Golden Pen Newspaper

2019: THE RISING FORTUNES OF INIRUO WILLS IN THE RACE FOR BAYELSA EAST

                                              By Famous Obebi Famous

A new dawn is imminent in Bayelsa State. It's a New beginning. As the curtains open, and the fierce contest for who represents the people of Ogbia, Nembe and Brass gathers momentum,  the journey to lasting transformation of Bayelsa East Senatorial district is ,to say the least, finally in sight. After many years of failed leadership manifesting in environmental pollution, blistering economic hardship, youth unemployment and growing poverty and misery index, a beacon of hope, at last, glimmers in the horizon.

To all intents and purposes, the position would be keenly contested. And with it the many sublime intrigues, legerdemains and striking melodrama of deft and suave political manoeuvrings and machinations. Interestingly enough, all the candidates are from the Nembe speaking group in the senatorial district, making the contest even more captivating. A beauty parade of the candidates is revealing. Four of the major contenders hail from Bassambiri-Nembe and one from

1. Hon. Iniruo Owazi Wills (of the Labour Party), a lawyer and former Commissioner for Information and Environment, and a renowned environmentalist who hails from Bassambiri.

2.  Senator Barigha Amange  of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC) from Ogbolomabiri.

3. Chief Degi Biobarakuma Eremienyo (of the All Progressives Congress), a former Director in the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) from Bassambiri.

4. Mr. Opuala Charles a former Commissioner for Finance under  the administration of former Governor Timipre Silva, also from Bassambiri and who is contesting on the platform of Accord Party.

5. Chief Blessing Ipigansi Izagara of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) who hails from Okoroba in Bassambiri.

All the candidates have rolled up their sleeves and have commenced intensive deployment of diverse campaign strategies to win the hearts of the voters and other key stakeholders in order to emerge victorious. The question on the lips of everyone is who will clinch the coveted seat? Will the next Senator come from Ogbolomabiri which has had a shot at the Red Chamber once with former Senator Amange or will it go to Bassambiri which is presently fielding four candidates and is strongly desirous of clinching the position in the coming elections? Political strategists opine that there is need for the four Bassambiri candidates to forge a common front and produce a single candidate ahead of the elections.

There is no gainsaying that far from being a rehash of the 2015 elections the 2019 general elections will be a political watershed. Voter attitude and preferences, it is argued, are expected to change materially. This year, people are more likely to vote credible candidates as opposed to political parties. What's more, despite the age-old tradition of approaching voters with pecuniary inducement on election day, it is unlikely if this stereotyped strategy is going to yield significant results either.

A cross section of the electorate express the view that this time it will definitely not be business as usual. They are prepared to collect whatever monies the political gladiators funnel into the system. But they have vowed solemnly never again to sell their conscience, like Esau for a mess of pottage which often meant to live with the pain, misery and suffering for another four years. Certainly, the chickens have come home to roost and a Daniel has come to judgement.

But even so; as all the candidates jostle for space, there is an incredible groundswell of acceptance of the candidature of Iniruo Wills who came in at the eleventh hour of the game but surprisingly has gained remarkable political mileage and acquired enormous political capital.  Many persons believe, Iniruo Wills is the game changer and has the priceless character of Odili, the protagonist in Chinua Achebe's "A man of the People. Iniruo is a lawyer with combined experience in public service, private legal practice, consulting and development advocacy.

He  first served as Commissioner for Information, Bayelsa State in 1999 before being appointed as Commissioner for Environment in 2014 after an earlier two-year stint as Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment.

His entry into the race has ruffled quite a lot of feathers and stirred the hornets nest as he took the whole district by storm with every community now lining up on his side and dramatically depleting whatever political capital that had accrued to the other candidates.

But this is hardly surprising to those familiar with history. Barrister Iniruo Owazi Wills is a chip off the old bloc, a scion of his father, Late Edward Owazi Wills who was a renowned philanthropist, politician and elder statesman. During his lifetime he contributed enormously in improving the lot of the Nembe speaking people in diverse fronts. It is said that his influence and exploits as a politician was far flung, spanning across the vast expanse of the Atlantic to Akassa and even Ogbia. Late Owazi Wills' opened the floodgates of political advancement and relevance for his people. And today his son, Iniruo Owazi Wills is probably riding on that success to victory at the polls if the elections are conducted peacefully and creditably.

But it is not only his father's pedigree that is speaking for him. Iniruo Owazi Wills, true to type, has carved a niche for himself with over three decades of community service and pro bono representation of his people in various legal matters.

Like his father, he epitomizes forthrightness, and like his dad, he first started in his own village of Oluasiri where, as a young lawyer, fresh from Law School in1988 he was involved in series of meetings with Shell Petroleum Development Company in pursuit of environmental justice for his people. It is on record that during such meetings, Iniruo Wills was the only member of the team who would refuse to take the mouth watery envelopes offered by the oil multinational at the end of the meetings. Like the man in Ayi Kwei Armah's Beautyful Ones are not yet born, he was said to have bluntly refused to sacrifice the welfare of his people for filthy lucre. Today,  several decades later, this is the message he is still passing to the voters and the gospel he is still preaching to anyone who cares to listen.

