At exactly 12.20 pm on Saturday, November 12, 2016, Mr. Godwin Enogheghase Obaseki was sworn in as the Governor of Edo State in a colourful ceremony which took place at the main bowl of the Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City. The event which was described as a national celebration because of the calibre of dignitaries that graced the occasion, saw the immediate past governor of the State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole formally handing over the reins of power to Obaseki and his deputy, Mr. Philip Shaibu.
The ceremony attracted the who-is-who in the country, including President Muhammadu Buhari, who was represented by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dogara, Former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon; the national chairman of the APC, Mr. John Odigie-Oyegun; several state governors, captains of industries among others. All formalities having been completed, Governor Obaseki performed his first task by declaring his agenda which constitutes his social contract with the people of Edo State. Although his vision and goals had been unveiled a couple of months ago during his campaign as his manifesto, restating them shortly after subscribing to the various oath of office, clearly showed that he is legally bound by his declaration.
Obaseki vowed to carry the people along in his pursuit of what he referred to as the building of a new and great Edo State, and this he had summarized in “LET’S GO FURTHER TOGETHER”. The governor has set a target for himself and his administration which he has anchored on the creation of 200,000 jobs in the first four years, focusing on agriculture with further job opportunities, industries including micro, small and medium scale, education, infrastructure, security, youth and women empowerment, civil service reform, among others. The New Diplomat has assessed these goals set by the governor, the possible challenges that lie ahead of him and the options open for him to achieve the set targets.
Funding
Edo State has been rated as the second most indebted state in the country, next only to Lagos State. But some believe the State is the most indebted because the ratio of the percentage of its indebtedness to its internally generated revenue is nothing compared to that of Lagos State. However, Gov. Obaseki’s measure of success in achieving his dream for a newer and greater Edo State will be determined by his ability to source funds to drive his vision. Conspicuously present to celebrate his inauguration were the ‘who-is-who’ in the corporate world: the Dangotes, the Otedolas, the Jim Ovias and a host of others. Can he reach out to these corporate friends of his to attract cheaper funds to transform Edo State? He must hit the ground running to make a difference in the lives of Edo people, the same way his colleague, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode is currently doing in Lagos State.
Political will
Going down memory lane, it is very easy to juxtapose the scenario that produced the immediate past governor of Edo State, Oshiomhole eight years ago with the present scenario that brought in Obaseki. Oshiomhole, The New Diplomat gathered, rode on the crest of the political strength of some notable political godfathers in Edo State to become governor. These include the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in the September 28, 2016, election, Pastor Ize Iyamu, Chief Tom Ikimi among others. But for him to achieve the dream of his administration, Oshiomhole had to take responsibility and breake away from the control of those godfathers. Indeed, he stepped on sensitive toes and became estranged by his effort to assert independence. Most people believe his level of success was determined by his ability to take responsibility for all his action.
As Gov. Obaseki mounts the rostrum of leadership in Edo State, can he avoid undue influence from his “god fathers” and become independent-minded?
The New Diplomat are of the opinion that Obaseki has learnt the political ropes in the last eight years he worked with Oshiomhole and had become wise enough to ensure that his success will depend on how independent-minded he acts a governor.
Nature of Cabinet
In constituting his cabinet, Gov. Obaseki is likely to face some challenges. The New Diplomat gathered that there might be the possibility of confrontation with those political leaders whom he had pledged to be loyal to in the choice of who makes it to his cabinet. He has appointed the erstwhile director general of his campaign organization, Mr. Osarodion Ogie, as the Secretary to the State Government, a choice that naturally was his to make. As a technocrat himself would he be disposed to a cabinet dominated by technocrats or a fifty-fifty mixture of sort? How would Obaseki cope with the long list of corporate friends most of who are outside the state and the political class? Would he go for a bloated cabinet to satisfy the political class and others who assisted him to his exalted position or would he go for a manageable exco and ministries that would not put pressure on the dwindling state finances.
