REMEMBERING GOV. AJIMOBI FROM GOV. MAKINDE’s RECYCLE BIN – TOYE ARULOGUN

 

FOREWORD

Everyday marks the beginning of the rest our our lives.

Life is a mystery yet to be unfolded. Life throws all kinds of curves.

No one will get out of live alive.

Life and Death are the twin reasons i believe in the supremacy of God – the giver and the taker of life.

The finality of death is overwhelming.

Exactly two months ago, Sola Ogunkoya, called me to announce the death of her husband – Tolu Ogunkoya, Regional Director, Media Reach OMD, my friend, brother and business partner.

This was in the middle of my preparations and countdown to the Yoruba Cultural Festival organised by the Yoruba Community Abuja.

Since then, i have kept a very low profile and switched off Facebook except for the 80th birthday congratulatory message to my mum and of course recently my wife’s tag of pictures from my mother in – law’s 90th birthday celebrations on the 15th of June in Uyo Akwa Ibom State.

Essentially i have been trying in my quiet moments to decipher the essence of life, understand and appreciate its complexities.

To make matters worse and reinforce the fact that life is a mix bag of joy and sorrow, I lost Martha my Ibadan based German Shepherd pet dog on Wednesday 14th June and Suzzie my Lhasa Apso breed on Thursday 15th June while i was away in Uyo for the activities to mark Grandma Uyo’s 90th. With all of these, I naturally assumed a ”Calm Down” position, staying on my lane and “deying” my “dey.”

For Tolu’s early passage to the great beyond, I have been wondering and pondering how to dimension and put into proper context, a top drawer success in the marketing communications industry only to end up this way.

My conclusion which i have shared with a few is this; When your friend or family member shuts the door, kick it open and see how or what he or she is doing. When your friend or family member builds a wall, break down the wall to find out what is happening behind the wall. If need be, call for support if the wall is too big or too high for you alone to break.

Through some recent engagements, i have come to terms with the reality of his passing. Watch this space for a befitting tribute which i know not a few have been expecting.

While celebrating the joy of attaining 90 years by Mama Ayo Orebo Udo; my first wife who was gracious enough to give me her daughter as a second wife, I have been tapping into the 90 years anointing and grace for same and even more years.

For Suzzie and Martha, their deaths one day apart remains a mystery to me. While i suspect poisoning, from a very spiritual point of view, I am not oblivious of the fact that it is typically not a good omen when such happen. Rest assured i know what i am talking about.

This has been my rhythm in the last couple of weeks, going under the radar and hibernating until i was jolted by the news of Governor Seyi Makinde’s decision to elevate eleven Ibadan High Chiefs to Obas on the 7th of July 2023.

Why the jolt?

This was the same reform implemented by the Abiola Ajimobi administration which Governor Seyi Makonde criticised its implementation before, during and after, culminating in a reversal by him upon the joining of the ancestors of the immediate past Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji.

It is very much on record that Gov.Seyi Makinde sang to high heavens the “ If it is not broken, why fix it ?“ chorus in rejection of his predecessor’s elevation of Ibadan High Chiefs to Obas.

My questions to HIs Excellency right now are: (1). “What have you suddenly realised to precipitate this volte face ?” (2). “What is now broken that needs to be fixed?”

I am therefore coming out of social media space hibernation, using this Sunday the 25th of June 2023 which is the 3rd memorial of Gov. Abiola Ajimobi’s demise to pay tribute to “Archipelago”, bringing to the fore some his major policies especially those in the mould of the elevation of Ibadan High Chiefs to Obas which Governor Makinde threw into the recycle bin with condemnation but have been brought back to his desktop without explanation, acknowledgement, or reference to the efforts of his predecessor who passed on to the great beyond three years ago today.

These major policy somersaults and about face are goofs and gaffes by Gov. Seyi Makinde’s administration which in my well informed opinion are driven by a strong desire to denigrate and desecrate the Ajimobi brand. Unfortunately, because of the sinister motives, in all of these instances, he has made 360 degree turns going back to his vomit or leaving the state in limbo in those specific areas.

