On-governor-okowa-appointment-of-daughter-as-aide-and-his-wife-escapades-with-her-pet-project-another-round-of-executive-blunders
September 7, 2020 | News
ON GOVERNOR OKOWA’S APPOINTMENT OF DAUGHTER AS AIDE, AND HIS WIFE’S ESCAPADES WITH HER PET PROJECT – ANOTHER ROUND OF EXECUTIVE BLUNDERS
When it was recently reported that the Delta State Governor said he owes no one apologies for appointing one of his daughters as a Special Aide to the Delta State Government, on Girl Child Education, we could not help but reiterate our earlier conclusion that indeed, we have in our hands a Delta State Government under Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa that has little or no idea of what it truly means to lead by example with a moral, ethical and corporate consciousness. Though, the said move and response of Governor Okowa has made many to question whether rules barring nepotism in Government hiring/appointment allows the Chief Security Officer of the State to turn the Executive branch into a family business, the real fact is that, by virtue of the position he currently occupies, Governor Okowa’s appointment of his daughter is morally wrong, ethically wrong and a bad signal of a supposed public official.
This makes one to again ask: Is Governor Okowa bereft of political ideas and governance strategies in carrying out his statutory functions/duties as a Governor? We are forced to ask this question repeatedly because it seems the Delta State Government under the leadership of Okowa, has committed more blunders, and has goofed on several issues since he came on board, more than what we can recount on paper. It is as if every act of the OKowa-led Delta State Government is either a misplaced priority, a self-centered action, a waste of public funds, or a purposeless move often aimed to benefit few individuals, but to the detriment of many in the State. This is not the first time we have had issues with Governor Okowa and his often baseless, uncalled for, unnecessary, purposeless, wasteful and directionless ‘political appointments’ in Delta State Government. This has left Okowa with a bogus Executive Council, and an array of Government Aides under the guise names as SAs, SSAs, PAs, etc., all of whom have no defined office portfolios, designation and detailed functions. They are just there, occupying space and doing practically nothing but to receive alerts of salaries and to enjoy fringe benefits of being in Government.
Regardless of whether the said Okowa’s daughter is qualified for the position or not, the fact still remains that it speaks bad of any public office holder to appoint his own biological daughter in his Executive Government. It is even wrong to appoint one's relations in Government positions one is heading. It does not speak well of the occupant of that Government position that made the such an appointment. Especially when we consider the fact that we live in a multicultural and multi-ethnic society that has many interest groups desiring to be represented in one way or the other in Government circles. It is even more appalling that Governor Okowa still had the audacity and impetus to rub his action on our faces by stating that he does not have any apologies for appointing his biological daughter as aide of his Government. Is that the kind of statement that should be coming from a supposed Executive Governor of a State? One would have thought Governor Okowa, being a certified Medical Doctor, ought to have known better – on what to do/say and not do/say when it comes to matters like this.
The truth is, if the said Okowa’s daughter had wanted to contest for an elective position in Government, or she wanted to work in the Delta State civil service to grow her career on a job, and as a Deltan; there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. This would be far better, and not a ‘political appointment’ from her father. This action is evidence of a morally bankrupt politician who has no genuine regard for the people he is supposed to lead.
We all know that in Nigeria, Governors are big men. They are supermen. Imperial monarchs. They wield enormous power and control huge resources and influence. They are answerable to no one, even when it is expected that they be accountable to the populace. They have the world in their pockets and the rest of us are at their feet. Men and women fall over each other to seek their attention. To have a Governor's phone number is a mark of honor. To have him pick your call or reply your text message makes your day. By virtue of the influence and power the position they occupy commands, many of them are ebullient, uncouth, arrogant, loquacious, boisterous, cantankerous, foul mouthed, disdainful, demagogic, prideful and gloaters. Though, Governor Okowa might not be all of this, like some of his counterparts, but as the custodian of Delta State public wealth and resources, and the one who is running the State presently, his family is entitled to enjoy a whole lot of free things from free access to medical healthcare to what have you.
To crown it all, Okowa has his wife as the First Lady of the Delta State. And that Office of the First Lady of the State, is a big one that commands its own budgets and political influence. With all of this, why then should Governor Okowa still go ahead to appoint his daughter as a political aide? Governor Okowa should be reminded that Delta State is not Okowa’s Group Of Companies. But it is a State in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Delta State Government is not Okowa’s family enterprise.
