When a fish is taken out of water, it is in a dangerously unfamiliar terrain.
It’s breathing becomes difficult and if not immediately thrown back to its comfort zone, you know what fate awaits a fish that is separated from the water.
Pastor, Dr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Governor Seyi Makinde’s Special Adviser on Media is a very funny fellow, sometimes confusing. He shares some semblance with his principal, Governor Seyi Makinde.
The calm and harmless look, but don’t be deceived. He could be as aggressive as a Bull on its way to the slaughter slab if circumstances call for it. He answers a Pastor, yet, languages of the gutter are not so far from his mouth.
In fact, I must give him the credit for one thing, he, it was, who taught me the tricks and knowledge that, if you want to deal with Governor Seyi Makinde’s Media warriors, you need to be equally aggressive.
It is the only language they understand. The only way you stand up against them. Olanrewaju was the one who first gave me some funny names.
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” Beelzebub”, ” the Masquerade man”, were all his acronyms.
Unfortunately for him and others, they met their match and I’m sure they must have been regretting the day they decided to go rough with me.
It’s been some time now that I heard from him, until yesterday. He wrote another piece in defense of his paymasters’s shenanigans. This time around, Olanrewaju ventured into unfamiliar terrains and honestly, I’m still enjoying his advertisement of naivety.
Politically, Olanrewaju is an infant and I expected him to have been restrained from writing about political activities.
As a writer, you are only as good as your knowledge of the materials you have on a particular topic.
Sometimes, theories will not be enough.
You require some practical experience about the topic you are writing about.
I am not surprised at all that Governor Seyi Makinde’s spokesperson completely missed the points in his latest write up, titled, ” Of Makinde, democracy and posterity”.
I could also see that our dearly beloved ” Father in the Lord”, Pastor Olanrewaju has also been infested with a lying spirit just as it is recorded in the Book of 1st Kings, chapter 22: vs 19-22.
When God wanted to destroy King Ahab, he allowed a spirit to strike some Prophets with the spirit of lying and all of them, except for one, Micaiah, pushed Ahab to death.
Let us critically look at Olanrewaju’s write up with a view to correcting the lies and misrepresentation of facts contained therein.
According to Olanrewaju, Governor Seyi Makinde was president Tinubu’s pillar of support in 2923 and now, he is Tinubu’s albatross.
He also said that Governor Seyi Makinde decided to support Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023 in defense of a Southern presidency.
Let me quickly respond to these two issues and I will start from the latter.
Contrary to the misrepresentation of the facts by Olanrewaju, Seyi Makinde and others entered into a political alliance with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023, as a desperate measure of survival.
To set the records straight, Seyi Makinde and others in the G-5 engaged in anti-party activities against the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and decided to join the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s train which was already coasting home to victory at the time.
Why didn’t they join Peter Obi of the Labor Party at the time?
Was he not a Southern presidential candidate?
At least, one of them in the G-5, former Governor Ortom worked for Peter Obi.
Let me also ask, how is Seyi Makinde a pillar of support for Tinubu in 2023?
The word, ” pillar of support” is so heavy.
A pillar is something you couldn’t do without.
Will Olanrewaju tell us what he knows that we don’t know and which qualifies Seyi Makinde as Tinubu’s pillar of support in 2023?
I am amused by Olanrewaju’s reference to Seyi Makinde as Tinubu’s albatross in 2027.
Albatross! How?
If every opponents of Tinubu is as confused and overwhelmed as Seyi Makinde is presently, believe me, Tinubu will be sleeping on election day.
How could a confused man, who doesn’t even know the destination he is heading towards, constitute an albatross to a sitting president?
Honestly, Pastor Olanrewaju is politically myopic.
The truth of the matter is that Governor Seyi Makinde supported Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023 for his personal survival and to the detriment of the PDP and such acts of selfishness is presently responsible for the disaster the PDP has found itself.
Our friend also made heavy weather about a one party state and he made a lot of examples from Venezuela to Adolf Hitler.
He accused president Tinubu of harvesting where he did not sow.
According to him, president Tinubu has been luring opposition Governors, Senators and political bigwigs to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
What is wrong with that, if Tinubu is not forcing them?
As a Governor in the opposition, was Governor Seyi Makinde not ” lured” into working for Tinubu in 2023?
Governor Seyi Makinde and others set the stage in 2023.
Others are just copying their playbook. So, what is wrong with that?
Now let us ask our friend, Olanrewaju, where was Saheed Fijabi in 2023? Where was his father, High Chief Fijabi?
Where was Bimbo Adekanbi in 2023? Where are all of them now?
Were they not in the APC in 2023 and now with Seyi Makinde?
Who is crying foul about that?
Presently, both Saheed Fijabi and Bimbo Adekanbi are gubernatorial aspirants under the PDP, are they not?
