By Ebenezer Omokpo

As  Nigerians eagerly await the formal commencement of campaigns for the various elective offices up for contest in the 2019 general elections, there have been diverse opinions as to how the political pendulum would swing and the voting pattern across the geo-political zones.

Beyond the much anticipated presidential contest which would see the opposition parties challenging the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, a major focus, given the current political climate, would be the shape, form and intellectual content of the next National Assembly.

There are a number of reasons for the bourgeoning interest in the Constitution of the National Assembly, post 2019, chief being the current Assembly in a quest to assert the independence of the Legislature and consolidate its control over legislative rule making, equitable appropriation and efficient oversight, has had quite some skirmishes with the Executive.

For the most part, the narrative has been spun in a manner that depicts the National Assembly as unduly intransigent and needlessly confrontational. While one cannot hold brief for either the Executive or the Legislature on the score, it is important to state that the future of our budding democracy will ultimately be dependent on a vibrant, fecund and knowledge driven legislative governance architecture.

In terms of cultural diversity, one of the most cosmopolitan Senatorial Districts in Nigeria is Edo South Senatorial District, home to the State Capital – Benin City. Historically, Benin City was the capital of post-Independence Nigeria’s Midwestern Region and later Bendel State up until the latter was bifurcated into Edo and Delta States.

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Geographically, the Senatorial District currently covers Seven (7) Local Government Areas of Edo State and accounts for over 60% of the State’s registered voting population. A corollary of this reality is that virtually all the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria have presence in Edo South and by extension, consider it home. From the Ijaws to the Igbos, the Yoruba to the Hausa and all the other ethnic groups that formed the Old Midwestern Region, Edo South has accommodated every Nigerian, regardless of tribe, tongue, colour or religion.

Given the foregoing, the Senator representing Edo South in the next National Assembly must as the irreducible minimum epitomize the collective vision and shared aspirations of not just the Edo Peoples but of the larger Midwest and all inhabitants of the Senatorial District.

The individual must be capable of building pro-development consensus amongst colleagues in Parliament with a view to constructively engaging the Executive so as to make laws for the prosperity, peace and good governance of the nation, especially his or her primary constituency. Most importantly, the representative must understand the complexities and intricacies of contemporary legislative craft especially as it relates to rule-making, appropriation and oversight of executive actions.

Thankfully there is an array of qualified candidates that are currently seeking the mandate of the people to represent Edo South in the Red Chambers come 2019. However one of them stands heads and shoulders above all the others and brings exceptional gravitas, panache and an endogenous cerebral perspective to art of parliamentary procedures and functions. He is Dr Ese Owie, the Candidate of the Action Democratic Party, (ADP).

Dr Ese Owie is an exceptionally accomplished and experienced Public International Law and Trade Policy Practitioner. He has extensive experience in advising National Governments, Multilateral Agencies and Private Organizations on International Environmental Law, Sustainable Infrastructure, Transportation & Housing Policy and the Built Environment, in a sterling multi-jurisdictional career.

Between 2009 – 2011, He served as Special Adviser to the Executive Governor of Edo State – for four months, where he was one of the Governor’s Principal Policy Advisors. He was subsequently appointed the Executive Chairman of the Edo State Board of Internal Revenue and a Member of the State Executive Council, where he functioned as the Administrative Head of the State’s Internal Revenue Service. At the Board of Internal Revenue, he led a transformation of the State’s Internally Generated Revenue institutional framework and grew monthly revenue from about 350 million Naira per month to over 1.6 Billion Naira monthly within one year.

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A consistent advocate of the convergence of theory and practice in Governance especially in emerging economies, Dr Owie sits on the Board of the Centre for International Trade & Policy (CITaP), a Geneva, Switzerland, based Think Tank and Research Centre that provides cutting-edge, actionable advice to governments, Non-State Actors and civil society groups on, amongst other things, the mainstreaming of Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) considerations in Economic Policy Formulation and Sequencing, Sustainability and Developmental Strategy.

He also advises Institutional Investors on the embedding of Responsible Investment and Prudential Regulatory Precepts that enable stakeholders to dispassionately assess the full spectrum of investment and regulatory risks, opportunities and challenges so as to effectively allocate capital in a manner that is in sync with the short, medium and long term benefits of investors, the government and the public.

An exceedingly successful entrepreneur, he is currently Country CEO (Nigeria) of Numelec SA of Geneva, Switzerland a global leader in the provision of a uniquely broad spectrum of innovative medical diagnostic and healthcare infrastructure solutions in today’s rapidly changing healthcare environment.

As Country CEO, he coordinates the conceptualization and implementation of all Numelec’s healthcare infrastructure projects in Nigeria, with oversight for anglo-phone West-Africa. As a demonstration of his commitment to developing access to qualitative healthacare in Nigeria, Numelec has among other landmark projects across Africa, committed about USD 40 Million (Forty Million US Dollars)for the construction and equipping of a World Class Medical Diagnostic Centre in Nigeria. Upon completion of this milestone, Nigerians would have access to cutting-edge healthcare services.

Dr Owie’s educational pedigree is unparalleled. With his sights clearly set on putting Nigeria and Indeed Africa on the Global Governance Landscape, he earned a Doctorate Degree in Public International Law from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom specializing in the development of bespoke country specific templates for appropriate interface between global trade polices and national regulatory competence in engendering development in global services trade.

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He also holds an LL.M Degree in International Law from the University of Hull, United Kingdom, where he graduated with Distinction and was awarded the Josephine C. Onoh Memorial Prize for the Overall Best Graduating Student. He obtained a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LL.B) from the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria, and a B.L from the Nigerian Law School.

Always eager to develop himself he also holds a Certificate in Privacy Rights and the Media from the Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald, Germany, a Certificate in WTO Law and Practice   from the Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Belgium, an Advanced Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Business Development from the Said Business School, University of Oxford, United Kingdom, a Certificate in Comparative Tax Policy and Administration (COMTAX) from The Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA, a Certificate in Strategic Management of Regulatory and Enforcement Agencies (SMREA) from The Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA and a Certificate in Infrastructure in a Market Economy: Public Private Partnerships in a Changing World (IME) from The Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA .

Ese is an Alumnus of The Hague Academy of International Law, The Hague, Netherlands, a member of the London Branch of the International Law Association (ILA), The American Society for International Law (ASIL), the London Shipping Law Centre and the Society of Legal Scholars (UK). He is an Associate Fellow of the Nigerian Leadership Initiative (NLI), where he was a Member of the Inaugural Future Leaders Class in 2007.

An accomplished academic, Ese holds concurrent Visiting Research Fellowships at the Law School, University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, The Shipping Law Unit, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town, South Africa and the Centre for Infrastructure Policy Regulation and Advancement (CIPRA) Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, Nigeria.

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When one interrogates the credentials of the Candidates in the race for Edo South, it is obvious that given his track record, accomplishments, innate humility, passion for humanitarian service, global network and intellect, Dr Ese Owie remains the most qualified person for the position of Senator for Edo South in 2019. As a stakeholder in the electioneering process, I wish to unequivocally cast my vote for him and urge all men and women of goodwill regardless or tribe race or tongue to come out en-masse to vote for him on February 16th 2019.

Long Live Edo South and May God bless Edo State.