By Matthew Mahmood
'Old' Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola Highway Billboard
Recently, the State Security Service (SSS) accused Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola of planning to Islamize Osun State. Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Governor Aregbesola of ‘State of Osun’ refuted allegations against him and said that he was not trying to secede Osun State from Nigeria. Extensive allegations of singing Osun anthem, flying Osun flag, and plotting to train Muslim terrorists in a foreign country were disturbing and damaging to his political career.
Aregbesola initially accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of plotting to assassinate him. To make the matter worse, PDP chieftain Iyiola Omisore said that the PDP would stop and search Aregbesola’s convoy because Aregbesola allegedly hired thugs as security operatives and refused the services of the SSS. Why has the Federal Government and the SSS not cautioned Omisore on his intention to stop and search a governor? Is it not obvious that such unwarranted search by the opposition could lead to a fracas or bloodbath? Omisore had the effrontery to open his gob and 'fart' as he wished, since the brutal killers of Bola Ige are not behind bars. It will be recalled that ‘a prime suspect in the Ige murder alleged that Omisore had offered to pay him to do the job.’ Omisore and the other suspects were acquitted.
We are not trying to exonerate Aregbesola from the SSS allegations against him but it was obvious that the SSS unfairly focused on him, in favour of his PDP enemies. Why? We knew for decades that it was easy for the SSS to 'predict' the election results in Osun State. We can authoritatively say that the SSS has conducted accurate assessments on Osun State therefore it ‘must’ mean that the SSS report on Osun State had something in favour of Aregbesola that shocked the PDP immensely. For this reason, we totally denounce the humiliation of Governor Aregbesola in Osun State.
At this juncture, the SSS intends to keep Aregbesola under surveillance. Let us hope that it is not a ploy to frustrate Aregbesola and treat him like a terrorist. He does not trust the SSS that is why he is protecting himself alternatively. However, it is wrong to judge the SSS collectively because some of them do their job diligently.
As for the PDP, it is high time the party got off its horse. Being a dominant party does not mean that any member should get away with murder. The assassination of Abayomi Ogundeji, Bayo Ohu, Dipo Dina, Apagun Oluwole Olumide, Olaitan Oyerinde etcetera shocked the masses. Apart from lack of forensic expertise and evidence, the State Security Service ‘cannot’ expose political assassins because it is not independent. It is controlled by the Federal Government. Even if it knew such assassins, it could be powerless to take action. Moreover, the SSS is part of a military establishment.
A roll call of the numerous unresolved recorded assassinations in the Fourth Republic includes the following:
Dec. 23, 2001 – Chief Bola Ige (Minister of Justice and Attorney General)
2001 – Hon. Odunayo Olagbaju (Osun State)
– Chief Ogbonnaya Uche (a.k.a. OGB – PDP, Imo State)
March 2003 – Yemi Oni (AD Ekiti State)
March 2003 – Dr. Harry Marshall (ANPP)
March 27, 2003 – Mr. Ikenna Ibor (ANPP Anambra State)
April 30, 2003 – Hon. Tony Dimegwu (ANPP Imo State)
April 2003 – Mr. Issa Zaria (ANPP Kwara State)
Feb. 6, 2004 – Chief Aminasoari Dikibo (PDP, Delta State)
April 19, 2003 – Chief Onyewuchi Iwuchukwu (ANPP, Imo State)
March 2004 – Mr. Luke Shingaba
April 2004 – Chief Philip Olorunnipa (INEC, Kogi State)
August 2004 – Mr. Esho Egbelu (Cross Rivers State)
Oct 12, 2004 – Captain Jerry Agbeyegbe (Aviation Chief, Lagos State)
May 15, 2005 – Alhaji Lateef Oramiyan (Ife – Osun state)
July 27, 2005 – Mr. Anthony Ozioko (PDP, Abuja)
June 3, 2005 – Mr. Patrick Origbe (PDP, Delta State)
August 2005 – Mr. Felix Eboigbe (Edo State)
July 2006 – Chief Jesse Aniku (ACD Plateau State)
July 27, 2006 – Engr. Funsho Williams (PDP, Lagos State)
August 14, 2006 – Dr. Ayodeji Daramola (PDP, Ekiti State)
— The Moment
The National Security Adviser, Retired General Owoye Azazi revealed that the PDP caused Boko Haram terrorism in Nigeria because the PDP agreed to a rotation formula that the party refused to follow. Why should the nation suffer because of one political party? All the PDP members that agreed to such a selfish ‘chop-I-chop’ agreement should retire from politics if they are not retired, as soon as possible. Boko Haram terrorists have killed over 1,000 innocent people. When would a Nigerian like Jerry Rawlings of Ghana compile a list of powerful Nigerian political embezzlers and spoilers, invite them to a special meeting and give them the Rawlings’ treatment? When would Nigerians be able to live in peace and harmony?
