DESOPADEC Media Attacks: This House Has Fallen?

The reflection was inspired by the incessant media attacks on the present board members of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC particularly the managing director, Chief Williams Makinde.

The media attacks on this gentleman have generated mixed reactions

among media professionals, this writer inclusive to pen down some

salient facts and suggestions that may rescue the situation if

applied, from its current abyss of decline.
The questions begging for answers on whether the managing director is

a snail or sniper, seeing the influx of attacks on his hard built

personality in previous appointments and position held by the managing

director.
DESOPADEC was created towards the twilight of former governor, Chief

James Ibori to ameliorate the sufferings of the oil producing

communities in the State. The agency was meant to provide succor to

oil bearing communities.
When Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan came into power, he fashioned out new order

for the new born baby agency, where he nominated the first board

headed by Chief Okirika with money flowing like an ocean, followed by

Arch. Orishua Kogho.
Following the importance of the commission, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa upon his

assumption in office, tends to restructure the commission to a more

viable and productive one, where he submitted a bill to the Delta

State House of Assembly, after he submitted the proposed amendment

bill, pressure groups, NGOs descended on the governor like ton of

bricks, there was no name under the sun they did not call the governor

with the view to repeal the bill sent to the house.

When Dr. Okowa nominated the new board with the task to restructure

the commission, encomiums were flowing like river to the governor for

his diligence in the nomination, especially on the position of the

managing director, who has written his name in the sand of time,

considering his accountability and prudence in his previous

appointments.
Media reports saturated the air waves and newspapers and magazines,

the cyber space was not also different on this simple personality,

where oil bearing communities’ hope were rekindled on his capacity to

perform.
But what went wrong? How did the hitherto media encomiums suddenly

turned into hatred? Why did the friendly cyber space activists turned

against the commission? Did Makinde really embezzle the commission

fund as being peddled in the cyber space?
Well, some of the answers to the above questions find expression to

the role played by the managing director on one side, and some of the

people, he appointed as aids on the others.
I am aware; the managing director knows the pivotal role of the media

in any success or failure of any position, haven being a director of a

giant media outfit in Nigeria (DAAR communication).

He did not need a soothsayer to tell him on the kind of personality

to use as his image maker, considering the office of the managing

director to be a controversial office, he should have appoint someone

who is friendly to his fellow media colleagues, who has the persuasive

charisma to muscled the media to the favour of his boss and the

office. He should not be a bigot or someone who has created odium to

himself before the public
No doubt the image maker of any establishment holds the key to the

success or the failure of it, hence one need to be diligent in

appointing that position; it calls for hard work in delivering in this

task.
There is urgent need for Chief Williams Makinde to look inward with

the view of putting the media team on their toe and rescue the

situation from the attacks on his hard built personality over the

years and the Commission.
The crusade to dissolve the present board being peddled by some

medium, especially in the cyber space calls for urgent rescue, that

also reminds me of the book written by popular American journalist,

Karl Maier titled “ This House has fallen: Midnight in Nigeria (2000),

the clear impression was that Nigeria was about to implode.

More than 15 years after, the book was published, the country is still

standing, its problems largely unresolved. In fact, the country’s’

problems rarely get resolved.
The clamoring for the dissolution of the present board members of the

Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC is a

wake up call to the information department and the media team of the

managing director to their responsibility, repair their odium and be a

replica of the boss. So I submit.
Kparobo M. Ehvwubare is a journalist, media consultant wrote from

Oghara-Delta State, could be reach on [email protected] or

+2347067546856.