WHEN IN DOUBT, LEAVE OUT! By Saint-Olawale Jimoh

    I'm still researching if there's anywhere in Nigeria the youths have been hired to do untold damages to the names of political opponents than Ogun State. The magnitude of falsehood being dished out on daily basis by some hired youths especially on the social media is sickening. The reputation уσυ struggled to build for years can be pulled down in one ∂αy by someone who didn't have the faintest idea of all уσυ went through to achieve the height.

     I have seen damages done to the image of Hon Oladipupo Adebutu despite his unparalleled strides in grassroots politics and tireless efforts in putting smile on the faces of Ogun people through his many life-enriching programmes.

      Few years ago, I authored a lengthy article to counter a post in which the immediate past governor of Ogun State, His Excellency Otunba Justus Daniel was alleged to have ordered the killings of over 200 students of Olabisi Onabanjo University. It was intellectually annoying and I was compelled to react based on the fact that I was still in same institution the period they claimed the killings took place. I had equally read a post where a governorship candidate of Labour Party in the last election, Mr Sina Kawonise, a successful journalist and former Commissioner of Information, was accused of stealing 50 litres of diesel oil from a parked truck.

These havocs were done by some hired youths and each time I read such posts, I asked myself, "for how much?"

    Otunba Gbenga Daniel for instance, toiled hard to earn the title, 'Architect of Modern Ogun State' yet part of the reasons his administration lost it in the court of public opinion in spite of his unbeatable records was largely due to the activities of these hired miscreants.

Thank God for the likes of Baaroyin Dayo Rufai,who managed to investigate the recent rumour of Amosun suspending the Olu of Ilaro and found it to be untrue. I'm not a fan of Governor Ibikunle Amosun but the allegation is a height of political insanity and it has got to stop. Unfortunately, majority of those in the business don't understand the implications of these unholy practices.

 I know a few persons who went behind bars for helping to share unconfirmed and untrue informations on the social media. Уσυ necessarily don't need to be the author of such posts, by mere re-sharing, уσυ deserve same punishment as the original writer.

To the amateurs in this business, I beseech them to check their facts and confirm from their information source before sharing any information online and as for the professionals, please don't join to spread lie. Remember the creed: if in doubt, leave out!

Attachments area

The 2017 JOHN BUNYAN Award for Creative Writing

Тhanк уσυ Nigerians!
It's a great honour to be announced the winner of an award named after a legend and genius. JOHN BUNYAN wrote the most read novel of all time and second most read book in history. The Bible being the most read. 
His book, The Pilgrim's Progress, has been translated into more languages than any other book apart from the Bible. Now I believe Richard Bash who said, 'a professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit!'
http://www.tribuneonlineng.com/winners-emerge-synw-writing-com
petition/
http://rcgreene.com/index.php/2017/10/26/winners-emerge-in-synw-
writing-competition/
http://www.latestnigeriannews.com/news/5084828/winners-emerge-i
n-synw-writing-competition.html
http://press.com.ng/news/winners-emerge-in-synw-writing-
competition/

TEN KINGS, TEN ERAS (A Message To People In Power At The Moment) By Saint-Olawale Jimoh