This rare display of excellent stewardship was to earn him election to serve as the pioneer secretary of Bayelsa State Branch of the Nigeria Bar Association years later in 1997. Since then he has been involved in a lot of community, social pro bono services including member, Rivers and Bayelsa States Joint Committee on Restructuring/Privatization of Jointly Owned Investments in October 1998 and Chairman, Strategy and Analysis Committee Legal Adviser Nembe Se Congress (formerly Nembe-Ibe Road Projects Group)

He has been in the forefront for focused advocacy and action for roads and general development of Bayelsa State from March 2003 to date and member, Oluasiri-Nembe Clan Advisory Council.

To be sure, he has been involved in pursuit of legal redress for several landmark environmental breaches [Brass Kingdom (Re: Brass Terminal/Canal), Nembe-Bassambiri Kingdom (OML29), Egi Clan (OML 58), Oluasiri-Nembe Clan, and Bayelsa State Government).

Also, his strategic engagement on behalf of major host communities/stakeholders for integration into petroleum industry value chain to wit, [Nembe-Bassambiri Kingdom (OML29), Egi Clan (OML 58), Oluasiri-Nembe Clan and Bayelsa State Government has greatly endeared him to not just Bayelsa East but the Niger Delta as a whole.

As Legal Adviser of the Nembe Se Congress, he was instrumental to the eventual construction of the Yenagoa-Ogbia-Nembe Road which has hugely transformed the Nembe communities and enhanced socioeconomic development.

He was first appointed by Governor Henry Seriake Dickson as Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment. But it was not long before his sterling exemplary qualities stood him out for elevation to a full-fledged Commissioner. As Commissioner for Environment and Chairman, Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Environment, he is fondly remembered for his seminal papers on Integration of the Niger Delta in Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry as well as initiating programmes such as the environmental assessment, advocacy and enforcement in  in Bayelsa State, the Bayelsa State Green Partnership Programme, the Niger Delta Climate Resilience Initiative and, of course, the Reform Outline for Waste Management Sub-Sector

Quite expectedly, his tenure was marked by a more robust and continuous engagement with Oil Industry on Pollution Control/Disaster Risk Reduction.

As Commissioner for Information, under Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha he played a leading role in the completion and commissioning of the indigenous Radio Station, the Bayelsa State Broadcasting Corporation.

He is the President of the Ijaw Professionals Association (Homeland Chapter)  covering Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta States and played a key role in developing the first ever draft Code of Ethics, Leadership and Governance for public office holders. The Code which is expected to bind public officers to minimum acceptable thresholds of service delivery and accountability is expected to be adopted by the Ijaw homeland and by and large, the larger geo-political space.

Not satisfied with the leadership and governance drawbacks in the state, Wills co-convened G24 Embasara Foundation, a Leadership and Governance Initiative that is primarily concerned with promoting the emergence of quality leaders at all levels of governance. He is a stickler for community welfare which informed his decision that when elected he will deploy legislative advocacy and activism to fasttrack development of his people including ensuring that pipeline surveillance jobs are given to the host communities as well as ensuring the swift passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill which will bring about prosperity and happiness of host communities through the establishment of the Host Community Fund.

In throwing his hat into the ring, he has consistently maintained that he was motivated principally by the need to provide incomparable and matchless representation for his people as opposed to selfish personal motives of enrichment which usually  characterises ambitions of several politicians.

Uppermost in his mind as he eyes the Red Chamber is the burning desire to stop the pollution of the environment, ensure adequate compensation and reparation for the people of Ogbia where the first commercial Oil well was discovered in June 1956, promote quality and affordable education for the youths and ending the growing unemployment and cultism ravaging the social fabric of Yenagoa as well as attracting big ticket, high impact, catalytic investments to the Senatorial zone such as the multi-billion Brass LNG and Brass Fertilizer Complex.

He insists that the Federal Government and the oil multinationals owe Oloibiri and the larger Ogbia space a huge debt which they must pay.

Of course, Iniruo Owazi Wills believes that  the right leadership is required for sustained conversations around Corporate Social Responsibility of oil multinationals in their host communities.

He has a zero tolerance for corruption. Unlike many politicians, it is a hard row to hoe to buy him over with money. Which explains why many persons say he will be able to hold his high among other members of the Red Chamber and defend, protect the rights of the senatorial district when elected.

His philosophy and political ideology draws extensively from Vilfredo Pareto the Italian Welfarist Economist who espoused the need to weigh options carefully to ensure that no one is made worse off but at least someone is made better off in project implementation. He has continued to preach peace and insist on peaceful and credible conduct of the elections. Significantly, the signing of the Peace Accord by candidates in Ogbolomabiri-Nembe may well be a good omen signalling the begining of an era of mutual co-operation in the hitherto restive flash point.

As it were, Bayelsa is, arguably, the petroleum pollution capital of the world. This is a negative distinction that must be quickly done away with. There is need to build community based economic capacity and ensure strict adherence to internationally accepted environmental and ecological safety practises. This is one of so many elements Iniruo has set out to achieve.

