Governor Seyi Makinde’s speech at the coronation of the Alaafin of Oyo Town was expectedly laden with the usual emptiness and comic reliefs.
I have read several headlines regarding the Governor’s speech and I must say that I have not been disappointed.
All the headlines I read and the contents therein actually typifies the Governor of Oyo state.
After a careful perusal of the Governor’s speech and the message sent through the speech, I had a momentary change of heart about the Bill being considered presently by the National Assembly.
The National Assembly is reported to be considering a Bill that will deny the Vice president, Governors and Deputy Governors of immunity.
At first, I had thought that such a proposition that would only confer immunity on the president alone is unfair and that it would further make the Vice president an endangered specie.
However, yesterday, I had a momentary change of heart, after reading through the different angles of Governor Seyi Makinde’s speech at the coronation of the Alaafin.
I think Constitutional immunity affords some of those who enjoy it, the laxity to be reckless and irresponsible many of the time.
Rightly or wrongly, Governor Seyi Makinde has crowned the 46th Alaafin of Oyo. No doubts about that.
One of the functions assigned to him by Law is exactly what he did yesterday.
However, the same Laws of the Land that empowers him to do what he did yesterday, specified the processes that must be followed before he ought to do what he did.
If anyone feels that the process was breached one way or the other, they are at liberty to challenge the process in line with the Laws of the Land and Governor Makinde must respect their rights to so do.
I am surprised that the Governor would still chose to sing the same song he has been singing all this while at the coronation of the Alaafin.
I thought, if he truly loves the one he crowned, the best he could do to assist him is to be somber by advising the Alaafin to embrace all and seek peace instead of reopening sore wounds.
The aggrieved parties, I am told, have approached the Court.
At the point the matter was submitted to the jurisdiction of the Court, ordinarily, it ought to have been taken beyond the level of beer parlour talks and reckless conclusions.
Unfortunately, Governor Makinde doesn’t seem to understand this simple expectations from litigating parties.
After all, the Governor of Oyo state is a party in the suit.
Now that the Governor has decided to reopen his allegations against the Oyomesi and has decided to justify his alleged illegalities by calling the Kingmakers names, let us examine, for the upteenth time, the circumstances that led us here.
The Oyomesi, led by the Bashorun of Oyo stated that they had concluded the process of selecting a new Alaafin and that they had submitted the choice of the Kingmakers to the Governor.
Not only that, they have shown proof that they carried Governor Makinde along, all through the process.
Infact, the Governor, in writing, approved of their sittings and approved the selection of warrant Chiefs for them, not once but twice.
It is on record that the name of the candidate selected by the Oyomesi had been submitted to Governor Makinde before the 2023 general election.
Let me place it on record here, that while this process was on with Governor Makinde’s active participation, he never mentioned Ifa and neither did he raise an alarm that the Oyomesi had been compromised.
Let me also place it on record that once the Kingmakers have submitted the name of the Alaafin designate to the Governor, there is just a 21 days window within which issues could be raised against the choice of the Kingmakers and to the best of my knowledge, no such issues were raised by Governor Makinde or anyone within the window of opportunities provided by Law.
It is interesting to now note, that, after almost two years that the Oyomesi had submitted a name to Governor Makinde and he, having secured a second term in office, the Governor suddenly woke up from some sleep and we began to hear stories of bribery all over the place.
I am not a member of the Oyomesi. So, I will not be in position to confirm whether anybody paid bribes and whether the alleged bribes were collected.
Those who were alleged to have collected bribes have vehemently denied the allegations.
My concern is this, assuming without conceding that some people were actually bribed as Governor Makinde would want us to believe, was he also bribed to keep quiet for over a year that the name of the Prince who allegedly bribed the Kingmakers was submitted to him, knowing fully well that you have just 21 days to raise objections against such a person?
A good liar doesn’t require only a good memory, he must also be quick and critical in thinking.
