Prayers for Governor Ifeanyi Okowa are necessary because from experience factors that hinder political leaders are usually around them. Sycophants and political bed bugs equate leaders to immortal gods. This is where decay starts and a people’s leader becomes a prisoner of characters around him.

This is what destroys leadership and pollutes societal values. If ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s team were committed, the agony of defeat suffered by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, would have been averted. Gratitude is necessary but praise couched in deceit like a Trojan horse, leads to defeat. A leader’s vision is enriched when he is surrounded by the right team.

Every leader needs a good team if he must heal societal ills.  Okowa’s aura, vision and commitment must reflect his team because power is attractive.

The recent case of a school certificate holder who stole a medical certificate to get employed in the Federal Ministry of Health undetected for nine years reveals decay.  There are many like him in every stratum of our national life. Many competent hands, with ideas to fertilise growth and development, are roaming the streets while crooks control our destiny.

Many questionable holders of degree certificates can’t read and write yet occupy positions that define our destiny. Schools are citadel of prostitution and cultism, presided by amoral teachers who extort boys and sleep with young girls; selling of handouts that don’t contribute to knowledge is a rule; the stench is our collective shame. Okowa must step on toes in cleansing the state, for our enemies may not be those who oppose our ways or criticize us but may be those who eat and drink with us daily either as friends or relatives.

The ideas in “s.m.a.r.t” can revamp the state into industrial stable economy:

On strategic wealth creation: This must be driven by commitment because you cannot entrust wealth to a lunatic and expect dividends. Structures to harness the human and material resources are necessary in increasing revenue and depending less on federal allocation. The board of internal revenue must be free from politicisation and greed in order to rake in financial figures that are credible and verifiable.   A career civil servant or person with pedigree can drive this sector; a public servant will not throw away years of toil for uncertainty, unlike a politician whose clandestine interests may negate growth.

Other areas of revenue drive should be consolidated into the revenue board. The present board suffers from flight and revenue leakages, profligacy and lack of dedication. The commitment is what “we can get rather than what we can give the state”. Revenue is lost as a result of inefficiency while revenue leakages are as a result of indiscipline and non-motivation of staff. Every commercial keke or tricycle operator pays N250 daily while the Okada or motorcyclist pays N100, but these funds end up in mystery hands. Imagine the financial benefits if these collections were consolidated under the internal revenue board. The state government can rely on property tax, especially buildings used for commercial purposes in our urban cities.

For political and social harmony,  each community would take part in decision making, implementation and conclusion of projects. This creates a sense of belonging and seeing the projects as theirs in order to protect them. Community development can be achieved through conflict management, especially with constant engagements of  change agents. This is necessary in oil producing communities to sustain growth and development.

On Agricultural reforms, commitment is needed because it is better to have committed uneducated persons who are dedicated than having a professor with all technical knowledge yet corrupt and uncommitted.  Okowa should resuscitate the old Isoko and Warri farms establish others.

On  health and education: these sectors are in shambles. The rich who seek medical treatment abroad and send their children abroad to study may not understand the predicament of the masses.  The rot is grave that teachers have turned schools into markets and brothels where they sell and exploit girls. Health institutions are clone mortuaries, avoided for traditional healers. These sectors must be resuscitated.

On environment through Urban renewal: the state government should carry the local governments on same page, on holistic ideas not cosmetic; our cities must be rid of filth and cleanliness made part of our life.

Roads are dumping ground for faulty vehicles; firms annex parts of federal roads as car parks. Landlords keep premises dirty with no toilets and bathrooms, sewages diverted to public spaces without minding health risk, gutters and drainage blocked making flood a norm.

Local governments are ineffective as sanitary inspectors are, sanitary inspectors can save our environment, promote health and rake revenue for government, the laws are castrated. Sustaining this through aggressive information management, education on government policies and benefits are necessary.   Disciples with passion for ideas are needed not persons who are overwhelmed by office, if we must guarantee economic prosperity.

Prince Abugo, a political activist, wrote from Uzere, Delta State