Accordingly, he attributes the rising insecurity in the state to the lack of firm commitment to create jobs for the youths, a challenge which he notes, must be resolved as soon as possible.

At a recent courtesy visit to His Eminence King Dumaro Charles Owaba, Paramount ruler of Ogbia Kingdom, Wills remarked: "These are some of the issues that motivated me to be part of the process to change the narrative. My solemn  commitment is that by the Grace of God and support of the Ogbia, Nembe and Brass people we can together make this happen"

He points out that at the centre of the problems confronting the zone lies the absence of a people centred leadership and quality representation at the Senate and other leadership levels and that the people of Bayelsa East must rise up to the challenge and take up the gauntlet.

"We ourselves have the challenge to decide the kind of leadership we get going forward, who are going to represent us at the negotiating table. What we make of that decision will go a long way in determining our future; whether we truly want to secure the future,"he says.

He is concerned that for over 70 years the Yenagoa-Kolo-Nembe-Brass Road conceived in 1946 is still work in progress and chides the authorities for the clear lack of political will and focus to construct the road.

He said, "There are several road projects in our areas which were promised but never delivered to us.  The Otuegila-Amorokeni-Emaguo-Oluasiri Road is one of them. We need a representative that will be able to articulate the needs of the zone and strategically take steps to ensure that real development gets to our people in the grassroots and in all humility I believe I have these qualities.  We are at the threshold of history to decide whether we would continue like this or we want a quantum leap-as opposed to incremental change-comparable only to that of the Ancient Tigers like Singapore."

The way forward, according to him is "for us to renegotiate our economic survival. It's possible to draw down on the benefits and resources we have as a people but the world is moving towards renewable energy. If that day comes upon us say in a few decades from now,  the question is where do we stand? "

Wills knows his onions and has an excellent grasp of the workings of the legislature. He will bring this to bear in ensuring that federal budget captures line items that will cascade infrastructural development to his constituency, and create jobs. Already in collaboration with the Bio-resource training center, Odi he has commenced training of youths in enterprise development and skill acquisition. He hopes to do more when elected.

He will by legislation, remodel the public education system and make it more functional. He will ensure strict oversight of key institutions with direct impact on the Niger Delta and . He intends to achieve all this and more including making a stronger case for an end to environmental pollution, by maintaining constant touch with his people back home and lobbying other distinguished members to call errant public officials and institutions to order.

So far, with his Campaign train gathering steam and key segment of the voter population particularly the youths, students, women groups and the civil society groups jumping on the bandwagon without the slightest push, Barrister Iniruo Wills is definitely the candidate to beat as the clock ticks to the zero hour on February 16.

Indeed, his desire for the transformation of Bayelsa East finds expression in his clear articulation of the issues affecting his people. He would like to see a situation where the politicians become loyal to the youths rather than the unacceptable practise where youths strive daily even at the expense of their lives, to be loyal to politicians who do not care two hoots about the future of the youths. He, therefore,  believes that the youths should align themselves with Civil Society to form what he describes as a Citizen Movement to promote the right societal values.

He is a partner in the Port Harcourt-based law firm of Ntephe, Smith and Wills and maintains a strong interest in public governance and development issues.

Mr. Wills worked closely with the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission for close to a decade, as Special Assistant to the Managing Director (earlier on Executive Director, Finance and Administration) of the Commission.

Honourable Iniruo Wills sits on the board of several top-notch companies including Afrigrants Resources Ltd (a Social Enterprise Development Firm, the Strategic Summits Enterprises (Development Conferences/Consulting firm and Advisory Board Representative for Africa, Power Law Committee of the International Bar Association.

He has written several position papers on the Niger Delta including Repositioning the Niger Delta as the Economic Hub of Nigeria: The Strategic Fundamentals,  Nigeria’s Presidential Amnesty Programme: Ensuring Security and Stability in the Niger Delta and Gulf of Guinea, Stakeholder Briefing Note on the Petroleum Industry  Bill and the Niger Deltaand The Ijaw Environment: Appraising the Socio-Economic and Security Threats.

There's a strong consensus among a large number of Bayelsans that with the outcome of the party primaries in the two dominant political parties smeared with allegations of impositions of candidates by godfathers, Barrister Iniruo Wills comes across as the dark horse and the jocker card which the electorate is going to play against those whose stock in trade has been to hold the state by the jugular and decide the fate of babies even before they are born.

From a slow, late and steady start,  the Wills Campaign Organisation has taken over Bayelsa East, gathering momentum and upstaging the calculations of his opponents.

Undoubtedly, the rising fortunes of Iniruo Owazi Wills in the build up to the Senatorial elections for Bayelsa East come February 16, is an abiding testimony that the Bayelsa East Transformation (BEST) project is, indeed, possible and that only the BEST candidate can indeed, reverse the troubling narrative of economic, social and environmental injustices faced by the people.

The scriptural prophetic validation that the first ultimately shall be the last and the last, first is speedily coming true in Bayelsa East, with Barrister Iniruo Wills set to deliver quality representation if and when he wins the 2019 Senate polls.

Many Bayelsans believe that Wills will win.