So, what is Tinubu doing with those Governors that Olanrewaju claimed the president is ” luring” that Seyi Makinde is not doing with Fijabi and others?
Sometimes I wonder how shallow these people are.
Let me also ask this question, with the way Governor Seyi Makinde has handled Local Government elections twice in this state, will Olanrewaju tell us that the Governor’s handling of situations deepened Democracy?
In 2021, Mukaila Auxiliary, Governor Seyi Makinde’s self acclaimed ‘ security ‘ and his thugs were on rampage, killing and maiming opposition political figures and electorates during the Local Government election.
Four people were murdered in Eruwa in 2021 just because of a Local Government election.
The Local Government election of 2023 was also a charade.
So, assuming Governor Seyi Makinde is the one in Tinubu’s shoes, what would the fate of the opposition look like under his watch?
You can’t come to equity with dirty hands.
You can’t expect us to overlook Governor Seyi Makinde’s dictatorial tendencies in Oyo state and ask us to throw stones at Tinubu in Abuja.
Any time I see people like Olanrewaju trying to paint Governor Makinde with the brush of innocence, I laughed.
In this state, Governor Seyi Makinde disregarded the judgment of all the layers of the Nigerian Courts to install a puppet as the Eleruwa.
He disobeyed and rubbished the judgments of Courts for a very long time in the case of the Local Government Chairmen elected during the tenure of late Governor Abiola Ajimobi.
Presently, he has continued to disregard the judgments of the Industrial Court and the Court of Appeal which faulted his suspension of the activities of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW.
He was the one who sat down somewhere , perhaps, after finishing with a hot bowl of Amala and gbegiri, and said, look, I noticed a lacuna in the judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria!
So, such a person should now be seen and recognized as the champion of Democracy?
Are you kidding me? Someone who has got no iota of respect for our Courts?
Coming to the PDP, Governor Makinde’s stubbornness and disregard for the judgment of Courts is also responsible for the unfortunate situation he and his followers have presently found themselves.
I was amused when I saw them, setting up a Caretaker Committee for the PDP yesterday.
Can you place something on nothing?
You just suffered yet, another defeat at the Supreme Court and after that, you congregated yourselves in a corner and decided to interprete the judgment in a manner that appeals to your ego.
When they fail again, they will want us to believe that Tinubu is behind their travails.
Only a hypocrite would believe that.
A couple of days ago, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state defected to the Allied People’s Movement, APM.
Peter Obi and Kwakwanso just defected to the National Democratic Congress, NDC.
So, where is the one Party state Governor Makinde is crying about?
It looks like, for Governor Seyi Makinde, except his faction of the PDP is recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, then, Nigeria is a one Party state.
Unfortunately, Nigeria does not operate based on the whims and caprices of one desperate politician.
Governor Seyi Makinde is well known for his tendencies to betray anyone who assisted him.
So, unlike Olanrewaju, we are not surprised that he has chosen to bite Tinubu’s fingers after the latter assisted him to get an undeserved second term in office as Governor of Oyo state in 2023.
In fact, we are full of joy that he has decided to act true to type in his relationship with President Tinubu.
By the way, I thought Olanrewaju was present when Governor Seyi Makinde fired insults at the president during his now infamous Media chat.
Someone told me allegedly, that, even the Pastor was bewildered when his Boss started pouring out unprovoked insults on the president.
Did Olanrewaju ask his Boss, why he would suddenly become angry because the nominee he presented for Ministerial appointment was rejected by the president?
Assuming the president approved that Nomination, would Governor Makinde be angry as he is today?
So, when Olanrewaju was talking about harvesting where you didn’t sow, did his mind wonder to that Ministerial episode?
I see that Olanrewaju also highlighted the achievements of Governor Seyi Makinde in the past seven years.
I am however surprised that he forgot to tell us about the 30 billion Naira relief package for the Bodija explosion victims and which his Boss said is being warehoused in a Commercial Bank.
What has happened to that whooping sum of money gotten from the Federal Government on behalf of the victims?
I am also surprised that he forgot to tell us about Governor Makinde’s inquiries into the awards of certain failed and controversial contacts.
Specifically, the inquiries into the failed Light Up Oyo and the awards of contracts for the production of exercise Books.
During one of the 2023 gubernatorial Debates, Governor Seyi Makinde said that the Parks Managers, PMS were generating about 65 million Naira monthly from the Bus terminals and I recall that Barrister Folorunso Lana, who was Candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, at the time, faulted that figure, claiming that it was ridiculously low.
Billions of Naira, in loan, was spent by Governor Seyi Makinde to construct those Bus terminals.
Now, will Olanrewaju give us an accurate account of how much the PMS have generated from the Bus terminals and how much of the loan has been paid back.
