SMILING ENEMIES WITHIN THE CABINET: ANOTHER OPEN LETTER TO GOV IFEANYI OKOWA

Fejiro Oliver

The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on.
Ulysses S. Grant

The more I try to restrain myself from writing open letter to you as the Governor of Delta State; a bigger force compels me to do so. This force that is more powerful than me convinces me to put pen to paper for two basic reasons: for the greater love of the state and a unflinching love for you.

Your Excellency, I do not like to write letters especially to men. The last letter I wrote was to my former lover way back in the University, and I had forgotten how to write constant letters until you came into power. Fmr. Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan was the last political office holder I wrote letter to when I bid him welcome from his journey as our first citizen, and the expectations that his birthday will no longer get advert spaces as it used to get when he held sway as the numero uno of Delta. Fortunately, you have woken up the spirit of letter writing in me.

Why have I chosen to write to you publicly despite entreaties by well meaning Deltans to talk to you in private? It is because the last one I wrote to you personally and in conjunction with groups saw no action taken. Again, I just feel that the blinding force of power that consumes Africa leaders has descended on you; hence you may never see the things people like us see.

Your Excellency, accept this fact today; you know and see more than me politically, but I see farther than you streetwise, as a street boy, journalist and activist. Your ability to see far politically today is because those of us on the streets chose to vote you in to occupy Dennis Osadebey House in trust for us. It is also the responsibility of people like us who will not be booth lickers or sycophants to watch your back and tell you the truth that some of your over bloated numerous aides who draw salaries without working for it will not tell you.

You are dining with many enemies within your government. You are sleeping with foes in your cabinet and I believe you know some of them, but probably the alleged force of London has tied your hands to wield the big stick.

Have you ever wondered how a minor injury that happened to you in the washroom leaked to the media and it was exaggerated? It was a last minute press release that saved the opposition from descending on you. Do you know that it was one of your cabinet members that told a journalist in bad faith, just to ridicule you?

How long will you keep harboring enemies who collate documents for the opposition against 2019, and yet you do not want to shake up your cabinet for reasons best known to you. Don’t you see how Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers State suspends Commissioners who misbehave and sack those he suspects to be moles?

Are you not aware that Gov. Udom Emmanuel without batting an eyelid dissolved his entire cabinet and his godfather Godswill Akpabio did not cough neither did the heavens falls? Rivers and Akwa Ibom people are happy with their governors for taking such hard decisions. It simply shows that they are in control of their states, even though they have godfathers, which is a public knowledge.

Then what is the arrogant David Edevbie, your Commissioner for Finance still doing in your cabinet. Are you aware that Edevbie was the person who helped to bail former SSG, Ovuzorie Macaulay from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when he was invited for questioning over petitions written against him? For the records, Macaulay is a member of the All Progressive Congress (APC) who is just in PDP to destroy it.

Edevbie is one of the moles planted to reel out documents to be used against you in 2019. The battle to unseat you has already begun, and unfortunately, you do not have the financial muscle to withstand them. The only power you have is the goodwill of the people you govern, which people like Edevbie and Macaulay are poisoning their minds against you. You need to stand with the people especially now that you do not have the Federal powers that controls security and INEC

Dan Okenyi emergence as your Commissioner for Lands and Survey is one mistake which may consume you if you don’t act fast. He’s your kinsman, but certainly does not mean well for your government. His policies are not only unpopular but capable of causing uprising against you. With a notorious sponsor of Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) Frank Omare whom you made Director General of Special Programmes and Land Task force Chairman, you can be sure of losing the votes of Okpanam people in 2019 election. By the way, Omare is reaping where he did not sow. His role is the 2014 primaries in not lost on some of us.

A government that means well will not impose N1.5 million just to get Certificate of Occupancy, in a glorified village, with bad roads capable of sinking a car during the rainy season. Today Sunday, the landlords held a meeting against you? Nobody cares to know if Okenyi or Omare are the persons carrying out this demolition threat; all they know is that you sent them to inflict pains on them. Even if this must be done, should it be during your first term in office and when everyone is dying of hunger due to starvation. Accept it from me Your Excellency, none of the landlords there can even pay Three Hundred Thousand Naira now to your government. Whoever advised you to carry out such action has succeeded in setting you up against those you rule. This is certainly not part of the prosperity agenda.

Did I tell you that even though your Commissioner for Transport, Vincent Uduaghan is performing well, despite some fraudulent allegations against him; he’s one of the moles in your government? Vincent is a fantastic performer but in his smiles and performance lies the daggers.

DESOPADEC is one board that Deltans will use to judge you ahead of 2019. Williams Makinde whom you made the Managing Director was the very person who told those who cared to know that you used the commission N2 billion to sponsor Edo State election. Even though he knew it was false, everyone believed him due to the position he holds in your government. Very loquacious person who keeps no secret, such should not be found near sensitive materials of government.

Can you do yourself a favor? Scrap DESOPADEC as a commission. It has outlived its usefulness. Akwa Ibom with its oil does not have such fraudulent agency. River State does not have it, just as Cross River has no business with such commission that enriches few. Deltans will be glad to see you sack all the board members, transfer the staff to other ministries and use the money meant for it to develop every part of Delta equally.

Let me stop here for now, but expect the part three of my memo next week, as I have promise to write open letters weekly to you on performances of your appointees.

These little things matter…

Fejiro Oliver is Editor In Chief of Secrets Reporters News, Investigative Journalist, Media Consultant and Human Rights Activist can be reached on +2348022050733 (SMS ONLY) or secretsreporters@gmail.com. Engage him on twitter on @fejirooliver86.