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By Young Erhiurhoro
Chief Dr. Rufus Ebegba is one among many whose voice is loudly and clearly heard on the political scene and in the pages of national and community newspapers, television, radio and other social media platforms on daily basis across Delta State and the country at large.
According to the words of our elders, a white eagle can’t easily hide in a meeting where different birds converge. This is the true picture and description of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship hopeful come 2023.
Much has been written about this credible and tested grassroots politician in different media and by political writers on the race to the Delta State Government House come 2023. Be that as it may, we want in this short piece, to discuss our principal from a new perspective by giving some reasons why he is Deltans’ choice for governor come 2023.
This is truly a new dimension as he’s going to be discussed based on selected reasons. Without wasting much time, let’s hit the ground running.
The first of the select facts to consider about Chief Dr Rufus Ebegba is that, he is from the Delta Central senatorial district of the state.
This reason is important because, if we should go by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gentleman agreement of governorship zoning system in the state, it’s now the turn of Delta Central senatorial district to produce the governor of the state come 2023.
This political arrangement as initiated by the PDP-led state government under Governor James Ibori in 1999 is a welcome initiative by all the political parties in the state and every Deltan because it’s a system that strategically creates and guarantees fairness, equity and justice in governance.
Based on this, Chief Ebegba is a full indigene of the senatorial district with full political rights to contest for the governorship position. He’s paternally from Evwreni kingdom in Ughelli North Local Government Area and maternally from Iyede kingdom in Isoko South Local Government Area, both in Delta State.
Secondly, Chief Dr. Ebegba is an experienced party man. No doubt, gold is sold to those that know its value.
Since 1999, we have discovered that political parties, both at the national and state levels usually front candidates with less or no experience in politics. Some of the candidates were even cajoled into the political system because of their financial status or positions. These are people that naturally lack interest in politics. This is why, in most governments since 1999, the results or dividends of democracy to Nigerians are always very lean or poor.
However, Chief Ebegba is one of the founding members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State. He’s not that kind of harlot-politician like many we know in the state today, jumping from one political party to another. He has faithfully laboured much in the party. Therefore, he should be rewarded by the party leadership at this time as a faithful, dedicated and committed party member.
Thirdly, Chief Dr. Ebegba is a grassroots politician. This is yet another important reason for choosing Chief Ebegba for the governorship position of Delta State. Many of those that are making noise everywhere today are Abuja based politicians. They neither know people nor places here in the state. They are like echoes in the dark and the proverbial empty drum that makes the loudest noise. In fact, time has come for Delta State electorates or voters to deal directly with politicians whose identities, origins and political backgrounds are well known to them. In this case, Chief Ebegba is a thorough bred grassroots politician that is known to all Deltans. He’s a white eagle amongst other birds.
Fourthly, Chief Ebegba is a tested service provider, not only in the state, but also in Nigeria. In the labour market, one of the criteria or qualities for easy employment is job experience in the chosen career. It’s also the same in every political system. Experience matters a lot to choose leaders for higher positions. Chief Dr. Rufus Ebegba is today the director general of National Bio-Data Safety Management Agency in Abuja. This is a core social and security network in the country. It’s an essential service provider in the country for government services, foreign missions, corporate organizations, security agencies and the general society especially now that Nigeria is a seat of different security challenges.
He has also held other important positions within the party and in government circles especially at Abuja. In all these positions held by him, he was always adjudged by his bosses and superior officers as one of the best service providers to the masses and communities. He was never a self centered person as the case with many.
Fifthly, it’s glad to note that Chief Dr. Rufus Ebegba is a prudent and accountable leader. You will agree with me that for any leadership to succeed and deliver on course, the leaders that form such a leadership must be prudent and accountable in character especially in financial management. In short, prudence and accountability in financial management are supposed to be a key economic tool in the hands of the president and every state governor in the country including Delta State.
This in recent times has been found missing in subsequent governments in the state. This is why Deltans need a prudent and accountable leader like Chief Ebegba to lead the state as a governor from 2023 with her enormous and huge financial resources in order to revamp the state economy to a more sustainable and progressive one for all Deltans to have better lives.
