Chief (Barr.) A.K. Osawota

Excerpts

Sir, it is being rumoured that at the State and the Federal level the Urhobos are seriously marginalized. Now that someone like you is contesting for the vacant senatorial position, what will you do to douse this believe if you are elected into the National Assembly?

Marginalisation is the thing known by the word ‘margin’ which means you are on the edge. Being on the edge is putting you in perpetual fear of survival. So when you say some people are marginalized, it tilt that way. And by dint of that word itself, it showed that you are not getting enough from the Federal. Right now the Central Senatorial seat is vacant. If there are laws that are to be made and attain in the process of legislative writing at the upper house of the legislature which is the Senate nobody is there to represent us. That is marginalisation. But it is within the tentacles of the law and its influence that after ninety days a Senator will be elected but there is still a reservation. If there are laws that ought to be made to the advantage of us in the Senatorial district can we contribute our quotas right now that the Senator our beloved brother is demised? It is left for you to answer the question. But on the issue at the Federal level in relation to the executives, the Urhobos do not have a commissioner. Even as far back as the first Republic of Nigeria when we have only four regions, the Urhobos had a Minister. One Chief Tabiowho was Urhobo Minister as at that time. But with the proliferation of states we do not have a Minister. You are to conjecture that. It showed clearly that if we do not have a Minister, then we do not have any input to make. We do not have the attendant advantage or advantages to be derive from the Federal Government. So how can the input be made into the Urhobo area? What are the incursions to be derive into the Urhobo’s area when you do not have a Minister? A minister mans his portfolio. A Senator mans his constituency or Senatorial district. So the necessary ingredient to fill the Senatorial district on the one part and the input of a Minister with his attendants advantages are completely lacking and the people of that area or the race is completely caught napping without any development. So these things are there. Development could come in different forms. It could come in human capital or infrastructural development. It could also come in term of personalities. Look at all the advantages that could be derived if your brother is the petroleum minister? Can you conjuncture the advantages that could be brought to bear for the people of that area person to person in term of ntroduction of money into the state directly from that project. Like the woman who is there presently, you do not need to ask me the advantages the people derive from her being there?

That is why the Urhobos are agitating for a credible and prominent Urhoboman who can do the job. Can you do it sir?

Yes I can do it. What you mean is a credible person. You have used the right word. But it is not a just a credible person. It must be the person who have the vision and mission which he could composite to true reality. You know where to spectacle as a visioner. Then through your vision you will tell us your mission which comes in actualization of development proper which will be divided into the various sphere of influence as derived from the vision. A minister or Senator can attract all the portfolios despite the fact that other people are manning those portfolios. If it is a thing from the Federal that has to be on the prospect rum around the country he will take it and take it to his people. That is the importance. Now the man who is there, if he is credible can attract a lot of influences locally, .nationally and internationally. I give you an example. If for example you have a credible senator derive from your district, he could attract a lot of aids. He could attract a lot of aids from China, he could attract a lot of aids from Russia. he could attract a lot of aids from all the United Nation Organisation. he could attract aids from foreign banks like Exxon. So what we are talking about is that there are money from Russia, China, India and all the United Nation Organisations for undeveloped nations including Africa. In Nigeria nobody taps it. It is South Africa and East Africa and you will want to know by titillating through a question why are we not tapping it?

Why are we not tapping it?

We are not tapping it because we do not have a credible person to key in. They will look at your Curriculum Vitea (CV). They will look at the internet to see whether you are credible. If you look at Anabel analysis, he said all the politicians who are vying for position of Delta Central Senatorial seat, “Chief Osawota can be trusted.” So when you are on that Senatorial position and you are credible, it opens door into your domesticity, it opens door nationally and internationally. And when you now sit there to stretch a long hand of fellowship to this various organization they will now say who is the man there? If we give him will he account? This money is not meant to be repaid. They are aids for developing Africa. Particularly Nigeria is inclusive to tap into this aid.

You just made reference to Enabel analysis who said you are the most credible Senatorial candidate. So what make you better than other candidates?

