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How James Onafefe Ibori Began As An Outlaw in Delta State

April 25, 2010

Dear Publisher: 1. Let me clearly identify myself as one of the determined opposition to Chief James Onanefe Ibori – the first such opposition and casualty upon his election and assumption of office as the executive Governor of Delta State in 1999. This unenviable position was bestowed on me because of some pre-election and early-in-his-administration events schemed by him as a gubernatorial candidate from outside and masterminded inside government by a onetime Permanent Secretary and SSG, James Ewhrerho and Special Assistant, Omeni Sobotie.

Dear Publisher: 1. Let me clearly identify myself as one of the determined opposition to Chief James Onanefe Ibori – the first such opposition and casualty upon his election and assumption of office as the executive Governor of Delta State in 1999. This unenviable position was bestowed on me because of some pre-election and early-in-his-administration events schemed by him as a gubernatorial candidate from outside and masterminded inside government by a onetime Permanent Secretary and SSG, James Ewhrerho and Special Assistant, Omeni Sobotie.
Notwithstanding our personal relationship, he and his cohorts masterfully engineered the Workers Union leadership of the only viable public enterprise of Delta State Government into lawlessness late 1999.

This enterprise – Delta Transport Services that I was appointed to Head by a predecessor Administration had its normal operation disrupted for a prolonged period ostensibly because the resources of that Agency was used to finance the activity of the State Government during a Statewide Ibori funded and Omeni/Ewhrerho internally executed Union industrial action at the tail end of the Faghabo Administration when the Accountant-General, Mrs. Siakpere, became incommunicado and it proved impossible to carry on the business of governance.

2.       Unbeknownst to Ibori, the planning of this disruptive activities of the Unions were formally brought to my attention by the State Directorate of the State Security Services (SSS) before his assumption of office and the same directorate formally informed me that it educated the State Security Council (SSC) Meeting during its first sitting of the Ibori Administration, and in which Ibori was present, of its knowledge from prior infiltration of the Union leadership how disorderliness and lawlessness had been planned for that Agency by the workers Union leadership. A seeming disorderliness involving a small faction of the workers Union leadership but which even the might of the State government could not be used to reestablish order. 

Because of this SSS education, that Council concluded that there was no need to view the disruption of the Agency’s operation as a Security Matter, and instead, Ibori subsequently set up a kangaroo Administrative Panel of Investigation to look into a crisis that he nurtured and financed with the sole purpose of rewarding either an Ovoworie Macauley, now Commissioner but who was then the State Union Chairman and arrowhead organizer of the Ibori induced tail-end Faghabo Administration industrial action or a Michael Ani who endeared himself well to Ibori with his innumerable public lawless activities during Ibori’s first gubernatorial campaign and later became Chairman of this Agency.

3.      The setting up of the kangaroo Administrative panel came with a compulsory leave arrangement of my leadership of the Agency and after about thirteen months of intense pressure for the findings of the Panel, Ibori surreptitiously announced that I had been relieved of my regularized government appointment after an EXCO Meeting in Warri. 
    
That Agency never had the capacity to support extensive state operations, never funded the Administrator or State during that 1999 crisis, and intelligent people like Ibori, Ewhrerho, and especially Omene know very well that was not the case and all three were members of the SSC when the SSS enlighten them of the above mentioned Union scheming. Yet, Ibori chose to deprive me, a Deltan like him, of my legitimate employment, deprive the State of its quality leadership of that Agency, and enthroned mediocrity and corruption in that Agency. The records of this Agency can be looked at to see the scale of corruption since 1999.

4.      Essentially regarded as his second major act of governance, Nigerians should not be surprised by Ibori’s subsequent actions. During the fifteen months of struggle before I was relieved, without cause of my appointment with the Delta State Government, the matter was brought to the attention of the Captains and the historical political leadership of the State. They were informed of and some echoed the plunder agenda of the Ibori Administration but hunger with the consequent expectations, tribalism and the indolence it breeds in our people, and indifference out of arrogance made most of them sit-and-watch.

