Okowa’s Nomination of Gbe as Exco Member is a Masterstroke

By Perez Brisibe

In an era where competency, proficiency and efficiency has been taken to the backburner for mediocrity in governance, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, has actually delivered a masterstroke in governance with the nomination of a technocrat in the new batch of executive members of the state council for his second term administration.

It is not news that appointments particularly into the State Executive Council are popularly done in accordance with political party alliance, personal relationship with the principal (Governor) as well as contributory efforts to the emergence of such principal in office, however, Governor Okowa seems to have displayed his adherence for technocracy in those that will make his second term cabinet.

It is on record that political appointments are mostly done irrespective of academic and intellectual capability to ride on the same speed of the principal for the overall development of the state thereby setting the state into a retrogressive drive or state of redundancy.

However, in a bid to hit the ground running in his Stronger Delta on a tripod of Peace, Progress and Prosperity, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa without wasting time, nominated his Secretary to the State Government, Chief of Staff and Political Adviser alongside other special aides.

The Governor also immediately sent a first batch of nominees as members of the State Executive Council to the State House of Assembly, followed by a second batch which includes the nomination of a technocrat and intellect in the person of Chief (Dr) Barry Pere Gbe to fuel his speed in the developmental drive of the State having been armed with huge resources of political and educational experience in classroom, boardroom and practical proficiency in management, policies, labour and developmental issues Dr. Gbe.

An indigene of Akugbene in Bomadi Local Government Area, Dr. Gbe was born on May 15, 1970 and holds a first degree in Linguistics from the prestigious University of Benin and holds a doctorate degree in Business Administration from the prestigious Leeds Beckett University in the United Kingdom.

He also holds several Masters degree including; Master of Business Administration (MBA) from University of Benin, Masters of Science in Organisational Behaviour (UNILAG), Masters of Science in Policy and Development Studies from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, and a Masters in Industrial/Labour Relations from Delta State University, Abraka in Delta State.

He has also attended several short Executive Education courses in some world-class Universities, like Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) all in the United States of America and has ran executive courses with high profile bodies like KPMG and Lagos Business School.

Currently a serving member on the board of the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue, DBIR, Dr Gbe who is a seasoned banker and public policy consultant has his area of core competence and concentration on strategy, compensation, leadership, business modeling, performance management, risk management, to mention but a few.

Politically speaking, he played a formidable role in the finance committee of the Okowa Campaign Organisation in 2015 and was also a member of the Uduaghan/Okowa transition/handover committee inaugurated by the Governor in 2015 before his handover.

There is no gainsaying that his nomination by the governor is anchored on his intellectual and political achievements as his area of expertise will sure give and serve as an added impetus to fuel the programs and ideas of the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa led administration.