In this piece, I will try to respond to a couple of write ups by Dr. Peter Akande and another one by Dr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Governor Seyi Makinde’s Special Adviser on Media.
I will take Dr. Akande’s first. I read his response to my piece titled ” Resetting Nigeria Goes Beyond Hypocrisy”.
I decided not to respond to him at the time he wrote the piece because I felt like there was no need to dedicate time to his opinion which actually did not answer any of the fundamental questions I raised.
However, since I saw the need to respond to his latest piece titled ” The Throne Must Remain Above Partisan Politics”, I deem it fit to say a word or two about his previous piece.
Perhaps, I need to make it clear to Dr. Akande that my grouse with the position of Governor Seyi Makinde concerning fuel subsidies is that while he spoke extensively about the disadvantages of the current system, he suggested no alternatives and infact, he admitted that the his alternatives to the current system are yet to be ready.
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I suspect that Dr. Akande is an Academic. Suppose he asked a student to proffer solutions to a problem and the student discussed everything about the problems and its consequences but left out the solutions, how will Dr. Akande mark such a student? Excellent?
If Governor Seyi Makinde wants Nigerians to take his position on the current system serious, shouldn’t he have placed the alternatives on the table so that the electorates can compare and contrast?
Secondly, I spoke about the gains from the current system and I asked Governor Seyi Makinde to tell us how the tremendous increase in the inflow of monthly allocations for the States and the Local Governments has affected governance since subsidies were removed.
Is that not a logical question to ask?
We all know that the removal of subsidies on petroleum products actually occasioned hardships in certain areas of our day to day activities but is that the end of the story?
Did it not also resulted in the inflow of tripled monthly allocations to States and the Local Governments?
Shouldn’t we talk about that?
I know that Dr. Akande can not provide answers to the latter issue but, shouldn’t the Governor do so?
Let me go to his latest piece titled ” The Throne Must Remain Above Partisan Politics”.
With due respect to him, I want to ask, what does Dr. Akande know about double standards?
I enjoyed his essay on this topic. However, it would have been a wonderful work for the Academics.
It does look like Dr. Akande was not around in 2023. I do not think he is deliberately hypocritical about this issue, but, if he is, I will be terribly disappointed.
Let me refer Dr. Akande to the Nation online Newspaper of 16th March 2023, specifically, the story titled, ” Traditional rulers endorse Makinde for second term”.
Secondly, let me refresh Dr. Akande’s memory about an incident that happened before the 2023 general elections.
A First Class Oba from Ogbomoso zone was all over the radio stations campaigning for the re-election of Governor Seyi Makinde.
Now, let me ask, when traditional rulers were endorsing Governor Seyi Makinde for a second term on the 16th of March, 2023, was he the sole candidate for the Governorship at the time?
Was it proper for the Throne to involve in partisan politics at the time and it has become a taboo now because it doesn’t favor Governor Seyi Makinde?
When a First Class Oba was moving from one Radio station to the other, campaigning for Makinde’s second term in 2023, my Dear Dr. Akande, where were you?
I don’t know why people always throw their hats on the ring in defense of Governor Seyi Makinde without conducting their researches very well.
I see that Dr. Akande was cleverly talking about the incident that happened during the flag-off program for the dualization of the Ibadan -Ijebu-Ode Road a couple of weeks ago.
For the avoidance of doubts, let me quote him verbatim. He said, “An Oba can demand good roads without supporting a political party. A monarch can condemn insecurity without campaigning for a candidate. A Traditional ruler can question government policies without becoming a political mobilizer. A king can engage a Governor constructively without becoming an instrument of the Governor’s political opponent”.
Now, from the instances I provided above, Dr. Akande, can you, in all honesty still say that these things you are now canvassing against, are alien to our political experience in Oyo state?
I also saw a paragraph that interests me in Dr. Akande’s essay. He said, and I quote, ” Nobody should hide partisan interests under the sacred language of defending the traditional institutions “.
Now, Dr. Akande, this one you are doing, shall we say that you are hiding partisan interests under the sacred language of defending the Governor?
I will leave Dr. Akande for now and attend to my friend, Dr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju.
I have read his piece titled ” Makinde: The Aare Of Liveability”.
I will leave his theory of ” Liveability” completely. I am not interested in words that convey no meaning to the ordinary citizens of Oyo state.
Let me however say, that I do not have much problems with Olanrewaju. He must do his job. However, let me advise him, when next he’s coming out to attend to his extremely difficult job, he should refrain from indicting the very Government he is laboring hard to defend.
I thought he would first tell us why the ” Yeye Asoludero ” was conspicuously missing from the party in Eruwa.
I thought he was going to tell us how the ” Yeye Asoludero ” would feel when she got to know that the confused fellow who was conferring the Chieftaincy Title on them actually hid the fact that he had once conferred the same Title on someone who is very much alive, hale and hearty.
Perhaps, I should warn the Governor that the Title conferred on him by his puppet in Eruwa does have an unpleasant history.
I said that Olanrewaju actually indicted the Governor. Let me quote a few paragraphs from his write up to support my claim.
He said and I quote, ” .. the ongoing Ido-Eruwa road will unlock economic opportunities for farmers, traders and transporters”. Laago melo?
So, Governor Seyi Makinde knew that if he had done the road since all these years, it is capable of unlocking economic opportunities for farmers, traders and transporters?
The question is, why did he choose to neglect such road for over seven years? Why?
If the rehabilitation of the road could unlock economic opportunities for farmers, traders and transporters, it follows that neglecting the road must have affected the economy of Ibarapa Land negatively. Not only that, it must have affected farmers, traders and transporters negatively for seven years plus!
As we speak, not a quarter of the said road had been completed and Olanrewaju feels that is something to be proud of?
Let me also quote another paragraph from him. He said, ” Ido-Eruwa road, long, a symbol of neglect, it had hampered trade and isolated communities “!
Who is talking of neglect here? The spokesperson for a Government that has been in power for seven years plus!
So, is Governor Makinde just waking up to understand that neglecting the road is hampering trade and isolating communities?
The same Governor Makinde who once got stuck on a bad portion of the road sometimes ago?
These people are extremely wicked.
It follows that Governor Seyi Makinde understands the importance of the road, yet, he left it undone for seven years plus.
It will interest the reader to note that Governor Seyi Makinde awarded the contract for the rehabilitation of the Ido-Eruwa road very early in 2023 and he promised to complete the rehabilitation by December of that year.
The same Governor Seyi Makinde later came out to admit that while he was promising to complete the rehabilitation of the road in 2023, only 12 of the 48klm was actually awarded at the time!
So, when he was making the empty promises to deliver the road by December of 2023, he was actually deceiving the people of Ibarapa.
Not only that, Governor Makinde flagged off the Omi-Adio-Ido road and the Ido-Eruwa road same day.
The Omi-Adio-Ido road had been completed since 2023.
It will also interest the reader to note that Governor Makinde awarded the contract for the construction of the Iseyin – Ogbomoso road long after flagging off the Ido-Eruwa road in 2023.
That road had also been completed and delivered about two years ago.
I understand that it is Olanrewaju’s job to make his Principal look good, even, under very difficult situations, but, it is also incumbent on him to know that he wouldn’t be addressing fools when he came up with this kind of narrative.
Personally, I have taken away my mind from Governor Seyi Makinde’s endless promises concerning the Ido-Eruwa road.
Even, if he completes the road before election, it holds no weight again.
It would be considered as another act of trying to deceive the people of Ibarapa to get their votes.
Sola Abegunde.
