In Nigeria, the term spare tyre has a meaning that may be queer to the outside world. For motorists, it is an essential requirement for vehicles in case the nightmarish state of the roads destroy the tyres as is often the case. When one of the tyres becomes inoperable, it needs to be replaced for the journey to continue. That is when the spare tyre comes in. But in the peculiar world of politicians and their quest for power, spare tyre takes a whole new meaning.
Under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the first president in the fourth republic, a number of lexicons have come to stay. He told his special advisers that he is not obliged to listen to their views. Still under him, deputies got classified as spare tyres who are as useful as their principal would wish them to be.
With no defined constitutional role, a vice president, deputy governor and vice chairman of local government areas, is as involved in governance at the pleasure and discretion of his principal – president, governor or council chairman. As Obasanjo concentrated on visiting world leaders to sell his idea of Nigeria needing the cooperation of developed countries so her people can enjoy the “dividends of democracy”, his then vice president, Atiku Abubakar emerged as the dominant player on the local scene. So busy was he with the affairs of state that at some point, he declared that he must be the busiest vice president globally. He probably got too excited with the latitude he had. It all changed after they got reelected, and for the constitutional process that made impeachment almost impossible, Atiku would not have been in office seeking, albeit unsuccessfully, to succeed his boss while still his principal’s vice as he did during the 2007 presidential election.
In the states, the relationship between governors and their deputies was remarkably more tempestuous. With no defined constitutional role, some of the deputy governors sought to assert themselves beyond the level spelt out by their principal. When some of the governors could not get the deputies impeached, they made their offices dormant and irrelevant. However, as governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu stood out. During his two terms, he got his deputies impeached and began his second term with a fresh running mate.
In Delta State, there has been an atmosphere characterised by a unique camaraderie between the governors and their deputies. From Chief James Ibori, the first fourth republic governor of the state, it has always been relatively smooth sailing. However, the coming of Sir Monday Onyeme on May 29, 2023 brought a new dimension to the office of Deputy Governor.
A man of quiet mien, with an accent on academics and advancing scholarship, Onyeme is not driven by the glamour and lure of office. Prior to becoming Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori’s running mate, he was the chairman of the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue Service. It was an opportunity for him to drive his passion – giving indigent young people the leverage to actualise their academic dream. To give vent to his passion, Onyeme solely set up a foundation.
With his Monday Onyeme Foundation, he set out to empower and nurture the next generation through education and community development. The mission of the foundation, he stated, is to create opportunities for underprivileged students by providing scholarships, educational resources, and support to foster academic excellence and personal growth. “I believe that education is the key to a brighter future, and the foundation is dedicated to making this future accessible to all, regardless of background or financial status”.
He began the journey in 2015 at his Onitcha Ukwuani Ward, Ndokwa West Local Government Area. From just his Ward 5, Onyeme extended his heart of gold to the entire Ndokwa West. And after he was elected deputy governor in 2023, the scholarship scheme was expanded to cover all the nine local government areas of Delta North. It was a logical decision he had to take given his status meant he had become the number one political leader in Anioma nation. From 2024, students of tertiary institutions from the nine councils that make up the three federal constituencies have been chosen based on their performance in aptitude tests.
Onyeme did not go for tokens in his scholarship scheme and no candidate needed an introductory letter from a politician, traditional ruler or community leader to be considered. Beneficiaries were chosen through a transparent system that begins with candidates meeting a threshold in academic performance. Every successful applicant was awarded N200,000 while the top three performers in the aptitude test were given additional N100,000 and N200,000 for the top position.
The examination conducted to pick the 2025 beneficiaries was decentralised to the three federal constituencies of Aniocha-Oshimili, Ika and Ndokwa-Ukwuani. At the end of the exercise in the constituencies, 683 students got the scholarship – 308 in Ndokwa-Ukwuani, 150 in Ika and 225 in Aniocha-Oshimili.
In 2024, more than 500 students received the N200,000 grant. For parents in Anioma whose wards received the scholarship, it was a huge relief. A young girl who could not make the cut at the last stage of the test conducted at Dennis Osadebey University, Asaba could not hold back tears when the results were released.
On seeing the poor girl, Onyeme, touched by the girl’s uncontrollable wailing, intervened and unilaterally included her among the beneficiaries.
Onyeme is not the typical politician. Always at home in the midst of his Onitcha-Ukwuani people, his joy comes from the assurance he gets from his people that they are getting bye. He is an unusual ‘spare tyre’ with the heart of gold.
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