Much Ado About Olori Atuwatse III Nomination On Sheriff’s 88-Man Transition Committee
Contrary to fears from some sections of the social media, Olori Atuwatse III’s nomination by the Governor-Elect among other eminent Deltans to midwife his ascendancy to the number one office in Delta State is not a political one; neither is it a PDP affair, as I can see some APC persons grumbling about.
It is a state event that requires the most qualified professionals from across all fields of endeavour to drive. They represent the populace, whose job it is simply to set the stage for one administration to pass the governance baton to another.
By the time the Rt. Hon. Sheriff F.O. Oborevwori was sworn into office on May 29th. This high-powered committee will be dissolved because it is not a political committee. It is a committee composed mainly of respected Deltans unaffiliated with any political party.
Like Olori, Prof. Emmanuel Nwanze, the chairman of the 88-man committee, is not a politician. He was my VC at the University of Benin. Rev. Dr Justin C. Okoroji (wrongly addressed as Honourable on the list), the resident pastor of First Baptist Church, Warri, is not a politician and does not carry any political party card. Ditto for Mr John Ashima, Apostle Dr Okonye Cyril Ifechukwude and Rev. Gideon Ogheneruemu Oyibo, among others.
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Those frowning at Olori’s nomination may have forgotten that Ogiame Atuwatse III is an eminent board member of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), a policy formation centre for bureaucrats, private sector leaders, Army officers, and medium-ranking and senior civil servants that were inaugurated by the APC-led Federal Government last year.
Were PDP complaints that our throne was being dragged into partisan politics? The simple answer is no because even a child knows that such appointments/nominations are not partisan. Same as a transition committee. So what’s all the fuss about? Rt. Hon. Sheriff will be the governor for all Deltans and residents of our state. He has the prerogative to draw from the pool of great minds available to him in the state (including monarchs) to serve the people. Or is he no longer the governor-elect? Is there another one in the opposition party?
In chess, the queen has more mobility on the board than in other chess pieces. The Queen can move like the Bishops and move like the Rooks. A combination of that move has given the Queen considerable power on the chessboard. The same philosophy applies in modern monarchy where kings give more visibility to their queens. Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR, made it very clear in his maiden coronation speech that “women will no longer be invisible” in his reign. Modern governments and religious groups are giving more valuable roles to women. So it is a thing of honour to serve our dear state in such a capacity.
I see no issue, but congratulations to all the worthy Deltans that made the list or maybe you’re one of those desperately seeking to reclaim a phantom mandate that was never stolen so blindly that you refuse to accept that there is a governor-elect and not a PDP gubernatorial candidate. Governance and politics are not twins. Abeg makes all of us calm down.
L. Monoyo Edon,
Proud Waffarian.
Seunmanuel Faleye is a brand and communications strategist. He is a covert writer and an overt creative head. He publishes Apple's Bite International Magazine.