The past week ahead of the Christmas Day was a beehive of activities. First to roll in on Saturday, December 17th at the tail end of previous week was the one year anniversary of Comrade Festus Alenkhe’s administration as the man leading charge of affairs in the Secretariat of the Edo State Council of the NUJ.
The celebration was spiced with a horde of activities ranging from lectures and dove tailing to the year’s edition of the Comrade Philip Shaibu end of year party where there were lots to eat, drink and dance to.
This year’s edition unlike what obtained in the past was held a day beyond its usual 20th December date.
The occasion was the perfect timing for the Edo State Deputy Governor to shower praises on the number one journalist in the state for putting a stop to the hydra headed issue of impostors in the journalism business in the state.
Amidst the eating, drinking and dancing Comrade Shaibu poured praises on Comrade Alenkhe for changing the narrative in the journalism profession within his first of three years in office.
The erstwhile student union leader in his days as a student used the conviviality of the occasion to clear the air on the issue of the pen professionals fear of plans by the state government to acquire its valued property its Secretariat Complex and the land on which it was built over 50 years ago on claims that it was built on a portion of the Benin Moat.
Barely three days after, on Saturday, December 24th which was the eve of the Christmas Day, the home of the State Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Osarodion Ogie, which kind of shares fence with Comrade Shaibu’s palatial home, was filled to the brim as early as 4.00 am as early birds slug it out to benefit from the yearly offer of give away chicken.
If you get to know that the size of chicken that Ogie is giving away to whoever is fortunate to be around when he is doing the sharing is worth an estimated N15,000 each you will further appreciate him and wish him long life and God’s blessing as you pray fervently that he achieves his life endeavours in the soonest possible time.
Yours sincerely missed benefitting from the yearly chicken sharing by the whiskers but am hopeful I will be fortunate next time(ie December 24th, 2023). There is nothing that prayers cannot achieve.
It was in the middle of discussing the style and pattern of politics practiced by the unassuming Ogie that the issue of how in 2016 he missed been the governor of Edo State after he was given a clean bill of health as the right person to succeed then outgoing Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole.
God will surely make bigger things happen in his favour beyond the political leadership of Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area which he is presently holding on to by general consensus not imposition.
My walk about the Benin metropolis was further made beneficial when as an ‘alejo’ I was made privy to the information that the ‘old school’ house directly across Chief John Osamede Adun (aka Bob Izua) is the property of the father of the State Governor, Mr. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki.
The issue of its closeness to the cherished Benin Moat was what came to my mind. What a week!
