Political Godfatherism: Caging Lamidi Adedibu

By

Wale Akin

Luga9mm@yahoo.com

 

I am very sure if i reside in Nigeria and then send this article for publication, a full page obituary of my untimely demise will follow suit knowing fully well the volatility of what I am about to share and its attendant results and spill-over. Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu who calls himself the political King maker of Oyo state, Nigeria granted an interview recently which was aired on UK’s BEN TV and watching this particular interview which lasted for 45 minutes catapulted my thinking on how and why socio-political issues in a place like Nigeria will never know peace, this is no curse but truth in plain site. Lamidi Adedibu threw caution to the winds, left public decorum at home and vituperated arrant balderdash all through the interview which was intermittently spiced with caustic innuendoes and outright negative outburst synonymous with street urchins popularly called Area Boys. Area boys’ behavioral attitudes are even more courteous, Adedibu’s attitudes at this interview cut across to me as a deranged motor park tout who has not been paid the days wages by the Chairperson of the motor park and who in his bid to show some rough stunts decides to start yanning OPATA. The OPATA did not come as a surprise to some of us who watched the interview but only drew our attention to some fundamental flaws associated with our so called nascent democracy. Let’s take the issues at that interview one by each.

 

The festering sore of political godfatherism in Nigeria political terrain as aptly described in Lamidi Adedibu’s vituperations and demeanor  has really eaten deep into the system and an urgent social diagnosis is needed before things gets out of hand. The so-called interview anchored by Gbola Oba, a freelance journalist and Diran Odeyemi, former Editor of Tribune, a local daily tabloid in Nigeria showed Adedibu vexing his rage on why various Governors that have served in Oyo State need not serve a second time not for anything but the simple fact that they were all thieves and herd of sheep in wolves clothing. He specifically made mention of the late Bola Ige, Dr Olunloyo, and Chief Lam Adesina all whom had served at various times as Governors in Oyo State and the present governor Rasheed Ladoja, he categorically boasted that he brought them all to the state house and also “impeached” them. Adedibu dared all Nigerians openly by stating that he personally holds the fort to the Oyo State government House and can therefore call the bluff off anybody, what arrant nonsense!!! He openly labeled Lam Adesina a cash grabber, whatever that means, he also openly stated that the incumbent governor has siphoned close to 3 Billion naira and because of this will never taste a second term, what makes Adedibu so sacred that he cant be arrested at all? Just imagine such interview being aired on a TV station like SKY or ITV, a combined team of MI5 and SO19 will be waiting outside to whisk him away to the high profile Paddington Green Police Station for questioning and onward air transfer to the maximum slammer called HM BELMARSH in South East London

 

Just last Thursday, Adedibu’s personal convoy was ambushed by unknown assailants and in that ugly incident, his personal aide was killed and all fingers pointed to Governor Ladoja, the latter immediately denied in an open interview through his personal assistant on media matters once again re-opening the long standing feud that has existed between Adedibu and various Governors in Oyo state, the former boasted openly his absolute godfatherism embedded in the entire control of Oyo state political terrain, his vast knowledge of true situation of issues and his deadly knockout to whosoever dare cross his path to victory in any election. Lamidi Adedibu in Oyo state can be compared with the likes of Olusola Saraki of Kwara State and Chris Ubah of Anambra state, these so called money-miss-road hijack election exercises at will and turn the ballot boxes into personal favor and then install somebody in their camp into any elective position within the state, many Nigerians will not forget in a hurry the political mayhem that occurred in Anambra state recently when the state house and Radio station were razed to rubbles, many innocent lives were lost and all we could do was just look at issues without addressing them at all. The feud is presently still raging because the high court had just a forthnight ago nullified Governor Ngige power and asked that Chief Obi be installed as the winner of the gubernatorial election that brought in Ngige, now when will all these end?

 

Olusola Saraki sees himself as the Czar of Kwara politics and he proved this over 2 years ago when he brought to bear his political wizardry by making sure his son Bukola Saraki secured the gubernatorial seat of the state in a landslide victory, now who does not know that the father is the real governor while the so-called son remain a political stooge with no obvious mandate. Adedibu played on our collective intelligence when he stated that he already has a personal knowledge of who the next president of Nigeria is come 2007, upon hearing this blatant abuse of fundamental rights, I was so pissed off not for anything but the simple fact that Nigeria as a country will waste huge amount of state funds in conducting an election and then pick up the desired candidate in a selection process already pre-disposed by the likes of Adedibu, once again where do we go from here? He made the viewers understood the fact that without his likes on the political terrain, the geographical entity called Nigeria is null and void, he pointed accusing fingers to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP clan and ever since that interview, no public statement has been issued to debunk Adedibu’s claim and all these calls for

serious concerns. Governor Kalu Orji Kalu of Abia state once openly accused and called the PDP a den of thieves and murderers, now juxtaposing Adedibu’s recent outburst and the open statement of Kalu about year ago is enough justification to rub like minds together and fine tune our collective future.

 

The public announcement of Adedibu that he has a fore-knowledge of the next president of Nigeria come 2007 is a slap on humanity; it even makes matters worse if the incumbent president also has a personal inkling of the person to be open-secretly selected after wasting so much public fund in conducting a mock national election. Adedibu admitted that President Obasanjo called a caucus meeting of the so-called elders of the country and told them all the name of his presidential candidate come 2007. Its been well over 2 weeks now and none of the President’s special advisers have deem it fit to come to his Excellency’s defense, the likes of Remi Oyo and Femi Fani-Kayode whose outburst can be likened to a faulty domestic tap awaiting the arrival of the local plumber have all kept mute over this very volatile issue but are very quick to counter critics like Wole Soyinka and Gani Fayehinmi who are much better than Lamidi Adedibu who is no less than a bag of wet beans. Now do we then ask who the candidate is please, this is a public question that must be answered before issues get murkier as it is presently? Is this secret person Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, IBB or better still the incumbent Vice President of Nigeria in person of Abubakar Atiku? Let me at this point introduce a new website deliberately floated to run aground the campaign of IBB towards becoming the president come 2007, www.againstbabangida.com, this is a must visit site for all Nigerians to read and know more about Maradona who injured our national psyche and pummeled us right in the face in his personal quest to siphon as much as possible our national funds, must we allow him to come rule us again? AFFLICTION SHALL NOT ARISE A SECOND TIME!!!

 

I think we all need to question the anti-graft campaign embarked upon by President Olusegun Obasanjo because right at that interview, Adedibu blew open the lid that during his last birthday party, the former in person of President Olusegun Obasanjo sent a cash gift of 500,000 Naira. The president needs to tender a public explanation as to why he needed to give the latter such huge amount of money in such trivial way and at the utter expense of the impoverished Nigerians. How many of the so called elders have been given such monetary gifts in recent times? Obasanjo’s holier than thou attitude wont easily catch a person like I and its high time we stopped and make him think rightly. Political peace in a place like Nigeria can only be enforced by like minds whose ideology and goals are geared towards the betterment of the populace, not all Nigerians are thieves, these acts f indiscipline are perpetrated by a select few and the sooner we drive them all of the better. My idea may sound too generic but it’s the only way out. Lets wait 2007 and slug it all out with them, we will never mind whose Ox will be gored in our collective quest to making Nigeria. Adedibu and all the so-called political godfathers should sit their butts down at home and leave Nigeria alone, we don’t want them anymore. I pray that the elastic limits of the youths of Nigeria both at home and in the Diaspora will not be strained, KAI!! If it does………the ripple effects will be so damaging to all and sundry!!!

 

Wale Akin lives in Kent, UK and a founding member of a group called MEN NOW!