By Josef OMOROTIONMWAN
ADMITTEDLY, the more things change, the more they remain the same. Kidnapping has been with man from time. In our younger days, at the shout of “Gbomo gbomo”, every child ran inside and locked the door. Gbomo gbomo were the kidnappers of that time who did not carry out their trade for ransom.

They took away children for rituals. They were petty traders but along the line, they also stole available children.

In the tradition of Gbomo gbomo, the Federal Government of Nigeria is on rampage, looking for roads to steal. It could be that they deal on other items and projects but in Edo State, their major specialisation is on roads, good roads. The reader will recollect that this was what spurred us into doing the work titled, “Stealing by Sign Posts”. Since the appearance of the work in this Column on December 29, 2011, which sparked off a lot of controversy at the time, they slowed down to allow the dust settle.

It is necessary to pause a little and find out if the reader has been to that part of Benin City called Five-Junction, so called because it is a confluence where the roads coming from Lagos, Iyaro, Wire Road, TV Road, and New Lagos Road, all converge. Until the arrival of the Oshiomhole administration, it was the worst part of the town. The area was water-logged and the roads had the biggest potholes (rather, pig holes!) imaginable. At that time, each time it showered, at a single drop of water, the whole place was impassable. Traffic was held up for hours unend. It provided a nightmare for motorists and other road users.

Then came the Oshiomhole administration, which took on the area head long and gave it a 360 degree turn-around. The worst became the best. It is a sight to behold. It provides the type of wonder which some British men saw when they visited France and surmised, “See Paris and die”.

Apart from the major road, about 15 adjourning streets and arteries have been carefully revamped and properly manicured to fit the standard of roads found anywhere in the world. If you think the road is good, just wait till the flood lights go on at night. When the streets were newly commissioned, children were playing football on them till midnight. That’s what propelled the inhabitants of the area to vow that no a single vote of theirs will be denied the ACN at any election.

If only the Federal Government understood this, they would work instead of going about “kidnapping” state projects. In the Gbomo gbomo tradition, the Federal Government was at its best during the so-called Good Governance Tour in EdoState. They came; they saw; and they kidnapped. The team passed through the Five-Junction and other areas of the State in absolute bewilderment. In the evening of the last day, they collected themselves in a hotel in the GRA in what they termed a Town Hall meeting. The meeting had in attendance, a cluster of their party men. Then it was time to announce to the audience that the Five-Junction project was for the Federal Government. The Works Minister received a standing ovation on behalf of the Federal Government.

Of course, this was irritating to the Oshiomhole administration, which had decided that it was not in the best interest of the tax-payer who already sees what he is doing to pay a heavy bill for others to come and inform the people what the administration is doing. The projects speak for themselves. All the same, the administration was not going to open its eyes and watch others claim credit for its achievements.

First thing the following morning, a visibly enraged Comrade Oshiomhole was at the Five-Junction. He was not happy that the Contracting Firm, Reynolds Construction Company, RCC, did not provide enough signs to show who owned the project. Not to worry. The Company’s Project Manager, Mr. Yaniv Dabar, was on hand to explain the situation. Hear him: “Edo State Government is doing Five-Junction. The road, the erosion control, beautification and street lights at the Five-Junction are being financed and executed by the Edo State Government.”

Dabar should have realised that it is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss. He should have known that under the PDP administration, only falsehood can set one free. For telling the truth, he must be punished. We hear that Dabar’s truth was what made him a persona non grata. He was apparently bundled into the next available plane and repatriated to his country. If it is a coincidence, it must be a great one. A witch cried all night and the following morning, a baby died. Do we need a soothsayer to explain the cause of the baby’s death? The company has since issued a flimsy statement that Dabar travelled home on vacation.

Unknown to the Federal Government, these are the small things that go into equation when deciding where the scale shall fall in judging a country. Again, President Jonathan has carved out a niche for himself: The most criticised politician in the entire globe and he is enjoying it. This tradition must be sustained. This explains why when he is not busy granting unpardonable pardons, his men are busy kidnapping state projects.

In all this, why would he not remain the most criticised? This is one man whose administration has kept demonstrating a penchant for the disobedience of law. In which other country would an administration openly ask its functionaries to brazenly disobey a law duly enacted by the National Assembly, as the Budget Office, Ministry of Finance, has just done with the 2013 Appropriation Act?

Kidnap, under any guise, is contemptible. EdoState, which is in a hurry to develop, must now devote a good part of the resources that would have gone into further development to avoidable labeling of projects, all because Gbomo gbomo is hanging around.