There is a rising phenomenon taking place in Delta State politics as we speak. An illustrious son of Delta State who has the rare ability to bring people from diverse backgrounds and spheres of influence in society together has emerged on the scene. Victor Ochei, Ex Speaker, Ex Legislator and a very intelligent and charismatic fellow has taken Delta State by storm. What makes Victor Ochei’s story very unique is the fact that he is a man who has always had foresight and the ability to make decisions not based on things that are popular or the norm but on core conviction. A glaring example is his decision to head for Asaba after obtaining a degree in engineering from one of the best schools in Nigeria, the University of Benin. To the ordinary eye who lacks foresight, this was not the move to make in the 1990s. Victor Ochei however, who always knew what he wanted took his talent, education, wit and charisma to the grassroots. Even at that time and age, it was very important for Mr Ochei to give back to his community. He built a business from scratch and worked his way to the Delta State legislature.
Victor Ochei rose to become speaker of the Delta State Assembly and transformed the state legislature for the close to 3 years that he was speaker. Victor Ochei’s tenure saw the introduction of the anti-kidnapping bill which made it possible for the menace that was kidnapping to be eradicated. Kidnapping was a menace that had people in Delta State and especially Asaba the capital living in fear. With the introduction of this bill, the issue of kidnapping was addressed and kidnapping is no longer a menace in Delta State thanks to the effort of people like Victor Ochei. Ochei’s years in the legislature and speakership of the house saw a bridging of the gap between the legislature and the executive. Ochei as speaker made it possible for the state legislature to experience independence from the executive. During his tenure, he helped upgrade the welfare of Assembly workers and was behind the construction of various roads in his legislative area.
All of these achievements aside, what makes Victor Ochei unique, dynamic and a phenomenon is his ability to challenge the statuesque and his ability to see into the future and know where to place himself in the scheme of things. Great leaders like Winston Churchill are made of this stuff. The ability to judge a situation correctly and make the most prudent decision based on this deduction is the best quality a leader can have because the leader’s responsibility is to the people that he leads. He carries the hopes and aspirations of his people and cannot afford to make bad decisions because of lack of vision or foresight.
Ochei also has the rare ability to bring people from all works of life, region and stratification together. Ochei is accepted by all Deltans as someone they can reckon and deal with. He alone has the ability to bring the Aniomas, the Ijaws, Itsekiris, Urhobos, Itsokos and all other Deltans together. The Elites are comfortable with him and so are the ordinary people on the streets. Leaders like these do not come but once in a millennium and it is time for all Deltans to embrace this illustrious son so that not only can our state move forward and become relevant in the scheme of things, our entire national polity can have a positive tone when Victor Ochei becomes governor of Delta State. Yes, we truly believe.
Written by Anthony Ndikanwu, Public Affairs Analyst.
anthonyndikanwu@yahoo.com
