How I survived doing a boring deputy governor job – Philip Shaibu
In his first media interview since his tenure as Edo State Deputy Governor ended last year, former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Philip Shaibu, has sensationally revealed the intrigues that characterised his transition from the National Assembly to the Dennis Osadebay Government House in Benin City, Edo State, his sojourn in the state, his relationship with his principal, former Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, his impeachment saga and subsequent return through the courts.
Shaibu, a former Majority Leader of the Edo State House of Assembly, revealed that his actions while in office were based on principles rather than materialistic position.
The Jattu, Uzairue, Etsako West Local Government Area, Edo State-born Shaibu, disclosed that he was foolishly loyal to Obaseki even when their relationship was not so cordial until when his rights were challenged by the man he so much devoted his time and energy to ensure his successful tenure.
Shaibu spoke on these and other sundry issues in this interview conducted in his Abuja residence. Excerpts:
Your Excellency, how have you been since you left office?
I have been fine. I have been used to post-office situation, so it is not new to me to be in and out of office. I am already experiencing what it takes when you are out of office. So, I have adjusted. In fact, I think even before I left as deputy governor, I have already adjusted to not being around Government House. Almost 19 months, I was out of the Government House. I was working from home. So, when I handed over, it was still as if I was in the same situation because I was still working from home and I am still doing things from home. So, it was easy for me to just adjust because pre-seven years of our tenure, I was already out of Government House office, but still active as the deputy governor working from my house. So, adjusting outside office was just easy for me.
The transition from being an activist to a politician, what was the motivation?
Yeah, I think my being in politics really was influenced by my encounter with the late Chief Bola Ige.
Which year?
That was in 1999/2000 and that was when I actually thought of going into politics, conventional politics. Don’t forget that during the military, I was very active fighting for this democracy that we have today and that is why anybody that wants to derail democracy, I am very sensitive to it because of what we went through to bring democracy on board, especially when I see those actors who were not part of us that fought for the democracy that we have. They won’t understand the pains and the torture and the losses that we had to have this democracy. So, some of us that are alive to see the democracy that we fought for, each time we see any sign of the foundation being shaken, there is something that agitate us because we don’t want to drift back to those days when we were in the trenches. So, my encounter with Bola Ige actually got me into politics because when Obasanjo (Olusegun) became the President of Nigeria, don’t forget he appointed Chief Bola Ige to be his minister and some of us that were activists felt he shouldn’t accept to serve in Obasanjo’s government. And I was one of the voices too that said no, he shouldn’t have accepted to serve in Obasanjo’s government. And we didn’t just say it, we went and we blocked him from entering the office. At that time, I was a student activist. He came and engaged us and it was at that engagement that I changed my perception of why we should be in politics. He made a major statement during the conversation that is still in my memory because we said he should resign, he should not accept… He said, young men, you will not understand. You see, the major problem we will face in this democracy is when good people fold their hands and refuse to participate in the democracy that we fought for. If good people refuse to participate because first, some say it is dirty and some say the present government is not a reflection of what they wanted, the president is already president, he has been sworn in. So, if all of us that fought for this democracy and good people refuse to participate in the government, the danger is that bad people will continue to rule us, while bad people will continue to lament and after a while, bad people will take over every aspect of governance and the good people will continue to lament and the negative effect of it will affect the good people the more. So, the best thing is let’s saturate the governance with good people and activists so that in the long run, Nigeria will be better for it and democracy’s foundation will be strengthened to the extent that democracy will never leave Nigeria. And that the backwardness of Nigeria as at 1999 was orchestrated by not having a democratic institution and that since we believe in institution, the only way is for us to take this position, get more of our people into the system. And he also advised us, he asked for our various levels in our schools and he said look, when you leave school, what you should try to do is, try and work for like five year in public sector or private sector to gain a little experience in what the workplace looks like and when you have that experience, I advise you to go into politics and hijack the system for the benefit of what we want to achieve as activists – strengthening institutions. So, that was where my interest in politics came from.
So, Ige’s death while in government didn’t discourage you?
