In this interview, a former deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, speaks on how he got into politics, his relationship with his principal, former Governor Godwin Obaseki, his impeachment saga and subsequent return through the courts. Excerpts:
Your Excellency, how have you been since you left office?
I have been fine. I have been used to the post-office situation, so it is not new to me to be in and out of the office. I am already experiencing what it takes when you are out of office. So, I have adjusted.
In fact, I think even before I left as deputy governor, I had already adjusted to not being around Government House. Almost 19 months, I was out of the Go`vernment House. I was working from home. So, when I handed over, it was still as if I was in the same situation because I was still working from home and I am still doing things from home.
So, it was easy for me to just adjust because pre-seven years of our tenure, I was already out of Government House office, but still active as the deputy governor working from my house. So, adjusting to the outside office was just easy for me.
What was the motivation for the transition from being an activist to a politician?
Yeah, I think my being in politics really was influenced by my encounter with the late Chief Bola Ige.
Which year?
That was in 1999/2000 and that was when I actually thought of going into politics, conventional politics. Don’t forget that during the military, I was very active fighting for this democracy that we have today and that is why anybody that wants to derail democracy, I am very sensitive to it because of what we went through to bring democracy on board, especially when I see those actors who were not part of us that fought for the democracy that we have. They won’t understand the pains and the torture and the losses that we had to have this democracy.
So, some of us that are alive to see the democracy that we fought for, each time we see any sign of the foundation being shaken, there is something that agitates us because we don’t want to drift back to those days when we were in the trenches.
So, my encounter with Bola Ige actually got me into politics because when Obasanjo (Olusegun) became the President of Nigeria, don’t forget he appointed Chief Bola Ige to be his minister and some of us that were activists felt he shouldn’t accept to serve in Obasanjo’s government.
And I was one of the voices too that said no, he shouldn’t have accepted to serve in Obasanjo’s government. And we didn’t just say it, we went and we blocked him from entering the office. At that time, I was a student activist. He came and engaged us and it was at that engagement that I changed my perception of why we should be in politics.
He made a major statement during the conversation that is still in my memory because we said he should resign, he should not accept… He said, young men, you will not understand. You see, the major problem we will face in this democracy is when good people fold their hands and refuse to participate in the democracy that we fought for.
If good people refuse to participate because first, some say it is dirty and some say the present government is not a reflection of what they wanted, the president is already president, he has been sworn in. So, if all of us that fought for this democracy and good people refuse to participate in the government, the danger is that bad people will continue to rule us, while good people will continue to lament and after a while, bad people will take over every aspect of governance and the good people will continue to lament and the negative effect of it will affect the good people the more.
So, the best thing is let’s saturate the governance with good people and activists so that in the long run, Nigeria will be better for it and democracy’s foundation will be strengthened to the extent that democracy will never leave Nigeria.
And that the backwardness of Nigeria as at 1999 was orchestrated by not having a democratic institution and that since we believe in institutions, the only way is for us to take this position, get more of our people into the system. And he also advised us, he asked for our various levels in our schools and he said look, when you leave school, what you should try to do is, try and work for like five years in public sector or private sector to gain a little experience in what the workplace looks like and when you have that experience, I advise you to go into politics and hijack the system for the benefit of what we want to achieve as activists – strengthening institutions. So, that was where my interest in politics came from.
So, Ige’s death while in government didn’t discourage you?
Yeah. No, it disturbed us. It also shows what he told us, that when we don’t flush out bad people in the system, the bad people will continue to be there and they continue to create problems for us. So, he became a victim of the same bad system because his death was mysterious, his death was avoidable.
If the institution was working as it ought to work… So, it is still part of the challenges that we have for us to fight for institutions. And I think his death also watered the appetite to fight for a strong institution for Nigeria. And that is why in every position I have held, I make sure that that particular office is not only recognized, but the value of the office is brought to the public.
Check all the offices I have held, all of them, the value of the office and the sanity and sanctity of that office and the respect that office deserved, I always make sure it is given. All the offices, from when I was in the parliament to deputy governor, you will agree with me, even from members of the House of Assembly to House of Reps, my constituency knew that there was a representative.
Representation of my people was paramount and everybody knew. In terms of motions, in terms of being… As I speak, till now, no member of the House of Assembly, no member of the House of Representatives has been able to beat my record in terms of motion, in terms of constituency projects.