The sixth reason I want to postulate here is that, Chief Ebegba is a humble and reputable crowd puller. Crowd puller in this usage means the level or status of popularity one has in a particular field or place of birth or place of residence. Yes, Chief Ebegba is not only a grassroots politician, but also a popular one for that matter. He’s a household name in the political arena in the state.
He’s a political leader in high demand by those in APC and those in other political parties in the state. In fact, Chief Ebegba is chosen by the elders, men, women, youths and even the young ones in Delta State to lead them as governor come 2023. His popularity in this case is not only limited to his Urhobo and Isoko people, but cuts across all ethnic lines in the state. Significantly, his popularity is in doing good to the masses and not popularity in perpetuating evil in the land as is the case with some celebrated rogues in the state. As a highly respected Urhobo and Isoko traditional chief, he’s a man of his words by every standard.
My seventh reason is that, Chief Ebegba is a born leader. This is an important reason and I also termed this very one as a natural leadership trait of Chief Dr. Rufus Ebegba. Truly, some leaders are born; some are made while others are created. In these three categories of leadership, the most outstanding is the category of those that are born leaders. This is the category Chief Ebegba falls into.
In Nigeria, many of our political leaders are made or created as a result of financial influence, family title or background and the power of god-fatherism. This has been the bane or shortfall of practising politics in Nigeria.
However, we can correct this political anomaly by voting into power born leaders. There are people that carry leadership traits in their veins and blood. These are the chosen ones to pilot the leadership of Delta State come 2023.
Chief Ebegba does not think of coming into the governorship race because of his huge financial wealth or his family title or background or to make money for himself in government. He’s a distinct born leader with core leadership traits different from every other person.
Interestingly, the eighth reason for Deltans to choose Chief Dr. Rufus Ebegba is that he’s a detrabilized leader. Without doubt, those that are close to Chief Ebegba will attest to the fact that he’s a detrabilized leader and politician. If there is any politician in government circle that doesn’t render his or her services based on party lines, or to satisfy only party members and him or herself, that politician is Chief Ebegba.
He’s a man that spread the dividends of democracy to the generality of the people irrespective of party lines, ethnic groups, tribes or community of origin. In every position he held since 1999, he made sure that the benefits from such positions spread to everybody that is concerned. His services are rendered to the people based on merit and not on favouritism.
This is why Deltans are shouting on top of their voices that, Chief Dr. Rufus Ebegba is the one to occupy Osadebe House come 2023.
Another important reason to discuss here is that, Chief Dr. Ebegba is a highly connected businessman. Today, Nigeria is regrettably facing economic woes as a result of so much bad financial policies and programmes orchestrated by our past and present leaders. One of these is lack of business acumen or reasoning.
Many of our leaders can steal public fund to invest abroad, without thinking of bringing international businessmen to invest in our states and the country as a whole. This is why it’s very expedient for anybody vying for the governorship position of Delta State to be a well-connected businessman with much business acumen. He should be a person who is vast in business transactions within and outside the state on one hand, and within and outside the country on the other.
In fact, it’s an undisputable fact that Delta State is a blessed state with much oil reserves and other natural resources. Deltans need a governor with a strong business mind to discover more of these natural resources and design a well planned platform to develop or harness them for the good of the people.
Chief Dr. Rufus Ebegba as I know is a businessman that is highly connected to the international business arena. In fact, he will revamp the state economy immediately he assumes power.
Conclusively, the last but not the least in this short discourse is that, Chief Ebegba is a reliable and responsible entrepreneur. In fact, let this be the conclusive reason or fact we shall discuss in this piece on our principal.
Also, this reason is synonymous to the ninth reason we have just discussed. It is also related to the financial management and development of entrepreneurial skills and job creation in the state.
On his personal and family life, Chief Dr. Ebegba, as a generous and philanthropic leader, has continued to empower youths and elderly from the different parts of Delta State on different areas of skill acquisitions. He has also facilitated the employment of many young graduates in the state into different government agencies and ministries and in the private sector.
In the same way, he has financed the setting up of businesses, workshops and stores for those that acquired different skills among the youths. If this man can do all these with his personal resources, what is he going to do by the time he emerges the governor of Delta State come 2023?
Young Erhiurhoro;Kjc is a reporter and a member of the Urhobo Historical Society.
