As e dey pain Dem, e dey sweet us. Apologies to Oga Wike’s entertainment Band.
The blow of the story titled ” Why The Centre Could No Longer Hold For Makinde” was well delivered and it is obvious that the impact is vicious.
Those who received the blow have decided to hit back albeit through some dark corners.
I saw the rebuttals to that particular story from one Gbenga Akanni yesterday and decided not to read through it.
When you slap a baby, you must expect it to cry so I thought.
However, I see that the baby’s cries has continued through Gbenga Akanni’s rebuttals under another headline this morning and I had an intuition to open and read.
The fellow provided me some good opportunity to have an early morning laugh.
My first observation about Mr. Akanni’s write up is that he lacks the locus to defend the Governor on matters that challenges his Government’s policies and why do I say that? Mr. Gbenga Akanni, I want to believe such a person exists somewhere in Ibadan, is not a member of the Oyo state Government Executive and neither is he a Media Aide to Governor Makinde.
By virtue of that, I will consider every defence he put up as an act of ” sobolation” busy body to be clear.
Governor Seyi Makinde has a good number of Media Aides who are more than competent to defend him and his Government if there is need for it but they have been silent.
I don’t know why Akanni has chosen to wail louder than the bereaved.
The above observation should have settled the matter but for the benefits of the public, let me expose Akanni for who he truly is.
He made heavy weather about my identity and even tried to confuse me with the owner of an online Media.
I will answer him with a Yoruba proverb. ” Oromodie o mo Awodi, iya e lo mo Asa”. The hatchling of the mother hen may not understand what an eagle is but its mother knows the hawk very well.
My names are Abegunde Olugbenga Olusola. I am from Ward 4, Ibarapa East Local Government, Eruwa.
I was a one time Supervisory councilor for Works in Ibarapa East Local Government. A former SA on Media and Strategy to late Governor Alao Akala.
If Mr. Akanni is still not satisfied, I have his time. He should ask about who Sola Abegunde is from Prince Dotun Oyelade, Makinde’s Commissioner for Information.
He was Chairman of late Alao Akala’s Media Team while I served as secretary.
If he is not satisfied, he should ask my Aburo, the Speaker of the Oyo state House of Assembly if truly a Sola Abegunde exists in Eruwa.
Mr. Akanni should know that not everyone is a coward. I, Abegunde Olugbenga Olusola will never hide my identity to say the truth.
Having satisfied his curiosities, now, let me deal with one or two issues raised by our dear friend, Mr. Akanni.
Concerning the issue of the strike by Health workers in Oyo state, none of Governor Makinde’s Media Aide dare come out to justify the protracted strike action with the silly excuse made by Akanni.
It seems our friend doesn’t know that Government is a continuum and that both assets and liabilities of previous Governments are inherited by the succeeding Government.
Health is wealth as they say. Unfortunately, it is people like Gbenga Akanni who doesn’t have the wherewithal to travel abroad for Medical treatments like the Governor, who will always pollute the public spaces with nonsense as justifications for a strike action in the public Health sector.
What is the business of the poor citizens of Oyo state with whatever Ajimobi did or failed to do five years after?
Governor Makinde has been in the saddle for more than five years.
It feels good to say that Ajimobi did this or that but when a Loan of over 7 billion Naira processed by Ajimobi matured by the time Makinde had taken over, did he not collect the Loan and diverted same to Agribusiness?
Why didn’t the Governor say oh! I don’t want this Loan because Ajimobi processed it?
Whatever issues we have in the Health sector of Oyo state today is and should be Makinde’s problems and we will continue to hold him responsible.
If Gbenga Akanni likes, he may travel backwards to pre 2019. I won’t join him on a backward trend.
On the needles controversies around the Olubadan Chieftaincy Law, it bothers me when people reason like little children and they want you to follow suit.
Action they say, begets reaction.
Governor Makinde had amended the Chieftaincy Law before the coronation of Oba Olakuleyin.
There was no general outrage even though majority of right thinking persons felt that the amendment is vindictive.
However, the pettiness of enclosing copies of the gazette in the program pamphlets of the coronation of Oba Olakuleyin is a condemnable act and that is the reason for the outrage.
The office of the Governor of a state is a very high one.
There are a standards you can not afford to fall below. The decision of Governor Makinde to freely distribute a gazette at the coronation of Oba Olakuleyin falls below standards and that is why the Governor is being dragged not only by Sola Abegunde but also by right thinking persons across the world.
If Governor Makinde doesn’t want the public to start taking about succession in the Olubadan line, why did he distribute a gazette that altered the succession procedures on the same day he is installing Oba Olakuleyin.
Only robots like Gbenga Akanni will not see a reason to condemn such petty actions.
Makinde’s opposition to freedom of Local Governments is notoriously known.
The Governor himself never hid this facts. On numerous occasions, not only during the gubernatorial debate of 2023, the Governor had made his preference for a cowed Local Government system known to the public. Only God knows where Mr. Akanni was at those times or, maybe, he had ear surgery then, thus preventing him to hear the Governor.
I stand by my opinion that Governor Makinde’s choice to set up committees to ” review” the judgment of the Apex Court in the Land is an academic exercise and if Gbenga Akanni doesn’t like that, he can go kiss a transformer.
The only way you can seek review of the judgment of the Supreme court is to go back before the same Court not by setting up some ” kootu Ashipa” committee.
What will the committee do? Make its own position different from what the Supreme court says?
Perhaps, I should school our friend about certain things. The term ” lacuna” is a legal term which could not be decided by mushroom committees.
If Governor Makinde feels there is a lacuna in our Constitution which will not allow him to comply with the judgment of the Supreme court, shouldn’t he go back to the Supreme court to present his position instead of whinnying in Ibadan?
I hope Mr. Akanni will not bring the world down if I say that I also stand by my opinion on how Governor Makinde got elected as Governor on two occassions.
I have written against president Tinubu more than I did against Governor Makinde contrary to the insinuations of Mr. Akanni and if he is in doubt, he should just go and do a little research.
My motivation as an opinion writer is distinct from the defence dog mentality of the Akannis. We will say it as it is. No matter whose ox is gored.
About the Ido/ Eruwa Road and the reference to ” eternity”, yes. It is taking eternity.
For the whole of his first term, the Road was an eye sore.
The Flag off was done shortly before the 2023 general election same time as the Ido/Omi Adio Road.
The Omi Adio/ Ido Road has been completed and less than 2klm done in the Ido/ Eruwa Road.
At that rate, how many years will it take Makinde to complete the Road?
I don’t know why Oga Akanni forgot to defend Governor Makinde on the alleged sales of the Eruwa Farm Settlement and the Cashew plantation.
Let me tell Mr. Akanni that when nemesis come calling, it is Governor Makinde who will have questions to answer not me.
I will like to conclude this piece by educating Akanni that the art of defending Government policies call for cool headedness.
I thought he would perhaps have done something better if his rage didn’t engulf him.
My brother, if you truly exist, kindly take some cold water and yoghurt.
Someone also prescribed it for Governor Makinde.
It will help both yourself and Governor Makinde to calm down.
I can assure you, it’s going to be a long day because we will keep doing what is necessary whether the Governor likes it or not.
SOLA ABEGUNDE.
