EDO STATE EXCO: What Gov. Obaseki Should Do To Get The Best Hands

By Francis Ilenloa Igberaese, Ph.D.

In reactions to my earlier comments and criticisms of the current process of selecting the best hands as political office holders in Edo State, some people have privated chatted me to make my suggestion. I have actually slightly done that the moment the governor announced the process in Edo North. However, below is my full thoughts:

I laughed when the governor said that he wanted the best hands and gave that selection process to the leaders of the party. Probably he doesn't know who they are and how they perceive him in politics. He might have mistakenly believe that they all think alike.

With the leaders as the (sole) selectors of the five best candidates he had asked for, for example in the case of Commissioners, what he would get would be very far from being the best pool from each LG. He would get: Selected "loyalists" of the leaders who can report every happening in government to them; people who do not know how to draft simple memos; people who are not even computer literates, let alone being anything near professionals; people who cannot identify any gap to cover in government or who know nothing about developing policy frameworks, let alone providing the petrol and lubricating oil for the engine of development. In short, only very few of the leaders are interested in profiles or interactions with candidates to know what they can offer. Majority of them are even intimidated by good profiles. At best, they look at who the son of a candidate is.

Therefore, if looking for the best is the governor's goal, there are better innovative ways he can combine politics and merit. 

Firstly,  he should let all those who are interested send Expression of Interest to the SSG, with a central committee to do the selection according to LG. 

There is nothing wrong at all in writing a CBT test or any other examination(s) he deems fit, as a first step. Those who scale through can be made to face oral interviews to determine their fitness and capacities as state actors and policy makers. I can bet you that on hearing examinations and sreening, those who have nothing to offer and without solid profiles to parade would need nobody to tell them that it is no longer business as usual. Many of those to be nominated from a fraud process would not bother to apply because they would not want to expose themselves. This is the only way the leaders would be compelled to think right. This is the best global practice of short listing, if the best hands are what the goal is.

Secondly and In order to carry the leaders along, each candidate would be made to get the endorsement of his Ward Chairman and two leaders from his LG upon submission of the Expression of Interest. 

This way, a perfect equilibrium or optimality would be strike between politics and merit, resulting in the best hands.