Benin, Edo – In a spectacle that reeks of moral bankruptcy and leadership failure, Patrick Aisowieren, the Edo State representative on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) board, has plunged into infamy by publicly pledging a whopping ₦500,000 to "Double Chief", the man caught on video assaulting Albert Obazee during a tense confrontation in Manchester, UK.

This grotesque "honor" for thuggery comes as communities like Abudu wallow in pitch-black despair from chronic power outages, exposing Aisowieren's priorities as not just misguided, but downright predatory.

The incident unfolded last week during an event tied to former Governor Godwin Obaseki's visit to Manchester, where tensions boiled over into violence. Viral footage shows Double Chief delivering a resounding slap to Obazee, an outspoken critic of the current administration, prompting UK police intervention and Obazee's vow to seek legal redress.

What should have been condemned as a low blow to free speech has instead been twisted into a badge of honor by Edo's so-called leaders, with Aisowieren leading the charge in a video that's now a national embarrassment.

Aisowieren, whose tenure at NDDC has yielded zero tangible projects for Edo's beleaguered people, no roads mended, no schools lit, no clinics powered didn't hesitate to flash cash for brutality.

"This is the kind of nonsense that makes you wonder if these people even read their job descriptions," fumed Samuel Iyobosa Osemeke, a prominent Benin-based commentator, in a scathing Facebook post that has resonated across social media.

Osemeke lambasted Aisowieren as the "supposed NDDC representative for Edo State who has no visible project or developmental footprint to his name," accusing him of "openly celebrating an act of hostility."

Nor was Aisowieren alone in this parade of shame. The Deputy Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Osamwonyi Evbaguehita Atu, chipped in ₦300,000, while Oredo Local Government Acting Chairman Hon. Gabriel Iduseri tossed in another ₦200,000, a collective ₦1 million war chest rewarding a street brawl over statesmanship.

"For someone holding such a high office, the lack of restraint, dignity, and respect for the institution is shocking," Osemeke added, capturing the collective revulsion felt by decent Edo indigenes.

But let's zero in on Aisowieren, the architect of this fiscal farce. As NDDC rep, he's entrusted with funneling federal funds into the Delta's development, yet his ledger reads like a blank check for cronies and chaos.

While he's quick to bankroll a slapper in Manchester, the people of Abudu, a bustling Orhionmwon hub, have been consigned to a decade of darkness, with their businesses shuttered.