By Isaac Asabor
There is a story whose author is unknown. It is about a water bearer in India who had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
The story had it that for a full two years, this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you”. The bearer asked, “Why? What are you ashamed of?” The Pot replied, “For these past two years I am able to deliver only half of my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you don’t get full value for your efforts”.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion, he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.” As they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it somewhat. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”
Permit me to say that the foregoing story, which is unarguably a magnum opus, is an opinionated response to a civil society group’s challenge to Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu tell Edolites his experience as the basis of becoming Edo State governor. The group, based in Edo State, has in the month of July challenged Ize-Iyamu to parade his achievements while he served as the Secretary to the State Government and Chief of Staff.
The group noted that “Ize-Iyamu and his supporters have been flaunting what they call Abuja’s backing, which they claim, will help them win the election.”
Secretary of the group, Mr. Orobosa Igbinoba, said “we are confident that President Muhammadu Buhari, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the nation’s security agencies will rise to the occasion to protect the wishes of Edo people.
To me, the challenge is more or less like calling Ize-Iyamu a cracked pot as the story above goes without knowing that he has been impacting on the lives of Edo people despite the fact that he has not being opportuned to serve as a governor which would have given the opportunity where his achievements would have become more visible.
It is against the foregoing backdrop that those asking what Ize-Iyamu has contributed towards the development of Edo State should be reminded that in 1990, he established a law firm with other associates as a principal partner. The Law firm was Idahosa, Ahonaruogho & Ize-Iyamu (Solicitor & Advocates). The firm had offices in Benin City and Lagos. As we all know, its takes leadership, intellectual and entrepreneurial qualities to set up a law firm and this can no doubt be brought to bear in governance.
Osagie Ize-Iyamu has also built a business with varied interest, and this culminated in the establishment of the I.O Ventures Limited in 1996, of which he has been Chairman/CEO till date. Added to the foregoing, he has showcased his sagacity in management and entrepreneurial spirit when he set up the magnificent I.O Farms Training Institute- a model farm settlement at Ugbor-Amagba communities in Benin City, Edo State. The institute has turned out hundreds of young agriculturists.
The Training Institute has the triple objective of agricultural training, skills acquisition and youth empowerment, which is a veritable mechanism for the reduction of unemployment, youth restiveness and organized crime.
To those who understand how moral and spiritual rectitude help in building in human capacity, it is expedient to say that Pastor Ize-Iyamu, who is the Assistant Pastor in Charge of Province (APICP) has been at the forefront of contributing to the human development capital of the people of Edo State, and has in that capacity been driving the Christian Social Responsibility (CSR) of The Redeemed Christian Church of God Edo Province 2 in Benin City.
Besides the foregoing, he has consistently committed himself to the propagation of the Gospel as well as the infrastructural development of the Church. With the encouragement and prayerful support of his wife, as well as the commitment of his fellow ministers, he raised the hitherto small parish (branch) to the biggest RCCG Church in Edo State. Subsequently, he was appointed the Area Pastor of the GRA 1 Area Church overseeing three parishes with headquarters at the Upper Room parish. His transformation became an inspiration to thousands of youths in Edo State.
Politically, he began with Chief Lucky Igbinedion, when he was first Chairman of Oredo Local Government Council, Benin City, in 1987, under the zero party system as Personal Assistant.
After the collapse of the system, he sojourned into private legal practice and business, and later was appointed Chief of Staff and Secretary to State Government (SSG) again, under the administration of Igbinedion as Governor of Edo State between 1999 and 2007.
These appointments, no doubt, were evidence of the virtues of loyalty and trust as he elevated the two offices to the enviable status of a melting pot of consultation, strategy and confidence building devoid of arrogance, nepotism and discrimination.
With these two positions of responsibility, he became the man to trust and do business with, the rallying point of energies and ideas. Not only that, he became a critical nexus and strategic catalyst in the government of the state, where he proved to be not only reliable, but dependable, trust worthy and a positive generational ambassador committed to the wellbeing of the Edo people.
After the expiration of the administration of Igbinedion as governor, Ize-Iyamu’s interest in politics did not die with it. He became more relevant with the formation of Grace Group, a political pressure group with the slogan ‘No Man Is God”.
It was from this group that the then Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) sprang up and later, APC with political structure in all the 192 wards, and in the 18 local government areas of Edo State. That same structure midwifed the coming of Adams Oshiomhole as Governor with the coalition of Action Congress and Labour Party.
Like the administration of Igbinedion, Ize-Iyamu played a key role in the Government of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. Although he did not occupy any key position, he contributed to her political development and stability throughout the period until he left to pursue his political carrier in PDP. Save for the power incumbency, political generosity and sagacity of Oshiomhole, the withdrawal of his structure would have capsised the ship of APC in the 2016 governorship election.
To those who have always been mischievously curious about Ize-Iyamu’s experience for him to be voted for in the upcoming election, it is expedient to inform them that prior to his departure from APC in 2014, that he had earned his place as a politician, and he is a personality that is known with non-discriminatory attitude and highly de-tribalized. Not only that, he is open to positive ideas, promoter of progressive agenda for government, a respecter of elders and social values, a nexus of hope for Christians in Government and a crusader of fairness and social justice.
Before his departure, however, he was National Vice-Chairman, South-south of the APC. He was also part of the legal team that drafted the constitution and registration the APC. He is also a former Director General of Oshiomhole’s second term Campaign Organization.
This remained why his bold foot works in partisan politics and public office in Edo State have been phenomenal in scope, depth and intensity, with the resultant effect of re-designing the political landscape. He has remained the calm and deep-thinking political architect, whose courageous designs have re-engineered the hope of the Edo people for good governance and freedom from democratic tyranny.
Above all, it is germane to say that no one is born with gubernatorial experience. It is the experiences that were gathered from different sector of the economy that are usually brought to bear as a governor. Again, it is foolhardy for anyone to suggest that once anyone has had experience as a governor, even when it is obvious he has failed, should be reelected to the same office he messed up. To me, it is logical all Edolites to rally round Ize-Iyamu as the next governor of Edo State. The reason for this cannot be farfetched as he has being outside the government, like the cracked pot, contributed to the wellbeing of Edolites and Edo State better and more impactful than those who can in this context be seen as the unbroken pot and who has consistently held the instrument of governance for close to four years.