I have been tested before. I was the pioneer secretary DESOPADEC . While I was there on the basis of inventiveness, and on the basis of creativity, I put these things on the table. I put my policy of action on the table, keyed them properly and executed them. So the three years I was in DESOPADEC, I brought a lot of capital development to the people. When I say the people, I mean the masses. I make sure infrastructure development was part of the programme. I make sure human capital development was part of my programme. I make sure even on my own I incise what may be call a body that was also reaching benevolent for charity. So you see, there are so many ways you can do these things. You must have a contrite heart. You must be a man who is ready to tap and create the greatest advantage for the greatest majority of the people. Those are the masses. And it is the masses that will be first affected. Then when you talk of life reaching projects, everybody around you is poor and you divide this project evenly on the basis of body polity where you find yourself as a state. Apart from that very fact, when you also divide it in terms of whatever indices that there is and it goes down evenly and there is a balance then you would have done well to yourself, you would have done well to your people and you would have done well to God. An ultimate service is to God the head. When you serve God, you serve the people, and when you serve the people you serve God. At that time, the people will come out to praise you. And the voice of the people is the voice of God. When it comes to reckoning like this time of election, they will say you are the person they want. That is why you see I am credible. That is why there is yearnings on the street that Chief Osawota is the best candidate to go there. Apart from that, I am well trained and grounded. I have practice law so much. I do not need to tell you my age at the Bar. But I have done this doggedly on the street. I have done it in the court. So while I was there, I also affected lives of the people. I need a lot of free jobs for the people. But I did not blow my horns on it. It was a continuous thing. My practice is still running. The aid is still going on to assist those who do not have. Right, but do not ring bell over it. And that is the number one credential, the very essential credential that you need in the legislative house. So you are either well grounded in law, especially in constitutional law which is one area that I have been involve, That is one area that I was schooled or you would have been elected to the House before and you have learn it by heart. So by record, by training, I am vast in law and fit for that position. So you do not need to be there and begin to learn. You may waste the whole time learning. By the time it runs out you have not affected the life of the people. You do not even know mechanics of making laws, legislative writing and drafting of law. So these things are very technical. You must be vast in law to achieve it perfectly. I am not say that if you are not a lawyer you cannot be. Like I have made it clear that you can learn it by going to the House of Assembly learning the ropes, going to the House of Representative learning the ropes, going to Senate. So all if you follow that tortured process, it is still learning. What we are saying is that as a lawyer, I do not need to learn. I will only go in, key in and begin to do things to the advantage of my people. So I will use my knowledge to get all that there is any opening, there is any opportunity to make my people benefit.

Sir, the rumour making the rounds is that the top echelon of PDP may end pickling a candidate to contest for the election. Do you not think this might be an obstacle to your aspiration?

I have been a constitutional PDP man and founder mentalist so so. But I always tell people do not go into the dialectics that are speculations. I think it is better left at that. You say may be, that is speculation. I want to live it like that. So that at the right time and right place we can look at it properly and all of us will think about it properly and take action at the proper time.

Finally sir, what is your message to the masses on the street that are clamouring for you?

To the masses on my Senatorial district, I want to encompass because this election is about a central senatorial district dominanted by the Urhobo people. So my first message to the Urhobo people is that by my singular election, I will be an instrument of unity among the Urhobo people. After there is unity, then there will be development. As I am uniting them, I am teaching them the rope and I am sowing the seeds for them. Any advantage, any single gain whether in term of capital development, infrastructural development and/ or incisive thinking and creativity then I will tap on it. Take for example Delta Steel, Aladja. We will make laws. We will tap on it. We will create the inventiveness to see that the place begin to work. If that place is working it will take over a thousand workers and people are off the streets. You see, you must create bread for the people. By creating bread for the people, you must be in a position to create the bread. As a Senator, I will be there to take the advantage of any inventive law to the benefit of my people. We have to use our creative power. The brain is the power base of any man. The computer is just one tenth of the brain. I am going to use my mental facy=ulty to its fullest work and splendor so that the greatest benefit will accrue to the greatest number of people in y senatorial district.