Gov. Makinde’s administration has displayed enormous propensity and proclivity for throwing Ajimobi’s policies into its recycle bin with so much fervour and political relish. Unfortunately for GSM, more often than not, in no time because of a lack of superior policies, the administration brings them out of the recycle bin surreptitiously after “giving a dog a bad name and hanging it”

Come along with me please.

SCHOOLS GOVERNING BOARD (SGB)

One of the best policies of the Ajimobi Government which other states sent representatives to study. It was a master stroke policy in 2017 which saw representatives of all major stakeholders on the board of secondary schools in Oyo State. With the firm belief that education stands on five pillars – Parents, Teachers, Students, Infrastructure and Curriculum plus the obvious fact that government alone could not fund education, the SGB was an ingenious conceptual framework o accelerate development in the education sector.

Each School Governing Board was composed of two representatives of lead stakeholders, one accredited representative of Parent Teachers Association, one accredited representative of Old Students Association, one accredited non partisan community leader, the head boy or head girl of the school, the School Principal to serve as the secretary, the Local Inspector of Education (LIE) and one representative of Local Government Council/Local Council Development Area.

Governor Seyi Maknde jettisoned the SGB policy claiming the Ajimobi government appointed APC members to the boards. When i heard this directly from him on radio via an audio file sent to me by “observers”, I knew development in the education sector in Oyo State will go south as there was no iota of truth in that assertion. Members of the SGB were not APC members rather they were individuals, families, faith based organisations representatives who were spending their time and resources to develop schools in which they were stakeholders.

Today, he has retraced his steps bringing the SGB out of his recycle bin but too late to rescue Oyo State from WAEC’s delisting of 50 schools for Exam malpractices. Having stopped the payment of the One Thousand Naira per term levy in his first term inaugural speech, schools now lack funds, crippling performance thereby earning the state the 33rd position out of 36 in the country as at August 2022 released WAEC results.

https://newspeakonline.com/oyos-woeful-waec-performance-amid-makindes-huge-budgetary-allocation/

Read This  – The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, has re-introduced the School Governing Boards (SGBs) for the 643 secondary schools in the state as he on Monday inaugurated the Board, say­ing it will help reinforce his administration’s achieve­ments in the education sec­tor.
It would be recalled that the initiative was the brain of the last administration under the leadership of late former governor Abiola Aji­mobi but the Boards were dissolved immediately the present administration as­sumed office.
Daily Independent Feb 1 2022

Recall the crisis that ensued when Governor Ajimobi on the request of the Old Students Association of a very popular school in Ibadan for direct involvement in the mangement of their school? Gov. Makinde has conceded same with the same school upon becoming Governor after condemning his predecessor’s consideration ( not concession ) for political gains. This has however attracted serious protests from the parents of the students sufficient to put the MOU on hold.

Read https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/04/25/ajimobi-gives-conditions-for-return-of-mission-schools

Read https://punchng.com/stakeholders-demand-transparency-handover-oyo-schools/

Read https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/519238-oyo-govt-to-hand-over-government-college-ibadan-to-old-boys-association.html?tztc=1

Also Read https://tribuneonlineng.com/makindes-govt-take-the-bull-by-the-horns-hands-over-gci-to-old-students/

Also Read https://saharareporters.com/2022/04/14/parents-government-college-pupils-warn-governor-makinde-against-handing-over-school-old

Plus This https://tribuneonlineng.com/abort-mou-handing-over-gci-to-old-students-jaf-pta-community-leaders-tell-oyo-govt/

And this https://dailypost.ng/2022/04/21/stakeholders-criticise-makinde-over-plans-to-hand-over-gci-to-old-students/

Even this https://leadership.ng/we-are-ready-to-return-schools-to-original-owners-says-makinde/

ELEVATION OF HIGH CHIEFS TO OBAS

A very thorny issue which attracted huge negative reverb for the Abiola Ajimobi Administration. Koseleri took the bold and courageous step of elevating Ibadan High Chiefs to Crown wearing Obas after due process. They did not see what he saw. Mischief makers took advantage. The structured and unstructured media went to town castigating and lambasting. Songs were written and produced – Ar’Oba fin. (Disrespecters of the King).

