By John Mayaki
Reality is gradually setting in for the badly decimated supporters of former governor Godwin Obaseki and his anointed candidate, Asue Ighodalo – like drowning men clinging on straws, they are grumbling over the sack of Prof. (Mrs.) Roseline Osagie, the former Provost of the Edo state College of Education.
Before now, their ranks suffered major set backs due to defections to the ruling party – they cried helplessly, not even their godfather in exile could help. The remnants are complaining that the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Musa Ikhilor, Esq. issued a statement sacking the provost without directly mentioning her name – you would pity them when you read their comments on social media.
These badly beaten children of hate who have refused to move on after the lost of their feeding bottle, seem not to understand that there are no two persons occupying that position. It was learnt that the state government had communicated this message to her directly and as such, what the public statement said, speaking from the power of silence and in political communication, what is unsaid is often just as important and sometimes even more important than what is said.
On the surface, the statement appears procedural, sterile, and devoid of controversy. It was a straightforward directive: “The Acting Provost is removed, the most senior academic should step in, and life goes on.” But for those who understand the language of power, bureaucracy, and political nuance, the conspicuous absence of Prof. Osagie’s name is a statement all on its own. But these Obaseki and Ighodalo’s cry cry babies won’t understand.
Prof. Osagie is no unknown figure. A Professor of Educational Planning and Management, she is affiliated with respected national and international academic bodies. Her name carries weight in Nigeria’s educational circles. That a government communication would omit such a name, especially in a statement about her removal, is not a matter of oversight. It is an editorial choice. And in politics, editorial choices are deliberate.
Some school of thought interpreted this as a soft landing and a way to relieve her of her position without publicly embarrassing her. But in truth, silence can be louder than condemnation. Even in public service, where titles and recognition matter, to be unnamed is to be unofficially unacknowledged, and to be unacknowledged in your own exit is, in a sense, to be erased.
Here is the thing. Governor Monday Okpebholo surrounds himself with sound minds especially the Secretary to the State Government who pulled that string and deliberately shifted the focus away from Prof. Osagie and toward the process. It was a tactic.
When the services of someone are no longer needed, how else do you treat such a person? For me, the statement and the message here is chilling: Your name matters until it doesn’t. And when it doesn’t, you won’t even say it. Kudos to Barrister Musa Ikhilor.
The Edo State Government gave her a quiet transition, and the silence on her name has spoken loudly. With this deliberate omission of her name, the government simply wrote her out of her own final chapter. If you ask me, these crying babies need some lollipops but their godfather is on self-exile.