Pending election petitions
“If after the swearing-in ceremony, Obaseki goes to sleep thinking all is well, then he must be joking”, a respondent told The New Diplomat. In fact, on the day Gov. Obaseki was subscribing to the various oaths at the swearing-in ceremony, his adversary in the September 28 election, Ize-Iyamu was busy putting up structure which he called Mandate Recovery Forum somewhere in the state capital. Already, Ize-Iyamu has filed a petition at the Election Tribunal sitting in Benin. But it is obvious that Obaseki is not losing sight of it. The case of Prof. Osunbor whose governorship was truncated by the election petition and the emergence of Comrade Oshiomhole’s first tenure governorship will certainly be a reminder for Obaseki to pray hard and work hard to sustain the mandate given to him by the Edo people.
- Revenue Drive
At the point where former Gov. Oshiomhole’s tenure was winding up, there was already a build-up of frustration among the people of Edo who felt that the government’s revenue drive through its tax policy was not only oppressive but punitive. But behind the scene, some knew that the new governor, Mr. Obaseki was actually the tax master in Oshiomhole’s administration. How Obaseki can manage his tax policy to prevent discontent from the people and at the same time achieve his goal of service delivery will, indeed, be a challenge.
- The Transport Sector
A thriving business in Edo State which any governor in power cannot close his eyes to is transport. There are several stakeholders some of whom constituted themselves into associations and groups and they offered their support to the new governor during the electioneering campaigns. Obaseki is going to be faced with the challenge of which group to recognize and who to give appointments. How he is going to manage the motor parks and the thousands of members of the transport workers across the state is an issue that will require wide consultation by the new governor.
- Ongoing projects
Obaseki has pledged to continue with ongoing projects he inherited from his predecessor. This pledge has been interpreted by analysts as merely a demonstration of his loyalty to his predecessor. The New Diplomat’s survey indicated that there are some ongoing projects in the state which have more of political undertones than being for the improvement of the quality of lives of the people. Can Obaseki continue to vote funds for such projects in deference to his predecessor?
- Relations with State House of Assembly and National Assembly members
To many, Obaseki is more of a technocrat than a politician. The Edo State House of Assembly is a very vibrant one. It has the capability of rising to its responsibility as demonstrated on several occasions even during the reign of Oshiomhole. Can Obaseki manage the relationship between the Executive and the Legislature in a manner that would not engender crisis? National Assembly members from the state also wield authority and capacity to mobilize the grassroots when the need arises. Obaseki must have to fall back on his political experience in the past eight years to forge a solid relationship with the legislature if he must succeed.
- Relationship with deputy governor
Mr. Philip Shuaibu has been known as a radical lawmaker in the state. A fearless one, he confronted Chief Igbinedion, a PDP stalwart in Edo South during the regime of Oshiomhole when he introduced some form of property tax reform in the state which the Esama considered uncomfortable. The memory of Shuaibu’s yeoman job in the floor of the Edo State House of Assembly will con linger for some time to come. Can Obaseki maintain a smooth relationship with Shuabu? This is an area he has to explore very seriously.
- Second Term Interest
Another area of challenge is whether Obaseki will nurse a second term dream and if so, how soon? This is an area which, if not properly handled, will heat up the polity. Those who do not wish him well will play up this card of a second term even when the governor is yet to accomplish his vision for the first. This could jeopardize the relationship with some of his close associates and if not properly managed would result in misrepresentation and wrong interpretation.
- Unity of the State
Governor Obaseki needs people to work with, not only his political supporters but the entire Edo State. Therefore, the task of forging a strong unity and cohesiveness of the people of the state to share in his dream of a new and greater Edo state is one that must be done. He acknowledged, in his inaugural speech, that he may not be a repository of knowledge and therefore must avail himself of the positive side of criticism to enable him acquaint himself with the psyche of the people.
- Oshiomhole’s mistakes
Towards the end of Comrade Oshiomhole’s tenure, there appeared to be a general apathy towards him over some perceived excesses. There were allegations of disrespect and high-handedness against the former governor. Analysts believe this almost worked against the chances of Obaseki in the September 28 election. He should therefore avoid the avoidable mistakes of his predecessor.
