Virtues of Peterside 11 Dec 2014 By Sylvester Asoya The three virtues that Dr. Dakuku Peterside admires most are fear of God, courage and brainpower. By the way, Peterside is the All Progressives Congress, APC governorship candidate in Rivers State. Peterside seeks out those who have demonstrated in some ways, these admirable qualities in government, civil societies, the professions, particularly the media, corporate world and in other spheres of human endeavour. Being a scholar himself, he sometimes searches for this mental power and bravery before he makes the ultimate connection with people. But Peterside is also compassionate, patient, spiritual, self-driven, hardworking and humble. In addition, he supports freedom and justice. He stands for principles as well. I know he holds in very high esteem, those who, even at the risk of their comfort and well-being, stand for fairness and principle. I hasten to add here that I may not have done an excellent character analysis of Peterside in these few sentences but this is my perception. We met in 2011 shortly before the commencement of the Seventh Assembly. He had just been elected into the Federal House of Representatives to represent Andoni/Opobo-Nkoro Federal Constituency in Rivers State, so he needed to recruit his staff. Usually, every legislator has an idea about the kind of staff he or she requires. In many instances, lawmakers always prefer lawyers as Senior Legislative Aides for obvious reasons but Peterside thought differently. He wanted somebody with journalism background and that was how we got in touch. The interesting part of our meeting was the circumstance. He had actually informed two of his friends with background in the media, my seniors, who had gone ahead to become Commissioners of Information in their respective states that he needed a Senior Legislative Aide with a media background. I understand the two commissioners conducted the head hunt. On the day we eventually met, he actually told me that he had wanted to interview two people for the job so he could have a choice. But as fate would have it, my name returned twice to his desk. That was how I was contacted. The rest, to borrow a popular cliché, is history. Before I met Peterside, I had done a handful of media work outside the newsroom; this included my stint with a former senior minister under the late President Umar Musa Yar’ Adua. Because of my experience, I am usually tempted to describe public office holders in Nigeria as “ghosts” because of their alienation from those who work for them. Alienation, at other times may even sound mild before other workers who face more upsetting experiences with their bosses. In all my experiences in my adventures outside the newsroom, no one compares to this one. Therefore the adoption of Peterside as consensus governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Rivers State is commendable and well-timed. The flag bearer will enter this contest with his rich background and depth in social activism, robust public sector experience and law making which he has given the last three and half years of his life. But one thing I know that is uppermost on the mind of this candidate is his desire to pull down all barriers created by politics among the people of Rivers State. Similarly, in the view of many, the APC governorship candidate is an asset. Peterside has a healthy experience in both the legislative and executive arms, this is in addition to his Doctorate degree in Organisational Behaviour. Being a professional manager and leadership trainer, Peterside is also bringing a whole lot to the table. His membership of the Nigerian Institute of Management, NIM and the Independent Management Consultancies Network, global professional partners for implementing best solution in various areas is also an advantage. He is therefore widely believed to have arrived the political terrain fully prepared and ready. There are also those who have in the last three years, praised Peterside for a stout representation in Nigeria’s House of Representatives. And he is a well-known face among assertive and forward-looking law makers who have demonstrated capacity, consistency and credibility in this Seventh Assembly. I believe that Peterside will make a resounding success reconciling and reuniting his people because in many ways, his entry is a fitting payback. By providing opportunities through his educational foundation for the underprivileged so that they can live with dignity and self-respect, the candidate is laying a solid foundation for the future. But importantly, Peterside through education is changing lives and making our world better and safer. One thing that is undeniable about Peterside is the credibility and followership his candidature will attract across Rivers State. This is one unusual Nigerian politician who cares about the common good and he has demonstrated this in the last 15 years. We may not all agree, but this is not particularly a great season for politicians. Therefore it is very possible for some people to look down on politicians not because of political activities of the past but because of our present. The hope however is that politicians like Peterside, I am very sure has addressed this poor image not only in his support base in Rivers State but also in Nigeria’s National Assembly where he heads one of the most important committees in the parliament. This is why at every point in our history, we must pray for politicians like him who can bring honour and dignity to politics. As citizens, whether we like it or not, our future and the future of our children depend on the decisions of people in government like Peterside. Therefore we must all strive to encourage with our support, people like him because