ISIAKA AJIMOBI, AGODI GARDENS & THE LEADERSHIP QUESTION BY BAYO ADEYINKA The whole scene looked like as if all of Ibadan relocated to that place. Cars were parked on both sides of the road with hardly any space for those who wanted a thoroughfare. It was almost like what the Yoruba will call akolukogba- chaos. Traffic stretched as far as the eyes could see. From a distance, I could hear music blaring from the speakers. As we descended Parliament Road, Secretariat, Ibadan, I saw a banner prominently displayed with the inscription Stomach infrastructure re-defined. It was a banner announcing Ajimobis interest-free loan to artisans and traders. Stomach infrastructure- one more phrase added to Nigerias political lexicon in 2015. People trooped out gaily dressed with kids in their tow. Destination was the newly opened AGODI Gardens and Resort. There was a long queue in order to gain entrance to the resort but people waited patiently. Entrance fee was N500 per head with only those going to the swimming pool section paying N1,500. The rule for the swimming pool section was that you must have your swimming trunk before you will be allowed into the pool. I got a tag on my wrist signifying that I had paid my N500. Curiously, no entrance fee was demanded for my daughter and she was allowed to enter for free. I had written about this earlier this year (February 2014) when the place was still under construction. You can read about it here on my blog bayoadeyinka/bayoadeyinka/index.php/entry/the-new-agodi-gardens-eyewitness-experience-by-bayo-adeyinka. The whole place was like a huge carnival. Im not sure Ibadan has ever had it this good and all I could do was reminisce about the now moribund Trans Amusement Park when it just opened. There were huge bouncy castles dotting the expansive landscape. Mascots were entertaining the kids with dancing competition going on at certain spots. Families huddled around tables and on the lawn eating and drinking. I saw people on lifeboats traversing the artificial lake. Children were jumping on the trampoline at the dedicated section. I decided to go to the zoo section. We spent quite some time at the lions den. There was actually a lioness and a lion in the den. A staff of the Resort taunted the lioness until she got out and started to run. It was really a sight to behold as the lion strolled majestically inside the cage. My daughter kept screaming, Daddy, I want to touch the lion. We saw the monkeys too- about 3 different specie. My daughter kept running and mimicking one of the monkeys to the excitement of other visitors. Then there was a small baboon which seemed to have a bad leg. People threw in biscuits and watched as the baboon licked it.The zoo also had alligators and crocodiles. One visitor threw a stone in the crocodile pond and it rose in the air as it snapped. There was also wide geese. It was at that point that I was taken aback by the comments of one of the visitors- a woman that seemed to be in her late 30s. This is not a zoo, she said sarcastically. Its a z...... Curious, I looked towards her and she seemed to shake her head in dissatisfaction. I was wondering in my heart- what else does she want? This place used to be a huge forest just a year ago! As I left the monkey section, one elderly man beside me retorted, The entry fee is too expensive. I looked at him and asked what he thought the appropriate fee should be. It shouldnt be more than N200, he said. I almost had a seizure. N200? How would the whole place be maintained at N200? What of repairs to broken-down facilities? How would the animals be fed? What of staff salaries? I decided to tell him my mind. I think the place is under-priced. The entry fee should not be less than N1,000.The man looked at me menacingly and walked away. I kept on debating the appropriate fees with my brother who felt N500 was okay because of the huge crowd we saw. My position was that the crowd was one-off due to the festivities and the fact that it was a new concept in leisure in Ibadan. As we strolled towards the area designated for restaurants so we could have a drink, we passed by a heavily-built woman who sat on one of the beautiful wooden chairs that dotted the walkways. To my shock, we all heard her cursed in typical Ibadan accent, Abi olori buruku ni Ajimobi ni? O tun fe gba N400 leyin taa san N500? meaning Is Ajimobi cursed? How could he demand for N400 again when we paid N500 entrance fee? Apparently, one of her kids wanted to have a go on one of the bouncy castles and the ticket was N400 so she was miffed. She mistakenly thought that the N500 entrance fee was a ticket to everything. So that prompted me to start asking if Ajimobi would be re-elected based on what I consider his sterling performance. Most of the response was negative. He wont smell the place again, someone told me. What are the reasons? I heard some mumble jumbo like we dont have money to spend, hes tarring the roads but our stomachs remain untarred ( o da titi, ko da inu) among others. Who are his competitors? Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja (Accord), Teslim Folarin (PDP), Seyi Makinde (SDP) and Adebayo Alao-Akala (Labour). I was told that at least 80% of Oyo State civil servants are rooting for Ladoja while almost all the traders in Gbagi market are also lined behind Ladoja. Ive read it often that Nigerians are the easiest to please as all they want are basic things. Give them power and they are happy ever after. Give them employment and they are happy ever after. I totally disagree with that. I think most Nigerians dont know what they want and that makes it so difficult for any one government to satisfy them. If with the security of lives and properties and the generally calm atmosphere that has pervaded since Ajimobi got into office, his sterling performance on upgrading infrastructure, the new markets and garages built, influx of new shopping malls and businesses in Ibadan and Oyo State and improvement in the cleanliness of the environment, he still finds it difficult to be re-elected, then we most often deserve the kind of leadership we get. I will end this article the way I ended the previous one on AGODI Gardens. If I had my way, Governor Ajimobi will certainly have a second term because he has worked for it. But will he get it?
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 09:37:00 +0000
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