EDO 2024: WHO SHALL THE PROGRESSIVE SEND ? By Jeffery Igbinigie.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

“Next Edo governor must be a person with work experience and courage”- Edobor Ijeli

…..Engr Ogiemwonyi,”tested and proven”.

 By Jeffery Igbinigie.

“Whom shall we send; And who will go for us”? is on the lips of every progressive minded person in Edo state and beyond as the Edo 2024 comes very close. 

Yours faithfully was in the midst of some non-Edo friends and political actors recently in Abuja. They were very sympathetic with the course of the state, and about the administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki .Their ten pence for us was that we would be undone again if the progressives risk presenting a non-starter to confront Obaseki’s candidate or any of his ilk in the coming election.

As usual, they could not stop conjecturing how we got it wrong in 2020 and expressed grave concern that if we refuse to give the next election our best shot, the progressives may be conned once again and Obaseki may have a field day. “Never put any prank past Obaseki ,” one of them bellowed. Another described Obaseki as a political con man with bags full of all the antics in this world. He said Obaseki may even worm himself into the progressives fold before the next election and choose his successor for them a lackey who would do nothing but his bidding.

The general consensus however was that Edo people were the worst for it. Either they had chosen the path of apathy or were simply vindictive for no just cause, their action or inaction actually monsterized  Obaseki and they have forced themselves to face the brutal fact of living in sorrow and pain for seven harrowing years. Edo has been shortchanged, good governance has eluded them and democracy remains in a slumbering state until Obaseki and his like is booted out.

Let us not lay pretenses against the fact that Obaseki is the person to beat come 2024 Edo election. Whether he is contesting personally or he is putting forward a surrogate, we are up against him and we must prove to him that we are capable of uprooting his political root from Edo political soil, no matter how firm, he is beatable and only someone who can beat him fair and square should pitch. No one should tell us any tale of how he fought political battle in the passed, “anyone battling with credibility problems, should not go confronting the monster himself, Edo 2024 is not the time to experiment.” says one of the sympathizers

Some have said, unapologetically against taking it easy with Obaseki and thus would not queue behind any aspirant battling with credibility problems, in the progressive fold to prosecute the next election.”The only way Edo can be wrested off the strangulating claws of Obaseki come 2024 is for the progressives to meet him with equal measure and not through any negotiation or trading off.No agreement today, no agreement tomorrow,” according to Fela Anikulapo Kuti.”

But why should the people of Edo, the Heart beat state, the land of integrity and pride, choose to be under a Obaseki with all his predictable monkeyshines? The answer is not far-fetched, as Edo in their wisdom would say, “It is the untoward behavior of the living that makes one pine nostalgically after the dead.” This time around, anyone who wants to take on Obaseki must be a dyed-in-the-wool Progressive, and not someone who had been oscillating between Progressivism and Conservatism in the past. 

No, people do not want a flight-by-night Progressive to represent the Progressive fold. As an advocate,i am of the candid opinion that the progressives must start weaving their relevance around those who have been on ground from the world go,someone with a work experience and courage. 

Another thing that the progressives must take to mind is to guard against disconnect of any form.This perhaps best explains why majority of the people have been advocating for someone from among them and not someone from outside of them.“We don’t want import from another place,” is the common refrain today. And they have legitimate reasons to say so. Edo must be governed by an Edo in truth and spirit.

A passionate and unified Edo agenda must be to move Edo people forward. Every Edo man and woman must have a sense of belonging. Every home must be touched with love and not torched by the fire of hatred and vengeance. 

Anyone saying “Serves them right” to our people for selling their conscience to Obaseki (if at all they ever did) is not fit to liberate them.The question on the lips of all at home right now is “What is in it for us?” Anyone who cannot answer this question should shelve his or her ambition for now.

Development, yes, Edo people want it, crave it and deserve it. They want technology, they want good roads and all the bubbly things of life that are dingily available in the metropolis. But, heck no, not at the expense of starving them to death.Our people must survive and live a happy life before voyaging and gamboling. They must feed well and not be fed with stories of what the unseen future holds for them. As a matter of fact, anyone who is so futuristic as not to mind the present state of things should not go near our people for votes. Neither do they want to be bribed to vote, they should be convinced to vote that a Messiah has come.

But more importantly, two factors are coming out strongly in the entire mix. This border on the role which experience will play on who becomes the next governor and people’s freedom to vote for the right candidate. Since the continuity and sustainability of a lofty height which former Governor Oshiomhole has taken Edo development to, is the main focus of the opposition party (APC) in the state is looking for a replacement for Obaseki, it save to say EXPERIENCE, INTEGRITY and WORK PERFORMANCE shouldn’t and cannot be compromised at this time.

From information at street corners and from stakeholder, the charismatic and highly accomplished Petroleum Engineer, former Group Executive Director, Exploration and Production of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPLC; A former Minister of State for Works, Federal Ministry of works, a successful private businessman and philanthropist, remains the runaway favourite to clinch victory in the February, 2024 APC governorship primary ticket.