 This article is not intended to bring anybody's name to disrepute, especially my subject who is a former lawmaker in Ogun State, rather it's meant to re-orientate those in power at the moment who think they'll reign forever. The incident that prompted this piece sticks so vividly to mind as if it happened yesterday and I'm more compelled to share it because I know there are lessons to be learnt. 
 In life, we are made for others. Nothing in nature lives for itself. River doesn't drink its own water; trees don't eat their own fruits, the sun shines for the earth and flowers don't spread fragrance for themselves. Living for others is a divine arrangement and therein lies the secret of successful living. The responsibility becomes higher when уσυ are occupying an elective position. But over the years, the reverse has always been the case for man. I know a good number of exceptionally gifted young ones out there who lost traction because the privileged persons who God put around them failed to offer helping hands when needed.  
  In 2007, I obtained Ogun State Civil Service (OGSCSC) Employment form and upon returning the properly filled form, the woman at the desk called me aside and hinted that except I attached a letter or note from a prominent politician or any important person who is relevant to the ruling government, my form will be left untreated and eventually discarded like thousands of others.
  When I shared my experience after arriving home it was suggested I visit the only State House of Assembly member from my consistuency. Under the scorching sun of that Thursday afternoon, I arrived at his hometown and I was shown his place, a palatable and sprawling edifice. The security at the gate told me Honourable only came home on weekends and that I needed to file an appointment first. If my request to see him is considered and approved then I will be given an appointment date. I filled the necessary papers and determined to check back in two days time. I arrived the second time only to be told at the gate Honourable has not started attending to the pending appointment requests and my case was even different because I only applied two days ago. I told the security my reason for wanting to see him and how urgent it was but he told me he was following instruction, so I kept my calm. For about five weeks, I was always present at his place but the security told same story. Yet, he was the best person I needed for the task considering the fact that he had just been made the Deputy Speaker.
   Few days after, the OGCSC Employment interviews were conducted and I attended, though uninvited. Nothing happened thereafter and I wasn't expecting any miracle because I was never even invited.
  Weeks after, at the old HAT Cybercafe, opposite Ijebu-Ode Central Mosque, I bumped into an old friend who claimed he has the Honourable's link. What he had was only the e-mail address and I gladly took it. It wasn't useful anymore, but I needed to get in touch with him and let him realised how unkind he had been to the people he's representing. I poured out my mind in the mail I sent him. Of course, I didn't get any response from him and I wasn't expecting any. 
     In 2015, something happened. Shortly before the last general election, myself, Comrade Olalekan Adeleye, AfricaWee Tunde, Da Silva, Comrade Kayode Okeowo (Ikenga), Mr Jamiu Olododo, Gbobaniyi Femi Davies and few others were in a meeting with Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD), the immediate former Governor of Ogun State at his Sagamu residence, suddenly, a lady walked-in to inform OGD that a visitor was standing outside at the corridor, waiting to see him. His name was mentioned and it turned out to be the Honourable I begged to see because of recommendation letter many years ago. The lady went back to inform him OGD was in the middle of an important meeting and that he could wait if he wanted. 
    We spent about two hours after the message came and as we dispersed from the meeting into the corridor, I found the man still waiting. He looked terrified and exhausted. He was simply the image of former self. I didn't have information about what he came for, but it was obvious he needed help. I never imagined he could hang around the corridor for that hours and I reckoned it would shock him to discover we were the reason he waited outside. Fact is, he wasn't relevant anymore. At first, I wanted to go introduce myself to him and remind him of his sins but I realised it would be uncalled-for to add to his problem.
     As I journeyed back home that evening, I pondered on the days one had to fill forms to see this man. Nobody reigns forever and that's why ten era is for ten kings and as our people in the Northern Nigeria would put it, "Seriki Ngoma, Sanmani Ngoma!"  

ON THE #NOTTOOYOUNGTORUN PROJECT By Saint-Olawale Jimoh

  The youths of my generation have been taken for granted for too long by our 'Retired-But-Not-Tired set of leaders. They have exhausted their times and are already using part of ours. Regrettably, a good number of widely acknowledged bright minds amongst us don't see anything wrong in that. A well respected Facebook friend of mine has started propagating 'Atiku Abubakar 2019 Project' and I asked him via email, 'when will it be our turn?' The major problems facing our youths today is the unwillingness to think critically and independently and the lust for peanuts from those ruling us. 
  The is one of the reasons the likes of IBB believe Nigerian youth cannot rule this nation. But the overwhelming statistical evidence is there that we have made much of our progress while under the leadership of young Nigerians. Most of our landmark progress was made while we were led by young people who used their dynamic and agile ability to bring positive changes to Nigeria. Gen Yakubu Gowon kept nigeria one and built a National Electricity Grid (which we are still making efforts to improve on till date), many Federal Universities and NYSC as a young man in his 30s. General Muritala Muhammed gave his famous 'Africa Has Come Of Age' speech as well as envisioned the need for a new and befitting Federal Capital for Nigeria in his 30s and our own General Olusegun Obasanjo became the first military ruler in Africa to voluntarily hand over power to a democratically elected civilian administration as a young man. 
    We deserve and desire greater participation in how our political 'leaders' plan our future. It's working in Canada; it has started in France and we cannot to be left behind!