By July 7 2023, Oyo State will be back to where Governor Abiola Ajimobi was courtesy of Governor Seyi Makind’s recycle bin.

Let us wait to see who will not wear the crown.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-west/364207-makinde-withdraws-crowns-from-21-ibadan-kings-elevated-by-ajimobi.html?tztc=1

https://punchng.com/makinde-elevates-ladoja-10-other-ibadan-high-chiefs-to-oba/

FIRST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

A first of its kind University which the Government at its establishment stated categorically was not a University of Technology. It is Nigeria’s Premier Technical University, grounded in entrepreneurial practices, innovations and sustainability. The University was established by the Oyo State Government to bridge the skill gap. Typical of my people, they spread the rumour it was owned by Governor Ajimobi.

Governor Seyi Makinde deployed this untruth as a campaign message. When he became Governor, he refused to visit the University until he concluded investigation into the ownership of the university. When he found out the institution did not belong to his predecessor, he did not get back to the people but assumed the position of visitor in the Oyo State owned University.

Shortly after winning a second term ticket, GSM renamed the University after SAAA as a guilt offering.

Certainly, a prophetic freudian slip. Little wonder, the institution today is called Abiola Ajimobi Technical University.

https://guardian.ng/news/oyo-owns-tech-u-wholly-not-me-says-ajimobi/?F&fbclid=IwAR2_Ix36wL5zd7p5St8_9ZswQTDfNzXJLQsQaUdeI3fm5yWJgtZ7Gs5ntmM

https://businesspost.ng/education/ajimobi-denies-ownership-of-tech-u-say-belongs-to-oyo-govt/

https://thenationonlineng.net/makinde-renames-state-owned-first-technical-varsity-after-ajimobi/

https://punchng.com/im-not-the-owner-of-tech-u-ibadan-ajimobi/

SAFETY AND SECURITY

The Ajimobi award winning security architecture was also thrown into the recycle bin. Operation Burst, the joint task force security apparatus was relegated to the background. Oyo State once again degenerated into a state of violence, brigandage, killings and robberies which had been long gone in the eight years of the builder of modern Oyo Oyo State. Thanks to Gov. Makinde’s just ended romance with the NURTW bringing them to the fore by the instrumentality of the Parks Management System (PMS).

With the Governor using and dumping Auxiliary, he has gone back to his recycle bin to put the Ajimobi security model on this desk top for review starting with the composition of the NURTW leadership.

Can Gov. Makinde’s Security Vote pay for the lives lost during Auxiliary’s reign of terror?

Now Read This:“Notable among past Governors that stood firmly, gingerly on their decisions not to turn transport workers into political tools was the late Abiola Ajimobi.
Instead of toiling a similar path of controlling the affairs of NURTW leadership from his office, Senator Ajimobi allowed them the freedom and independence that bordered on confident humility albeit with consistent and constant input from the government. Ajimobi made it crystal clear that he’s a no-nonsense man. And that he will not allow miscreants to jeopardize the state’s peace and stability. He was a man of his word and even in death, people still respect, revered, and admired his exceptional courage. You may disagree with Ajimobi on many fronts, but impossible to disagree with the ways he deftly, artfully, and masterfully handled the knotty issues of NURTW. As a matter of fact, one of his public speeches on NURTW has been resuscitated since the love lost between the Governor and Auxiliary became a trending topic. Crucially, one effective way to control the excesses of NURTW is not to seek to control the affairs of the union. Ajimobi’s simple riot act was such a huge, colossal, and astounding success that many had thought Governor Makinde would replicate a similar feat in the interest of the people.
Quite to the contrary, Governor Makinde had another plan in mind: to empower and commission ‘Auxiliary’ as the poster boy for his transport sector reformation. First as chairman, then later as disciplinary committee helmsman. What a mockery of morality! Amusingly, whoever suggested the making of ‘auxiliary’ as the PMS disciplinary committee chairman must have been an evil genius. How else do you want to have a discipline union with an indiscipline leader? Contradiction you call it. But ‘the auxiliary’s PMS mission was a spite. And for those four years, it worked, perfectly fine. Other transport union leaders like Hamidu Were, Lateef Akinsola aka Tokyo, and Abideen Olajide aka Ejiogbe went AWOL.”

