David Edevbie
Nigerians are agreed that the nation has made some progress since 1999 in spite of what is happening to us as a nation now. But the progress that has so far been made falls short of the general expectation of the masses who had in the 1980s and 1990s looked forward with eagerness to the enthronement of a democratic dispensation. Since 1999 when we started our present democratic journey we as a people have never given up on Nigeria and its politics. What we have noticed is the interest many Nigerians now show in politics. We have realized that politics is too important to be left for politicians. After all, politics and its end result which are government and governance are about the people for good or ill.
Nigerians now know these and they are now very much involved. What has even made things easy for us as a people trying to negotiate their destiny individually and collectively is the evolution of the different social media networks which have made it possible for many Nigerians to be involved in discussing politics irrespective of their background, status or age.
What many of us have noticed in the new political interest being demonstrated by Nigerians is that the people want to build on the gains we have made. The people do not want a regression to the past. Our people are now forward looking and part of that forward looking attitude is now making them to show interest in who enjoys their electoral mandate as citizens. That is why all over Nigeria the people are clamouring for good and competent candidates who combine character with capacity to run for political offices. The advancement in information technology and digital television has also helped to reduce the world to a small entity so that we know what is happening in other parts of the world.
Our people are now part of a global movement which has been insisting on change and development. This global movement is growing on ideals, ideas and best practices. It is a movement that is irreversible and the current has reached Africa and even Nigeria. The development strides recorded in Rwanda, Botswana, Ghana, Senegal and in other African countries are part of this change. When we look well at Nigeria we are also having a similar experience in Lagos, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Jigawa, Kano, Rivers, Edo, Ekiti, Osun and other states. Although our people still feel that there is still much to be done. What we must come to understand is that these changes or development did not come on their own. They were made possible by the leaders who were determined that they must work for their people.
These leaders see government rightly as a social contract and they bought the ideals of transformational leadership instead of that which is transactional. This is where the people must look for political aspirants or candidates whom the cap fits and not square pegs in round holes. We should question the motives of politicians seeking public office and also bring their antecedents to scrutiny. We should examine their past, their character, capacity and competence. Where have they worked before and what transformational attitude and experience are they bringing to bear on the office they are seeking.
This is the reason why the people of Delta State were very happy when Mr. David Edevbie declared his intention to run for the governorship. Most Deltans fondly remember Mr. Edevbie as the very dynamic and likable Commissioner for Finance between 1999 and 2005. He was undoubtedly Nigeria’s most dynamic Finance Commissioner of the Obasanjo era. He was the arrow head of the campaign that made the Federal Government to begin the payment of the 13% derivation fund. He was the first Finance Commissioner in Nigeria to publish government’s audited accounts. He also introduced the prompt and monthly cash budget for payment of contractors in Delta State. The monumental achievement in infrastructural development in that era was as a result of this innovation.
As Finance Commissioner Edevbie introduced an empowerment programme which has been adopted by many states in Nigeria. He designed and implemented a privatization policy as well as the Delta State Small Business Loan Guarantee Scheme. Edevbie internationalized the affairs of Delta State by floating the Delta State Revenue Bond and won an ”A” International Credit Rating which was the first ever in Nigeria.
In 2007 he became the Director of Finance and Strategy of the Yar’ Adua Presidential Campaign Organization. He was to become Principal Secretary to President Yar’ Adu replacing the out-gone Chief of Staff. Edevbie did so much in Nigeria’s national life. He designed the Seven-Point Agenda, the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, Ministry of Niger Delta, Land Reform, Petroleum Industry Bill, Dredging of the Lower Niger River, and more. Edevbie is a catalyst for transformation.
Edevbie is the kind of personality that will unite Delta and bring cohesion to the state that is now politically divided along ethnic lines. Edevbie is not a power monger whose hold on power would suffocate the political class. He is a team player and a bridge builder. His strategic and management acumen will launch the state into a new sphere of development. He will bring integrity, accountability and transparency to government. He has evolved a people centred programme of action. As a development angel, he was in the league that took development to the Asian continent as part of the countdown to the present millennium. His foreign links will bring foreign investors who will generate employment for the teeming population and upgrade infrastructure. Deltans are united in agreement that Edevbie is the one whom the cap fits. Our development will not be reversed.
Mr.Onwueme lives in Asaba, Delta State.
