Two wrongs cannot make a right....!! By Omolere Omoetan Ahasuerus Xerxes was the son of Darius, a notoriously popular king of Persia who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. A king who lived and breathed pleasure so much so that he once hosted a party for 120 days. King Ahasuerus Xerxes was reputed to be a brute who lacked compassion and was completely insensitive to the feelings and well-being of his people. Ahasuerus literally means The Lion King. Around the world today we are witnessing the arrogance of Lion Kings of this ilk. Those who, through self-employed love and mindless economic policies, have dangerously impoverished their people. This rule of the stick pushes the people to react in ways incongruous to civility not because they believe in anarchism or are intrinsically evil, but because they are desperate. The people yearn for good and qualitative education, affordable health care, employment, good roads, security and other basic comforts of life. One wonders how some of these politicians like Oyo state Governor Abiola Ajimobi are not overwhelmed by feelings of guilt. However, one can only conclude that his heart is seared with hot iron and has become hardened due to the influence from his foul-mouthed sycophants labeled advisers. One of such advisers is none other than Mr. Festus Adedayo, the Special Adviser on Media to the governor. This individual is hell bent on pushing his boss down the political precipice. In his treatise titled Ladoja: De-constructing Politics Of Untruth, he made a lame attempt at disparaging the person of the highly-respected Senator Adewolu Ladoja, while inferring that his boss, Senator Abiola Ajimobi was the Messiah of the civil servants. The article made interesting reading if not for anything but the shocking attempt to deliberately play on the intelligence of his pay master by using high and fancy language just to impress his boss, who, one is led to conclude, is barely literate. In his thinking, the use of Big Grammar equals lucid communication. One would expect a Phd holder to know better. Mr Adedayo in his My-boss-must-know-I-am-working piece did affirm that his bosss gift to the civil servants was humiliating. When you break it down, it comes to N300 per employee. What a reward for supposedly Quality Champions. That the gift is disgraceful is not as appalling as Mr Adedayo spreading falsehood by claiming that the money the governor gave was from his personal account. That cannot be true as the governor is a well known miser, a bean counter of immense reputation. It is not for nothing that he is referred to as Isiaka owo de jo ( Isiaka, the one who is fearful of putting his hand into his purse because he is afraid the money has turned into a serpent). Senator Ajimobi will not give out millions of his money. He is a believer of get all you can, Can all you get and sit on the Can. He will never give out his money. One would expect that the likes of Adedayo would at least give respect to whom it is due. In an attempt to impress upon us that he is educated, he wrote that the governors office, built by one of the most revered politicians to have come out of the Yoruba race, was a pigsty. A man infinitely more honorable than the present occupant of the office. That Adedayo found reasons to insult chief Obafemi Awolowo is not shocking for we are aware that he was denied the proper upbringing that most of us took for granted. What is however perplexing is that the newspaper founded by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo is the source through which the legacy of the late icon is being rubbished. That Adedayo is educated today is largely due to the free and robust public education system put in place by our dear Papa Awolowo. A system his boss is making spirited endeavors to destroy. What manner of renovation took place in the governors office that makes Mr Adedayo so proud of his boss ? Aside the outer part of the building, nothing else is worthy of note. A new paint job, new air conditioning units and furniture bought at an exorbitant cost to the tax payers. All these have translated the Oyo state governors office into the most beautiful in the world? While making allusion to the recent visit of General Adeyinka Adebayo and PDPs Isa Yuguda to the Governors office, he noted that they could not hide their fascination with the recent incredibly aesthetic face lift. It was at this point that one gave up on the Media Adviser. That he could not tell the joke was on his boss is a shame. Accepting commendation for the renovation of the governors toilet while schools and other key sectors of the state are in wretched and desperate conditions is a joke on the governor by these dignitaries that Mr Adedayo failed to see because he is shallow. Anyway, wont we be expecting too much from King Ahasuerus of Oyo if his personal comfort doesnt take priority over that of the suffering masses ? He also told a glaring lie, when he averred that for the past 17 years, water had not been running in Oyo state. Nothing can be farther from the truth. The government of Senator Rasidi Ladoja remains the only government in Oyo state that gave the water sector the importance it deserves.(2003-2007). During Senator Ladojas regime, the Ibadan Emergency Water Rehabilitation Project was undertaken. This project which was African Development Bank (ADB)assisted, had the objectives of rehabilitating the existing water treatment plants of Asejire, Osegere and Eleyele schemes to designed capacities, viz old Asejire Treatment plant ( 82,000m/day); Eleyele Treatment Plant (27,000m/ day); Osegere Treatment plant (13,500m/day) and to strengthen the distribution system through extension and replacement of damaged existing pipelines. The contract for the rehabilitation of above mentioned treatment plants was awarded to M/S Degremont S.A in February 2005 after international tenders were invited in september 2003 and evaluated by both the consultant Messrs SGI and ADB. The progress report of this project as at May 29th 2007 when Ladoja left office was about 85% completed. The project was later to be commissioned in 2008 by the Akala administration. When Senator Ladoja was governor,(2003-2007), water was not lacking in Oyo state. Even when the present governors godfather, the late Alhaji Lam Adesina held sway between 1999 and 2003 there was water even though it was packaged and sold to the people. If Mr Adedayo is not deficient with numbers, he should know that 2003 till date is not 17 years. Mr Adedayo is a resident of Ibadan, can he show us proof that his master has improved on the above quoted statistics? Can he confidently say water supply is now stable in Ibadan?. Even in his house, he is sustained by water from a borehole, yet he will have us believe that his Messiah, Senator Ajimobi has brought water after 17years. I do agree with Mr Adedayo when he stated that two wrongs cannot make a right. The people of Oyo state gave his boss the opportunity to govern the state. That was a wrong decision. To allow him to continue in 2015 will be another wrong decision. Indeed, two wrongs cannot make a right.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 15:29:29 +0000
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