What do we expect our Government to do?
Olalekan Biobaku Idepo Ijebu Ode.
It was Thomas Jefferson that said, “a politician looks at the next election but a statesman looks at the next generation”. Since the incumbent governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun took the reins of leadership in 2019, the state has been witnessing an unprecedented transformation in all facets of life. But unlike people with little achievements but giant vuvuzelas, Abiodun is not a noisemaker.
Health, Education, Infrastructure foreign investors, etc have been his focus. But in spite of the giant strides, some disgruntled elements are out to act like clogs in the wheel of progress. It’s expected.
I read a very interesting write-up by someone from my home town Ijebu Ode and I felt like crying. Reasons because I have never seen anybody write anything with so much hate about somebody. He started his write-up with how the governor of Ogun state Prince Dapo Abiodun will find it difficult to get re-election. He said it with so much confidence as if he was GOD. The funny thing about him is that in this particular election he was talking about him, like everyone else, only has a vote to cast, because when the stakeholders that will decide who is the candidate and who will not be the candidate, he will not be seated in the meeting. From my standpoint, he has no role in whom gets nominated as candidate or not. He is bitter and overestimates his importance in the scheme of things which will ultimately lead to disappointment as it’s impossible for him to transfer his hatred for the governor to the millions of residents in the state so as to achieve his wish.
In his hatchet job, he insulted many elderly people and everybody else. He started from the current Governor to the past governor, he then hammered Egbetokun who was a former speaker in Ogun state, and went around condemning everybody except the perceived people that were short-changed in the power game.
While I sincerely empathize with him he needs to understand the politics of the progressives. Nothing is absolutely certain for political gladiators before, during, and after elections. The game for benefit starts immediately after the victory. So if he has risked his life we thank God he is alive today, so many have gone during the process and nothing has happened. The best things come to people who plan well for them.
I am also really very sad that someone from my town would be so disruptive to people of proven records in their various fields of endeavors. He even went ahead to cast aspersions on Oladipupo Adebutu that he cannot win any elections or to put it in perspective nobody can vote for him. I am sure he was not in this country when Hon Oladipupo Adebutu served as a representative at the House of Representatives representing three important local governments in Ogun state, Shagmu, Ikenne, and Remo north. I would want to believe, for the writer’s sake, that he was voted in by ghosts since he claims nobody can vote for him.
He further went ahead to attempt to justify his understanding of Ogun politics by taking on some others Funmi Efuwape, HBO, SF Ojo, and co claiming these individuals deceived Yayi. My question is did Yayi come to complain to him about this or another figment of his imagination? How can someone that has never won an election tell anybody that Yayi is a fool and he does not understand politics? Is he insinuating that someone who has held elective positions since 1999 starting from the bottom to the top, does not understand politics and can be deceived just like that?
I will like someone to please help me ask this very brilliant gentleman if all that he claims he did was done for free or he collected several money from the candidate from the beginning to the end for his efforts?
He claims the likes of Tobi Doregos, Hon Taiwo Owolabi Apata, Afuwape Folabi, Afeez Balogun, Dare Kadiri Maba and a host of young people left Amosun, Himself, Dennis Ogunnaike, Peju Sote, Deola, Chubby Okeowo, Aka Dickson, and Debo Adeleke. Of course, SF Ojo handled the media then and HBO was always there to coordinate. The same people he claimed deceived Yayi, it’s very confusing.
He also claimed he knows the governor’s base more than Dapo Abiodun himself who is currently the sitting governor. That is ridiculous. He explained some of the perceived views from historical perspectives in Iperu, the likes of Somoye, Baruwa, Bayo, Seyi (Iperu chairman), the Asonbe boys and Porta Ojuroye were always on the ground.
Outside these boys no one can call himself a Dapo soldier, this guy simply forgot that Dapo Abiodun has won an election before as a senator. He has also contested for the position of Senate in this same party but lost, if as he claims, Dapo does not have anybody how come he won and lost at different elections.