As I speak! I challenge anybody, including the National Assembly members. Because in 18 months, as a member of the House of Assembly, I was able to initiate 16 physical projects in my constituency. That is not part of the over 1,000 empowerment that I did. This 1,000 empowerment that I did included motorcycles, tricycles, sewing machines, grinding machines, hairdressing machines, tools for artisans, because my area, my constituency, when I was in the National Assembly, had a lot of artisans – mechanics, mechanic tool boxes. So, the day I distributed these things in my constituency, it was like a pilgrimage centre. And deep-freezers for those that are trained to sell soft drinks and ice blocks.
Then another one, I partnered with the National Directorate of Employment to train young farmers in piggery. About 26 of them graduated and we gave them starter packs, which some of them, till today, are big players in piggery in my constituency. So, we have been able to show that governance is about the people and anybody that is able to touch, do projects that people can feel and touch, you don’t need to woo me to support you. My support is automatic. And when I support anybody, I put everything that I have into it.
You had legislative experience at the state level and subsequently at the National Assembly. Why did you have to leave legislative duties to go and serve as deputy governor of Edo State?
Yes, some people ask that and if you ask me, I also ask myself, why did I allow myself to become deputy governor of Edo State? Yes, it was not in my plan really. It was the leadership that insisted that I should be the deputy governor. I never lobbied anybody to be deputy governor.
The leadership at the state or the federal level?
At the state – the governor, then Oshiomhole especially, and some leaders, insisted that I should be the deputy governor. And it was because we brought somebody that was not a politician. Obaseki was not a politician, Obaseki never voted, he never had a voter’s card. Some of us insisted that he should not be the candidate, but eventually we bowed to the leadership.
The leadership insisted he has to be. So, we were forced to allow him and after the primaries, I was asked to come and bring what I have, which is the political aspect of it. I actually brought the political value into his ticket. That was how I found myself being the deputy governor. But it was not something that I actually planned for and it was not something I lobbied for.
The first one year was full of tension and I was asking myself whether it was worth it because I was doing very well in the National Assembly. And my colleagues even didn’t want me to leave the National Assembly. A lot of them told me not to accept the ticket. But I had to bow to superior argument from the leadership in my state to accept it. So, that was how I found myself in the state.
But looking back, I am glad that I made that decision. If I had not taken that decision… There are lots of experiences I have gained now in terms of the workplace and also in terms of how to deal with people, how to relate with people and how to galvanize people.
The number of people I was able to assist was more than those that I actually was able to assist as a legislator. It is easier and faster to actually touch and reach the people directly from the executive end than the legislative end. But in the legislative end, it is easier to speak on their behalf, which at the end of the day, is subject to the executive implementation. It gives you the room to be able to be their messenger, but also, it does not give you the room to implement their thoughts. So, that is the aspect I enjoyed most in the executive branch.
If I was not exposed to the executive branch, I would not have understood the difference between the direct impact that I would make from the executive and the legislative end. So, I think it was a beautiful experience. It was something I was not sure about, but at the end of the day, I thank God that I was accepted to be the deputy governor of Edo State.
You mentioned tension within the first four years. What was it all about?
Yeah, because I wasn’t sure whether I should be the deputy governor; frankly speaking. And when I saw the first budget and what was allocated to my office and what I was asked to be doing, I was like, is this what I’ll be doing for four years? Because I am a very, very active person and I cannot be idle. And I saw that everything there, most of the things, I would be idle.
Like a spare tyre?
Like a spare tyre. And I was not ready to be a spare tyre. I was full of energy, so that energy had to be dispensed, if not, it can lead to something else. I actually before the swearing-in, when I started seeing signs, I was ready to say, okay, since we have won, let me continue with my Rep., they should look for somebody else to continue as deputy. I was ready to do that really because at that time, my plan was more on the legislative arm than the executive. But that year, when Oshiomhole came and said look, you do not have a choice in this matter, you are already deputy governor and you should know that you are a spare tyre, whatever the governor says.
