I am ashamed that the old wild, wild West remains the right cliche to describe my own part of Nigeria. The January 15 Coup that became the mother of all coups in our country could be traced back to the breakdown of Law and order in the old Western Region under the Ladoke Akintola faction and the Alhaji Adegbenro faction, but in the end, it was the Ladoke Akintola faction that temporarily had the upper hand because the then Federal Government under Tafawa Balewa had sided with Akintola after getting its marching orders from Sardauna Bello as Leader of the then Northern People Congress which had been in a short-lived alliance with the then Democratic Party also known as “Demo” in the same West led by Samuel Ladoke Akintola. The same scenario is now being replayed, one more time too many, in the same Ibadan of all places again!
Ladoja becomes the then Dauda Adegbenro and Adebayo Akala is playing exactly the same role as Ladoke Akintola from the same Ogbomosho town. For some time, in those days, it wasn’t clear like now, who the legitimate Premier was. The Court is saying that Ladoja remains the legitimate Governor of Oyo State, in as much as the provisions of the Constitution have not been followed in impeaching him, But Akala is saying very much the same thing that Ladoke Akintola had said when faced with the same kind of situation. “A ti t’oje bowo Baba Olosa, o ku Baba eni ti o bo” meaning I have already been sworn in as Premier of the West, I cannot think of anyone who will dare remove me. I similarly recall a past President of the Nigerian Senate, Joseph Wayas of NPN, advising the UPN
leader and its followers in a television interview, to forget their complaints that the 1979 Elections might have been rigged in favor of the NPN and to just move on. He simply broke into a few words of Yoruba that he knew how to speak, saying on camera, “O ti tan.” It is finished. The elections are over, and NPN has been elected. Let anybody who didn’t like the result go jump into the Ocean.
Akala is saying much the same thing today. It does not matter to him, if the Court is saying he has not been legally and properly elected Governor, because the people who impeached Ladoja had not followed the Nigerian Constitution, the supreme Law in our country. Akala is letting it be known that the Constitution is only a document which is not worth the paper on which it is written. What matters is what the current President and Adedibu, the garrison commander at Ibadan says, to borrow a cliche from Ahmadu Ali, the Chairman of the PDP. There is nothing like the Rule of Law in Nigeria.
If Akalamagbo were an ordinary illiterate like Ariyibi Adedibu, I would not be concerned at all. But the man talking is the current Deputy Governor of Oyo State and a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police in our country. Haba!
I can now see the point that Wole Soyinka, the sole conscience of our Nation has been saying that the issue is now beyond Ladoja and whether or not he deserves to be given a fair shake. And to think that our current President who might well have been serving as the Secretary to the United Nations today, had he not been ambushed or let down by the Babangida Government, makes me want to throw up. Nigeria is riding on the back of a tiger right now and the country might, in the fullness of time, end up in the stomach of that tiger if care is not taken. I think we are in trouble now. I cannot, for the life of me, understand how a man so committed to fighting Corruption, and putting our Nation’s Economy on the right footing, can afford to jeopardize all his great legacies of achievement in Nigeria by acting so crudely at this point. Even though Obasanjo is being credited and praised for putting in place men and women like Nuhu Ribadu and Alhaji El Rufai and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Mrs Akinyuli to mention a few, how for God’s sake can he afford to behave as if the Rule of Law means nothing to him at all? This Obasanjo is a bundle of contradictions. He looks like a man determined to salvage our country by all means. He also looks like somebody out to rubbish our country, and more so the good and relatively civilized people that his presidency represents. Sometimes I am totally ashamed and embarrassed to identify with this man as a Yoruba man. I could have sworn he was smarter than that.
Nuhu Ribadu has been spitting fire lately saying things that not even Obasanjo himself could have mustered the courage to say as President. Nuhu is taking on IBB, Sani Abacha and the likes of Abubakar who took over from Abacha. He, Ribadu, is telling the nation these individuals are the Alfa and omega and the “fons et origo” of Corruption in our country which is correct. The question is not when IBB would be brought down on his knees to explain all of his ill-gotten gains, the question is how soon. And the only authority Nuhu keeps citing in his indictment of these leaders is the Rule of Law which the man who appointed him does not appear to fully respect, from all we are now beginning to see.
I see a big conflict of interest in the goal and mission of Nuhu Ribadu and Obasanjo at some point in time. I could say the same thing of El Rufai and Okonjo-Iweala and Mrs. Akunyili talk less of Soludo the current Governor of Central Bank, all of whom have all come from backgrounds where the Rule of Law is the only thing they have had going for them. If the institution called the World Bank where Okonjo-Iweala used to work, and where she has built all her great reputation to qualify her for being named the Nigeria Minister of Finance, does not respect the Rule of Law, where do we go from there becomes the legitimate question to ask.
7 comments
I just came about this site,i never knew that it existed.Thank God i came about it at least i can add one or two things too.We nigerians have to be very careful of how we reason.I am very delighted that a lot of nigerians are still awake with a very good sense of reasoning,or how do we think of someone working to install Senator Ladoja and at the end of the day he was disappointed.Why have we not learnt to only trust God.For me I am very assured that nether I nor my father stole Oyo State government money and that is why five years after we can still walk freely the streets of our dear state without being stoned.We have done our best,we still wait to see the man that would beat our achievements and also use a full 4 years term unterminated or beat the record.May God bless us all.
i know mr o olatunde very well.he is not somebody that can be trusted at all.he was a member of eiye confraternity in school then.he can never say anything good.i am so sure he has some fake travelling documents with him,that is for you to understand who he is.pls stop allowing people that do not have integrity on this site coming to say all sorts about our leaders of tommorow.if Lam Adesinas children were spending government money,how come their father has not been arrested for stealing government money.let us fear God in everything we do.goodluck.