Yeah. No, it disturbed us. It also shows what he told us, that when we don’t flush out bad people in the system, the bad people will continue to be there and they continue to create problems for us. So, he became a victim of the same bad system because his death was mysterious, his death was avoidable. If the institution was working as it ought to work… So, it is still part of the challenges that we have for us to fight for institutions. And I think his death also watered appetite to fight for a strong institution for Nigeria. And that is why every position I have held, I make sure that that particular office is not only recognized, but the value of the office is brought to the public. Check all the offices I have held, all of them, the value of the office and the sanity and sanctity of that office and the respect that office deserved, I always make sure it is given. All the offices, from when I was in the parliament to deputy governor, you will agree with me, even from member of the House of Assembly to House of Reps, my constituency knew that there was a representative. Representation of my people was paramount and everybody knew. In terms of motions, in terms of being… as I speak, till now, no member of the House of Assembly, no member of the House of Representatives that has been able to beat my record in terms of motion, in terms of constituency projects. As I speak! I challenge anybody, including the National Assembly members. Because in 18 months, as a member of the House of Assembly, I was able to initiate 16 physical projects in my constituency. That is not part of the over 1,000 empowerment that I did. This 1,000 empowerment that I did included motorcycles, tricycles, sewing machines, grinding machines, hairdressing machines, tools for artisans, because my area, my constituency, when I was in the National Assembly, has a lot of artisans – mechanics, mechanic tool boxes. So, the day I distributed these things in my constituency, it was like a pilgrimage centre. And deep-freezers for those that are trained to sell soft drinks and ice block. Then another one, I partnered with the National Director of Employment to train young farmers in piggery. About 26 of them graduated and we gave them starter packs, which some of them, till today, are big players In piggery in my constituency. So, we have been able to show that governance is about the people and anybody that is able to touch, do projects that people can feel and touch, you don’t need to woo me to support you. My support is automatic. And when I support anybody, I put everything that I have into it.
You had legislative experience at the state level and subsequently at the National Assembly. Why did you have to leave legislative duties to go and serve as deputy governor of Edo State?
Yes, some people ask that and if you ask me, I also ask myself, why did I allow myself to go to become deputy governor of Edo State? Yes, it was not in my plan really. It was the leadership that insisted that I should be the deputy governor. I never lobbied anybody to be deputy governor.
The leadership at the state or the federal?
At the state – the governor, then Oshiomhole especially, and some leaders, insisted that I should be the deputy governor. And it was because we brought somebody that was not a politician. Obaseki was not a politician, Obaseki never voted, he never had a voter’s card. Some of us insisted that time that he should not be the candidate, but eventually we bowed to the leadership. The leadership insisted he has to be. So, we were forced to allow him and after the primaries, I was asked to come and bring what I have, which is the political aspect of it. I actually brought the political value into his ticket. That was how I found myself being the deputy governor. But it was not something that I actually planned for and it was not something I lobbied for. The first one year was full of tension and I was asking myself whether it was worth it because I was doing very well in the National Assembly. And my colleagues even didn’t want me to leave the National Assembly. A lot of them told me not to accept the ticket. But I had to bow to superior argument from the leadership in my state to accept it. So, that was how I found myself in the state. But looking back, I am glad that I took that decision. If I had not taken that decision… there are lots of experiences I have gained now in terms of workplace and also in terms of how to deal with people, how to relate with people and how to galvanize people. The number of people I was able to assist was more than those that I actually was able to assist as a legislator. It is easier and faster to actually touch and reach the people directly from the executive end than the legislative end. But in the legislative end, it is easier to speak on their behalf, which at the end of the day, is subject to the executive implementation. It gives you the room to be able to be their messenger, but also, it does not give you the room to implement their thoughts. So, that is the aspect I enjoyed most in the executive branch. If I was not exposed to the executive branch, I would not have understood the difference between the direct impact that I would make from the executive and the legislative end. So, I think it was a beautiful experience. It was something I was not sure, but at the end of the day, I thank God that I accepted to be the deputy governor of Edo State.
You mentioned tension within the first four years. What was it all about?
Yeah, because I wasn’t sure whether I should be the deputy governor; frankly speaking. And when I saw the first budget and what was allocated to my office and what I was asked to be doing, I was like, is this what I’ll be doing for four years? Because I am a very, very active person and I cannot be idle. And I saw that everything there, most of the things, I would be idle.
Like a spare tyre?
