Why Imoro Kubor Is Likely To Govern Bayelsa State
Decoding Bayelsa State politics is very simple for the discerning. Bayelsa state does not need a political leader at this time but a tried and tested technocrat. The Question should be: why a technocrat, why not a political leader at this time? Later we can zero in on the outcome enquiry: what type of technocrat is required to govern the state come 2012?
The above postulations is coming because of what is seen as the current political crises in the State whereby a sitting governor is found to be unworthy of a second term by his party the PDP thereby raising the specter of the ruling party losing the State in the forth coming governorship elections. The article is premised on the following political facts about Bayelsa State: 1. The political leader of the State is the leader of the ruling Party the PDP who hails from the State. 2. The President of Nigeria has an overriding political interest on how Bayelsa is faring just as it is for all other States in the Federation. 3. It is not acceptable to have a Governor working at cross-purpose with the President from the same Party in his home State. 4. Any State that fails to key into the National Agenda has no right to benefit optimally from it.
Looking at the foregoing premises, we can easily deduce that the president has an overriding interest to see to the emergence of a true technocrat as next governor of the State no matter the party. As father of the whole country, his constituency has widened and so he will be happy with a performing governor rather than a new political leader who could take the State through the same experience she is going through right now. In order words, Bayelsa State needs someone who will follow the leadership already outlined under the Presidents transformation Agenda in Bayelsa state. She does not need a deviant or an incompetent man as Governor.
The operating word is not party but competence, record of accomplishment of performance. Of course, it goes to say that Bayelsa State is not looking for a yes man, a dullard but someone who can innovating add value to the direction the nation is going. Preferably, Bayelsa State requires someone with proven integrity and people oriented disposition. Bayelsa State deserves a more matured Governor who by way of education and international presence can key into the modern age and its digital requirements.
This writer has always differed with those who argue that what Bayelsa State needs is a young man. I say it was a young man that brought her to her knees. The young man it was who made bombers of her youths instead of giving them proper education. You cannot give what you do not have even if you promise it. This is not the time for experimentation. The President may not want to seek a third term in office. Therefore, there is just 4 years for him to touch the life of his people and for the people to touch his own life. What it means is that the President wants to leave a good legacy and frankly, it goes beyond party politics.
Yes, you heard me right. The political situation considering everything in Bayelsa state right now indicates that truly PDP is going deeper into the quagmire driven by the sitting governor who is not ready to obey party or to decamp until it becomes too late for the party to put together itself. The President has been neutral in this situation although it is hard for people to fathom. Yes, he has to be neutral because his constituency has gone beyond the PDP as a party. What further interest does he have than to ensure a good legacy for his presidency? He can work with any party that produces the kind of candidate that guarantees this legacy! Going by the lineup of candidates it would appear that Dr Imoro Kubor the technocrat par excellence who incidentally is loved by the grassroots will sweep the polls. Moreover, when it happens it will prove to all Doubting Thomases's that indeed the President was neutral in the political events unfolding in his State. His only interest is for the will of the people for meaningful change to be made manifest in concrete terms.
Going through his antecedents it would become clear why this candidate whose Party is the little known CHANGE ADVOCACY PARTY (CAP) with a slogan “Total transformation” is heading to an unprecedented sweep of the polls. Already with events within the ruling party it is envisioned that the forth coming polls will provide a level playing field sorely lacking in previous elections in the State. As the President once predicted, henceforth the people would truly determine their leader in Nigeria. The case of Bayelsa will be a true test to the democratic ideals that have defined the Presidents vision of a new Nigeria.
A small "unknown" party will greatly diminish the destructive intermediary's role of godfatherism in Nigerian politics. The marketisation of political offices and award of contracts truly constrain performers and lead to anything but transformation. Dr Kubor the Russian trained Aeronautic Engineer and retired permanent Secretary ,who has been researching this phenomenon decided to leave the ACN which he contributed in building in the State to a party CAP that he reasons will enable him implement total transformation in the way things are being done now in the Bayelsa state political landscape. He said the constraints of intermediaries' politicians prevent the grassroots from feeling the real impact of democracy dividend. To him this situation could be resolved by going straight to the people and working for their welfare at less overhead cost to the taxpayer. Dr Kubor who designed the popular National Directorate of Employment open apprenticeship, the national sanitation, and the resettlement schemes is not new in proposing innovations that work in Nigeria. His passion for youth employment makes him most likely to help Bayelsa State out of her present quagmire of rising youth unemployment despite the efforts of past governments in the state to ameliorate the problem.
Choosing a candidate to support is easier when you know the problems of the state and what the state must do first to resolve them. The problem of Bayelsa state is Youth unemployment. This situation brings about the dearth of Democracy dividend permeating the grassroots. The people's voices muffle because of the logistic implication of even reaching them. Most observers blame the terrain so that a cogent solution must be able to overcome this natural impediment or rather should be able to make it an advantage. What it says to us is that Science and technology can provide us a way out. We can overcome or incorporate nature into development processes but it needs a capable and tested technocrat to do it.
According to Dr Kubor,”Bayelsa needs to industrialize, to utilize her resources to make enough money and plow it into beneficent projects for every generation to tap” According to the candidate “what you call difficult terrain can become a tourist attraction for which the world will pay us just to come and see. It depends on how you proceed about it, what priorities you see and focus on” He promised to focus on tourism, industrialization, education and Agriculture. For him these key points are self-reinforcing in operation. You need education to improve the quality of workforce and thereby increase the rate of employment. You need industrialization to absorb the quality labor produced and overcome the difficult terrain to make the state livable and enjoyable to the people and visitors alike. You need agriculture with emphasis on fisheries to reconnect the people to their culture and roots and boost pre- high school employment opportunities. You need tourism to make money out of the terrain you need not overcome and the fall out attracts foreign investors into the State for a total transformation.
*Godson Mande writes from Port Harcourt.