This is because while some are battling with credibility problems, Engr Ogiemwonyi has been tested and proved to be a lover of peace; not a man of one day one trouble; but a man of his words, who fear man and God. He is a promise keeper and a go getter, gentle, humane and kind-hearted with intimidating credentials.

Engineer Chris Ogiemwonyi began his career as a Petroleum Engineer II in 1975 with the Conservation Department, in February 1977, Ogiemwonyi was seconded to SPDC (Shell Petroleum Development Company) Warri. This secondment was enriched by a four and half month Advance Petroleum Engineering Programme in SPDC Training Centre in the Hague, Netherlands.

In 1982, Chris Ogiemwonyi resumed work at the Exploration & Exploitation (E&E) Division of NNPLC and in 1985 he was transferred to the National Reserves Evaluation as a Project Leader. While in office as a project leader, Ogiemwonyi coordinated all efforts in Dallas, USA in establishing a strong data Base for the Oil and gas Industry.

In 1988, he was moved back to the Exploration Division of the Exploration& Exploitation (E&E) as Head, Petroleum Engineering Department Company to nurture the newly created Petroleum Engineering Department.

In 1988, Chris Ogiemwonyi became the project leader (Petroleum Engineer) of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) in Benin City. The NPDC, incorporated in1988 had as its main objective the mission to compete as an indigenous Oil and Gas producing Company. NPDC was assigned four acreages including OML – 65 containing Abura Field then producing at 980 bopd.

Ogiemwonyi championed the takeover of NPDC and he kept an up-to-date reserves position of the company.He was the field project leader in Abuja as his company had the major takeover asset from defunct TENNECO. Ogiemwonyi raised the production level from 980 bopd to over 4,000 bopd in 1990.

In 1992, he served as Oredo Field Project Leader which was a Greenfield project that involved KELT ENERGY,UK and IP CONSTRUCTION, Calgary. The project was an engineering, procurement, construction as well as operations of 10,000 bopd early production facility which has now being expanded to process 30mmscf/d.

Ogiemwonyi also served as Oziengbe field Leader. This is another 10,000 bopd EPC facility at Oziengbe field.In the year 1999, Chris Ogiemwonyi was promoted to the post of the General Manager, operations and was moved to National Petroleum Investments Management Services (NAPIMS) to oversee the Operations Division. He also championed several projects as a general manager most especially the Local content initiative of the Federal Government, due to the hardworking service; Ogiemwonyi got appointed as the Group General Manager NAPIMS in 2001.

While serving as the Group General Manager NAPIMS, Ogiemwonyi supervised the whole industry including the Joint Ventures (JV) and the Production Sharing Companies (PSCs).During his days in NAPIMS, During his time as  head of NAPIMS his annual budget was over 1.8 billion US dollars.Ogiemwonyi served as Chairman, Nigeria OTC Committee between 2003 and 2004. Notably, he also championed and surpervised several key projects which includes the EA field, Erha field, Bonga field, Agbami field amongst others.During his term, NAPIMS achieved zero cash call arrears by October, 2003. As GGM NAPIMS, the Oil Industry was encouraged on joint utilization of assets such as offshore swamp rigs.

In November, 2003, Ogiemwonyi was reassigned to NPDC as Managing Director[5] and his expertise helped in increasing NPDC production from 20,000 bopd to 70,000bopd. He served as chairman, Project Monitoring Committee (PMC) of Okono/Okpho Development Project, a strategic alliance between NPDC and Agip Energy Limited (AENR). He also served as Chairman, PMC of OMLs 64 and 66 Project, another strategic alliance between NPDC and SINOPEC of China.

Managing Director – National Gas Company, Ogiemwonyi was again reassigned to National Gas Company Limited as Managing Director[6] in March, 2005. He was determined to increase gas supply to major customers like; PHCN, SNG, GSLINK, WAPCO, SHAGAMU, and EWEKORO, NOTORE FERTILIZER PH,OBAJANA CEMENT COMPANY etc NGC is coordinating 130mmscf/d gas supply (WAGP – West Africa gas Supply Project) to Benin, Togo, Ghana and hopefully to Ivory Coast.

TSGP – Trans- Sahara Gas Project, the 2 billion scf/d supply from Nigeria through Algeria to Europe was another portfolio under his supervision as NGC’s helmsman.Group Executive Director – In September, 2007, Ogiemwonyi became the Group Executive Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPLC, Exploration & Production Directorate).

While he served as GED Exploration and Production, Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi was in charge of seven NNPLC Companies and Subsidiaries which included National Petroleum Investment Management Services NAPIMS), Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), LNG & Power Division, Integrated Data Services Limited (IDSL), Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) Crude Oil, Marketing Division and Local Content Division.

President – EETCLTD Ogiemwonyi is currently the President of Energy and Engineering Technology Consulting Group, a position he has occupied since May 2011.

In light of the above, it is clearly a matter of stating the obvious that the post Obaseki – era which the  Edo people are expecting is where experience and people would be the centre of governance. This is were Engr. (Dr) Chris Ogiemwonyi who has “Commitment with Integrity”, who has stood with the party despite all odd should not be over looked.