Adeolu Akande, a gubernatorial
aspirant in Oyo, has urged governor Abiola Ajimobi to be compassionate in his
governance of the state.
Akande said the recent actions of
the Ajimobi government negates the 2011 promise to cater for the security and
welfare of the people of the state.
The professor of political
science at Igbinedion University was reacting to the Oyo government’s
demolition of Music House, a building owned by Yinka Ayefele, an iconic gospel
musician.
Akande, a former chief of staff
to Ajimobi, said no government without the element of compassion can go down in
history as being successful.
He said in a statement: “The
furore generated by the demolition of the property of Mr Yinka Ayefele must
have demonstrated to the government by now that it was an unpopular decision.
Government is about the people and not the anger and emotions of the people in
government. The Yoruba captures this truism when they say ‘ogbon ni oba n lo,
oba ki lo agidi’ meaning a ‘ruler rules with wisdom and not with stubbornness’.
Akande said the reaction of the
people to the demolition of Music House in an indication that Ajimobi needs to
rejig his personnel.
“The Ayefele saga has once again
brought to the fore the need for Governor Ajimobi to rethink his government and
review its personnel and focus, as he embarks on his homestretch so that
history can be kind to him,” he said.
“As the premier chief of staff in
the administration, I am pained to see that many of the lofty ideals that
endeared the governor to the people in the early years have been abandoned and
replaced with practices that can only wipe out the achievements of these early
glorious years of his administration.
“It is more painful that many of
the personnel who encourage controversial government decisions and actions
claim innocence in private conservations and never identified themselves with
those decisions, even in public.
“Ayefele means many things to
many people. His rise to grace in spite of a major life challenge makes him a
model for a good percentage of our people. As a musician, he has been the
purveyor of joy and happiness to many of us because of his melodious and
philosophical music. As a philanthropist, he is a great shield for hundreds of
thousands of people. As the promoter of Fresh FM, he is a trustee of public
trust as the station has become the voice of the voiceless.
“I recall that the location of
the building was an issue when the dualisation of the Challenge-Toll Gate road
was conceived by government about 2012 but the governor in his magnanimity
directed that all government agencies involved must take measures to protect
the building from demolition, even when some forces encouraged him to demolish
the building.
“I plead that governor Ajimobi
should exhibit this same compassion in taking measures that will protect Mr
Ayefele, protect private investment in the state, and restore public admiration
for him instead of the present angst that pervades the state. Government should
open discussion with Mr Ayefele and find an amicable resolution of the dispute.
Ayefele needs to be protected because he is a valuable icon of our society.”
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