THE PLOT AGAINST THE AYAKOROMO BRIDGE

BY: EKANPOU ENEWARIDIDEKE

The season that revealingly tells the true test of the integrity of individuals involved in politics as a career and the ubiquity of anti-party politics – both disguised and open – has come and gone. It was a season of storms more tempestuous than the Shakespearean TEMPEST. Cast here in unambiguous language are the 2023 Presidential and Governorship Elections in Nigeria which threw up both the ‘wayo’ politicians and the dependable politicians. The survivors of this political storm are the cosmically anointed political heroes who should be heartily congratulated and celebrated – though without infusing elements of triumphalism into the celebratory dance.

Premised on the desirability of hearty congratulatory communication now that the political tempest that caused disastrous boat and road mishaps to many careerist politicians is over, I wish to formally congratulate His Excellency Rt. Hon. Sheriff Francis Oborevwori on his democratic emergence as the governor of Delta State despite the teleguided vindictive turbulence created in the political river by oppositional elements, in-house political ‘Judases’ and the ‘Ebidowa’ politicians. Only a man anointed and loved boundlessly by the masses could have won the Delta State Governorship Election of 2023. Oborevwori is the man because he is the man of the masses in Delta State. Hearty congratulations to Rt. Hon. Sheriff Francis Oborevwori on his well-deserved electoral victory!

Dear Governor Oborevwori, it is annoyingly puzzling and ironic that the same masses who worked devotedly for you in ward seven in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State are now being threatened by those who did not even work for you in the 2023 governorship election in Delta State. This is why I have come to bark here today in my maiden letter so that you can hear me and correct the looming anomalies in an environment where everybody can point to those who were totally out to eliminate you electorally in favour of an oppositional governorship candidate. Harvest is the prerogative of sowers and labourers, not those who ideologically diverged and chose not to work on the political garden when it was time to labour.

Governor Oborevwori has electorally become a victor after the horrible political storm deliberately created by naysayers. As a victor, it is the demand of tradition that you magnanimously accommodate both the good ones and the political Judases, but you must be cautious enough even in your political magnanimity to resist a situation where the known political ‘Judases’ would shamelessly activate a ritual to frustrate, dehumanise, pauperise and objectify the main people who worked for you in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta state. The main firm persons who worked for you are now being victimised, intimidated and dehumanised on the Ayakoromo bridge project.

The Ayakoromo bridge being constructed by Zerock Construction Nigeria Limited since 2013 was recently re-awarded to Setraco Nigeria Limited by former governor Senator Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa. The Ayakoromo bridge project is now securely in the hands of Setraco Nigeria Limited, Mr Gba Desmond Jeff Edumogiren the community liaison officer of the bridge project who worked oppositionally during the 2023 governorship election is the person who has arrogated to himself the vindictive power to victimise the existing staff on the Ayakoromo bridge. The existing staff on the Ayakoromo bridge were among the main firm people who worked devotedly for you during the 2023 governorship election. God Almighty and gods like Ozibou and Odele residents in Ayakoromo town can attest to this claim here.

Distressingly, Mr Jeff Edumogiren’s questionable chameleonic position is that he has the mandate to disengage the existing staff on the Ayakoromo bridge and engage new hands to work in Setraco. By this strange manipulative dance, Mr Jeff Edumogiren is poised to create joblessness and economic problems for families whose monthly incomes come from working there. From Mr Edumogiren’s single mouth multiple, ambiguous defensive statements have emerged seamlessly. At one time he would say the policy of disengagement is initiated by Setraco; at another time he would loudly say the policy of disengagement of existing staff on the Ayakoromo bridge is purely his initiative as the community liaison officer on the bridge project. No one can pin him down to one position because he changes his explanatory defensive positions here and there when it suits him to appear blameless before the unsuspecting public.

Signals everywhere indicate that all the moves and the self-appointed policy initiative of Mr Jeff Edumogiren make a mockery of labour laws and human resources management in Nigeria because his moves are rooted in victimisation, pauperisation, objectification and frustration of the workers on the Ayakoromo bridge. Mr Jeff Edumogiren is vindictively arrogating to himself powers he does not have – as he has recently engaged rather secretly two security men on the Ayakoromo bridge in pursuit of his vindictive policy of disengagement of the existing staff on the bridge.

Dear Oborevwori, authoritative findings reveal that Setraco Nigeria Limited has not initiated any employment policy rooted in the disengagement of existing staff on the Ayakoromo bridge and the engagement of fresh hands at work. The whole thing is a meaningless selfish creation of Mr Jeff Edumogiren the community liaison officer. The mindset of Mr Jeff Edumogiren let loose here and there when it suits his vindictive move is that he (Jeff) is so politically connected to some top politicians of the state who danced oppositionally during your election and Setraco Nigeria Limited that he has the mandate to do anything to suit himself as an employment initiative when in actuality we know he is not what he claims to be. Vindictive dance of anyone at work as a community liaison officer deserves instant expulsion.

Conventionally speaking, what is good for the iguana is also good for the alligator. Mr Jeff Edumogiren had been the community liaison officer(CLO) on the Ayakoromo Bridge project from 2016 till now. If it is his vindictive initiative that the existing staff on the Ayakoromo bridge should be disengaged for fresh hands to be engaged, the community liaison officer should take the first bullet of disengagement because he is also an old existing staff.

Glaringly, the vindictive move of Mr Jeff Edumogiren the community liaison officer is to dislodge the existing staff on the Ayakoromo bridge, creating joblessness and economic ‘disempowerment’ and uncertainty for the affected families. This is unacceptable because, for an anachronistically digital community liaison Officer of Mr Gba Desmond Jeff Edumogiren’s class who champions the policy of disengagement of the existing staff and the engagement of fresh hands on the bridge project, he should be the first example by being firstly disengaged. After all, the casualties of existing staff disengagement must not be limited only to the targeted staff who have done nothing wrong but to all – including Mr Jeff Edumogiren the Community Liasion officer on the Ayakoromo bridge project who is inseparably among the existing staff on the Ayakoromo bridge.

Dear Oborevwori, the distilled thinking everywhere is that the existing staff on the Ayakoromo bridge must not be disengaged; only additional staff should be engaged. It would be an inspiring thing if the governor of Delta State and Setraco Nigeria Limited could therefore intervene and punitively reawaken Mr Jeff Edumogiren to the propriety of putting an immediate end to his vindictive initiative of disengaging the existing staff on the Ayakoromor bridge – existing staff who have no query of infractions at work but only a history of undistracted dedication to duty. By this chastening and awakening intervention on the part of the governor justly solicited here, the morale of the core believers of Governor Oborevwori would be boosted because they will no longer be objectified and humiliated as orphans by Mr Jeff Edumogiren who thought and worked ‘oppositional’ during the 2023 governorship election in Delta State while the existing staff on the Ayakoromo bridge stood solidly for His Excellency Sheriff Francis Oborevwori.

Our dear Governor Oborevwori, the community liaison officer on the Ayakoromo bridge called Mr Jeff Edumogiren has no moral right to champion an employment initiative of existing staff disengagement targeted at your core believers who are the workers on the bridge, especially when the employment initiative is not coming from SETRACO NIGERIA LIMITED in a political space where he(Jeff Edumogiren) can only point to damning evidence of oppositional engagement during the 2023 governorship election while the so-called existing staff on the Ayakoromo bridge stood firmly for you.

BY:EKANPOU ENEWARIDIDEKE

Writes from Akparemogbene, Delta State.