By Ifeanyi Okolocha
LAGOS JULY 27TH (URHOBOTODAY) The politics of Delta State has always been complex and very intriguing compared to that of other states in Nigeria. Even though the next elections would hold in 2015 many politicians in Delta State have started getting positioned for the plum office of governor as far back as 2011 when the incumbent Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan was sworn in for his second term.
A disturbing reality is that it is the same set of political aspirants who have been in circulation for almost a decade or more now that also filed out to contest for the office of governor. This did not appeal to Deltans. The people wanted somebody that is new to the fray of Delta politics, they wanted a man or woman with fresh ideas about how to develop the state. The people of Delta State also wanted somebody who is detribalized. They looked forward to a bridge builder who is cosmopolitan and acceptable to the diverse ethnic groups that make up the state. In fact they wanted somebody whose emergence will inspire genuine confidence in them.
The hope of the majority of Deltans for something new and refreshing materialized recently when the very likable David Edevbie joined the governorship race. Many people remember Edevbie as the highly detribalized and efficient Commissioner for Finance from 1999 to 2005 in the government of Chief James Ibori. Many of us who were in Asaba in those days were inspired by the character and personality of David Edevbie. He was courteous, humble, down to earth and highly focused. His high integrity quotient was always the subject of discussion in many circles at the time. Many people ascribed his high achievement to the fact that he was a technocrat.
The emergence of David Edevbie on the political scene to majority of Deltans is a welcome relief. They see him as the man who is fit and capable of converting the gains of the past fifteen years into a transformational strategy that will endow Delta State with the character of the First World from the Third World. Right now Edevbie is the best for the job of the governor of Delta State not in terms of strong arm tactics, but in terms of intellect, exposure to local, national and international service, management and leadership skills. Edevbie is also very detribalized, a factor which is much needed in the politics of Delta State today.
Edevbie has a sound pedigree. He studied Economics at the University of Lagos. After completing his National Youth Service Corps programme he proceeded to the prestigious Cardiff Business School at the University of Wales in the United Kingdom where he obtained the Master of Business Administration degree in 1988. His desire to build his capacity made him to attend many academic and professional courses which fortified his intellectual, leadership, management and strategy acumen.
He worked in different highly competitive financial positions before joining the prestigious Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) in the United Kingdom in 1995. It was here that Edevbie cut his teeth as a development strategist. His strong credentials, excellent capacity and evidence of service delivery made him the natural choice as CDC investment officer for the whole of Asia and the Pacific regions. Edevbie became more or less a ”development missionary” taking development first to the Philippines and later to every continent of the world. The impact of his work was contributory to the strides recorded by many developing countries in the countdown to the millennium year 2000.
Edevbie’s sterling credentials were what recommended him for the job of the Delta State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning in 1999. He was probably Nigeria’s most dynamic Finance Commissioner of that era. He led the campaign that compelled the Federal Government to begin the payment of the 13% derivation fund in the year 2000. He was the first Finance Commissioner in Nigeria to publish government’s audited accounts. He also introduced the prompt and monthly cash budget for payment of contractors in Delta State. The monumental achievement in infrastructural development in the Ibori era was as a result of this innovation.
As Finance Commissioner Edevbie initiated a visionary empowerment strategy which is now adopted by almost every state in Nigeria. He not only designed and implemented a privatization policy, but also started the Delta State Small Business Loan Guarantee Scheme. Edevbie internationalized the affairs of Delta State when he floated the Delta State Revenue Bond and won an ”A” International Credit Rating, the first of its kind in Nigeria. Edevbie was reappointed to the same portfolio after the 2003 elections. He continued his great job until he voluntarily resigned in 2005 to develop more leadership and management skills.
But there was no hiding place for Edevbie who had by then become a well known management expert. It was not long before the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential candidate Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua appointed him into his campaign organization as Director of Finance and Strategy. Edevbie was later appointed as Principal Secretary to President Yar’ Adua to replace the out-gone Chief of Staff.
Edevbie left great impact at the Presidency and Nigeria’s national life without many people knowing because of his modest character. He designed the Seven-Point Agenda, the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, Ministry of Niger Delta, Land Reform, Petroleum Industry Bill, Dredging of the Lower Niger River, and more. Edevbie is a catalyst for transformational change. The brief, but star performance before President Yar’ Adua passed on bore Edevbie’s input.
David Edevbie is the kind of personality that will unite Delta and bring cohesion to the state that is now politically fractured along ethnic lines. He alone appointed somebody (from Delta North) outside his ethnic group as Special Assistant when he was a Commissioner. As a detribalized Delta he went on to recommend the fellow as Commissioner for Economic Planning by splitting his office. It was a rare act that became a subject of interest to this day. Edevbie is not a power monger whose hold on power would suffocate the political class. He is a team player and a bridge builder. His strategic and management acumen will launch the state into a new sphere of development. He will bring integrity, accountability and transparency to government. More importantly the people are very dear to his heart and he has mapped out strategies to improve their lives. His international network will attract foreign investors who will generate employment for the teeming population and upgrade infrastructure. Edevbie has the capacity to breathe life into the state.
Ifeanyi Okolocha wrote from Lagos