At that time, it dawned on me that okay, it is whatever the governor says. Okay, no problem, whatever the governor says, no problem. But I will manage. So, I adjusted, but I made sure I was not redundant. I was filling in the gap. And that is why each time I speak that I was never given a portfolio for eight years, people don’t understand it. They say but you were active, I say yes because I told myself I would not be a spare tyre, I told myself I would not be redundant and I told myself I would not be reading newspapers in the office. I must find something to do whether I am given or not. And that was how I found myself doing everything in Government House.
The first thing I did was to be a traffic warden. Instead of me sitting idle in the office, I go and control traffic. There are some junctions in Edo State during school period, rush hours… So, I became a traffic warden. I made sure I moved my security and Road Safety and I, we became friends and I was assisting to do that.
From that one, I started playing football with Bendel Insurance and Edo Queen. And before I knew it, I discovered that Edo Queen and Bendel Insurance were grounded. So, I started helping them. And before you know, one or two things, I was playing football, it became news. First deputy governor playing football! If I had a lot of work to do, I wouldn’t be travelling to play football with Bendel Insurance. But people didn’t understand it.
So, I would travel with Bendel Insurance to go and play matches, I would train with them and before you knew it, I brought Bendel Insurance’s sports back. And the governor didn’t have any choice to say, ah, since you are here, okay handle. That was when he said okay, handle sports.
Then the governor was lamenting that the committee he set up for revenue collection was not doing what it was supposed to do. I offered to help and I gave assistance. The governor saw improvement and he said okay, let me constitute the state revenue tax force.
That was how it was constituted and he made me the chairman and we became very active. And I did a lot of things to get our tax system working. We automated everything, we reduced all the unions to one, all the almost 15 road transport workers unions, I reduced them into one road transport workers union. All the Okada riders and tricycle riders, there were up to 18 unions. I reduced them to one union. The road transport, they were in two forms. I had the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria and I had the National Union of Road Transport Workers.
So, all the road transport workers related unions, I reduced them to one, brought them under one umbrella, the National Union of Road Transport Workers. While the owners’ unions, those ones were about 17, I reduced them to one, the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria. The Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria is an affiliate of TUC, while National Union of Road Transport Workers is an affiliate of NLC. And the Okada riders, I brought them into one under TUC. So, we now have only three tickets that you can pay for the transport workers’ union, as against over 50-something tickets they pay every year.
And that was why in Edo at that time, you heard of double tickets and triple tickets. So, I reduced them. And from one point-something billion in a month, in the first three months, we hit N3 billion, N4 billion, then we gave ourselves a target of N50 billion in a year, and again, we gave ourselves another target of N120 billion in a year. And at the time, we were targeting N10 billion in a month, which we were targeting before the quarrel started and everything is history.
Fortunately, this governor now, I have been told that he has hit the N10 billion targets that we set for ourselves. So, you can see that I was not just a spare tyre, but I was an active spare tyre that anytime you needed me, there was air in the tyre. I made myself available. There are some spare tyres that when you want to use them, there is no air inside. So, I made sure there was air in my own spare tyre.
Was that constant?
Constantly, there was air. I was active. So, when people started saying ah, they gave me leverage, nobody gave me any leverage. I forced myself. You know, they say the kingdom of God suffereth violence and only the violent taketh it by force. So, I took it by force.
Towards the end of your first tenure, a crisis broke out between Obaseki and Oshiomhole. And understandably, at that time, you took sides with Obaseki, which many people saw as a betrayal since with your own admission; you came into government through Oshiomhole. And both of you eventually moved to the PDP. Does it mean that you exhausted all avenues of reconciliation to get a second-term ticket that the two of you had to leave the APC at that time?
First , let me correct an impression. I didn’t come into politics through Oshiomhole.
But you got into the deputy governor office…?
Yeah, deputy governor’s office, yes, yes. Because I was in politics before Comrade and we helped Comrade to be governor. We assisted. We worked tirelessly for Comrade to be governor. So, we were a team and he was the leader of that team and Obaseki was not one of us. He actually brought Obaseki. Obaseki was not one of us at all. Obaseki didn’t know how we played the politics that Oshiomhole became governor.
Obaseki was brought in by Comrade to be his economic team adviser. He never participated actively and he was never partisan with us. So, that was why there was resistance when they brought him initially. So, that is it.
Back to the question. Year 2020 right? The year 2020 was interesting and why it was interesting, why I took the decision that we had agreed in Edo State and Comrade led us – no to godfatherism. That slogan is in Edo State.
