By Dr Festus Goziem Okubor.
If there is anything that all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe and tongue, religion or age, have come to agree about, that thing is the thinking that our country Nigeria badly needs a rebirth. This feeling and thinking has gained intense traction in the last ten years. When we hear most Nigerians talk about restructuring, secession and even the deadly crises arising from insecurity manifesting as insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, they all point to the urgent need of a rebirth for Nigeria. All that is wrong with us as a country and as a people are the cumulative consequences of not seeking early enough the path that could have led to a rebirth for Nigeria.
The problems of bad leadership, corruption, poverty, economic mismanagement and all other acts that point to our acute deficiency as a country are signals that we are almost too late in seeking rebirth. But since every nation remains a work in progress, it is never too late to realize and seek that route that leads to rebirth. An Indian proverb did say that no matter how far one has gone on a wrong path, it is never too late to return. This is Nigeria’s abiding hope that there is light at the end of the dark tunnel.
In such dire straits that Nigeria found herself a few people pushing a phenomenon usually emerge and point the way out of the quagmire. It appears that one of such men has been located in Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, the Governor of Delta State and presidential running mate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Governor Okowa has a cerebral endowment that can match that of any Nobel Prize winner in Medicine. It is this enormous brain power that he has deployed into politics and has become one of the nation’s most strategic politicians that remind us of such greats like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Chief Obafemi Awolowo who were nationalist-politicians and thought leaders in a class. Since joining politics three decades ago, Governor Okowa rose from the very bottom of political participation from the local government level to the state and now federal level as a vice president in waiting. This is an uncommon feat that is unprecedented in Nigeria. Governor Okowa is a thinker and a pragmatic politician with a charisma that endears him to people.
What has most recently projected Governor Okowa as embodying the spirit of the new Nigeria we are all searching for is the National Sports Festival hosted by Delta State. Sports constitute a unifying phenomenon for humanity. It speaks the language of unity, friendship and solidarity. Sport brings out the best in humanity. That is why people talk about the “spirit of sportsmanship” in making the best out of bad situation. This is exactly what Governor Okowa has done with Delta State hosting the National Sports Festival. The festival brought Nigeria and Nigerians together for the first time in many years.
Religion, age, tribe or tongue didn’t matter. Nigerians from Warri, Wukari, Kano, Calabar, Ikeja, Kafanchan and other far flung places came together to engage in healthy competition for medals and honour. As they did so, they were ruled by the beauty of humanity founded upon fellow feeling. The sports men and women including spectators saw themselves as one. They saw themselves as Nigerians and as one people. It was an inclusive engagement. Isolation, marginalization, oppression, exploitation and other such negatives that have set Nigeria back were banished from the Sports Festival. It was all about one Nigeria. Governor Okowa did this yeoman job for Nigeria. He deserves applause.
The sports festival showcased excellence which is what Nigeria needs in her rebirth. The stadium that hosted the event, the Stephen Keshi Stadium, is world class and it was part of Governor Okowa’s deliberate design to let the world know that so much good can come from Delta State and Nigeria. The Stephen Keshi Stadium is a flagship stadium on the African arena of sports. It is the only one of its kind in Africa. Only a few stadia in Europe and America could have been better. The stadium’s main bowl is breathtaking. The swimming pool is so enchanting it invites all to swim without saying it. The three indoors sports halls make the Stadium the only one with that number in Africa. Governor Okowa has set the pace by showcasing the spirit of excellence inherent in Nigeria and Africa.
The organization of the festival was also earns an excellent grade. Governor Okowa who is a stickler for perfection ensured that everything was put in place to ensure a trouble free sports festival. In time past, the festival always generated controversies and crises, but not this one hosted by Delta State under the watch Governor Okowa. The city of Asaba wore a new look reflecting the excellent work of urban renewal by the administration of Governor Okowa. The Asaba International Airport which Governor Okowa completed and upgraded to international standards came handy and very useful as it became the link between Delta State and the world. What the sports festival has done for Nigeria was to bring Nigerians together in harmony without friction. This is what a multi-ethnic country like Nigeria deserves and Governor Okowa, working with the PDP presidential candidate, the pan-Nigerian Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is toiling day and night to achieve.
Despite what Governor Okowa’s political enemies, few as they are, would say, the man is a beacon of hope for Nigeria. He represents the ideals of unity, cohesion, solidarity, peace and other positive factors that Nigerians need to embrace in order to attain a rebirth. For the past seven years Governor Okowa has done creditably in stabilizing Delta State and putting the people on the path of prosperity despite the gross economic mismanagement and poverty crises the All Progressives Congress (APC) government is hanging on Nigeria. As Nigerians seek a rebirth they should look in the direction of one man who has the magic wand to turn things around. Using his brain and brawn, Governor Okowa is the embodiment of the spirit of new Nigeria.
