01/09/2021
RE: THE DAY OF RECKONING: HON. MIKE USIBE & BARR. GODWIN OFFIONO IN VIEW.
The attention of the Hon. Mike Usibe FHoR Campaign Coordinating Team has been drawn to a post by one Mike Odey, in which he viciously and maliciously attacked the person of Hon Mike Usibe.
Ordinarily, one would have just glossed over such personal attacks on the Honourable gentleman, but for the records, a need for a casual response is imperative. We are very civil in our approach to our campaigns and won't stoop low to attacking personalities. PLEASE READ TO THE END!
Politics in our clime and elsewhere is a game of wits, outwitting, maneuvering and outmaneuvering the opponent in order to have your way! Write-ups like this are expected in the buildup to the bye-election to replace Rt. Hon. Jarigbe Agom in the green chambers. The hallmark of a real man is his ability to hold an opinion which ought to be the truth, say it fearlessly and face the consequences of his actions! I respect your opinion and preferences on this issue. However, your write-up is a direct attack intended to denigrate the person of Hon. Mike Usibe in order to demarket him in his aspiration into the FHoR. The question is; will this achieve that purpose? Definitely not!
Please note that Barr. Goffio is my friend of more than three decades. Just like any one of you, my position is driven by my interest and preferences. My interest on this issue is not my good friend Goffio. I'll give my reasons in the course of my analysis.
Comr. Mike Odey, your comparison of the persons and attributes of Usibe and Goffio can only be valid when you put Goffio in a big elective or appointive position where he will be subjected to the pressure that comes with such positions. I'm sure your opinion will not be same thereafter!
I've been conscious enough to follow the dynamics of governance and leadership at the 3rd tier of the government from 1999 to date.
From the democratic governance of 1999-2002, caretaker committee of 2003-2004, another democratic governance from 2004-2007, 2007-2010, 2010-2013, 2013-2016 and the system of governance known only to the "digital" Governor Ayade from 2016-2020!
Hon. Matthew Ojugbo was getting allocations directly from Abuja until Donal Duke felt that the Council Chairmen had become too powerful, so he had to clip their wings! Ojugbo had many projects to his credit. John Eyikwaje came, got little from the State as Donald had effectively emasculated and incapacitated the administrations of the LGAs. He did a couple of projects.
Liyel Imoke came, gave a little bit of reprieve to the Councils at the beginning, funded them to the extent that, Hon. Fidel Egoro executed projects and just like the legendary Chief Michael Odibu, may God bless his soul, even returned unspent funds to Calabar for some guys at the State Ministry of Local Government Affairs to embezzle!. Liyel continued his leniency to the early part of the government of Hon. Gabe Ugor and released a total capital funds sum in the neighborhood of 300 million naria and later commenced the total annihilation of the local government administrations. Hon Gabe Ugor achieved unprecedented fit with projects littered everywhere! Emperor Ayade seamlessly buried local government administration. Not even the directive by the NFIU could remove the stranglehold of the Emperor from the hapless Chairmen of the Councils, as these "chairmen" gleefully sign off the life of the LGAs to Ayade and his family!
It's a public knowledge that local government administration had gone moribund during the tenure of Hon Usibe. I'm not making excuses for him here, but my inquest into his administration revealed that, they got a paltry 30 million naria as capital funds in three years and executed the following projects;
1). Construction of Yala Paramount Ruler's Palace.
2). Construction of double box culvert at Yache.
3). Construction of four classroom block at Izekwe/Okpodon primary school.
4). Construction of one No. solar panel borehole at Okpodon
5). Drilling/installation of 7 Nos. hand pump bore holes in 7 wards including Okpa Oloko, Okuku Ward supervised by the then Hon Councillor, Tom Okpe.
6). Purhase of 28 Nos Motor Bikes for 28 Clan Heads
7). Grading/rehabilitation of Izekwe to Igede road.
8). Rehabilitation of roads at Okpoma.
No land was sold at Okuku market as alleged, rather in conjuction with the Okuku community, portions of market lands were allocated to individuals for development of market stalls.
Please verify the total capital allocations in the three years of the administration of Hon. Usibe, if it's more than 30 million, if it's not, then cost the projects above and you will realise that the IGR and other revenue heads of the Council were prudently applied to achieve this! It's not just a matter of trying to call a Dog a bad name in order to hang it!
Now my reasons for throwing my weight behind Hon Mike Usibe and not Goffio;
1). Hon. Mike Usibe is of the Yala 2 State constituency extraction.
Anybody who can mention one person from that zone who has ever held elective position shared by Ogoja/Yala, CRS north or the entire CRS in the history of our existence as a State should come here and say so, otherwise it has to be constituency 2. Must it be a situation of the strongest carry all? JAJ was a beneficiary of the minority struggle! PLEASE DEFINE EQUITY AND FAIRNESS FOR ME!
2). Hon. Mike Usibe has the requisite composure, competence and experience and can represent us at that level effectively.
3). Like every mortal, Usibe has his own human limitations and can only learn to do better based on feedback from his constituents. Who is a Saint amongst us?
As for the issue of the APC floating a "powerful" candidate, please analyse and calculate; calculus (permutation and combination). Do a Ward by Ward analysis. Yala LGA has 14 Council Wards. 8 in constituency 1 and constituency 2 has 6 Wards. Ogoja LGA has 10 Council Wards. Analyse them Ward by Ward, taking into cognisance the very recent history of elections in our area, number of polling units and the voting strength and you will realise that the APC is in for another round of trashing!
This your theory of "if the APC fields a strong candidate from constituency 1" should be told to the birds!
THANK YOU!
-AUSTIN EBA.
