EDO 2016: WHY I WILL VOTE AGAINST OSHIOMHOLE'S
CANDIDATE.
I am one of those that believed that the governor of
Edo State, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole has upped the ante in Edo State
politics and has seemingly raised the bar of governance especially in his first
term in office, this informed the unprecedented overwhelming votes he garnered
across the 18 Local Government Areas of the State in his re-election bid in
2012.
I observed quite honestly that this performance in his
first term though commendable, was over hyped and capriciously amplified.
The political
parties in that election did not also present formidable Standard-bearers.
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| Pastor Ize-Iyamu |
Most of Oshiomhole's opponents had credibility
problems and the media helped to diminish their chances especially the
candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Of course, we
are also not unaware of the covert support he got from the Jonathan's
presidency as a payback for jostling round the country drumming support for the
removal of fuel subsidy.
The very man he is now describing vilely and calling
unprintable names.
In the 2012 gubernatorial election, I refused to
endorse or support the candidacy of Mr. Adams Oshiomhole despite repeated
entreaties and pressure from his cronies.
Some of his allies including serving Commissioners and
political appointees in his government sought to know the reason(s) for my hard-line
stance.
My argument was simple.
The State government under the
watch of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has not fared well with Edo State youths and
Students.
The government had arbitrarily relegated, neglected
and debased education in the State. And as a Students' Union leader then, I had
my facts.
I reeled out my facts and figures! Some became stupefied
and those who were more confrontational drew my attention to the few secondary
schools that had been built or renovated with counterpart funding from the Jonathan
led Federal government.
Yes, I commended the government for such gesture. But
I insisted that the much mouthed 'Red Roofs Revolution' was a fluke and that there
were no teachers, library and science laboratories in those schools and that
the schools were far from being termed 'modern' for lack of basic amenities
including toilet and sport facilities.
Even at that,
the students were fast destroying the wooden tables and chairs because there
were no teachers to at least control and or caution them even if they will not
teach these pupils.
It was and it is also a known fact that most of these schools the
government renovated were situated along major roads for strategic reasons.
Those in the hinterlands were and are still in a terrible shape. The students sat and still sit on bear floors with no adequate
and competent teaching staff.
I went further to assert, that, other than providing bursaries,
scholarships and or loan facilities to
students of tertiary schools in Edo, the Oshiomhole's administration went the
ignoble and treacherous way of sky-rocking the tuition payable by these
students without a corresponding facelift of the infrastructures in these
institutions.
In 2013, I knew for a fact that some departments in
the State owed Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma will lose National Universities Commission's
(NUC) accreditation sooner than later.
Thus, I wasn't surprised when last month; the NUC
announced that AAU had lost the accreditation of seven professional departments
which include; Materials and Production Engineering, Architecture, Building,
Biochemistry, Botany, Microbiology, and Political Science departments.
Only God knows
how the Faculty of Law miraculously escaped NUC's hammer.
I can confidently tell you that, if nothing is
done to address the core issues of under-funding and inadequate staff affecting that school as quickly as possible,
more departments will receive the big blow from the NUC in no distant time.
This will further create apprehension and
disenchantment among the students and their parents.
After Mr. Oshiomhole's Pyrrhic victory in 2012, I
expected that things will transform for the better especially as it concerns
students and youths owing to the numerous promises he made and the assurances
he gave to these oppressed and harassed
set of Edo citizens during the electioneering.
Almost four years down the line, the situation has
become dire.
Quite recently, I took a tour of the various
institutions in the State and I was shocked to see the level of neglect even in
this second and last term of Oshoimhole as Governor of Edo State.
In fact, the halls of residence in AAU are falling apart;
students are jam-packed in these hostels after paying huge sums of money to
secure bed spaces.
Most of the
departments are grossly understaffed leading to loss of accreditation, the laboratories
are empty of basic equipment and books are absent in the main Library.
I recall that in one of the meetings we had with Governor Oshiomhole in January of 2011 at the Governtment House, he firmly told us that plans had been concluded with regards to erecting two standard hostels with world-class facilities in AAU. He confided in us that the architectural design was ready and that the ground breaking ceremony would hold almost immediately. We all clapped and sang his praise albeit obsequiously. We waited endlessly for the foundation laying ceremony, but it never came.
Well, maybe dem don start the foundation as I dey write this piece now.
Complaints about lack of portable drinking water are
almost constant.
I was therefore shocked and embarrassed when the
Governor declared boldly on Channels TV the other day that water is running
everywhere on AAU campus and in Irukpen community all in Esan-West Local
Government Area of the State. He claimed
to have sunk boreholes in these places.
Those on ground know say all na
lie lie.
The Edo State
Library Complex is in bad shape with outdated books. I do not believe that a
single book has been added to that library in the last seven years of this administration.
Despite these depressing and squalid conditions of
tertiary schools in Edo state, the Oshiomhole’s government embarked on an ambitious
project of spending billions of naira building another university in the
governor’s village. I find this very
ironical, disheartening and educationally unwise. The money spent in raising a
new university should have been used to upgrade the facilities at the existing
institutions.
It won’t therefore be out rightly mendacious to aver
that this administration is leaving the students community worse than it met
it.
From College of Education Igueben, to the State
Polytechnic at Usen, from Institute of Agriculture, Iguorhaki to the School of
Health along Sapele etc, it is the same story of lack of infrastructure, lack
of Lecturers and incessant increment of school fees astronomically.
Conclusively, aside other copious reasons, the under-development
of education in Edo State is the focal reason why I will never vote for Mr.
Oshiomhele's candidate in this election.
The candidacy of Pastor Osaige Ize-Iyamu is hereby
endorsed!
I verily believe that Ize-Iyamu knows the importance of education and he will save education and
upgrade facilities in Edo State schools!
Itote Damisa
is a Lawyer, Journalist, Youth Advocate and a former students’ Union Leader.