This they did in spite of their knowledge that the resolution of this Agency’s matter will serve as a test and precursor to the grand plunder and vilification plans of the Ibori Administration:

i.    A good friend of his, Lulu Enabiofo, attempted to discuss the Agency’s matter with Ibori in Government House, Asaba and he was so infuriated that he threw the brief at him and admonished him “never to involve himself or bring up that matter up again”. On his return, he said he “did not come to Asaba to look at the River Niger Bridge”. You understand.

ii.     His long time friend and one time schoolmate, Joe Obue who was also a tenant of mine at the time accompanied him during his first overseas trip and mentioned the Agency matter to him during flight. His response was that “I wanted to eat alone”. When told that I do not indulge in such things, he said “then I must be a fool and that it means that I was being used”. I am still trying to figure out who was using me.

iii.   A former colleague and mutual friend, Henry Imasekha, discussed same   matter with him during a stopover at his house at Park View Estate on his way overseas; Henry vouched for my character and competence and implored Ibori to retain me in his Administration. He made promises that he did not keep but enjoyed the time extended because of those promises.

Vi.    To some others, he wandered what financial contribution I made to his campaigns anyway and forgetting that I was a regularized technocrat in government service, worked towards my exit from service. However, realizing it was his prerogative to arrange and rearrange his administration, I offered through another emissary that I will accept a redeployment since it was obvious he needed or had earmarked someone else for my Office. Instead, that emissary came back and proposed a position in government that was two levels below the level I enjoyed. Of course, that proposal was unacceptable to me. 

V.   Others close to Ibori and reflecting his thinking during conversations accused me “of engaging in the business governance as if I was in the private sector”. That I did not allow a free for all as it is typical and I conveyed to him through the same sources that the Administrator that appointed me required that I be so businesslike but that he can change the rules and convey new instructions to me. Of course there was no feedback on this because, as it was typical, I was supposed to know.

Onanefe Ibori, who swore “to protect and uphold …” came in falsehood, focused on a grand plunder of the resources of the State and started by using gangster method with the wresting of control over the leadership of the only viable enterprise in the state at that time. A written complain in this regard was forwarded by me to the Inspector General of Police in 1999.

5.        When the Report of the Administrative Panel was not forthcoming after more than one year and Directors in the SSG’s Office claimed to have lost all files relating to my appointment, redesignation and regularization, and correspondence with the Governor’s Office - files that contained my authorities, reporting line arrangements, and operating approvals received from Ibori’s predecessor Excellencies that would have shown there was nothing that was done by my leadership that was not legal and did not receive the prior approval of His Excellencies, we decided to go to Court to force the process.

You will be embarrassed to read the judgment of the Honorable Presiding Judge – a superior Court Judge in a State with such human endowment. Of course the significance of this judgment pales when compared to subsequent legal decisions on other Ibori matters that have made Nigerian’s laughing stock internationally.

6.     The outcome of the silence of Captains and historical political leaders of Delta State is that today lawlessness reigns in the state – aka the recent Oghara Ibori display where the impression is being given to the rest of the country that there were no Urhobo leaders before Ibori; and where, not withstanding our early exposure to Western education, our children have so seen the fruits of gangsterism in governance during Ibori’s eight years as Governor that quality education and the pursuit of the professions have become unimportant and unattractive. 

Imagine Chief E. K. Clark being call a tribalist and the generality of our Ijaw brethren being so maligned – Clark who served us Bendelites so well as Finance Commissioner that his achievements, especially with internal revenue generation, received the attention of the Federal Government and earned him an appointment as a Federal Minister. My problem with Chief Clark is different – it is that he and the others in the Elders Forum condoned the recklessness for too long and it is suspected it was so because of party political considerations. 

Also, we must all remember that here was Delta State before Ibori became Governor and there were honorable Urhobo people before he achieved the exalted office of Governor so Ibori’s ordeal from corruption in office cannot be seen as an Urhobo nationality matter. Or, is that what we are? In the save vain, Delta State will continue to exist and become even stronger without his type corruption.

7.     We, the good people of Delta State, will be vigilant henceforth and watchful to know all those – at any level of Government that will attempt to subvert the due process in the prosecution of the Ibori EFCC matter. After all, Onanefe Ibori’s net worth before he became Governor was known and is determinable.

We Deltans must fight Ibori’s type of corrupt leadership because it enriches a few and impoverishes the generality of our people.
8.       I urge you to perform you duties and continue your investigations of the Ibori Administration – including its activities at the Delta Transport Service.

Remi Om’Iniabohs
Aviara, Isoko South LGA
Dalta State

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