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 LEARNTBy 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!
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 standingtallest in all ramifications. Watson said 'he who constantly remembers the needy is on his own a nation builder'.
