Our amiable and admirable Governor of Delta State, Dr. (Senator) Ifeanyi Ekwueme Arthur Okowa, trust you are doing well and the family is keeping safe. It is the hope of the Editorial Board of Ika Weekly Newspapers, the foremost newspaper in Ika nation, that this editorial comment meets you well.
As part of our plan for the celebration of your 5th year anniversary as the Executive Governor of Delta State, the newspaper carried out an objective evaluation of your performance within this period under review. We are glad to inform you that the result of such sincere effort glaringly points to the claim that ordinary calculation can be upturned by extra-ordinary personalities like you.
Your Excellency Sir, going by commentaries, your personality has in the last five years shaped events and settled challenges that were before now considered as complex. We therefore congratulate, and felicitate with you for the feat so far achieved.
As expected also, you may have received torrents of accolades and feed backs from Deltans and Nigerians of goodwill with more expected for this unique achievement. But at this juncture, the words of Richard Templar and that of Jack Canfield will be very important in discussing the content of such messages.
READ ALSO: OKOWA’S ADMINISTRATION @ 5; AN X-RAY OF ACHIEVEMENTS, CONCERNS
First, as a responsive and responsible organization, we must inform you that out there, you may be faced with two kinds of feedbacks-negative and positive. Naturally, in our views, you will tend to prefer the positive-that is, result, praise, a raise, a promotion, awards, happiness, inner peace, intimacy and pleasurable comments. You will feel better receiving this sort of feedbacks. It tells you that you are on course, that you are doing the right thing.
You will tend not to like negative feed backs-lack of results, criticism, poor evaluation, complaints, inner conflict and pain.
Your feeling or disposition notwithstanding, there is as much useful data in negative feedback as there is a positive feedback. It tells you that you are of course headed in the wrong direction, doing the wrong thing. That is also valuable information.
In fact, it is so valuable that one of the most useful projects you could undertake is to change how you feel about negative feedback. You develop the will to refer to negative feed backs as information about ‘improvement opportunities’. The people may be telling you about where and how you can improve what you are doing. And areas you can get better. Where you can correct your behaviours to get even closer to the job of leadership; the truth is that at a moment like this, you need to welcome, receive, and embrace all the feed backs that comes your way.
“You should love thy neigbour, but pick thy neighbourhood”. Try to hang out with OK-people who don’t feel the need to play politics.
Try to be involved with less popular projects because they attract less attention, less competition. Here you can shine without having to compete all the time. Share information always. This takes the wind out of the sails of those who play politics. Be everyone’s friend so no one can accuse you of being cliquey or stand-offish.
As noted earlier, there has been some progress in the following areas; infrastructure, security and sports development, since you mounted the mantle of leadership in the state. Yet, there are still visible problems not traceable to lack of resources but more of man made or artificially created. And the loudest of such problem is your inability to evenly spread political appointments among the major tribes of the State.
Development of political will to change this narrative and formulate policies that will help solve unemployment and infrastructural challenges particularly in the coastal areas and other areas of the State will definitely make you a listening governor.