TRAVAILS OF THE MENTALLY COLONIZED QUISLINGS
By Saint-Olawale Jimoh

 One African adage says the eyes of the frogs cannot prevent sheep from drinking water from the river. We cannot because of the vituperations of the disappointed progressives close our eyes to abnormalities and allow it continue unaddressed. A good number of right and forward-thinking Nigerians have succeeded in making enemies for themselves for hitting the nails on the head especially on issues that widely acknowledged bright minds shied away from meddling into.
 I know a couple of disgruntled facebook friends who quietly unfriend me based on my posts and quite vividly, I remember a former classmate whom we both attended Olabisi Onabanjo University and Gateway Petro-Gas Institute who told me he hated me after I authored an article titled, `THE TRUTH THESE PROGRESSIVES NEVER TOLD BUHARI` shortly after the general elections. Today, the company he works for is closing down already because it depends largely on importation for its raw materials which the government he tirelessly fought for practically made impossible.
  Up till now only the unrepentant Buharists, majority of whom are here in the Southwest  believe a he-goat can be milked. They sold him to us. They promised us what Buhari himself never assured them. With massive deployment of propaganda mercenaries, they forced their candidate down our throat and it worked. When the story of how we got here would be written, they will not be forgotten. Regrettably, they haven't given up. They are still bragging..
   Few months ago, someone shared a story on this medium about how his neighbour, a die-hard supporter of this APC-led government was ready to fight anyone who dare criticize this regime. He lived in Ogun State. First, he lost his job because the company he worked for couldn't survive under this harsh economic condition.
Again, his first son who wrote the last WAEC couldn't get his result because Amosun was owing WAEC at the tιмє and as such forfeited his admission into the higher institution of his choice for that period and to make matter worse, his two other children who he withdrew from private schools to public schools were sent back home because of school fees which were a little lesser than what they paid in private schools. Interestingly, this man still fought a neighbour while defending Buhari in the evening of same ∂αy his children were sent back home.
   All around us, there are people like this and if уσυ are unfortunate enough to engage them intellectually, уσυ will begin to imagine at what point in tιмe did their God-given, well wired brain cells get replaced with sawdust. While we daily struggle to adapt to the changes this government has got to offer us, some of our leaders from Southwest have again started campaigning and promoting another Northern candidate (a former national leader whose tenure in office was characterised with imbalances and corruption) to continue from 2019. This is democracy, they're free to make their choices but today's action is tomorrow's history and as I earlier mentioned, when the story of how we got into this mess would be written, their names shall be remembered!

OTUNBA GBENGA DANIEL'S ANNUAL THANKSGIVING AT ABRAHAM TABERNACLE: THE LESSON I LEARNT. By Saint-Olawale Jimoh

OTUNBA GBENGA DANIEL'S ANNUAL THANKSGIVING AT ABRAHAM TABERNACLE: THE LESSON I LEARNT
By Saint-Olawale Jimoh

 The recent annual thanksgiving service hosted by Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD), the Asiwaju Onigbagbo of Remo Christians and former Governor of Ogun State at The Baptist International Worship Centre (Abraham Tabernacle) in Sagamu further reinforced in me that whatever God planted cannot be uprooted. I remember Dr (Mrs) Tomi Soboyejo once wrote that, 'the meanings of OGD's name is the key to understanding the man and his driving force'. She mentioned OGD's name is deeply rooted in God and God’s values and this was again corroborated in a sermon delivered by one of the invited guest speakers, Pastor Femi Emmanuel who equally mentioned he had been OGD's admirer for many years and commended his effort in building such a gigantic edifice as a place of worship.

   This prodigiously talented former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel was for more than five times in the news in 2016 for various issues. One of such was when he was mentioned as one of those in the race for PDP national chairmanship seat with the likes of Chief Bode George, Raymond Dokpesi and Jimi Agbaje, the PDP Governorship Candidate for Lagos State in the last elections. Of all these people, OGD was more discussed especially on the social media and throughout the period, I took tιмe to follow the reactions and comments of the antagonists who in their comments indirectly posited OGD was no longer relevant politically, yet they managed to be concerned with all that has to do with him.

  Some of these people still made it to the venue of the thanksgiving in order to use the programme as a barometer for assessing whatever was left of OGD's crowd-pulling capacity but they were disappointed. The programmed was billed to start by 11am and I arrived at the venue a little earlier but I could hardly find a seat. By 11:30pm, the entire church auditorium was completely filled up. I saw great and magnificent personalities who arrived at about midday and couldn't find where to seat. I had to vacate my seat for Colonel MKO Awokoya (Rtd), a prominent member of OGD's age group (Egbe Bobakeye) and a former Rector of Gateway Petro-Gas Institute.