I ll basically like to address the person who passed comment one.If you think the way that lam adesina's kids lived is not good enough maybe you should get a life soon.I mean what has the lifestyle of the kids got to do wiv you. if you r not satisfied with it may be you should go jump in to kanjidamn or something.It is so obvious that you are out right jealous and i am sure you are not gonna do better if you were in their shoes maybe you will even be worse.I dont blame you you are a graduate of polythenic of Ibadasn no wonder you are not even ashamed of yourself, you even put it on the internet i wonder why you didnt get an admission into a Federal university if you were so smart.You had better go nfind something resonable to do with your time, other thAN CRITICISING other people.
the young man in comment 1 is a fool. They athe young chaps are suffering from Abacha mentality bcos their grandfathers OBJ and Adedibu destroyed Nigeria. I cry for a wasted generation. All jokes aside, Nigeria is done if we allow this nonsense to stand.
Commentator #1
I could barely read your comments. You are a good example of all that has gone wrong with our education and values. And people like you want Obasanjo and his band of rascals (Adedibu, Uba, etc) to rule some more. We need good leadership so that the younger ones won't end up like you.
Olatunde o,
Your ideas are despicable. I won't comment on your grammar, poor logic, and obvious lack of knowlegde. This is what one gets by having an Obasanjo, Ladoja, Adedibu, and Akala whatever in leadership positions.
The author of this article is no doubt an elderly person endowed with high level of undesrtanding of the nigeria politic,right from the old western region to the present dispensation.
I will like to say He has actualy did justice to the present situation of things in Oyo state. Having said that ,i will like to bring my own perspection of the current political drama in Oyo state.
As a fresh graduate from The Polytechnic Ibadan at the time Adewolu Ladoja was contesting for the Oyo state Gubernatorial election.
We the Fresh graduate of The Polytechnic Ibadan in assocition with the current school actively participated in making sure Ladoja won the Election.
The reason being that we believe we had suffer enough in the hand of the then governor Lam Adeshina.
And there is a vital need for a change .and this is one of the main reason why we voted him and mobilised our parents,brothers and sisters to do the same.
Futher more we believed Adewolu as a very cool headed and successful Businessman/Engineer will be able to manage the state well,couple with the indiscipline behavior of Lam Adesina kids in person of Dapo,tunji and co spending the state money as they like and living like guru of sort in Ibadan metropolis.
May it interest the author of this article to know that Ladoja like is predecessor has woefully failed the trust bestowed upon him by the youth of Oyo state. One notable thing is Development ! Oyo state development has continue to be stagnant ever since Ladoja became Governor and to say the least the state money were diverted to his and his cohort uses.
I was grossly disapointed when i visited nigerian a year ago. Oyo state capital Ibadan which is my home town is in total mess 'ranging from eye sore environment to lack of infrastructures utilities and services.The question on every reasonable person's mind is are they not funding this state?
Since then i lost my interest in the Governorship of Ladoja.
Ladoja was so bussy trying to outsmart his political Grandad at the expensive of the peoples welfare and this is the main reason why he failed. Perhaps he would have been protected by the Ibadan people and the state at large if he had actually exibit an excemplary attitude to his primary assignment as the governor of Oyo state.Because i strongly believe The ever cautious people of Oyo state can do that , considering how we rallied round to sent Lam off the leadership of the state. but due to the fact that he is a gross failure ,people refuse to be there for him.
Another major problem we must bear in mind is that the issue of godfatherism that is rocking this present political dispensation is not perculier to oyo state alone it is a national syndrome that need national attention.
But i must be honest with you if the elected officers can show the populace that they realy want to serve, people will no doubt rise up and fight for thier liberation from these Demons called godfathers.And as a matter of being honest with ourselves ,there is no way you can eat your cake and have it' and this is the major problem with the like of Ladoja.Yoruba people says 'ESU O NI SORE FUNI KO MA GBEJE' THAT IS DEVIL WILL NEVER BLESS YOU WITHOUT YOU COMMITTING YOURSELVE.
Concerning Obasanjo, i will not like to rubbish him completely ,because he himselve is undergoing the process of transformation and i hoped he transformed well into a new being! and besides many people dont know that we need continuity in our nascent democratic dispensation and believe you me the only person on ground now is Obasanjo so that we can realise our dream Nigeria . May be this is why OBJ is supporting the likes of Adedibu so as to realised his third term .
if this is the reason i whish him Good luck.As far as our democracy will survive.
For peace to rain in Oyo state Ladoja should learn his mistake now and embrace peace.
Akala is ofcourse not different from Ladoja !I even learnt that he is a drunk.May God Almighty save us and our people and guide our leaders right.
All i have written here is not intended to black mail or jeopardise anybody's interest but meant to contribute my on comment on the issue.
Long Live Oyo State, Long Live The Federal Republic Of Nigeria.