The verbal war between the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe and Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, Wednesday, worsened with the ex-minister calling Oshiomhole a ‘garage boy,’ vowing to expose his dubious deeds against Nigerians.
Orubebe, who reacted to Oshiomhole’s response to his (Orubebe’s) earlier remarks on him, said that Oshiomhole’s attempt to link his critical advice to President Muhammadu Buhari to be wary of popular ‘Villa sycophants’ to his fears of a possible probe in connection with the East- West Road project shows he was indeed a garage boy who lacks focus.
Orubebe who described the governor’s insinuation as laughable, maintained that the Edo governor had failed to address the issue of sycophancy which he accused him of.
He said that Oshiomhole was suffering from chronic diarrhoea of the mouth, which explains why he has lately been misleading Nigerians, adding that his illiteracy was beyond human comprehension.
He argued that his integrity and high level of accountability all through his six years’ service to the nation as the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs can neither be matched nor compromised.
“I am proud to have been a vital instrument used by God to take the once abandoned East- West Road project to an admirable 80 per cent level of completion. It is unfortunate that our respected Niger Delta could produce the likes of Oshiomhole who is a garage boy that should be at the motor park.”
Threatening to expose Oshiomhole more, Orubebe, said “I will disgrace him publicly and tell the world about his dubious deeds as governor as well as his role in the botched Third Term Bid of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“I am going to open his can of worms to the point that Nigerians will stone him if seen on the streets. I don’t talk carelessly as I have my facts to prove my points.”
On the alleged embezzlement of several billions of naira under his watch as Minister of Niger Delta, he said: “I am not afraid of probe, I’m a man of integrity under whose watch the abandoned 42 bridges and 1040 culverts that were initially without design were upgraded to the level it is today.”
“Every reasonable Niger Deltan and Nigerians at large knows that I am the admired face of the East West Road, I can stand tall, anywhere and anytime to defend my administration as well as account for every dime that was allocated for the several projects we embarked upon.
“My Co- ministers and every other person who was a member of the Federal Executive Council under former President Jonathan’s watch can attest to the fact that I was a vessel par excellence, who had result oriented contributed to make towards moving the nation forward,” he said.
On the statement by Oshiomhole that he should be cooling off in jail following his actions at the 2015 presidential election collation Centre, Elder Orubebe, said “If he is reasonable, he will not refer to my action at the election result collation centre.
“This is because, history will talk about it and Nigerians will be proud of me. Yes, I had to apologise to Nigerians, particularly the youths over my I term ‘wrong approach to a just course’. Yes, I had a just case that was deliberately ignored, as one who felt cheated, and so reacted.
“I’m laughing at him because, if there’s anyone who should burry his face in shame, it has to be Oshiomhole who disgraced, harassed and rough handled a poor widow who he should have ordinarily accommodated.
“My people are very proud of me, I mean the aged, the poor and orphans. I don’t disgrace them before putting smiles on their faces. I maintain the fact that Oshiomhole is a popular villa sycophant, a garage boy and that PMB should be weary of him, if he must succeed and be really admired.”
This Orubebe man still dey talk! Only in Nigeria!! If Oshio is a “garage boy”, I am sure professors of English will struggle to find the right characterization for this good for nothing buffoon. But for Prof. Jega’s application of what has been described as the right dose of Jegamycin to this infectious disease called Orubebelytis, only God knows what we would have been grappling with now as a nation. If I was his child, I would have effected a change of name.