the extent we as a country have been impoverished and highly ignorant to understand when to speak truth to power.
On boundary issues; boundary issues are as old as the creation of the world, and often come with conflict of interests. As a conflict resolution officer, was Comrade Philip Shaibu supposed to act against the will of the peaceful people or to broker peace in the needed area with an unbiased mind? The fact that Shaibu is a mediator has posed a lot of threat to innocent people in Edo state; the moment you are not in his camp and it happens that you have land issue, you automatically become the next target, either to be detained (the elders are still detained till date), beaten (lots of youths have been harassed to death) or dethroned; information reached me while I was talking to my people over the weekend that he (Shaibu) already had more names of traditional rulers in his bad book. If nobody talks and speaks truth to power, I will and it will be on record that I did.
There is nothing a thug will do to broker peace; it is not possible, peace keepers do not have history of thuggery; they are the most respected people on earth. They are those who pass judgment with conscience and not led by emotions and personal vendetta. Shaibu needs to be called to order now.
On Uzanu Community; after the Easter celebration, I did my routine responsibility as a stakeholder of Edo state by going round the communities in the three Senatorial Districts. Uzanu was one of them and I met some of the traditional rulers; so far, I focused on their peaceful coexistence, in various times they spoke the same voice “amongst the traditional rulers and the people there have been peace”; the traditional Institutions need an urgent strenght to fight a dictator who does not want to learn from previous crises as a mediator but rather, chose to reopen them to settle scores.
Dethroning a king and maybe imposing another one will only ensue crises that will linger after Shaibu, Obaseki and Osarodion have gone fulk cycle as “demigods”; some have come and gone. One day, we all will be gone; nobody will remember us for the physical things we acquired but the impacts-whether good or bad- we have made. We have been taken backward as a people, and they should be told that dissolving a clan (that was properly established) just for political reasons, means that we don’t want to develop and move forward; anyone who claps for these three dictators in Osadebe house have betrayed the state and they are enemies of the people.
When Agba was a Honourable Commissioner for Environment during Comrade Adams Oshiomhole administration, it is on records that farm roads that had never been read about or seen on the Edo state road map since its inception were not only created by pencil but constructed; these are roads constructed in various parts of the state, South, Central and North. Again, when he was appointed Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Agba, felt it was a wise idea to bring more succour to his people and Nigeria at large; while others in various states are enjoying the construction of the rural road projects, his home people are witch-hunting him by dethroning his King and dissolving his Clan, just to drag him into what he hates most, crisis.
Agba is an enlightened individual, having worked with Chevron, a Multinational Oil Company for decades; what the state Governor, his Deputy and Secretary to the state government are doing will not in any way affect his beliefs of putting his people first before himself.
The duos are fighting a lost battle. Yes, it hurts, very hurting to fight when there was no need to embark on such in the first place, but are they really fighting him or the people? I only feel for that peaceful man, woman, youth and child in those communities for the poverty they have been afflicted with.
That Agba played a pivotal role to settle the age-long disputes of Uzanu did not make him the owner of Uzanu Clan; he only facilitated within his powers what was necessary and in line with development plan of the state. What Obaseki and his thugs have done is watering down the throne of tradition and this calls for many questions. Or maybe they tried to replicate the dethronement of Emir of Kano, but on what basis? That they feel threatened Agba is doing well and outsmarting them to lifting the people from poverty and how did that affect the peaceful and innocent King? Why would they take advantage of land issues to dethrone a King and to punish the people he represents? This is sad!
There is a saying that “while you may be having it good on the swing on your side of life, others may be frustrated by life.” So, If the present government has nothing to offer Uzanu people and Edo state in general they shouldn’t hurt the people. I would not want to talk to other representatives (the Judas) from Agba’ home town who sold their brother for political agreement, but time shall tell the role they all played in this era and posterity will remember them for how they muted development in the community, all because of selfish interest of not being happy with their brother who has the foresight to make his people happy. Judas did not survive it, the Bible stated.
They have not surprised me as others have expressed because even when Jesus was sinless, he was tempted by the devil, betrayed and persecuted. So, it has been on record that when you are good, you are heavily envied by those who see the same opportunity and did nothing and see the good one as outsmarting them and that is the recent case of Obaseki/Shaibu and Osarodion crucifying the wrong person.
Jesus was tempted and Agba has been tempted; the Bible tells me in Mathew 26:21 that “Blessed is the man who endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him’; in 1Corinthians 10:13, it says “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it”; the book of Luke also tells me “Then said he unto the disciples, it is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come” and to end this, Mathew has a word for Obaseki, Shaibu and Osarodion for issuing a warrant of arrest on someone who was on his own: “But who so shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a milestone were handed (hung) about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea”.
Shaibu, your frivolity and dictatorship are born out of your political immaturity and arrogance but I did not forget that an empty can makes the loudest noise. Uzanu is a peaceful clan and no matter the depth of your aim to disintegrate them, unity remains their identity. Your quest for security vote (fund) and your inability to maintain peace have blinded you from identifying peace from war, issues from conflict and friendship from hatred. There have been several cases of land disputes in nook and crannies of Nigeria, the government has intervened in several of them but not with this approach of vendatta. You have failed in your quest to unsettle Edo state and you are beginning to expose your incapacity. Shame on you!
In evidence with the document dated 11 November, 1975 co-signed on behalf of both Communities, it shows why the shabbily written letter of the duos of Osadebe house cannot be recognized and why the community will remain one, peacefully and co-exist and not yield to any pressure from external forces.
I conclude to remind the dictators and their cohorts that, ‘God does not abandon those who believe in Him, and He won’t spare those who want to make His children to fail regardless of status’.
▪︎This piece was culled from theimpactng.blogspot.com
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