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By Iwemdi Nwaham

My attention was drawn recently to this man, whom I laboured so had to get sufficient information about, from the internet. But sadly, I got little to unravel the kind of person and mind he is. Is he deep or shallow? Is he pensive or a rabble rouser? Is he a constructive critic or sour grapes fellow? Is he a moral being appreciative of the progress of others or one smouldered by hate for the progress of others?

All I got from his Facebook page are: on “Education”, it simply said, “no schools/ universities to show”. On “Work”, it also said, “no workplaces to show”. Make of it what you want, but this informs my understanding of Mr. Zik Gbemre. All his diatribes, from the Okowa days, made it easy to pigeon hole him predictably as a spoil sport, a tribal bigot, an irritation and even a corrupt nuisance.

Not much could be located about his age, upbringing, etc. So one had to do some construction, having never met him before, physically. He is over 68 years of age. He referred to Chief Kenneth Gbagi, who died recently as “…my loyal younger brother…” Gbagi was said to be 68 years old in all the commentaries on him. So it is safe to say that Zik Gbemre is 70 years or more. And being a septuagenarian too, it is easy to relate with a very disturbing trait at that age.

The free world is better than the closed worlds. That is why Russia lags far behind the United States of America in all indices of development. Criticisms are good; they open the eyes of those criticised to “the other side”. Criticism doesn’t have to be constructive all the time. As long as it is not laced with or saturated with hate speeches every so often, it has tremendous value. But where, in Gbemre’s case, it is lacerating with bile, blood and hate, then there’s cause for worry.

Let us touch on a few specific examples. In his usual juvenile, repetitive , never-see-good criticism of the current governor of Delta State, written on 22nd April 2024, titled SHERIFF’S VISIT TO OKUAMA: ANOTHER SHAME OF A LOCAL CHAMPION GOVERNOR, Gbemre attacked…
“Wetin Gov Sheriff Oborevwori go to do for Okuama sef”? To mock the distressed Okuama people or what? A shameless governor. That is what he is, since Sheriff can’t condemn the unlawful military destruction of Okuama over a tragic questionable peace mission to the community…”

Is this 70+ years old man not stuffed with the level of maturity of a crack-smoking adolescent? If Sheriff did not visit Okuama, this jaundiced mind will scream blue murder. The issue for him now is that he did not condemn the military. Haba.

Here’s yet another example. In another article he titled, OKUAMA IDP’S CAMP: ANOTHER SHAME OF A VILLAGE CHAMPION GOVERNOR, Gbemre’s first paragraph read,
“I’m not surprised reading in the media that two weeks after Delta state Governor Sheriff Oborevwori inaugurated a Management Committee to cater for residents who survived the Nigerian Army vengeful invasion and destruction of Okuama in Ughelli South LGA over killing of 17 soldiers, the camp is yet to take off”.

What manner of adult is this? A proper adult, reflecting his age and with the expected life’s experiences to go with the age, should know how much time plays out between conception of ideas on a big scale, putting policy frameworks in place especially where two or more ministries and agencies of government would be involved, then the execution stage. And a 70+ old man, who wants to be taken seriously, is irritating sensibilities every so often by daring to be constantly bellicose. This man is relying on media reports and is piqued that just “two weeks” after inauguration, action is not reported to be on ground.

Next he fumes that the inauguration of the management committee was done in Asaba, and not in the area affected. Na wa for this old man o. It’s not right naa. Is his a psychopathic case? One may never know. It is about time for this government to extend free health care services to this man in a psychiatric home.

ZIK Gbemre appears to attack every moving thing like a mad dog. In just hours after it was revealed that the management team of the Delta State Investment Development Agency DIDA, has been reconstituted, Gbemre struck on 4th May 2024. In his piece titled,
“WHAT DOES GOV OBOREVWORI WANT TO ACHIEVE WITH A DELTA STATE DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENT AGENCY?”, Gbemre exposed his crass ignorance. He does not know that DIDA has been in existence for years now. He thinks it is a creation of Gov. Oborewerei. Hear him,
“What will Delta State Development Investment Agency be doing? Delta and Nigeria need focused leaders and not “political drama actors”. But further dissection of this article will come up separately in another rejoinder by this writer.

There are many more observations in Gbemre’s write-ups that make informed critics know that he has been on a mission for the destruction of PDP led governments since the Gov. Okowa days and now it is the turn of Okowa’s successor. Criticisms are good, to keep representatives of the people in check, but when it comes in such torrents that emanates from bad belleism or some obscure mental state, then such irritants are better ignored and kept silent, for that is some way to treat fools, especially an old one.

But in Zik Gbemre’s case, we will not keep silent anymore. We will return fire for fire. From experience, some violent mad men understand violence too and instantly conform to orderly conduct when that reality confronts them.

In just a year, Gov. Sheriff Oborewerei has his style crystallising for him. From a quiet, careful entry when he assumed the mantle of leadership of the state about a year ago, he filled every human vacancy that needed to be filled. He appointed commissioners promptly, which many states in the country do not have that luxury for many months. Local government elections are coming up about the conclusion of his first year in office. Anambra State has not had elected local government officials in about 15 years.

Numerous political appointees have dotted the entire nooks and crannies of the state, to bridge activities of government and the people. And these numerous appointees touch the lives of many Deltans financially in their spheres of domicile. Is it any surprise that there is relative peace and security in the state compared with other states in the country?

Doing a pensive excursion through Gov. Sheriff’s one year in office, I could not but understand why the feeling of satisfaction, happiness and tranquility in the people of Delta State is obviously in his favour. Just on 10th May 2024, Deltans for across all local government areas gathered at Unity Hall Asaba, for the inauguration and swearing in of members of many management teams, governing councils of higher institutions and boards of parastatals. You needed to be there to see the applause every mention of the name of the governor received. Is it hired crowd? We have heard of governors booed in time past.

Taking one sure step after another, the ukodo is quietly but rapidly going round. People like Zik Gbemre are better advised to find conciliatory ways of teaming up with the government of Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborewerei, currently the governor of his state. That is the way to go if extending the frontiers of development to his area is his goal. The governor will not see every corner of the state, due to human limitations. Stupidly criticising every move of the governor is not the way to go at all.

* IWEMDI NWAHAM writes from Umunede in Ika North East LGA of Delta State