Victor Ahiuma-Young
14 November 2008
analysis
The story of Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole is a story of a man who by sheer hard work and grace of God, rose from grass to grace. Oshiomole was on Tuesday affirmed the duly elected governor of Edo State, by the Appeal Court, following an appeal against his declaration as the authentic governor by the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Benin city, on March 20, 2008, by Professor Oserheimen Osunbor.
If Comrade Oshiomhole's pedigree is anything to go by, Edo State is indeed lucky to have such a man elected as governor.
Though he came into national limelight as the Deputy President of NLC during the struggle to revalidate the annulled June 12 1993 presidential election won by late MKO Abiola, where he led a few others in the hierarchy of NLC to pitch tent with pro-democracy groups as opposed to other leaders of congress, but his doggedness and struggles to improve the living conditions of Nigerian masses, became an incurable disease during his eight-year tenure as the fourth President of NLC.
Gov. Oshiomhole delivering his maiden speech
This earned him the sobriquet. 'saviour of Nigerian people'. He did battle with former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He has also touched the lives of workers and other Nigerians, he indeed has helped in shaping the history and destiny of Nigeria through popular contributions, interventions and actions.
Oshiomhole the rough rider
For those who have had the opportunity of working with Comrade Oshiomhole, right from his days as the General Secretary of the Textile Union up to his presidency of NLC, know he is simply a working machine. Comrade Oshiomhole is a man whose source of energy has remained a mystery to many around him. Even his greatest critics will tell you that he is a man who does not have regard for lazy people and pretenders.
During the several anti-fuel price hike national strikes and mass protests across the country, even when others around him were tired, Comrade Oshiomhole never got tired but always provided the needed leadership for others to follow. At the close of each strike and protest day, he would be the last to retire to bed after several meetings with colleagues to appraise the day's jobs and strategise for the next day.
In the morning, he would be the first to rise for the day's assignment. In fact, at the tick of the last anti-fuel price hike protest in 2005, Comrade Oshiomhole led thousands of workers and other Nigerians on a protest march from the gate of the National Stadium Surulere in Lagos, to Alausa, the seat of Lagos state government to deliver a protest letter to Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Even when other younger leaders of the Labour and Civil Society Coalition, LASCO, used their cars and rode on Okada, he trekked all through and was busy addressing Nigerians at one point or the other. Does Comrade Oshiomhole know that his moves to change the environment around him for better is driving people nut?
Hear his remarks at the just concluded textile union delegates conference in Abuja: "I want to salute the staff of NLC, the officials who worked and the General Secretary. Obviously I was a very hard driver and I remain a rugged driver.
I have very little patience. When you look at the task, you will know that the time for patience is so little. That is not my fault because the little time I have and the amount of work that we have to do, made me to be a ruthless driver. But the intentions were noble.
I want to assure you that I am indebted to all of you including those who think I do not like them. Everything that I have gained in my political struggle, the unanimity in which Edo people, the determination that they have demonstrated is not because of my size. It is because of the collective contributions that we made together at the NLC."
Venturing into politics
Unlike the typical Nigerian politicians who will claim that their people who they are not in touch with has asked them to seek elective position, long before Comrade Oshiomhole indicated his interest to contest for Edo State governorship election, there had been open calls by many Nigerians from all parts of the country for him to seek elective position in order to deploy his talent and pro-people ideology towards salvaging Nigeria from the abysmal poverty and underdevelopment that successive leaders have imposed on the nation.
As early as 2005, concerned citizens of Edo State, who had watched helplessly the squandering and retrogression of the state openly imploring Comrade Oshiomhole to come back home and save his state from becoming a failed state, Comrade had told and has to continued to tell people around him that he is Edo by birth but a Nigerian citizen who believes that the development of Nigeria is the development of component states, Edo inclusive.
Months before he officially declared his intention to serve the people of Edo State as governor, Comrade Oshiomhole once told this writer that the pressures on him to seek a national role as against a state role, were as much as those beckoning on him to come home and turn his state from backwardness to a state to be reckoned with in the comity of states in Nigeria.
In fact, entry into the governorship race in Edo State unsettled the political equation in the state. But to those who believe in Comrade Oshiomhole, charity must begin at home.
And when he eventually declared to run for the governorship of Edo State, he made a promise to not only eradicate poverty in the state, but also, restore the hope of Nigerians in general that progressive governance is possible in this part of the world.
Throughout his campaigns ahead of the April 2007 election, even those who were in doubt that the Edo people wanted former NLC President to lead them, became convinced. This was further confirmed by the violence that engulfed the state after Prof Oserheimen-Aigberadion Osunbor was declared winner of the polls.
He was subsequently arrested on the 16th of April and later released after which he headed for the tribunal.
The crowd Comrade Oshiomhole pulled each time he went for the sittings in Benin, also testified to the fact that the people clearly voted for him.
Before the verdict of Election Petition Tribunal declaring him winner, Comrade Oshiomhole had on several occasions made it clear that the people of Edo State voted for a change from "business as usual".
Hear him: "But for the rest of Nigerians who were told officially that the elections were held on the 14th of April, 2007 and in Edo State, that mandate was stolen from me and awarded to Osunbor, I have no problem. I think they have the burden of guilty conscience.
It is bad for you to enter into somebody's home and steal a property that does not belong to you, but it is worse when you try to undermine the will of a whole people, and yet, they are the very people you want to govern. I think for me, I am the happiest of them all because I am walking freely on the street, I go everywhere, people are praying for me; men and women of God, old and young.
So, I have no problem but I know the other camp has a lot of problem, that is the burden now, so they rather than me have the burden of coping. We have tried to do two things; first is trying to reach the people to thank them for the confidence and support.
The people have paid a huge price but they are not deterred and we have also had to assure them that we are doing something so they don't think we can give up because this is a country where people sponsor rumours and all kinds of stories.
I am quite happy that we are doing everything we can to ensure that the thief never have peace of mind and I know they will never have it because they murdered sleep."
Just few weeks ago, speaking at a public forum in Benin City, Comrade Oshiomhole asked Nigerians to pray for him because he had been battling against sharks.
According to him, I ask you to remember me in your prayers. We have shown that it is not going to be easy again for people to simply do the thing and go and sleep. They have murdered sleep. That is why last week they said I was harassing Osunbor.
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