   In attendance were prominent traditional rulers from Southwest and beyond, Pastors and many church leaders. There were also in attendance Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Senator Lekan Mustapha, Chief Biyi Otegbeye, Senatorial candidate, Ogun West 2015, Hon Kayode Amusan, former House of Rep member, Alhaji Sarafa Tunji Ishola, former Minister of Mines and Steel, Chief Gboyega Isiaka, former Managing Director, Gateway Holdings, Hon Ladi Adebutu, Chairman, House Committee on Rural Development, Dr Remi Bakare, Hon Eddy Olafeso, Chairman, PDP Southwest and many others.
    It was a glorious and colourful event which witnessed the gathering of those who stood with him over the years; those who ran away and those who stood on the fringe. All were there to celebrate with this Nigeria's Apostle of grassroots politics. Truly a house built with spittle gets destroyed by the dews ONLY the one planted by GOD stands the test of tιмe!

L-A-D-O: The Tallest Of All. By Saint-Olawale Jimoh

 

 I have read so much about rich and successful people, Carlos Hefu, Imeida Marcus, Warren Buffet, Mark Rich, Harry Akande and other financial giant tribes tagged 'self-made' in Brett & Kate McKay's book, '25 of the Greatest Self-Made Men in American History'.
Then I bumped into late Oluwo Deinde Fernandez Anthonio's story. He was obsessionally rich, yet less publicized and the fact that Dele Momodu had to queue for ten years before having access to this late billionaire was the reason I was more interested in his story. I read he funded and sponsored two past American presidents. He had nine private jets and a large parcel of land full of diamond in Angola. His yacht named 'Yemoja' on the sea, used to be a tourist centre and meeting point for world leaders. He was a good friend of former American Presidents, John Fitzgerald Kennedy and George Bush; a close ally of late Mobutu Seseko, late Nelson Mandela and many others.
    I lost interest in his stories when I didn't read of any significant effort he made to assist the less privilege. This magnificent being had no tangible contribution to his immediate environment and humanity in general. Those who took pain to impact on their immediate communities and society at large needs our commendation to encourage them do more. Regrettably, those who read stories that put such people in good light would label the author 'paid agent' for writing about them.
     I got several messages in my facebook inbox after my first article about Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu (LADO) where I was commended for a job well done. Sadly enough, there was someone  who saw things differently. He sent me a lengthy but hate-filled epistle about LADO. The critic offerred selfish reasons why I shouldn't support Hon. Adebutu for whatever reason. His baseless points made me researched more about the person of Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu and to be perfectly honest, my findings made me fall in love with the sterling qualities of this distinguished Remo son.
    I then concluded hate is a nothing but a sickness. People hate out of envy. The dedicated hater wants to do what the object of their hate is doing. They want to be the person they hate but they simply and traditionally can't be him. Those attacking LADO on social media are being sponsored by those who couldn't do what the Adebutus are known for.
    Let me quickly reiterate here that this is not a campaign. This piece is simply based on what I gathered and observed and my findings made me rate him the best. One could write a book about the countless number of community-based developmental projects he started and completed single-handedly. The Civic Centre at Ikenne, the Sport Pavilion at Federal Government Girls College Sagamu and the ICT Centre at Ilishan were built by this Remo-born philanthropist. I equally gathered he's the brain behind the Nupe Community Mosque in Sagamu. He alone acquired a land and built a community primary school in Imuti-Ogijo. In conjunction with SMEDAN, he distributed vehicles, tricycles and motorcycles to many youths around Remo axis so much that wherever уσυ turn today in the entire Remo area, there would always be exotic cars and tricycles with the inscription 'Lado Empowerment'.
    Over 50 communities in Remo alone were provided with transformers courtesy of this lawmaker. The other ∂αy, following complaints he got from people, he mobilized graders to fix some roads in Sagamu town. One of such roads is in Ayegbami area of the town. While the repair was going on, the APC-controlled Sagamu Local Government considered it an insult seeing a private citizen doing what government termed 'a huge challenge' ordered that the work be stopped. All these happened when he wasn't even in public office. As at last month, I scooped more than 200 students across Remo zone are on his scholarship.
  Today, of all those arrogantly parading themselves as political giants and aspirants in Ogun today none has the parallel records. If tomorrow he chooses to contest for governorship seat, it would make a whole lots of sense afterall, of all the known aspirants for same seat, he's standing
tallest in all ramifications. Watson said 'he who constantly remembers the needy is on his own a nation builder'.