If you can select your deputy in any position, be it in politics, business, or social setting, what would be your top priority? Is it loyalty, capacity or what? In a leadership sense, your deputy must be someone who can see beyond your dreams and selflessly give himself or herself to the common goal. He must be someone you can trust to deputise for you in all capacities. He must be your worthy successor who can take the dream beyond the limit of your time and existence.
The selection, experience and the reality of deputy governors in Nigeria are different from my opening paragraph. Deputy governors in Nigeria have been endangered species involving in many of the tough love gone bad between them and the governors they won elections with. The exception to this is Philip Shaibu who has so far proved to be a different breed deputy governor in the Edo state drama. What is different about the man-Philip Shaibu?
I am not sure the people of Edo state will want to give Adams Oshiomhole his fourth term in office as the governor of Edo state by electing Osagie Ize-Iyamu as their governor next Saturday. In the last gubernatorial election in the state, Oshiomhole description of Ize-Iyamu with various acrimonious words in favour of Godwin Obaseki is enough proof of the politics of the carrot we have allowed in Nigeria. I am sure the River Jordan would not have watched Ize-Iyamu for the APC’s candidacy if not for the desperation of Oshiomhole, the uprightness of Shaibu and the boldness of Obaseki to challenge the godfathers of the state. It is not a good omen for our politics of no ideology to see the carpet crossing and recycling of candidates between the PDP and APC in Edo state.
We need more of the young Philip Shaibu’s loyalty to their masters if it is in the best interest of the people and to institutionalise our political system
It shows how desperately united the political class can be in their quest for power. Be that as it may be, the only reason Obaseki stands the chance of completing his tenure is simply the man Philip Shaibu. Without Shaibu purported principle and relational intelligence, the story would have been different. Obaseki has a credit in his relationship with Shaibu, and this might likely be the ‘Queen’ in his chess game against Oshiomhole. If you are in doubt of the power of Shaibu and the potency of Obaseki’s relationship management skills, read the next paragraph.
In eight year of his tenure, a former governor in Jigawa state had three deputy governors. A deputy governor’s sin in Bayelsa truncated his master’s ambition and wasted over 300,000 votes of the people. In Nigeria, the sins of the deputy governors and their frosty relationships with the governors in power tussles that are never in the interest of the people. Asiwaju Tinubu changed his deputies’ twice-Kofoworola Bucknor and Femi Pedro but made progress and that was a rare exception. Aside from Lagos and Jigawa, the movie titled ‘entangled governors and their deputies’ was acted in Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Ondo, Osun, Ogun, Oyo, Plateau, Niger, Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Bayelsa, and Zamfara states. Where else are we looking in Nigeria? Recently, a former deputy governor celebrated the successful completion of his eight years tenure in office with a thanksgiving service in the church. Are deputy governors’ endangered species? There is a cost to the masses if the governors and their deputies are at war and using the state’s resources to fight political battles. These fights for successions or supremacy also involve the states’ assembly and judiciaries that are in most cases, weapons of massive destruction of the deputy governors.
Again, what is different about Philip Shaibu? Why is it difficult for Adams Oshiomhole to get Shaibu to grab the carrot of replacing Obaseki instead of going for the rotten fruits he condemned four years ago? What has Obasaki done differently in the governor-deputy governor relationship in Edo state that made his house of politics undividable for the Abuja merchants?
We need more of the young Philip Shaibu’s loyalty to their masters if it is in the best interest of the people and to institutionalise our political system. It is shameful to see Oshiomhole going around to campaign for Ize-Iyamu as it is for Obaseki to be the PDP flag bearer in the coming election. It confirms the shamelessness of our politics and the ‘demoshameology’ (the politics for personal gains) we practice in Nigeria. However, every adversity has within it the seed of an equal or more significant benefit, according to Napoleon Hill. The seed of benefit and ideology in the Edo state House of Drama is a deputy governor who is standing with his principal ignoring the promises of the godfather and the ambition to be a governor as soon as possible.
The political credentials of Philip Shaibu are rich, as stated on his website. Philip could be the new political with a radical departure from the old norm-the game of the godfather. Shaibu has put his neck on the gun for what he believes in and for Obaseki particularly. Will posterity to judge him right. I am not eligible to vote in the Edo state election, but my vote would not have been for Obaseki nor Ize-Iyamu despite the former giant strides and his readiness to fight the godfathers. My vote would have gone to Philip Shaibu, a 50years old deputy governor. He chose to go through the lane not popularly journeyed by the past deputy governors for an Obaseki and the people of Edo state. I do hope the future in terms of a second chance for Obaseki, an improved educational rating, available healthcare services and increase the standard of living for the Edoites will justify Shaibu and writes his name in gold among politicians in Nigeria. I do believe the reward for being patriotic till the end that favour and prod Goodluck Jonathan to the presidency will one day push Shaibu to more leadership positions in Edo state and Nigeria.
Suppose Obaseki remains the governor beyond Saturday, September 19, 2020, and becomes the man of the year in Edo state for the killing of the godfathers. In that case, kudus will be for Philip Shaibu, who is not just a deputy governor but a leader that shows character beyond self-gratification for his people. On Saturday, my vote is for Philip Shaibu as governor of Edo state and Godwin Obaseki as the Edo state’s man of the year.
Babs Olugbemi FCCA, the Chief Responsibility Officer at Mentoras Leadership Limited and Founder, Positive Growth Africa. He can be reached on [email protected] or 08025489396.