He was very detailed in the number of people that were used and dumped. I looked carefully and felt even if his allegations are true, which are not, winning elections is teamwork involving thousands of people and quite frankly, not everyone will be accommodating in political offices.
Ola Quadri was thrown out, Peju Shote got a special adviser, That was too small as he claimed, Chubby was never given an appointment He claims Egbon chubby was the de facto chief of staff. Who slept only after Dapo sleeps, in Dapos House, saying Dapo housed him and fed him throughout the project. He woke up before anyone else, and he locked the door of the house against intruders at the dead of the night.
So he was actually saying Dapo did not have guards in his house and he was the night guard at the house. This obviously is not right. The main question I would love to ask him here is doing any of these people have any agreement with Dapo before the elections expressly agreeing with him that once he wins elections this is what he must give them for their efforts.
Do any of these people have an idea of how much was spent on this project?
This guy if he truly was from Ijebu must understand the culture of Ijebu people “Eran Osogbo Oye Lati pin”
Until the level of expectations of political gladiators are commensurate to the reality on the ground, people would always complain. He further enumerated the prowess of Honorable Deola Akintonde in logistics, that he made it easier to get to and from campaigns. What he forgot to say were the issues that arose over bills for the logistics especially inadequate buses. Has anyone of these people personally spoken to PDA on the reasons for his action or do they just assume he is also stupid or don’t you realize a “dog that you see that plays with you suddenly changes to a dog that sees you and attacks you” there is something wrong somewhere? And any right-thinking person would try to get to the root course of the matter. The same issue affected Dare Maba who knows better and has never said anything negative against the government after he was given a safe landing.
He also claimed that. Otunba Allen, Taiwo Owolabi Apata, and a certain Michael donated 2 vehicles and 1000 t-shirts. They all have done very well but one thing is true not everybody can be personally compensated in a political dispensation. Like I said before, not everyone who contributed can get an appointment. It’s common sense.
He also mentioned Egbon Supo Olowu, Deji Ashiru, Honourable Afeez Balogun, Lolu Adubifa, Boye saying they are some of the gladiators.
He finally showed his intention through his right-up of what exactly he was paid to do by his paymasters. He, first of all, said all youth must not vote for the governor and also wrote in capital letters that Dapo must go. I sympathize with him honestly but as a true and dedicated progressive, you have to see above the immediate benefits.
Dapo’s re-election is not in anybody’s hand but GOD. He blesses those whom he pleases unless you are going to start fasting and praying that God should not do his thing you are just a little piece in the global team that made it possible and GOD blessed it.
Some of us in Ogun state would wish to thank you for your vision of supporting Prince Dapo Abiodun as we have seen after a very long time a governor that does a lot across the state and does not make much noise about it. He knows that every honest and sincere person that lives in Ogun state can not have been touched personally by the most unexpected performance of PDA in just nearly two years. He has touched over 236 primary health care centers, over 500 primary and secondary schools in the remotest of places that you ordinarily would not believe exist.
Dapo is a perfect gentleman that does not do things based on ethnicity or where he comes from. He identifies strengths in people and uses them for the betterment of the state at large not a section like the past administration. People should realize this and give him the credit he deserves.
He understands he is the governor of Ogun state and everything must be done based on science, based on facts, and based on reason. I only wish some people would try and get facts first before making wrong assumptions.
It is a fact that the bulk of the entire budget of Ogun state has been spent on Abeokuta, the state capital to make it a modern capital,, and quite honestly I reason with that decision, as well as putting it in place solutions that would eventually transform the whole state. The cargo airport is set to be delivered next year. A project that was started many years ago but left Un-completed. So much misinformation had been circulated that people have started believing it.
My sincere advice is if anybody wishes to fault PDA, he should please use empirical ways based on promises made during the campaign and what has been achieved so far. I could go on and on but I would stop here for now while I compile in actual terms the deliverables in the last 26 active months of this administration, and use that to judge if he actually deserves a second term or not. I wish you all a wonderful and blessed new year.
Written by Olalekan Biobaku StreetCopy News.
