By Omazino Omokioja Uzezi
The clamour for the mandate of the Delta State electorate is, to say the least, on the high gear as political gladiators align and re-align to ensure the pendulum swings in their favour.
Consultations have been ongoing by those who are desirous of clinching the exalted position when the current administration winds down on June 12, 2023, as the man on the helm affairs hands over the baton of leadership to a new Governor.
While the political temperature remains tensed, the undercurrent is on high velocity and only those versed in the forensic interpretations of practical politics can tell where the direction of the political compass, as aspirants navigate through the lagoon of “Delta politics” that is notably unique, expensive and oftentimes very difficult to understand and predict with mathematical exactitude.
However, 2023 gubernatorial contest promises to be different from past ones because Deltans are beginning to query the characters and personalities who want to rule them, unlike what it used to be in the past, “a game of money.” Beyond money, Deltans want to know what the gubernatorial aspirants are bringing to the table in a manner that suggests that the people of the Big Heart State are tired of liabilities in governance.
To average Delta State electorate, politicians must showcase what they have, including the capacity to build on the success of the Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa’s Administration. Furthermore, such a person must have a tested and proven track record of engaging in meaningful and progressive enterprises in the like of Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, who is a career wealth creator and industrialist. Aside from being a professional, Deltans want their post-Okowa governor to be such who can create wealth and multiply the benefits of the S.M.A.R.T. Agenda of the State Government—an acronym standing for S-strategic wealth creation; M-meaningful peace building; A-agriculture and industrialisation; R-relevant health and educational policies; T-transformed environment through urban renewal.
Olorogun Gbagi, who is a renowned wealth creator and quintessential industrialist is one who simply has what it takes to grow the fortunes of Deltans from its current state by aggressively developing the enormous human and material resources, being the largest employer of labour in the State and beyond. He (Olorogun Gbagi) has decades of experience in business cutting across sectors, viz. education, agriculture, manufacturing, construction, hospitality, real estate, law which are the sources of multiple streams of income to him making him the richest contender for the Government House; this experience he can bring to bear on the governance of the State and people will surely be better for it. A Gbagi’s government will definitely usher in a new dawn in productive governance whose major strength will be on creativity and sound judgement as mirrored overtime in his conglomerate.
The truth is that a post-Okowa governor should have the zeal to create jobs and remove unemployed youth population from the streets by engaging them favourably and meaningfully without letting any hindrance stand on the solid rock of the S.M.A.R.T. programme which emphasises on vocational training, mentoring and the likes, which will, in turn, create security and on the long run, attract investors both foreign and local to the State. This is exactly what the Urhobo-born industrialist—Olorogun Gbagi otherwise known as human developer represents. Little wonder why Deltans are jostling to have him in the saddle as the Executive Governor of that State, come 2023.
Olorogun Gbagi has a chain of businesses that are thriving, and he is still building his business empire unrelentingly and this particular acumen of his, places him high above his peers, who have their eyes fixated on the exalted stool of the Executive Governor of the oil-rich State.
Deltans need a governor with a knack for creativity particularly as it concerns building an economically strong and reliable economy, thrusting it up with clinical efficiency to compete with other States in the country with strong economies. It takes a creative mind like Olorogun Gbagi to achieve this because his business empire speaks to this and a testimony to his ability in that direction. He has successfully proven over the years to be a shrewd business mogul who has managed all his businesses including his law firms to success without any failure.
Olorogun Gbagi falls among strong men and women of his generation with the mental and psychological endowments to build an oasis in the wilderness. His success story is an open book for all to read. A generation could be lucky just once to have a Gbagi pass through it due to his rare nature and his unique approach to life rising from grass to grace by dint of hard work in a clime with a poor reward system for hard work.
The former Minister of State for Education is an answered prayer for Deltans who crave continuous good governance and quality service delivery due to his wealth of experience garnered over the decades and this explains why his would-be challengers are already “catching a cold” because the man—Olorogun Gbagi is a political bulldozer who would not take prisoner in 2023.
For Deltans, the time to perpetuate good governance is now when the decision on who takes over the leadership of the oil-rich State from Governor Okowa in 2023 is in the front burner. It is time the people re-write the ugly narratives associated with the wrong choice of leaders. The time is nigh when superlative character be mandated to lead the multilingual State into being investors’ destination for the youths to be engaged. Olorogun Gbagi stands in the gap and no other person for now. The cap fits him; he should be allowed to wear it.
The race for Delta 2023 to my mind should be premised more on personalities than political party and only an urhobo-born governor can peacefully lead the post-Okowa Delta State. The understanding among the political class as it concerns power sharing agreement shouldn’t be undermined if not for any reason but for peaceful co-existence.
The power sharing agreement as it is known on rotational basis among the three senatorial districts of the state. Rightfully, it is the turn of the Urhobo nation to rule and same people have chosen to support their illustrious son – Olorogun Gbagi being their best among the equals.
Omazino Omokioja Uzezi, Political Economist writes from Oleh, Delta State.