Ochei and His Infantile Ramblings

By Patriot Dantes Odogu

Our attention has been drawn to the interview granted by Hon Victor Ochei to some faceless and attention – seeking Online Platforms in the State.

At first,I bothered to peruse the article to see the make- up of the team of interviewers and when I saw it was Hard Reporters that led the band of janjaweed journalists,I knew immediately that these unprofessional media men- bereft of the basic and traditional rudiments of journalism-were only after the Honourable for nothing but the need to have a relatively ‘ big political fish’ making the headlines for their characteristically sensational and bogus tabloids at the beginning of their hazy fiscal year.

It is indeed curious that not only was no journalist from any reputable tabloid or newsprint a part of the Team but none of them subsequently found it necessary to syndicate the said interview.

Anyway, I do not intend to dwell here on the unabashed awe for Hon Ochei by these hungry journalists, of which unfortunately their leading and praise-singing questions and misplaced interjections obviously betrayed throughout the interview.

Neither am I also intending to dwell on the over- hyped celebration by Hon Ochei since being called to bar; a celebration which though welcomed initially, has now become nonetheless derailed and amplified beyond what is permissible just for the Honourable to score some political points and perhaps secure some positioning in the political space.

To some of us, only two or three issues are of interest in that lengthen interview so awash with nothing more than nuggets or platitudes simply seeking the deification of the Honourable.

These issues will be tackled albeit scantily in this piece.

First, Hon Ochei only showed his lack of tact, desperation and hypocrisy when he rambled on that President Buhari is the best thing to have happened to Nigerians in recent times.

One cannot but pity Hon Ochei as he painstakingly attempted to excuse President Buhari from his gross leadership inadequacies by situating the failures of the latter on the dwindling oil revenues especially in the past 2 years.

To the warped or short- fused mentality of Hon Ochei, Nigeria’ s  oil should be blamed for the current and avoidable cluelessness in all sectors of the Nigerian State.

Anyway, rather than rant morbidly, Hon Ochei should have simply enumerated the sterling or to borrow his newly- found cliche, the ‘ Star Projects’ of the President which have secured and sealed his total support for the President come 2019.

Perhaps, the most revealing aspect of Hon Ochei’s unfettered hypocrisy is his reference to the fight on corruption as the major basis of his support for the President.

Unknown to himself, Hon Ochei has shot himself on the foot by talking so saintly in reference to corruption.

Maybe Hon Ochei could be magnanimous enough to tell Deltans how much he was worth before his foray into politics. What are the sources of his current gargantuan wealth aside Government patronages, kickbacks and overblown contracts? What happened to his involvement in the controversial IPP which has become a sour taste in the mouth?

Indeed, going by the initially presumed colouration that Nigerians had of Buhari’s fight on corruption, it is plausible to say here that the likes of Ochei should ordinarily be facing probes or in jail right now as they are made to explain the acquisition of their sudden wealth. But alas, in APC, every misdeed is pardoned once the affected individual adorns the toga of APC’s whitewashed progressivism.

To Hon Ochei, President Buhari may be well respected outside the shores of the nation but this his inferred respect cannot unfortunately obliterate the sordid records associated with Babachir’s grass cutting scandal, neither will it stifle Buhari’s complicity or duplicity in Mainagate and Baru’s unaccounted 25 billion Dollars oil deal alongside other equally corrupt practices that have become the hallmark of the Buhari- led Administration.

In any case, Buhari’ s integrity has up till now been unable to bring back all the foreign multinational companies and investors who fled the country by virtue of the bizarre economic, fiscal and monetary policies adopted by him ; policies  which are curiously reminiscent of his dismal showing in1984.

On President Buhari’s achievements in the Agricultural sector, Ochei must understand that paper statistics do not translate to tangibles. Nigerians can only believe his claims when the prices of staple foods like rice and maize come within the affordability of the already economically impoverished average Nigerian.

On the second issue, I would have been a bit surprised had Hon Ochei described the Okowa- led Administration any better than he did. That’s characteristically the APC way- run down the Government but show crass incompetence when later in the saddle!

Is Ochei not outrightly mischievous to have excused President Buhari’s prevarication and failings on dwindling oil revenues but will show no consideration for his State Government whose major source of revenue is same oil?

Nonetheless, Hon Ochei can as well bury his head in shame since for inability to stem his unbridled partisanship, he has become blind to the myriads of road construction/ completion across the State, rehabilitation and equipping of primary, secondary, technical and tertiary schools,empowerment programmes particularly for youths( eg YAGEP, STEP) which have currently made the much-touted N- Power programmes of the Federal Government pale into insignificance or abeyance.

Furthermore, since facts are sacred, Hon Ochei should inform Deltans why they should believe him rather than the independently researched rankings by the National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria and Africa Leadership magazine that indicated the economy of Delta State under Gov Okowa as second and fourth respectively in the nation in 2017.

Lastly,it is saddening that Hon Ochei has become the epitome of what it is to have a man chasing rabbits while his house is in flames.

Pertaining to the LG Elections on Saturday, what now warrants Hon Ochei’s hue and cry when it is obvious that his party rather than campaign vigorously in order to solicit the votes of Deltans, has chosen to remain immersed in the mire of ego trips, power play, cult-like divisions and laughable dependence on the influence of the Federal Government?

For Hon Ochei himself, what votes is he expecting and from which electorate when rather than hit the field to woo the electorate, he’s been stymied in the infantile reverie that the ‘High and Mighty’ in the land attended his law graduation party?

Anyway, Hon Ochei should keep his unsolicited advice to DSIEC and Delta Electorate to himself.

One fact however remains sacrosanct: Delta Electorates will vote massively for the PDP come Saturday because they have eyes to see the massive infrastructural, human and capital developmental projects of the Okowa- led Administration.

For now, Ochei needs this piece of advice himself : rather than claim that he believes that there is unity in Delta APC just because most of the implacable Delta APC warlords decided to temporarily set aside their differences to attend his politicized graduation party, he should seek as a self- acclaimed arbitrator, the quick setting up of a peace- finding or conflict resolution committee which is to imminently redeem the already battered and tattered Delta APC presently at the mercy of the political cabals and fiefdoms of the Chiefs Ogboru, Emerhor, Cairo, Prophet Jones… …unfortunately, the list is quite a long one indeed.

Patriot Dantes Odogu is the SA to the Delta State Governor on New Media