These are not the best of times for the Governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde. The Governor is hurting most especially, on two fronts.
The Judgment of the Supreme court of Nigeria which took away the plate of sumptuous meats from him and the retreat he was forced to beat on the issue of the Installation of the Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakuleyin are a double dose of shock that is sending jitters to the spine of the Governor.
In all honesty, you have to pity and sympathize with Governor Makinde.
Since the day he has been eating from the glass dish of the white man, he has never got his fingers burnt the way it is happening to him presently.
He is a subject of mockery all over the social Media.
You can not help but laugh when you see the post of the former Senator, representing Kaduna South Senatorial District where he recommended cold water and yoghurt to quench the anger of the Governor, whom he sarcastically referred to as a ” comrade”.
The frustrations arising from both the recent Judgment of the Supreme court and the unwilling but forced Coronation of the Olubadan has exposed the Governor. like the proverbial toad, which inside a cool pool of water was displaying acrobatic styles but when dropped inside warm water exclaimed that he just realized that there are two sides to life.
Makinde is currently seeing the ugly side of public office and the responsibilities attached there to.
He is one who surely knows how to give it to his opponents, most especially, after he has scored points against them.
Sadly, the events of the past couple of days has shown that the Governor is incapable of properly managing failures and set backs.
I read the tame attempts by some funny individuals who claimed to be members of a Group called ” Ibadan Lagba” whether they truly exist or not and I laughed my heart out at the crass ignorance demonstrated by the clowns who signed the statement.
It is a terrible work of PR. The contents of their statement would have been more appropriately directed at the Governor whose action they tried to defend.
Governor Makinde needs their admonishments more than anyone presently.
I will like to deal with the their statement by first asking them to tell the world the logic behind the distribution of a Government gazette on an occasion like the Installation of the Olubadan.
Government gazettes are documents meant to be sold to further raise IGR.
Governor Makinde, in reaction to the Judgment of the Supreme court on Local Governments financial Autonomy, opined that the Federal Government ought to concentrate on how to increase IGR and stop distracting Nigerians with Local Government financial Autonomy.
The same Governor Makinde, who is an Apostle of shoring up of our IGR was the one, who, as a petty act of vengeance, decided to give away, free copies of the Oyo state gazette that is supposed to fetch some money into the coffers of Oyo state as IGR.
Why didn’t the Ibadan Lagba or whatever they call themselves address such inconsistencies from the Governor?
How many Laws have been gazetted under Governor Seyi Makinde?
How many have been freely distributed to the public?
Why is this particular Law of a special interest to the Governor that it must be given wide circulation through a free distribution?
How does the free distribution of the gazette add to the value of governance in Oyo state?
It is also ridiculous that those behind the statement are asking questions that should be directed at the Governor.
The Law have been passed for some time. That is correct.
It became an issue when Governor Makinde, for reasons best known to him, decided to do what no one has ever done by freely distributing the gazetted Law at the Coronation ceremony of Oba Olakuleyin.
” Eni ba se ohun ti enikan o se ri, oju e a ri ohun tenikan o ri ri”. Makinde, not Ladoja started the needles controversies through the petty act of polluting Oba Olakuleyin’s Coronation with the free distribution of a controversial gazette.
He was the one who brought ant infested faggots into his hut, he will be visited by lizards.
No right thinking human being will excuse such a reckless and needles action.
It is apposite to tell the members of the Ibadan Lagba Group that they will do well by giving the Governor of Oyo state proper advice about his unbecoming attitudes these days.
Perhaps, it will not be out of place for them to recommend a specialist therapist in anger and frustrations management to the Governor.
For example, instead of bringing the Governor to further ridicule through their worthless press release, perhaps, they would have done better by calling his attention to the statement he made in reaction to the Judgment of the Supreme court.
Governor Makinde is just one out of the thirty six Governors in Nigeria who are affected by the Judgment.
The last time I checked, he wasn’t the Public Relations officer of the Governor’s Forum.
Even the Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Kwara state addressed the issue with decorum regardless of whatever frustrations or reservations he might belly about the outcome.
A short video of Makinde’s reaction to the Judgment is currently trending and trending bad.
The anger displayed by him in that video is unbecoming of a Governor.
I can understand the fact that his ego is badly bruised because of his voiceferous stand against the Autonomy for the third tier of Government.
However, those who could not manage the pains of failures have no business enjoying the fruits of victory.
How many times have Governor Makinde been lucky to best people who are better than him in contests?
His palm kernels have been twice cracked for him by benevolent spirits .
The frustrations he displayed in his reaction should be a shame to whoever loves him genuinely.
I have known Governor Makinde as a man who always love to shift blames for his inactions on others.
Whatever his culpabilities about insecurity in his first term, he has cleverly piled them on his former enfante terrible, Auxillary but the present scenario is a different kettle of fish.
The short and stinging speech he delivered on the Coronation ground says so much about him and the Ibadan Lagba also emphasized on it.
His reference to those who he claimed ” wanted to divide Ibadan” is sadly most suitable for his actions before the day.
Who wanted to divide Ibadan?
Governor Makinde claimed in his speech that both himself and the Olubadan are members of the same Church and Local Government and yet, he made the elderly man go through emotional stress before been forced to approve his appointment as Olubadan.
I thought he said the Coronation of Baba would only be done only when the old man is ” fit”?
He never told us however, how he eventually determined the fitness of Baba thereafter.
It doesn’t look like Governor Makinde knows that it is impossible to hide behind one finger.
There is a saying that the insanity of a rich man is not easily ascertainable. If the rich man wakes up and puts on two Agbadas, the world will say he is doing whatever pleases him.
I think Governor Makinde needs to listen to the lyrics of the entertainer of his role model or should I say his ” Oga”, Nyesom Wike.
” As e dey pain dem, he dey sweet us…” Na so life be o.
Everyone must learn to accept responsibilities for their actions and inactions and everyone must develop the shock absorbers to manage pains and frustrations with some degree of decorum and dignity.
I advise the Ibadan Lagba to concentrate their energy on the above weakness of Governor Makinde instead of further exposing his weak points.
SOLA ABEGUNDE.
