History was made
January 30, 2009 at the hallowed hall of Eko Hotels and
Suites Lagos, where Silverbird Group awarded Edo State
Governor, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole as its fifth Man of
the Year, 2008. The Chairman of Silverbird Group, Ben
Murray-Bruce says Nigerian nation will be better for it with
the entrance of Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole into our
national political space after his purposeful leadership at
the NLC. According to him, ‘‘the truck of vision,
doggedness, probity, honesty and maturity that accomplished
Oshiomhole’s into politics was all that was needed to grow
the nation’s economic to an enviable height, and that with
him around
Nigeria will attain that height’’.
His Excellency,
Governor
Babatunde Raji Fashola (S.A.N) extols the virtue of
Oshiomhole as a man endowed with uncommon intellect and
uncanny faith in the development of Edo State and her
people. He says he is convinced that Oshomhole as the touch
bearer in Edo state politics will lead Nigeria to her
destination as
Barrack Obama is doing in the United States of
America; at a time the world is groping in the throe of
economic darkness and political leadership. Fashola enjoined
his Edo State counterparts to give priority attention to
education, infrastructure development, creation of jobs and
enabling environment History for foreign investors.
Aliko Dangote,
Professor Pat. Utomi, Prince Tony Momoh were in their usual
element. Dangote says he is firmer in his believe on the
workability of Nigeria with the people like
Adams Oshiomhole calling the shots at the helm of
affairs. As a business man, he says, nothing excites him
than seeing Nigerians working to earn a living so as to give
back a large chunk of his profit to the society that gave
him so much.
Prince Tony Momoh,
former minister of information is quite optimistic that Edo
State will work again. He is of the view that since Adams
Oshiomhole is allergic to injustice he can’t afford to
enrich himself with the people resources, an act that was
the daily preoccupation of successive governments in Edo
State . He also went spiritual with his permutation that
Oshiomhole will perform since he draws from on High as
against our past leaders who have drawn from the deep. For
Professor Pat. Utomi, Oshiomhole has rekindled in Nigerians,
like Barrack Obama to his American people, the hope and
aspiration that has gone on recess since Nigerian
Independence which is needed to be snatch from the jaws of
perdition. There is no use doubting the fact that Oshiomhole
with a humble background, fierce intellect, charismatic
gifts and superb organizational skills he acquired at the
NLC will redefine the mechanisms of governance in Edo State
.
The Chairman of
Silverbird Group, Ben Murray-Bruce in his opening remarks
recounted his encounter with Adams Oshiomhole in 2004, then
a labour
leader while he was the Director General of
Nigerian
Television Authority. As he was being driven off to
his office one fateful morning, he was confronted with a
mammoth crowd, numbering over 25,000, large enough to
overthrow an obstinate government – a breeding ground for
revolution. In the midst of the crowd was a Fidel
Castro-fiber wearing midget. Alas! It was Adams . He
inquired of him what the matter was. Oshiomhole retorted oh,
you don’t know what the matter is, and NTA go about showing
old video clips of market women selling vegetable in the
market to suggest that the industrial action decleared by
NLC against the Federal Government for obnoxious increases
of petroleum products has failed; and you are here asking me
what it was? He continued, at any rate we are on a courtesy
call to your office. The rest is history.
Oshiomhole himself did
not mix the point at the occasion when he stated that the
task ahead of him in Edo State is daunting as much as it is
challenging; and that being a man of challenges, awards of
this nature will certainly spur me and others towing the
part of advancing the cause of humanity to greater
challenges and reward in the long run. Oshiomhole says in
spite of his bitter encounter with the Chairman of
Silverbird Group while he was a steward at the NLC;
Ben-Bruce did not only forgive him, but rewarded him with a
prestigious honour as Silverbird Man of the Year, 2008. ‘‘I
feel like silver tonight’’, says Oshiomhole.
Comrade Adams
Oshiomhole emerged the winner out of the six nominees of the
2008 edition for doggedness in the pursuance of his
electoral mandate. He got highest number of votes of all
nominees which included a distinguished galaxy of Nigerians
like: Chinua
Achebe of the Things fall apart fame, Rotimi Amechi
the militant nemesis in the crises ridden Niger-Delta, Gani
Fawehimi the famous inimitable human rights crusader, Newton
Jibunoh, the environmentalist whose relentless efforts at
sensitizing the people about desert encroachment has risen
in us the danger of eco terrorism and, Alex Okosi, the ace
promoter of African music and the initiator of the MTV
Africa Music Awards.
That these array of
accomplished Nigerians in their chosen fields are not
forgotten, though did not score the highest votes as to be
awarded ‘Man of the Year’ this time round did not impair
their contributions to growing the nation, its people and
humanity, but a clear testament that Nigerians are achievers
in all sphere of human endeavor. So, the six nominees could
not have been honoured at the same time. Oshiomhole in his
humble way, if you ask him, he is just the first among a
group with equal contribution towards the resuscitation and
nurturing the soul of a vanquished nation.
Like they say, harvest
is the reward of labour. It was a very heavy harvest of good
will, compliments and celebration for the man of honour;
away from riotous engagement that brought him into the
consciousness of the mass of people. Over time Oshiomhole
has staked his authentic being at his very expense to fight
the cause of the masses that have been trodden and trampled
to the dust for no crime of theirs, but victims of
successive conspiratorial governance that criminalized
competitions, debates and hard work; but favoured
mediocrity, ineptitude, brigandage and looting. As an
incurable optimist, he insisted that the nation must been
returned from living death, a circuit of political and
economic stagnation which oil portfolio and its wealth has
very well compounded. To him, the liberation of the people
is given and, anything short of that circumvents ILO
convention which states that ‘poverty anywhere constitutes a
danger to prosperity everywhere’.
Achievement is an
inspirational tool to advance individual, community,
national and global hopes, and unity, pride in such that the
culture of sincerity, dignity, hard work will become our
guiding principle towards the creation of egalitarian
society. That is exactly what Silverbird Television outfit
seeks to achieve or have achieved graciously, bestowing
awards on deserving Nigerians who have distinguished
themselves in various field of human endeavor. It’s an
initiative that is determined to continue to celebrate
deserving role-models who the public perceive as deserving
of honour.
Oshiomhole’s
achievements are not solely of the past. The success will
not die with his labour activism and the tenacity he
employed to actualizing his mandate with the peoples’
supports. He has contributed to enlightening and deepening
not only the Nigerian democracy but the African. It is
loudly pronounced with his style of governance in Edo State
that the wind of change has permeated the entire fabrics of
his statecraft.
Erasmus Ikhide,
Media Assistant to
Comrade
Governor, Adams Aliyu
Oshiomhole
Published
February 8th, 2009