it is in our best interest. His antecedents stand him out. Born on December 31, 1970 to Senibo Adolphus A.N.Peterside of Biriye Polo, Opobo, his progenitors, before finally settling in Opobo in 1870, had migrated from Bille in present day Degema Local Government Area and spent some time in Ayama, Bonny. Dakuku’s childhood was nurtured in five different cities namely, Azumini, Aba (in present day Abia State), Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Bori (Ogoni) in Rivers State. This has moulded out of him, a cosmopolitan outlook and a rare capacity for sound human relations across social, economic and intellectual boundaries. Peterside holds the doctor of philosophy degree (PhD) in Organisational Behaviour from the University of Port Harcourt. His doctoral dissertation is in Corporate Political Strategy. However, the foundation to this terminal educational qualification was laid at Okrika Grammar School (OGS) Okrika which he attended as a boarding student and graduated from in the 1986/87 session. It was in OGS that his leadership qualities and organisational skills first came to the fore. He was appointed a school prefect, and was subsequently elected by his fellow prefects as Secretary of the Prefects Council, the only position that was by election in OGS then. Furthermore, he led Bishop Tugwell House, his hostel in OGS, to her first inter house sports victory in several years due to his exceptional organisational skills. At OGS, he played volleyball and football, and was active in the literary and debating society. Dakuku commenced his tertiary education at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Nkpolu Oroworuku, Port Harcourt where he earned a Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (BMHLS) in Haematology from the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences. Subsequently, he studied for and obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDM), and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the same institution. As an undergraduate at RSUST, Dakuku was active in student politics. He served as department President, Editor of Kampuswatch and ultimately as National President of the National Union of Rivers State Students (NURSS) in 1992. His tenure as the National President of the National Union of Rivers State Students is arguably one of the most glorious and reformative years of NURSS. He introduced a legislative arm (NURSS Senate) during his tenure, spearheaded the making of a new constitution, celebrated 25 years of the formation of NURSS and honoured the founding fathers of National Union of Rivers State Students. Under his tenure as NURSS President, bursary payable to Rivers Students State students was increased from N5, 000.00 to N10.000.00. Furthermore, the Rivers State government under Chief Rufus Ada George introduced a special scholarship scheme for bright and indigent students. In 1992, he had the honour to serve as a member of the Youth Committee of the Rivers State Silver Jubilee Anniversary with Rotimi Amaechi as Chairman. He got involved in the political arena first in 1996 as Rivers State Assistant Secretary of the unregistered All Nigeria Congress (ANC) and subsequently as Rivers State Financial Secretary of Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) in 1997. In 1998, he spearheaded the formation and became leader of “RESTORATION YOUTHS” a group of visionary young men and women who worked for Dr. Peter Odili to emerge as governor of Rivers State. When Dr. Odili became governor of Rivers State in 1999, he appointed Dakuku as Special Assistant on Student and Youth Affairs in August 1999. It was in this position that he honed the art and science of bridge building between youths and elders, between today and the future, and between leaders and the led. While serving as Special Assistant to Governor of Rivers State, he had other high profile assignments such as Board Member, Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC), a federal government agency. It was at his demanding office as a Special Assistant to the Governor of Rivers State that he was invited to serve as Chairman of Opobo-Nkoro Local Government Council in December 2002. He earned the prestigious sobriquet of the Best Local Government Chairman of his time in just in just six months. When he finished his term as Chairman of Opobo-Nkoro Local Government, he was appointed Senior Special Assistant to the Rivers State Government on works in September 2003. Creditably, he brought novelty, credibility and ingenuity to public works management. He kept contractors on their toes and gave Rivers people value for money in project execution. He left this office in September 2005 in other to pursue another passion of his: mentoring and grooming emerging leaders through a not-for-profit organisation he founded, Development and Leadership Institute (DLI). It was while he was grooming young people for transformational leadership that Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi invited him in October 2007 to serve as Commissioner for Works in Rivers State. In that capacity, Dakuku reconstructed all known records and redefined public works management. In recognition of the importance of ideas to human progress, Dakuku has instituted an Overseas Post Graduate Scholarship Programme. Each year, he sponsors 10 young persons to undertake post graduate studies in any institution in the United Kingdom. Dakuku is married to Elima, a lawyer and they are blessed with three lovely children, Soba, Belema and Miebi. He is a devout, practicing Christian. Asoya is Special Assistant (Media) to Dr. Dakuku Peterside
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 12:09:09 +0000
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