By Zik Gbemre
Our attention was drawn to a funny and rather unfortunate twist of events when it was reported that the newly sworn-in Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa could not gain access to the State’s Government House due to unavailability of the keys to the said House. What was supposed to be his first working day for Delta State Governor, turned into an embarrassment as he was unable to gain access into his office at the Government House complex?
For us, this is rather not a good development no matter the excuses put forward. It raises a whole lot of questions as why a supposed newly sworn-in Governor of Delta State could not gain access to his office on his first day at the Delta State Government House. When things like this happen, it could be a sign of a lot of things that are subject to so many interpretations.
For a start, considering the fact that the transition of a new government is usually something that is planned for several months and weeks before the D-day of handover to a new government comes, there is therefore no excuse whatsoever to have warranted the said embarrassment to the new government in Delta State. Was this a ‘deliberate ploy’ by the immediate past government of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and his aides to buy more time for themselves to carry out whatever ‘evil’ they have left to tidy up in the Government House complex? Do they have ‘stolen money’ in “Ghana-must-go” (like they usually do), carefully starched away in the said Governor’s office that they are waiting to move before the keys will be made available?
Otherwise, why were the keys to the said Government House suddenly went missing on the day Governor Okowa was supposed to start his supposed office duties? Or should we say this incident was a clear sign and signal to the newly sworn-in Delta State Governor Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa that his political mandate was never legitimate but a stolen mandate? Is fate and nature trying to tell everyone something? Let us leave it here for Deltans and Nigerians to think about and draw their own conclusions.
Although, a Government House source however, denied assumptions that immediate past administration went away with the keys, insisting that they may have been misplaced by aides to the new governor who are supervising some renovation works in the office, but the question is; considering the fact that Okowa was ‘expected’ to resume his new role as governor on the said day, how come the keys to the Government House suddenly went missing? Something is fishy and obviously not right here. Okowa, who was sworn in Friday May 29, 2015, was being conducted round the different offices by the Permanent Secretary, Government House and Protocol, Mr. Benson Oburoh when to their amazement it was discovered that the keys to his office, under lock could not be found.
But the crux of the matter is that the Permanent Secretary ought to have been in possession of all the keys to every door in the Delta State Government House complex, especially that of the Governor’s Office. Of all the buildings in the said Government House Complex, the Office of the Governor is the most important and the Permanent Secretary, being the civil servant that is statutory supposed to ensure a smooth transition of one governor to another, ought to have been in passion of the said keys. As the Permanent Secretary, Government House and Protocol, the said Mr. Oburoh has no excuse whatsoever to not have the keys to the Governor’s office. Why take the new Governor around the Government House Complex in the first place if he (claims he) is not in possession of the keys to the Governor’s Office?
This is definitely not a good way for any new administration to start its reign in government. And those responsible for this “State embarrassment” should be treated appropriately with the necessary disciplinary action.
Zik Gbemre, JP
National Coordinator
Niger Delta Peace Coalition (NDPC)
No.28, Opi Street, Ugboroke Layout, Effurun-Warri,
P.O. Box 2254, Warri, Delta State, Nigeria.
Tel: +2348026428271
+2348052106013
Website: www.ndpc-zik.org
