Governor Monday Okpebholo recently brought his political roadshow to London, addressing members of the Edo diaspora at a gathering in Barking. The venue is perhaps better known as the home of DJ Omowhye’s popular social events for the local Nigerian community than as a forum for discussing public policy. Yet, for an afternoon, it became the stage upon which the Governor sought to explain his philosophy of governance.
The message was simple.
His administration, he argued, is practical rather than bureaucratic. It is interested in action, not process. The legacy programmes of his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki, have largely been dismantled. EdoBEST has gone. The Security Control Centre has gone. EdoGIS is going. Consultants have gone. Due process, one gathered, has become something to be viewed with suspicion rather than embraced as the machinery through which modern government functions.
That may produce applause at a political rally.
It is a less convincing philosophy upon which to administer a twenty-first century state.
Government is not measured by how quickly institutions are discarded. It is measured by whether institutions work. Every administration is entitled to review the policies of its predecessor. No governor is under any obligation to preserve programmes merely because they already exist. But there is an equally important obligation to demonstrate that what replaces them is better, more efficient and more accountable.
Destruction is easy.
Institution-building is the difficult part.
Unfortunately, there appears to be an increasing tendency within the administration to confuse executive preference with the law itself.
One striking example is the Governor’s public directive that the Chief Judge should establish a special court to try kidnapping and cult-related offences.
That approach turns constitutional government on its head.
The Chief Judge cannot simply create new courts because a governor wishes it. The establishment of courts and the jurisdiction they exercise are matters governed by the Constitution and legislation enacted by the Edo State House of Assembly. The judiciary interprets the law; it does not legislate because the executive demands it.
When constitutional boundaries become blurred, government begins to resemble administration by decree rather than administration under law.
The consequences are already becoming visible.
Judicial resources are finite. Diverting judges towards specialised criminal assignments inevitably means fewer judges are available to hear civil disputes. Commercial cases, land disputes, probate matters and contractual disagreements are delayed. Litigants become trapped in an endless queue.
Justice delayed has never merely been a legal slogan.
It is an economic reality.
Businesses considering investment ask a simple question: if something goes wrong, how long will it take to resolve a dispute?
Where the answer is measured in years rather than months, investors quietly take their money elsewhere.
Ironically, during his London visit the Governor encouraged Edo people living in the United Kingdom to return home and invest in the state.
Investment, however, is built upon confidence.
Confidence is built upon institutions.
Institutions depend upon predictable laws, functioning courts and respect for constitutional processes.
A state cannot invite investment while simultaneously weakening the very structures that give investors confidence.
The contradiction appeared to escape both the Governor and much of his audience.
The composition of the Governor’s entourage raised equally uncomfortable questions.
The delegation seemed to include almost everyone in government who possessed both a passport and the ability to board a flight. Commissioners, advisers, assistants and assorted officials accompanied the Governor to what was, ultimately, a community engagement meeting.
One struggles to identify the public purpose served by transporting such a large contingent to the United Kingdom.
Their presence appeared more symbolic than substantive.
Indeed, DJ Omowhye could probably have filled the hall without requiring half the machinery of Edo State Government to make the journey.
Official travel is not inherently objectionable.
Public officials should travel when doing so advances the interests of the state.
The difficulty lies in demonstrating value for money.
How much did the trip cost?
What measurable investment commitments emerged?
What agreements were signed?
What economic benefits will accrue to Edo State?
Will there be any published assessment comparing the expenditure against the outcomes?
These are ordinary questions in any accountable democracy.
Unfortunately, they are questions that too often go unanswered.
The Governor also made no reference to the widely publicised claim following an earlier visit to Scotland that hundreds of millions of dollars in prospective investment had been secured for Edo State. If those investments are progressing, the public deserves an update. If they are not, the public deserves an explanation.
Accountability is not opposition politics.
It is the minimum duty owed by every democratic government.
Perhaps the saddest spectacle of the afternoon was not on the platform but in the audience.
The excitement generated by the distribution of branded caps and T-shirts spoke volumes. Adults competed enthusiastically for campaign merchandise that, in truth, few actually needed.
Free items will always attract attention.
But politics should aspire to offer citizens more than souvenirs.
Democracy should elevate public debate beyond promotional merchandise and carefully choreographed applause.
A governor should return from overseas visits with investment, partnerships, policy innovations and measurable achievements, not merely photographs, slogans and a larger collection of branded apparel scattered across the diaspora.
The real question arising from the London event is not whether the Governor delivered an entertaining performance.
It is whether governance itself is gradually becoming performance.
States are not governed by vibes.
They are governed by law.
They are strengthened by institutions.
They prosper through accountability.
Everything else is simply background music.
Centre for Nigeria Progress 