Wahab Oba is the Chief Press Secretary to Kwara State Governor, Dr. Abdulfattah Ahmed. Before his current assignment Oba was the Chairman of Lagos State chapter of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ). In this interview, he opens up on various issues including various developmental projects of Governor Ahmed administration and the challenges of his job. According to him Kwara State has become a major driver of commercial agriculture in Nigeria. He spoke with WALE ABIODUN.
What is the experience like as the CPS to the governor?
My experience as the CPS to the Governor of Kwara State, Dr Abdulfattah Ahmed has been very challenging, though rewarding, especially against the backdrop that my principal is always in the quest for excellence in service delivery. One has to be upbeat about one's responsibilities.
I have to be in the know of virtually everything going on in the administration, gauge the pulse of the people, especially their reactions to policies and programmes of the administration. One also needs to read the mind set of your principal to be able to correctly represent his position on issues.
The advantage though, like the president of Guild of Editors, Femi Adesina said when the NGE visited the governor, is that one has a good product. Someone who understands governance and well focused on his mission; Someone who also appreciates the press and is accessible 24/7. It's been highly rewarding. The CPS is also a position of absolute trust and unalloyed loyalty.
What are the challenges of being an image maker to the governor and the state?
The challenges are quite enormous. At a personal level, you virtually cease to be a master of your time as you have to be readily within the reach of the governor. Like the chief security officer, your ears and eyes must be wide opened. It's not just about what the governor says or does, or mere press releases. It's about managing the image of someone you are not absolutely in control of. It's about ensuring that your boss enjoys a positive public perception. It's about ensuring that his policies, actions and inactions are correctly perceived. It's also about being proactive and ensuring high visibility for the governor. That means that you must be constantly and sufficiently be with him to be able to understand and project him.
One big challenge is managing your colleagues, the reporters, especially correspondents. These are people with different agenda outside just reporting the governor and the government. They are the most difficult people to be managed. There is hardly anything you do that some of them will be satisfied. Some of them are like the flies that pinches scrotum. You neither can leave it there nor slapped it. But by and large, a significant number of them have been highly supportive. I have also enjoyed tremendous support from my people in Lagos.
A good CPS, it goes without saying must strive to maintain cordial relations with the different publics – whether mass media or other stakeholders that he has to work with in order to ensure that his principal enjoys what we may call good or positive publicity. It is equally the lot of the CPS to always work hard to clear grey areas concerning the image of the governor, without any resort to falsehood or misinformation.
Can you compare your experience as a former Lagos NUJ president with your current assignment?
My experiences as a former Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Lagos Council and as CPS to Governor Ahmed are in a way similar and at the same time different. Both have to do with human relations and exhibition of endowed leadership qualities. To lead a group of journalists in Nigeria is not a tea party, especially if it is a vibrant council like that of Lagos. As chairman of Lagos NUJ, I was not only involved in ensuring and promoting the welfare of members, ensuring professionalism but also acting as a voice of the masses and making sure that government is responsive to the yearnings and aspirations of the masses.
However, being a Chief Press Secretary entails dealing with a wider spectrum of the society rather than professionals of same calling that one had to deal with as NUJ Chair. I must however concede that my leadership training and experience in the NUJ helped me a great deal in my present dispensation. As CPS I act as the voice of my principal and also serve as a channel through which the governor gets feedback from the people.
What are the areas you think the administration of Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed have been touching the lives of people of Kwara positively?
His Excellency, Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed came to power in 2011 on the credo of legacy of continuity. This implied that his administration was going to build on the tremendous achievements of his predecessor. Hence, the first major concern was the completion of inherited projects such as the International Diagnostic Centre, the Cargo shed at the Ilorin International Airport, the International Aviation College. Today, the Diagnostic Centre is operational; work on the Cargo shed is at advanced stage while students have been admitted into the Aviation College, the only State-owned in the country. Quite a number of road projects started by the last administration were also completed.
Governor Ahmed's administration policy thrust is driven by the Shared Prosperity Programme which, generally speaking, includes formulation and implementation of policies and programmes that will ginger impactful economic growth in the State. This implies particular focus on boosting commercial agriculture through Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives, generating food security by supporting small farms and through the creation of agro-allied jobs and wealth through value chain management.
The Shared Prosperity Programme of the Administration also focuses on human capital development and youth empowerment. The promotion of youth entrepreneurship through support for Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises as well as youth capacity building , skill acquisition and vocational training. Other critical areas of the Shared Prosperity Programme include Strategic Infrastructure development and effective governance.
These involve, among other things, strengthening of healthcare and water delivery systems that our