Like a spare tyre. And I was not ready to be a spare tyre. I was full of energy, so that energy had to be dispensed, if not, it can lead to something else. I actually before the swearing-in, when I started seeing signs, I was ready to say, okay, since we have won, let me continue with my Rep., they should look for somebody else to continue as deputy. I was ready to do that really because at that time, my plan was more on the legislative arm than the executive. But that year, when Oshiomhole came and said look, you do not have a choice in this matter, you are already deputy governor and you should know that you are a spare tyre, whatever the governor says. At that time, it dawned on me that okay, it is whatever the governor says. Okay, no problem, whatever the governor says, no problem. But I will manage. So, I adjusted, but I made sure I was not redundant. I was filling in the gap. And that is why each time I speak that I was never given a portfolio for eight years, people don’t understand it. They say but you were active, I say yes because I told myself I would not be a spare tyre, I told myself I would not be redundant and I told myself I would not be reading newspaper in the office. I must find something to do whether I am given or not. And that was how I found myself doing everything in Government House. The first thing I did was to be a traffic warden. Instead of me to sit idle in the office, I go and be controlling traffic. There are some junctions in Edo State that during school period, rush hours… So, I became a traffic warden. I made sure I moved my security and Road Safety and I, we became friends and I was assisting to do that. From that one, I started playing football with Bendel Insurance and Edo Queen. And before I knew it, I discovered that Edo Queen and Bendel Insurance were grounded. So, I started helping them. And before you know, one or two things, I was playing football, it became news. First deputy governor playing football! If I had a lot of work doing, I won’t be travelling to play football with Bendel Insurance. But people didn’t understand it. So, I would travel with Bendel Insurance to go and play matches, I would train with them and before you knew, I brought Bendel Insurance’s sports back. And the governor didn’t have any choice to say, ah, since you are here, okay handle. That was when sports and he said okay, handle sports. Then the governor was lamenting that the committee he set up for revenue collection was not doing what it was supposed to do. I offered to help and I gave assistance. The governor saw improvement and he said okay, let me constitute the state revenue tax force. That was how it was constituted and he made me the chairman and we became very active. And I did a lot of things to get our tax system working. We automated everything, we reduced all the unions to one, all the almost 15 road transport workers unions, I reduced them into one road transport workers union. All the Okada riders and tricycle riders, they were up to 18 unions. I reduced them to one union. The road transport, they were in two forms. I had the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria and I had the National Union of Road Transport Workers. So, all the road transport workers related unions, I reduced them to one, brought them under one umbrella, the National Union of Road Transport Workers. While the owners’ unions, those ones were about 17, I reduced them to one, the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria. And Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria is an affiliate of TUC, while National Union of Road Transport Workers is an affiliate of NLC. And the Okada riders, I brought them into one under TUC. So, we now have only three tickets that you can pay for transport workers’ union, as against over 50-something tickets they pay every year. And that was why in Edo at that time, you hear of double tickets and triple tickets. So, I reduced them. And from one point-something billion in a month, in the first three months, we hit N3 billion, N4 billion, then we gave ourselves target of N50 billion in a year, and again, we gave ourselves another target of N120 billion in a year. And at the time, we were targeting N10 billion in a month, which we were targeting before the quarrel started and everything is history. Fortunately, this governor now, I have been told that he has hit the N10 billion target that we set for ourselves. So, you can see that I was not just a spare tyre, but I was an active spare tyre that anytime you need me, there was air in the tyre. I made myself available. There are some spare tyres that when you want to use them, there is no air inside. So, I made sure there was air in my own spare tyre.
Constant?
Constantly, there was air. I was active. So, when people started saying ah, they gave me leverage, nobody gave me any leverage. I forced myself. You know, they say the kingdom of God suffereth violence and only the violent taketh it by force. So, I took it by force.
Towards the end of your first tenure, crisis broke out between Obaseki and Oshiomhole. And understandably, at that time, you took sides with Obaseki, which many people saw as a betrayal since with your own admission, you came into government through Oshiomhole. And both of you eventually moved to the PDP. Does it mean that you exhausted all avenues of reconciliation to get a second-term ticket that the two of you had to leave the APC at that time?
First , let me correct an impression. I didn’t come into politics through Oshiomhole.
But you got into the deputy governor office…?
Yeah, deputy governor’s office, yes, yes. Because I was in politics before Comrade and we helped Comrade to be governor. We assisted. We worked tirelessly for Comrade to be governor. So, we were a team and he was the leader of that team and Obaseki was not one of us. He actually brought Obaseki. Obaseki was not one of us at all. Obaseki didn’t know how we played the politics that Oshiomhole became governor. Obaseki was brought in by Comrade to be his economic team adviser. He never participated actively and he was never partisan with us. So, that was why there was resistance when they brought him initially. So, that is it. Back to the question. Year 2020 right? The year 2020 was interesting and why it was interesting, why I took the decision that I took is that we had agreed in Edo State and Comrade led us – no to godfatherism. That slogan is in Edo State. It will be difficult for anybody to be a godfather in Edo State again because we activated that culture that every Edo person will say one man, one vote. We have leaders, but godfather is alien now in Edo. It may be outside Edo, but in Edo, it is alien because the way we actually eliminated it. And Comrade was right when he said we should fight godfathers. He was very right. Because when we fought those godfathers, we were able to free resources for the development of Edo State. Some of us that are activists, bought into it that the only way Edo can develop is no godfather in Edo State. And it is helping us. So, 2020 was a case of similar thing and some of us took sides.
But the fight was not yours to take sides. Isn’t it?
Partly, it was my fight. Why is it not my fight? Because for me, I hate oppression. I hate oppression no matter what type of form the oppression comes. I hate it. Any form of oppression, I don’t like it. I hate it. No matter who the person is, you can’t oppress anybody in my presence. So, some of us, we play activism. I was actively playing activism in 2020. As at the time I was supporting Obaseki, it was not that the relationship was good like that. But I made the relationship to work.
Your relationship with Obaseki?
Yeah, yeah. What people see outside is different from what is inside. You see, it is like a marriage. It is either the wife makes it work or the husband makes it work. One has to be a fool for a relationship to be able to flourish. So, in Obaseki’s government, I was the fool. I made myself a fool in his government to make the thing work. Because immediately Comrade told me during that budget saga that I don’t have a say, I am subject to what Obaseki says, at that level, (Sunday Sun)