The SSS is aware that Aregbesola has loyalists that would continue to fight for him in case he is assassinated. It is up to the SSS to seriously ‘warn’ the PDP to leave Aregbesola alone; unless we want a country with more terrorists than we already have. Some loyalists may be ready to reduce Nigeria to rubbles, in the act of aggression. God forbid, but let the voters decide who they want to rule them, and allow peace to reign.
Aregbesola clocked 55 on May 25. With all the dirty intrigues fashioned against him, could he really have enjoyed his birthday? The latest allegation is whether he is a qualified engineer or not and when he qualified… Well, he has never claimed to be a university graduate because he is a polytechnic graduate.
In Nigeria, polytechnic graduates are likely to be stereotyped and earn less money than university graduates. The fact is that the poly engineer is usually more educated than the university ‘trained’ engineer because the poly engineer would be familiar with both theoretical and practical engineering and the university engineer would only know 'theory'.
A Nigerian mechanical engineering university graduate once told us in confidence that a local mechanic was better than him because all he knew was ‘theory’. He could not fix any part of a car therefore Aregbesola should know where his enemies were coming from. The SSS report on Osun State probably gave specific PDP members ‘migraine’. We don’t know if it would lead to ‘brain tumour’ but, we humbly salute the ACN dogged fighter at 55.
Minister of Light Bulbs and Darkness (2)
Governor Ibikunle Amosun
The Minister of Power aka LBD Minister, Professor Barth Nnaji can be ‘unpredictable’. We saw him on television ‘brainwashing’ some women's associations on electricity tariff. He said it was important to brief women about the latest tariff increment.
A few days later, he was at a government function where Governor Ibikunle Amosun gave away 500 transformers to communities in Ogun State and Nnaji sang a different tune. Nnaji initially planned to give people light bulbs free of charge. He claimed that the government was not going to increase electricity tariff. Moreover, the House of Representatives has summoned Nnaji and the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission boss Dr Sam Amadi, in order to explain tariff increment.
What stops other governors from giving away 500 transformers like Amosun? People living in constant darkness without power transformers should let their state governors know that they need transformers, as soon as possible. They should not sit down and wait for a 'slow' Federal Government or LBD Minister.
President Goodluck Jonathan is not as hard working as we expected him to be. He should take off his hat, traditional attire, get rid of sycophants or put them on 'compulsory leave' and concentrate on electricity issues for the next six months. Whether he likes it or not, some ‘lack-of-performance’ ministers must go, such as the Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke. Why has Jonathan refused to sack her despite allegations of corruption?
The Federal Government has signed $1.5billion memorandum of understanding with a US bank to boost electricity in Nigeria. Billions of dollars were wasted on electricity projects during the Obasanjo and Yar’Adua regimes, yet most parts of Nigeria are in darkness. Who will monitor how $1.5billion is spent on electricity projects? The masses are powerless!!!
FG signs $1.5bn MOU with US bank to boost electricity
No plan to raise electricity tariff, says minister
Electricity tariff: F G makes u-turn as Amosun distributes 500 transformers