Recently, Okowa’s wife, Dame Edith Okowa, took her retinue of a large entourage for a so-called medical awareness campaign to New York, USA, during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting there. And we faulted this as a greatly misplaced priority. Initially, it was reported that $10million (N3.5billion) was allegedly donated to Okowa’s wife pet project, O’5 Initiative, by Initiative for Global Development (IGD), a US based Organization, during the said concluded UNGA in New York. Only for the Delta State’s First Lady to come out few days after and publicly denied receiving such an amount of money for her so-called pet project from IGD. But more recently, the Initiative for Global Development confirmed that it did offer a $10Million support to the 0’5 Initiative, the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) founded by Dame Edith Okowa, to tackle the challenges of sickle cell anaemia in Delta State. It clarified that the said $10Million offer from a member of the IGD, according to its President, Leila Ndiaye, was being given in kind, not cash, to assist 0’5 Initiative in digitalization of sickle cell patients records, beginning with Delta. Now, if that is the case, why did Madam Okowa come out to deny that nothing was given/offered to her NGO? This clearly suggests that something is fishy somewhere. In fact, we strongly believe that the said money, must have been money allegedly laundered out of the State. But with recent happenings, and the now focused look on the activities of Politically Exposed Persons abroad, we suspect that they are allegedly using some of these so-called State Government initiatives/foundations/NGOs to bring in such alleged laundered money back into the State without drawing any attention. But whatever the case may be, something is obviously not right with the cock and bull story surrounding Governor Okowa wife’s so-called 0’5 pet project and her US connection.
Now, Governor Okowa has come out to publicly tell us that he owes no one any apology for appointing his biological daughter as one of his aides. What does these politicians and their families take Deltans for? The administration of Delta State is not a family business of Okowa. When Rochas Okorocha started this in his State – Imo, while as a Governor, and even when he wanted to leave to the Senate, he was overwhelmingly criticized by many Nigerians because it was morally wrong coming from a Governor. That is exactly what Okowa is doing right now. The question is, must the daughter work as aide for his father in Government? Like we said, if Okowa’s daughter applies as an applicant for civil service work in any of the State Government Departments, and she gets appointed, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. But for Okowa to appoint his daughter as a political aide, then it is morally wrong and politically inappropriate. If Okowa’s daughter is that qualified and brilliant, she could unofficially be advising her father on matters relating to girl child education, without receiving salary payments and enjoying other fringe benefits as an official aide of the State Government. Just the same way i have been advising any Government of the day. All the money used and appropriated by the Okowa-led administration to sustain all of these things (best described as misplaced priorities), ought to be used for infrastructural development in the State, which will benefit the general masses and not few individuals.
Zik Gbemre.
October 10, 2019
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
When it was recently reported that the Delta State Governor said he owes no one apologies for appointing one of his daughters as a Special Aide to the Delta State Government, on Girl Child Education, we could not help but reiterate our earlier conclusion that indeed, we have in our hands a Delta State Government under Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa that has little or no idea of what it truly means to lead by example with a moral, ethical and corporate consciousness. Though, the said move and response of Governor Okowa has made many to question whether rules barring nepotism in Government hiring/appointment allows the Chief Security Officer of the State to turn the Executive branch into a family business, the real fact is that, by virtue of the position he currently occupies, Governor Okowa’s appointment of his daughter is morally wrong, ethically wrong and a bad signal of a supposed public official.
This makes one to again ask: Is Governor Okowa bereft of political ideas and governance strategies in carrying out his statutory functions/duties as a Governor? We are forced to ask this question repeatedly because it seems the Delta State Government under the leadership of Okowa, has committed more blunders, and has goofed on several issues since he came on board, more than what we can recount on paper. It is as if every act of the OKowa-led Delta State Government is either a misplaced priority, a self-centered action, a waste of public funds, or a purposeless move often aimed to benefit few individuals, but to the detriment of many in the State. This is not the first time we have had issues with Governor Okowa and his often baseless, uncalled for, unnecessary, purposeless, wasteful and directionless ‘political appointments’ in Delta State Government. This has left Okowa with a bogus Executive Council, and an array of Government Aides under the guise names as SAs, SSAs, PAs, etc., all of whom have no defined office portfolios, designation and detailed functions. They are just there, occupying space and doing practically nothing but to receive alerts of salaries and to enjoy fringe benefits of being in Government.
Regardless of whether the said Okowa’s daughter is qualified for the position or not, the fact still remains that it speaks bad of any public office holder to appoint his own biological daughter in his Executive Government. It is even wrong to appoint one's relations in Government positions one is heading. It does not speak well of the occupant of that Government position that made the such an appointment. Especially when we consider the fact that we live in a multicultural and multi-ethnic society that has many interest groups desiring to be represented in one way or the other in Government circles. It is even more appalling that Governor Okowa still had the audacity and impetus to rub his action on our faces by stating that he does not have any apologies for appointing his biological daughter as aide of his Government. Is that the kind of statement that should be coming from a supposed Executive Governor of a State? One would have thought Governor Okowa, being a certified Medical Doctor, ought to have known better – on what to do/say and not do/say when it comes to matters like this.
