The New Year bombshell, so to say affected some renowned political scoundrels /thugs cum extreme stalwarts of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State who stood shoulder to shoulder with former Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole throughout his two-term tenures in office – a tenure that was notoriously characterized by acts of political brigandage. These guys (Oshiomhole sidekicks, known variously as Shaba, No Molest and Tony Kabaka), who operated various tax collection outfits on behalf of the government until recently, had a field day allegedly making stupendous fortunes for themselves, at the expense of the state while a chunk of the law abiding, cerebral, productive and peace-loving people toiled like castrated slaves.
By Igbotako Nowinta
As part of his New Year’s official response or policy ejaculation to usher the people of Edo State into 2017, Governor Godwin Obaseki authorized the wholesale ban of any form of ticketing all over the state by private agents.
The New Year bombshell, so to say affected some renowned political scoundrels /thugs cum extreme stalwarts of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State who stood shoulder to shoulder with former Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole throughout his two-term tenures in office – a tenure that was notoriously characterized by acts of political brigandage.
These guys (Oshiomhole sidekicks, known variously as Shaba, No Molest and Tony Kabaka), who operated various tax collection outfits on behalf of the government until recently, had a field day allegedly making stupendous fortunes for themselves, at the expense of the state while a chunk of the law abiding, cerebral, productive and peace-loving people toiled like castrated slaves.
To political pundits, there is absolutely nothing to cheer about the New Year sledge hammer unleashed by current Governor Obaseki on the now former tax agents. The reasons are not far-fetched.
While their notorious evil reign lasted, the foot soldiers of No molest, Shaba and Tony Kabaka became tin gods, made themselves a government within a government in Edo State, and rode rough shod on defenseless and hardworking citizens.
It was simply a story of horror in a democratic setting. Those who applauded the recent decision of Godwin Obaseki will soon see it as a cosmetic political display of insincerity, aimed to settle some parochial scores within the APC in Edo State and an unholy attempt to set his own stage for a firm grip on administrative nitty-nitty as the new sheriff in town.
From 1999 to 2007, Chief Lucky Igbinedion as a former governor of Edo State allowed a reckless regime of tax collection by some private agents fronting for some political godfathers, and in the process denying the state the needed financial resources for necessary development that would have enhanced the lives of the people.
The Igbinedion regime was then seen as a by-word for corruption, waywardness and insensitivity to the plight of the people for eight years.
Therefore, during the political campaigns of 2007, Adams Oshiomhole who had traded his way successfully as national president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), capitalized on the failure of his predecessor by promising to make ‘poverty history’ in Edo State if elected into office as Governor.
Luckily for Adams Oshiomhole, he was popularly elected and eventually succeeded to be sworn-in as Governor on November 12, 2008 after he underwent the most rigorous battle to claim back his stolen mandate via the judiciary.
Unfortunately and most tragically, Adams Oshiomhole who had sworn to end the satanic regime of unauthorized private tax collection by private agents went back to his vomit ‘three consecutive times’ employing the services of characters like No Molest, Shaba and Tony Kabaka.
Despite the noted spirited efforts he made to reposition the state infrastructurally and what have you, he went on to stain his achievements within eight years in office with his unnecessary political flirtation with those private tax collectors With consistent questionable backgrounds.
Oshiomhole allowed the private tax collectors to deliver financial ‘targets’ to the government and looked the other way while the likes of Shaba, No Molest and Kabaka descended menacingly on the helpless people in the name of taxation.
It was one of the hated policies of the Oshiomhole administration, because it lacked absolute transparency, accountability and sincerity. The people of the state were kept in the dark as billions of tax payers’ money was divided by ‘kill and divide policy’ of the administration.
Never before were the people so cruelly and maliciously betrayed! Yet, Adams Oshiomhole tagged himself a ‘Comrade. He mercilessly deceived the people in the name of taxation, allowing corruption and lawlessness to flourish!
Now, Godwin Obaseki, who was part of the Oshiomhole administration, as head of the ‘Economic Team,’ and who is the greatest beneficiary of Oshiomhole’s political gifts, has banned the activities of the private tax collectors in the State.
Is this guy serious? Is he intelligent and tactical, given the fact that the crowd being controlled by the former private tax collectors played a significant role practically and financially in ensuring that he was elected?
He is like a guy that has shot himself in the foot unknowingly; the foot soldiers of the ex-tax collectors usually accompany him to the venue of the Edo State Election Petition Tribunal, where Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is challenging his mandate the, citing anomalies during the last governorship election that brought him to Osadebey Avenue.
It is being argued in many quarters that a man like Godwin Obaseki who came from the blues politically and is still facing a yet to be decided fate, courtesy the on-going tribunal matters will not have the courage or political will to force through his proposed tax reforms.
Many political pundits are saying that the idea to sanitize the tax regime in the state is laudable and long overdue, but the timing is most unfavorable for a Governor that was allegedly teleguided and bulldozed to power by an uncompromising and unrelenting predecessor and political Godfather, Adams Oshiomhole.
Even if the political coast is brighter for Governor Obaseki today, will he still be able to do away with the political ‘leopards,’ that have remained unchangeable and an albatross hanging tenaciously on the neck of the key political players, navigating the political ocean in Edo State since 2007?
Can Obaseki do the impossible, is he ready to fight very dirty early in the day, even to deal with those Adams Oshiomhole could not cut off politically?
Only time will tell! How Governor Godwin Obaseki will fly with the civil servants successfully in the business of tax collection is a subject to be discussed in another day.
In the final analysis, never before have the people of Edo States needed a sanitized, transparent and accountable tax collecting system – a tax collection with a democratic human face, which Comrade Adams Oshiomhole failed woefully to deliver to a disillusioned people who had so much trusted him!
Nowinta wrote: Where We Are – A Call for Democratic Revolution in Nigeria