It will be difficult for anybody to be a godfather in Edo State again because we activated that culture that every Edo person will say one man, one vote. We have leaders, but the godfather is an alien now in Edo. It may be outside Edo, but in Edo, it is alien because of the way we actually eliminated it. And Comrade was right when he said we should fight godfathers. He was very right. Because when we fought those godfathers, we were able to free resources for the development of Edo State.
Some of us that are activists bought into it that the only way Edo can develop is no godfather in Edo State. And it is helping us. So, 2020 was a case of similar things and some of us took sides.
But the fight was not yours to take sides. Isn’t it?
Partly, it was my fight. Why is it not my fight? Because for me, I hate oppression. I hate oppression no matter what type of form the oppression comes from. I hate it. Any form of oppression, I don’t like it. I hate it. No matter who the person is, you can’t oppress anybody in my presence. So, some of us, we play activism. I was actively playing activism in 2020. As at the time I was supporting Obaseki, it was not that the relationship was good like that. But I made the relationship work.
What was your relationship with Obaseki?
What people see outside is different from what is inside. You see, it is like a marriage. It is either the wife makes it work or the husband makes it work. One has to be a fool for a relationship to be able to flourish. So, in Obaseki’s government, I was the fool. I made myself a fool in his government to make the thing work. Because immediately Comrade told me during that budget saga that I don’t have a say, I am subject to what Obaseki says, at that level, I told myself, okay, no problem, I will be a fool for this man.
But I will come out not to be a fool at the end of the day. So, I started planning myself from that day. I said, well, I will make sure loyalty will be 100 per cent, I will be foolishly loyal. I told myself that I will be foolishly loyal. And truly, I was foolishly loyal because of what was said from day one. So, at the end of the day, everybody said ah, Philip is loyal, Philip is loyal. I was actually loyal, foolishly loyal.
And when I say loyal, loyal, and I mean it. This is my house. There is not one thing in eight years that I bought extra in this house. Not one thing that I would say is a new thing that I bought in this house since I became deputy governor. That was how foolish I was.
I was limited to my overhead and salaries, nothing more. And that is why the committee of the new governor has completed their assignment.
You won’t see my name in any transaction in government or my proxy in any transaction in government. I purposely stayed away from any financial transaction apart from my overhead and salary in government. That was how foolish I was to the extent that even my official vehicle, I didn’t have an official vehicle. The car I used for three years, the first three years as deputy governor, was the car that I bought with my car loan as a member of the House of Reps.
The Land Cruiser that had the flag with the crest of the deputy governor was the one I bought when I was a member of the House of Reps. I bought an armoured Land Cruiser because I had to travel by road to my constituency from there. That car was just six months old when I became deputy governor. So, when the government was not buying vehicles and everything, I had to ask them to take the car from Abuja here to Benin and they put the flag and put the… nobody knew.
Then the car my security was using, it was the car that both Imasuen and Odubu’s wives used. The lady mechanic is alive, I had to go and tow them, she came to the Deputy Governor’s lodge and towed those vehicles to her workshop and fixed them.
Some of them, we had to change engine and gearbox; some of them, we had to cut the head and put another head. She was able to use her skill to bring them back to life, to keep the convoy of the Deputy Governor.
And that was how the Hiluxes I used, two of them, the ones I already abandoned that I used as a Majority Leader, we had to go and buy engine for two of them, fix them, then the one I was using in the House of Reps, I bought another one when we were campaigning. Those four were the Hilux vehicles I used in my first term as the Deputy Governor of Edo State. So, in the midst of that, I still supported him to come back because for me, I believe he was entitled to a second term. And I didn’t want anything to distort the flow – Edo North just got eight years, a Benin man coming would now want to…, so in principle, I did what I did.If it was based on materialism, I should have been on Oshiomhole’s side to have my pound of flesh for not even allowing me to access my entitlements.
In my eight years, I never accessed medical allowance. I never accessed furniture allowance, I never accessed even the 22 days or 28 days they call it, first term and second term, I never enjoyed it. In eight years, both my family and I, none of us. Thank God for good health. None of us accessed any medical… And these are constitutional rights, it is not a privilege. It is supposed to be part of my earnings, but I told you, I was living in my house, I was not living in Government House. In Benin, I stayed in my house for eight years.