I am asking these questions because, I have information that allegedly points to the fact that the loan obtained to build the Bus terminals were tied to the 33 Local Governments.
In other words, the deductions for the repayment of the loans are on the Local Governments.
Interestingly, some funny individuals are being appointed by the Governor as Park Managers and they are the one who have been collecting dues and selling tickets at the Bus terminals.
Constitutionally, the responsibilities of managing Parks and Garages are assigned to the Local Governments but here, we have a situation where the Governor has taken over the Parks and Garages from the Local Governments through the PMS.
The question is, where does the dues collected by the PMS go to?
These days, appointment into the PMS have become a gold mine.
PMS officials are now proud owners of Estates, gigantic residential buildings and hotels.
Some of them have been buying trucks as if they are buying peanuts biscuits.
In fact, I was told that the next Local Government Chairman of my Council could be a fellow, appointed as the state Chairman of the Tipper and Lorries Branch of the PMS!
How come these people suddenly become stupendously rich immediately they are appointed as PMS officials?
Olanrewaju should be talking to us about this dramatic transformation of PMS officials in Oyo state.
He did not also talk to us about the debts his principal has continued to pile up in Oyo state.
He talked about the appointment of teachers but he failed to tell us that those teachers were appointed over a year ago but their confirmation are being delayed, perhaps, deliberately.
He also did not talk to us about the Agbowo Shopping Complex.
I read the portion where he said that Governor Seyi Makinde has taken steps to checkmate poverty and I asked myself, where is this man living?
What steps has the Governor taken to address poverty and hunger?
I read a story credited to Dr. Debo Akande, Governor Makinde’s appointee in charge of Agribusiness, a couple of days ago.
He was talking about the ‘ Botswana Maize’ promise by Governor Makinde and why the promise of exporting maize to Botswana didn’t materialize.
Let me quote Debo Akande verbatim.
He said, ” let me address this issue of Botswana maize quickly because it keeps coming up, even though Excellency has addressed it and even spoke to it again when we went to Harvard…”.
Note: Governor Makinde addressed the matter when they went to Harvard. Did he make the promise to whoever they addressed in Harvard? Let us continue.
” So, yes, before coming into office, Excellency, Governor Makinde spoke about exporting maize to Botswana. It was a forward-looking assumption “.
Note also: the promise of exporting maize to Botswana was an ” assumption”.
” But as it is typical with Excellency, everything he eventually does is subjected to Data, Science and Logic”.
” So, when we came in, the Data became clear: Oyo state did not have a strong comparative advantage in maize at scale “.
” But it had something else. Cassava as a value chain opportunity with strong demand and export potential “.
” So, the strategy shifted as our focus moved to increasing yield per hectare for cassava….”.
That is Governor Seyi Makinde’s Chief Adviser on Agriculture talking there and I am not surprised that states like Nassarawa and Niger are setting good examples on how to provide food in abundance while we are wasting time, playing with words here in Oyo state.
If you look at what Dr. Akande was trying to say in this context, when Governor Seyi Makinde was making what appeared like brilliant submissions about the capacity of Oyo state to leverage on the production of maize in 2023, he was making empty promises and he was bereft of accurate Data and logic.
I am not the one saying this, his appointee is saying so.
I strongly disagree with Dr. Akande that Oyo state does not have a strong comparative advantage in maize at scale.
What advantage does Niger and Nassarawa states have that Oyo state doesn’t have?
Is it the Land, weather or what comparative advantage is he talking about?
Even the cassava he spoke glowingly about, how many hectares of cassava farm belongs to Oyo state?
Awolowo was able to feed his people because his Government utilized the Farm Settlements to grow crops.
Awolowo was not handing over Farm Settlements to foreigners.
His Government was directly involved in farming and trading in finished farm products like Cocoa.
Awolowo’s Government came up with a brilliant method of protecting Cocoa Farmers at the time.
They set up a Cocoa Board and if there was a drop in the price of Cocoa in mid-seaon or any time after prices have been set, the Cocoa Board would purchase directly from Farmers, at the original prices set at the beginning of the season.
By that, they have subsidized and saved the Farmers from recording losses.
Is there a cassava Board in Oyo state today?
About three years ago, a pickup load of cassava sold for almost 500 thousand Naira.
Today, it is selling for 10 thousand Naira!
The capacity of the Farmers to replant has been decimated.
What is Governor Makinde doing about that? What has happened to our Cocoa rebirth scheme?
So, if Olanrewaju wants to know why there is hunger and poverty in Oyo state, he should go and read about how Awolowo handled Agriculture and compare to his principal’s handling of same.
Let me finish on a humorous note.
I see that Olanrewaju has resorted to name callings once again.
I can assure him that this particular ‘ social media rat’ will continue to make his job more difficult for him.
Sola Abegunde.