The truth is, if the said Okowa’s daughter had wanted to contest for an elective position in Government, or she wanted to work in the Delta State civil service to grow her career on a job, and as a Deltan; there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. This would be far better, and not a ‘political appointment’ from her father. This action is evidence of a morally bankrupt politician who has no genuine regard for the people he is supposed to lead.
We all know that in Nigeria, Governors are big men. They are supermen. Imperial monarchs. They wield enormous power and control huge resources and influence. They are answerable to no one, even when it is expected that they be accountable to the populace. They have the world in their pockets and the rest of us are at their feet. Men and women fall over each other to seek their attention. To have a Governor's phone number is a mark of honor. To have him pick your call or reply your text message makes your day. By virtue of the influence and power the position they occupy commands, many of them are ebullient, uncouth, arrogant, loquacious, boisterous, cantankerous, foul mouthed, disdainful, demagogic, prideful and gloaters. Though, Governor Okowa might not be all of this, like some of his counterparts, but as the custodian of Delta State public wealth and resources, and the one who is running the State presently, his family is entitled to enjoy a whole lot of free things from free access to medical healthcare to what have you.
To crown it all, Okowa has his wife as the First Lady of the Delta State. And that Office of the First Lady of the State, is a big one that commands its own budgets and political influence. With all of this, why then should Governor Okowa still go ahead to appoint his daughter as a political aide? Governor Okowa should be reminded that Delta State is not Okowa’s Group Of Companies. But it is a State in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Delta State Government is not Okowa’s family enterprise.
Recently, Okowa’s wife, Dame Edith Okowa, took her retinue of a large entourage for a so-called medical awareness campaign to New York, USA, during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting there. And we faulted this as a greatly misplaced priority. Initially, it was reported that $10million (N3.5billion) was allegedly donated to Okowa’s wife pet project, O’5 Initiative, by Initiative for Global Development (IGD), a US based Organization, during the said concluded UNGA in New York. Only for the Delta State’s First Lady to come out few days after and publicly denied receiving such an amount of money for her so-called pet project from IGD. But more recently, the Initiative for Global Development confirmed that it did offer a $10Million support to the 0’5 Initiative, the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) founded by Dame Edith Okowa, to tackle the challenges of sickle cell anaemia in Delta State. It clarified that the said $10Million offer from a member of the IGD, according to its President, Leila Ndiaye, was being given in kind, not cash, to assist 0’5 Initiative in digitalization of sickle cell patients records, beginning with Delta. Now, if that is the case, why did Madam Okowa come out to deny that nothing was given/offered to her NGO? This clearly suggests that something is fishy somewhere. In fact, we strongly believe that the said money, must have been money allegedly laundered out of the State. But with recent happenings, and the now focused look on the activities of Politically Exposed Persons abroad, we suspect that they are allegedly using some of these so-called State Government initiatives/foundations/NGOs to bring in such alleged laundered money back into the State without drawing any attention. But whatever the case may be, something is obviously not right with the cock and bull story surrounding Governor Okowa wife’s so-called 0’5 pet project and her US connection.
Now, Governor Okowa has come out to publicly tell us that he owes no one any apology for appointing his biological daughter as one of his aides. What does these politicians and their families take Deltans for? The administration of Delta State is not a family business of Okowa. When Rochas Okorocha started this in his State – Imo, while as a Governor, and even when he wanted to leave to the Senate, he was overwhelmingly criticized by many Nigerians because it was morally wrong coming from a Governor. That is exactly what Okowa is doing right now. The question is, must the daughter work as aide for his father in Government? Like we said, if Okowa’s daughter applies as an applicant for civil service work in any of the State Government Departments, and she gets appointed, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. But for Okowa to appoint his daughter as a political aide, then it is morally wrong and politically inappropriate. If Okowa’s daughter is that qualified and brilliant, she could unofficially be advising her father on matters relating to girl child education, without receiving salary payments and enjoying other fringe benefits as an official aide of the State Government. Just the same way i have been advising any Government of the day. All the money used and appropriated by the Okowa-led administration to sustain all of these things (best described as misplaced priorities), ought to be used for infrastructural development in the State, which will benefit the general masses and not few individuals.
Zik Gbemre.
October 10, 2019
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes