Fred Latimore: When a Butterfly calls itself a Bird! 

By Umukoro Mario Puzo

I read with utter dismay the lamentations of the self-styled “Dr” Fred Oghenesivbe Latimore, Executive Assistant on Communications to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.

The more I read his response to Fejiro Oliver’s treatise and his interview with Oasis Magazine, the more I get confused because it only takes a man of wisdom and patience in Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to still keep such an unstable character like Fred Latimore in his government.

From all indications, all he is concerned about is how to make money from the government without iota of concern on how the government is managing to attend to the needs of the people despite the prevailing pandemic and falling oil prices.

First, he alleged that he was the one behind the peace the Governor is enjoying with the media, if this statement is any thing to go by, then Latimore has indeed over reached himself with such claims. Before he was appointed in the previous term and the four months before he was reappointed in this current term was the Governor not having peace in the media space? In any case he lacks the spirit of team work otherwise he wouldn’t arrogate to himself the successes recorded by the entire media team as his own effort.

Because of greed and seeming lack of team spirit made him believe that he can report directly to the Governor. Even Commissioners and Special Advisers report to the Governor through the Secretary to the State Government. All their files and memos are routed through the SSG, how much an Executive Assistant on Communications who works under the information department.

Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe

The Governor was even magnanimous enough to reply his messages as an appointee or how does he expect that the Governor who picks calls and responds to thousands of people will have all the time in the world to be responding to frivolities hence the man responds to the ones he considers important as alluded by Latimore himself.

If not for greed why will Latimore be referring to losing millions of naira from a Federal appointment because of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa? Was he trying to tell the whole world that even if the Federal Agency had an annual budget of N12 billion he would have had all of that to himself? By the way which Federal Agency has an official suit for its Board Chairman at Transcorp Hilton Hotel?

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa won election with over 900,000 votes, what makes Latimore think that he worked more than the over 900,000 people that voted for the Governor to now decide when he should be appointed. Does he now share the same mandate with the Governor?

He talked about not having an official car, may be he should ask himself if all Commissioners have gotten their official cars or if any other appointee at his level had gotten any. Does he expect the Governor to use the little money available for payment of salaries and development to buy official cars for appointees?

The appointees are just a minute fraction of the entire population in Delta and therefore it would amount to selfishness for any appointee to think of official cars at a time like this to the detriment of the greater good of the people. I am happy that he didn’t say the Governor has not performed because I am aware he has written several articles promoting the Smart Agenda and Stronger Delta vision of the Governor.

If someone is using him to beat the drum ahead of 2023, the Governor is not contesting governorship again so he should be advised to do the right thing and throw in the towel if he is no longer satisfied with the administration because as our people says, “the worm that destroys the kola nut lives inside it”.

If he is tired of the government he should make haste to resign to go and practice his law or better still look for a media hatchet job that will give him all the comfort in the world ahead of 2023.