Wednesday, May 6, 2015


When Silverbird Man of The Year Awards Becomes Politically Driven

Awards are good. It means, you did an extraordinary job, you performed beyond expectations. But when Award becomes Politicized, it laughs at excellency and claps at mediocrity and bad service. Perhaps that's where the Silverbird Man of The Year is heading?

I have been a long admirer of the Silverbird Group. I love their passion, their vision and ability to identify opportunities and turn them to possibilities.

Single handed, they awakened and revived the pleasures of Cinema in Nigeria from a dead elephant corpse to a booming industry.

They also revolutionize Radio as a unique user experience providing him with quality productions in terms of programming content, music quality, presenters, DJs and producers all working round the clock to give Nigeria a truly great Radio Experience. And ever since, they've come out with one great project, brand or another; always creating exciting entertainment.

However, whether due to internal financial crisis or internal management corruption of funds, talents etc, they seem to be losing fast the one thing that got them this far: Credibility. I have had to talk one on one with past workers and even one or two top management and I could tell that all is not as well for this group as it once was.

Somehow, whatever that thing is that has seeped into them, it seems to have penetrated their radio, TV, beauty pageant, and now the Silverbird Man of The Year Award.

I have often wondered what the criteria for each person nominated for this award was. I searched online to see if I could get a detailed outline of what criteria are used to determine who clinches the award, but as at the point of writing this, I did not gather very much.

However, the point here is this: if someone like Dr. Emmnanuel Uduaghan can get that coveted crown when the likes of Fashiola earned it only after the transformation he did in Lagos then I ask myself, by what standard?

Did they visit Delta State 25 local governments or some parts of the 3 senatorial districts to ascertain whether he merited that award?

I know Ben Murray Bruce has just gotten the senatorial seat for for his constituency, yet politics should not be mixed with Performance and Award for Achievement; for being a creator, builder and sustainer of lasting projects etc.

If the group's research team has visited the government house along Okpanam road this is what they will see: the front drainage of the Government Lodge is a trap, there are no proper drainage across Delta! As a matter of fact it took the government four years to even get to this level you see here. Yet the project has been certified done! No review needed!

Residents of Okpanam who journey from their homes to work, school, market and elsewhere face this everyday! Deep crevices, erosion, bad roads and pot holes litter internal roads. Even the state airport barely three-years-old has been downgraded by the Federal Government! Imagine a cargo airport converted to a different use from its original design just to make noise about visible projects. Doesn't that show a certain lack of focus, misplaced priority and show of incompetence for a project that supposedly gulped tens of billions of naira? I leave that for you to ascertain for yourselves.

As at 2010, Delta State government accrued no less than N90.4 billion from the national treasury and Uduaghan was governor and will leave soon on May 29th 2015! What did he do with all that money? And if that same amount has accrued to the state ever since, why so much poverty, lack of industries, bad roads, unfinished projects, badly executed projects, poor health facilities and uncompleted centres and so many other ills prevalent in Delta state? Visit Delta State to find out for yourself. Read more about what state governments get monthly or biannually from the country's treaury:www.vanguardngr.com/2010/11/rich-poor-states-how-states.


As I write this, for over one year, Delta State TV has been gone off-air! The story from within the government circle is that a former NTA DG who is the consultant to oversee the refurbishing and upgrade of the structure, including an Itsekiri high chieftain who seems to wield an unusual sway over the governor are behind the complete shut down of the station! And this is after N700M has been approved for it. We need the fact sheets to verify the exact amount disbursed for this. Are we to think now that the governor is a puppet pulled by invisible strings? Does he not have executive powers to call these persons into account for sabotaging a State TV?

And what about the Union overseeing the welfare and productivity of the staff of DBS? All bulldog with no action! Too much infighting, back-biting and scuttling of a concerted effort to speak with one voice!

Meanwhile, there is a board of directors who seat each time simply to collect their sitting allowances watching with their hands folded, unconcerned about taking appropriate action to call all parties involved into order. Since they don't know their jobs, guess it's time they are dissolved once for all so human effort can be better channeled into making things work as they ought to.

Now, I'm tired of all this them say, he said talk. I want Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan to please come and tell Deltans why their TV has been gone off air for this long. If this were his hard earned business, will he treat it this way for that long?

Deltans Need answers. Not tomorrow, NOW.
It is called being accountable.
It is called leaving a lasting legacy of professional work ethics.

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