Ajimobi’s moment of indiscretion

Having watched the short video over and over, I still could not understand what pushed the governor into saying such inanities. Though the disaster happened last Monday, the video never surfaced until Friday on the site that has become our politicians’ nightmare, Sahara Reporters.

The Yoruba pride themselves as custodians of a culture that places emphasis on respect and deference and so one cannot endorse part of the Ladoke Akintola University students’ comportment that day, but for a state governor to have thrown caution to the wind in the abrasive manner Mr. Abiola Ajimobi did, it calls for serious concern. Remembering again that this was the same governor who decided to shut down schools because of the way secondary school students spoke to him, we must do a double take. Like I’ve always asked, how did we degenerate to this level of fiefdom where only a mafia boss holds sway? Further, how do we keep throwing up such characters to lead us remains a mystery. Probably, we deserve their type.

Let every adult who has never had moments of indiscretion raise up his hand, we have all had moments we regret now as adults but Ajimobi apparently was never young. Sadly, this occurred at Agodi, the same place that once served as office and residence of that fine species of man, Ajibola Ige, who actually led a bigger Oyo State between 1979 and 1983. It was Ige who wrote to us as secondary school students in the early 80s addressing us “My Dear Students” using the avuncular “Uncle Bola” as the sign off. Yes, a governor wrote those of us who started secondary school under his watch. Those were the days of a Boy Scout-like group, Young Pioneers.

Ajimobi, who must think he is one of the Yoruba deities, as he alone is “constituted authority” did not even pause for a moment to think whether he contributed to the problem or not. Typical of reactions to such gaffes, another version surfaced trying to deodorize the putrid smell the first one left. No matter what, Ajimobi failed entirely in the way and manner he responded. For a governor to equate himself to the entire state is in line with the ruling class behaviour in our part of the world, he must say it repeatedly to himself to enjoy the feeling the more. Power, to governors of his ilk, resides solely with them, they are the all-in-all and nothing is held in trust for citizens. Despite a so-called stakeholders meeting in Ibadan last week, Ajimobi and his Osun State counterpart have looked on as LUTECH remains comatose since June last year with the major reason being lack of support for the institution. The duo has engaged in a needless tiff with students’ future in limbo. Truly, there is no discernible sign of synergy between the south wets APC governors who only come together when their personal interests are threatened. Yet Mr. “Constituted Authority” could openly boast about not paying salaries without any sense of shame and decency but only daring students to “go and do their worst.”

What kind of memos and papers do our governors read? I know at least two cerebral men working with Ajimobi, do they do any serious work at all. Or is it that he does not read their papers and just go out talking gibberish? How then do people keep up with such characters if that truly is the case? How did the quality of our public debate degenerate to such abusive and uncouth exchange? A word for the students too: waiting till the seventh month at home before making your displeasure known is bad advocacy. We must be concerned about the civic awareness of the present crop of undergraduates who seem not to be bothered beyond fashion, music and football. Good vocations, but only books develop minds faster and better. My generation confronted military governors, administrators, and tyrannical vice chancellors even when armoured personnel carriers were deployed against us Foolish? Probably yes, but at least we did something. Better organisation makes protest effective and worthwhile.

A painful encounter is a nice place to sign off today. My 20-year-old cousin was with me on Saturday and he spoke of stylish extortion by one of his lecturers at Yaba College of Technology where he is a student. I pestered him repeatedly asking what he and his mates have done to stop the extortion, which he claimed started last year. Nothing, he said. Attempts at making him stand up and be counted did not mean anything to him even when he gave a nice analysis of how much the man might be collecting illegally. A normally brilliant lad, fighting against injustice and oppression does not seem a serious thing to him even within the walls of a polytechnic. How will the future look like?

Correction: Two weeks ago I wrote a piece titled ‘Still on Southern Kaduna genocide’ and wrote that Zamani Lekwot, a general, was tried by late Sani Abacha. I was wrong, Abacha actually freed him, it was the Ibrahim Babangida government that jailed him. Thanks to a friend, Dr. Hussaini Abdu, who drew my attention to it.