When I was in the NLC, I used to try to mobilise people to Aso Rock Villa because I believe the President must listen to his people. Here, I listened? So when people come to protest, it is not negative. When people interrogate their leaders, when they speak in anger, it’s not negative. It depends on what to make out of it. However, if you think that you’re his majesty who cannot be questioned by his subjects, then the problem is yours. Therefore, I am happy when people protest.

The other thing is that there is a certain level of expectation on the part of the people that The Comrade that we know, if he hears about this matter that is bothering us, we are sure that he will do something about it. And most of the times they have come here, they come here agitated, they leave clapping because I am in a position to listen and if there are issues that have to do with the government, as the governor, within the limits of the law, I have the power to make decisions that would reverse whatever pains or whatever injustices that they have seen. If on the other hand, the actions of certain powerful individuals and I’m convinced that those individuals are oppressive, of course I will use my privileges to prevail on those individuals to take it easy.

The second protest is about people who have made money over the years and now, because they have become rich––I’am not going to make statement on the source of that money, whether it was legitimately made or it was stolen; however it was acquired, that is not my headache for now. But over the years, you know in this country, people believe that the way to show that they are big men is to breach the law with impunity. And so we have people who built houses precisely in a place where they knew they shouldn’t build houses? And when you ask them, they ask you: Do you know who I am? Now, in this state, we have demolished houses belonging to big people. We have removed perimeter walls and other structures that we labelled as illegal structures by reason of the fact that they offend the right of way. Even the Central Bank of Nigeria, the wall fence, we pulled it down because it offended the right of way. And so, for me, as we were doing those things, some of these big people also protested.

That was my happiest moment in the sense that God has placed me in the position to subject these people who think that they are above the law to remind them that they are under the law. And where they remain stubborn, we have charged them to court, and not once, not twice we have secured conviction. We have imposed taxes on the income that people earn; where they disputed, we took them to court and we got judgment and we forced them to pay this tax, courtesy of the law. And when people like that protest, I feel fulfilled because part of my argument is that Nigeria has been reduced to almost a banana republic where to obey law is to be weak. If you’re powerful, the best evidence of power is that you breach the law, and the culture of impunity is everywhere. So, to the extent that we’ve been able to do all of those things, I feel good. So, protest is not dysfunctional at all. I have enjoyed every bit of it.

Let me take you back a bit. You praised the Oba of Benin, Omon’oba Erediauwa the other time when you were giving your speech at the stadium. It is rare for him to leave his palace to visit anyone, but he visited you at your official residence. How did that come about and what does that mean to you?

Well, I do not have the appropriate words to express it, but just to say that I felt extremely, extremely humbled, because we have a royal father in the person of the Omon’oba who people refer to as Omo, who everybody knows does not travel. He is not the Oba who goes to visit big people because they are celebrating birthday in order to collect some crumbs from their tables. He is not an Oba that is hungry and will go to power to ask for contracts. So he carries his royalty in a way that reminds you that in this part of the world, we have people of character, leaders that are role models. So the Oba doesn’t go out. In fact, one day I suggested buying him a car and he said, ‘No, Comrade, thank you, where is Oba going to?’ This is an Oba who could have said, ‘Comrade, I need Mercedes 600, befitting my status.’ Rather, Oba said, ‘Car? Where am I going to?’ So we have a very unique monach who all of us respect.

And this is one state where the Oba’s influence transcends Benin land. Across the length and breadth of Edo State, there is not one traditional ruler that wants to contest the fact that this is their paramount traditional ruler.

So, coming to the house of a very ordinary person of my own very, very humble background, even the courtesy of democracy and his own support, I have become the governor of this state, it’s like your father leaving the living room to open the door in your small room to say, ‘How are you doing my son?’ For me, it was a very humbling experience.

And what was it that Oba Erediauwa said when he came? He said, ‘Comrade, I thank you for what you’re doing in the Kingdom and in the state. I understand the financial challenges of the country. May God continue to give you the means to fulfil all of these laudable projects that you have started. I will continue to remember you in my prayers. We asked God and ancestors to protect you.’ That was it. And every now and then, if Oba hears that one road is blocked, I will get a letter, ‘Comrade, I think you want to check so, so, so street.’

Although he doesn’t go out, like I read in my primary school, there was this King Darius with many eyes and many ears. And as a little kid, I was surprised: How can a man have many eyes and many ears? And then, as I read the novel, I found out what the author meant. Every king is capable of having as many eyes, according to the number of people who see and report to him. He has as many ears as much as those who hear things that are happening and they inform him. So whatever you hear, I hear and we inform him, he has heard all. Whatever you see, they see and report to him; he has seen them all. And sometimes, he therefore gets to know or see things before I get to know, which means that he has a robust traditional machinery for monitoring what is going on in the Kingdom as well as hearing what is happening in the Kingdom.

So, we Edo people have so much respect for the Oba of Benin that I do not have the right words to explain to you how I felt that day when the Oba informed me that he was coming this time to pay me homage at my official residence. I will ever remain grateful to him.