Iwofa Alaba, enu re ni o pa o. Iwofa Alaba is a character in Chief T. A. A Ladele’s classic Yoruba Novel, ” Igbi Aye Nyi”. Iwofa Alaba was an indentured laborer, who saw a skeleton on a kolanut tree while going to his master’s farm.
He greeted the skeleton and surprisingly, the skeleton answered him, warning him that his mouth will one day cause his death.
Instead of Iwofa Alaba to take the warning of the skeleton seriously, he went back to town and told the king that he saw a skeleton that was talking.
Iwofa Alaba took the king and the town people to the spot where he saw the skeleton but the skeleton refused to respond to him no matter how he tried and as the skeleton predicted, Iwofa Alaba was killed by the king.
I watched the interview of one of the followers of Ambassador Taofik Arapaja yesterday and he said something which called my consciousness to Iwofa Alaba. He alleged that Governor Seyi Makinde has always been saying that he doesn’t take cognizance of loyalty.
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After listening to him, I remember that someone had in the past alleged that Governor Makinde used to say that he doesn’t know how to settle rifts between his followers.
Personally, I listened to the Governor when he said on live television that he could be very stubborn.
I also remember that when he lost his Mum, he publicly admitted that the old woman called him severally on the day she passed away, but he didn’t pick her calls. That time, he was in Kogi state on an assignment given to him by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
I was so shocked to hear him make those comments. I could be wrong, but I felt that was nothing to be proud of but, since that time, I had an inkling of the personality of the Governor of Oyo state.
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I would also never forget the day he hurled scorn, hate and insults on a former Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Mrs. Mulikat Adeola, also, on Radio. The cold indignant with which he mocked the woman has never left my consciousness till today.
He was responding to a question from the Radio presenter about the assistance rendered to him by Mrs. Akande but the answer given by Governor Seyi Makinde shocked me.
He asked how someone who lost a Senatorial election could have the mouth to claim that she assisted him to win an election, when in actual facts, he won in all the Local Governments where the former Leader of the House lost, during the Senatorial election.
He rounded up with the proverb, when someone says he is going to clothe you, look at the clothes he himself is putting on. ( Eni to ba ma daso fun ni, torun e laa wo). There was a time I wrote a piece and I said the microphone is one of Governor Seyi Makinde’s weaknesses.
Only God knows why our Elders always ask, “se won o jo enu fun e ni” and when they ask this question, it’s always directed at people who do not have control of their tongues? The day Governor Makinde organized a Media Chat where he insulted the president, Nyesom Wike and others, I told someone, it is over.
Governor Makinde is an egocentric figure, no doubt, but, he could still have been able to avoid a lot of problems if he could control his tongue. For example, I have been trying to understand why he decided to take on the president when he did and I am yet to see any reason good enough to justify the needless and reckless attacks he launched at the president during the Media Chat.
I failed to understand the rationale behind his anger. That the president didn’t give you a Minister? Who are you? I think he must have thought that he would embarrass the president if he disclose the fact that the president allegedly asked him to reorganize Oyo APC.
Unfortunately for him, he did not know that the fact that he exposed such a discussion which is supposed to be confidential, speaks volumes about his personality. Someone who could not be trusted. An immature and dangerous element. I was not surprised that he has been fighting wars upon wars since that time.
The 30 billion Naira scandal was exposed after that incident. His expulsion from the PDP was confirmed thereafter. You will note that he was in Bauchi when Security Agencies were rescuing the Teachers and Pupils abducted at Oriire Local Government.
I think he went to Bauchi to finalize the issue of his running mate and instead of him to do whatever he wanted to do and leave the place, he thought that was another opportunity to disparage president Tinubu over the abduction in Oyo state.
I told you, the microphone is one of his biggest problems. He saw the number of microphones in front of him and he entered into another trance, completely lost to reason.
He said it’s been seven years and a few months since he became Governor of Oyo state, as if we needed him to remind us. He said the state has never witnessed the kind of attacks that happened at Oriire Local Government.
He told his listeners that he announced his presidential ambition on May 14, 2026 and the Kidnappers struck the following morning, insinuating that the attack by the Bandits was a response to his declaration of presidential ambition! Imagine that!
Let us look at his position from one angle, which just occurred to me. Governor Makinde’s declaration of intention to contest for the presidency was on May 14, around 4pm.
The Bandits struck the following morning around 9am. How many hours are in-between the two events? Is it possible for anyone to organize such an attack under one month not to talk of less than 24 hours?
Anyone who is taking Governor Makinde seriously regarding those insinuation must either be an ignorant or someone who needs to see a psychiatrist. It is public knowledge that the Honorable member, representing Oriire Local Government at the Oyo State House of Assembly had raised concerns about unusual movements around that Local Government, since 2022. What did the Oyo state House of Assembly and Governor Makinde do about his concerns?
Now, to the glory of God, Security Agencies succeeded in rescuing the victims and yet, Governor Makinde is having another negative pregnancy.
He wants the United Nations and other International organizations to investigate the circumstances surrounding the abduction and the rescue operation!
Haba! Iwofa Alaba!!
I think Governor Makinde is having the luxury of freedom to make these reckless statements because no one had asked the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, how and where he got the list of demands by the Bandits, which he made public some weeks ago and which appears to be unfounded.
I have been thinking about it, which part of the rescue operation does Governor Makinde have issues with?
In his capacity as Governor, he told us some weeks ago that some men of the Nigerian Army and a member of the Amotekun Corp were killed in the line of duty.
We now know, that apart from the Mathematics teacher, another teacher also lost his life in captivity.
What does that suggest to the Governor? Drama? If it looked like a stage play, why did he take part in it? Why was he the one who told us that we lost men in the bid to rescue the victims?
I am so surprised that our Governor is not happy that this terrible problem is behind us and he would rather see the situation as one fit for his dirty politics.
Sometimes, I feel like the elites are the problems of Nigeria. Any time I came across the contributions of a few elites who felt Governor Makinde made sense with his calls on the United Nations, I became worried.
Someone just sat down under the air conditioning in his office and he made a vague statement and you think he should be taken seriously, just because he made those vague comments?
Will the United Nations respond to a mere address delivered by an idle state Governor?
Does Governor Makinde have the courage to submit a formal request to the United Nations, listing the reasons behind his suspicion? Yeyenetu. Governor Makinde is just catching one of his reckless cruise. That’s all.
Bimbo Adekanmbi, his anointed gubernatorial candidate didn’t stop his campaign for a minute, even while the victims were still in captivity. So, where is this holier than thou from Governor Makinde coming from? Only the ignorant would take note of his rantings.
Sola Abegunde.