Read This Too: “Recall that the late Abiola Ajimobi’s administration had proscribed the NURTW after a series of complaints from the people of the state, but the thugs were later brought back by the incumbent in the guise of Park Management.
Even when the people of the state complained that Auxiliary and his boys have become a pain in the neck, following a series of killings and skirmishes due to rivalry among their members Governor Makinde clearly turned a deaf ear, leaving many people to describe his love for Auxiliary as the one made in heaven.”
https://thesourceng.com/oyo-the-stormy-end-of-makinde-auxiliary-camaraderie/

Also Read: https://newspeakonline.com/makinde-why-i-sacked-auxiliary-led-pms/

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State was ranked alongside Aba as the dirtiest cities in Nigeria. Koseleri 1 engaged West Africa Energy to pilot waste management. A new waste ecosystem emerged giving a breath of fresh air with Government vehemently opposed to street trading.

Koseleri II sacked the operators and appointed a new contractor. Today, waste management is in limbo just like the diesel powered street lights.

It is the citizens who bear the brunt.

Read This: “Many streets in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, have been taken over by dirts.
The situation, OYOINSIGHT.COM understands, is hindering free flow of vehicular and human movement.

This, OYOINSIGHT.COM learnt, cannot be disconnected from the alleged face-off between the state government and waste contractors. After two weeks of warning strike over unpaid contact fee, some of the contractors are yet to restart operations.

This newspaper understands that the Seyi Makinde led administration has not been having it good with waste management in the state. Many streets in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, have been taken over by dirts.
The situation, OYOINSIGHT.COM understands, is hindering free flow of vehicular and human movement.

This, OYOINSIGHT.COM learnt, cannot be disconnected from the alleged face-off between the state government and waste contractors. After two weeks of warning strike over unpaid contact fee, some of the contractors are yet to restart operations.

This newspaper understands that the Seyi Makinde led administration has not been having it good with waste management in the state.”

And This: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-west/595414-residents-lament-as-traders-take-over-ibadan-roads.html

Residents of Ibadan have expressed concern over indiscriminate display of wares on major streets of the city by traders and the attendant danger to lives and property.
A cross section of the residents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday, lamented that virtually all the major roads and streets in the Oyo State capital have been taken over by traders.
The residents said that the development had compounded the usual traffic snarl being experienced within the metropolis on daily basis.
Aside the traffic congestion, they said that the city had also been bedeviled by overcrowding, narrowing of roads and sometime, outright barricading of roads in some places by the activities of the traders.
NAN observed that traders at Iwo-Road, Monatan, Gate, Mokola, Dugbe, Challenge, Oje, Apata, Ojoo and Omi-Adio have turned the roads to places for displaying of wares, while most pedestrian walkways have also become extensions of shops.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/04/s-o-s-oyo-waste-contractors-cry-out-to-makinde/

https://www.blueprint.ng/war-over-waste-disposal-in-oyo-state-and-issues-within/

There are quite a few more in the GSM recycle bin but let me stop here. It is already a long read.

As we remember Governor Abiola Ajimobi today we salute the courage and boldness which supported his vision, mission, core values, plans and the Oyo State Future Strategic profile which he painted and drove us all to work towards.

Oyo State can reach its El Dorado easier and faster with a cursory look inside Governor Makinde’s recycle bin.

Toye ARULOGUN
25062023.

 

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