Ex-Minister Of State, Budget And Planning, Clement Agba Visits Oba Of Benin: His Majesty Wasn’t In The Mood For Window Dressing.

Clement Agba, the immediate past Minister of State for budget and planning, in this video paid His Royal Majesty, the Oba of Bini, Oba Ewuare II, a thank you visit after successfully serving out his term.

At the end of the exercise, whatever may have been the clandestine motive of the so called ‘thank you visit’ by Clem Agba, must have left him with a very bitter taste in his mouth.

By training, the Oba is a diplomat who is well known for his careful choice of words. Tact, they call it. But, unfortunately for Agba on this day, the well respected diplomat and highly revered Monarch decided for obvious reasons, to throw diplomatic niceties to the dogs and gave it to Clement Agba the way it is. Given the reception at the palace, the guy would definitely curse the day he made that choice, or at least, those who advised him to see His Majesty.

Part of the Oba’s statements were made in his Bini dialect, but, the core issues were, since Clem Agba benefited from the move by the Oba that make Edo State to have two Ministers, who in return did he empower with his high office? The palace hall was silent for a while, then roared into a deafening ‘no one’. The monarch went ahead to remind him of the poor state of the Federal roads across the state.

In addition, Oba Ewuare II reminded Agba of his time in Edo State as the Commissioner for Environment, during which time, traders in Benin City and environs had torrid moments.

Finally, in his earlier speech, Agba touched on the issue of ₦1.9 billion budgetary provision concerning the Bini artefacts for which he claimed, there was a ‘foul play’. The Oba asked Agba to give a clearer picture of that money and where the ‘foul play’ came from.

For Clement Agba, that’s the way the cookie crumbles.