Secondly, the events that led to the emergence of the new Alaafin is shrouded in serious but open controversies.
Allegations were made by the Oyomesi that the Governor was trying to subvert the choice of the Kingmakers in a meeting called by the Governor in his office at Ibadan.
A few days after the allegations were made, Governor Makinde announced that Ifa had chosen a new Alaafin and that the choice of the Oyomesi had been jettisoned because, according to him, they were induced to arrive at the choice they made.
Now, let us ask the Governor to provide answers to the following questions: is Governor Makinde aware of the judgment of court which says Ifa has no roles to play in the selection of an Alaafin?
Who called the meeting of the Kingmakers that selected Alaafin Owoade, because the information is that the meeting took place at the Governor’s office whearas, the Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration Laws state that such meeting shall be called by the Bashorun as head of the Kingmakers and it must hold at the palace of the Alaafin in Oyo town?
Is it that Governor Makinde had removed the Bashorun of Oyo town and replaced him with an impostor since he has made no statement concerning the status of the head of the Oyomesi or, the meeting where the new Alaafin was chosen was presided over by himself in his office?
He has kept referring to Ifa and the fact that a renown Professor was consulted to pick the Alaafin.
Will the Governor tell the world where he derived the power and the authority to consult Ifa on behalf of the Oyomesi?
What exactly is his interest in this matter that should outweigh the interest of an average Oyo man?
Governor Makinde has reported the Oyomesi to the EFCC.
Not satisfied, he dragged them before his Anti Corruption Agency, (OYACA).
There are different court cases filed on this matter.Yet, he has been calling them all manner of names and while he is doing all this, I wonder if he had ever paused to evaluate his actions.
It is only “Esu” the deity who is said to be shedding blood from the eyes in an attempt to sympathize with a bereaved person.
It is said that while the bereaved sheds tears, ” Laaroye” as Esu is also known sheds blood. ( Elekun nsunkun, Laaroye nsun eje).
The roles assigned for a Governor in the process of selecting an Alaafin are clearly spelt out in the enabling Laws like I have said before.
The Laws doesn’t require the Governor to turn himself to an accuser, the interrogator, the prosecutor and the Judge, just as Governor Makinde is acting up here.
Honestly, his actions actually typifies what Yorubas describe as “Alaseju” and they say that the Alaseju actually begat the “Alasete”.
Many times, I used to pity Governor Makinde.
Honestly, I do.
When you are in position of authority and you are putting on a toga that frightens those around you, to the extent that they could not tell you the truth, even, when you are headed for the bush.
There is a character Yorubas identify and called ” Oniyeye”.
The word ” yeye” in English can be described as someone who loves to make fun of otherwise serious issues but it could also connote unseriousness.
I don’t know how someone would be comfortable being seen as an ” Oniyeye” just because no one would tell him to his face that he is one.
Governor Makinde thinks it is fun to accuse the Oyomesi of collecting bribes to select the Alaafin of their choice despite the fact that they have vehemently denied the claims and went a step further to file actions in court.
Ok. Will Governor Makinde tell us who collected bribes in Eruwa?
He was the one who unilaterally oversaw the illegality of returning Samuel Adebayo Adegbola as an impostor at the Eruwa Palace in violation of the judgment of the Supreme Court.
Did he also collect bribe from Adegbola or he thinks he is too big to be so accused?
Governor Makinde’s meddlesomeness in Chieftaincy affairs is not hidden. It is legendary.
Oyo town is not in isolation. He did so in Eruwa, Iseyin, Ogbomoso and even Ibadan.
I think Governor Makinde should save his bullets and use it at the appropriate places.
The issues are in court. He should be telling the stories about Ifa and bribery to My Lord and when he gets there, he should just tell the Court that, as the Grand Chief Justice of Nigeria, his word is Law. I think that should settle the matter. Shouldn’t it?
I don’t know how Governor Makinde still finds the confidence to be bragging about trivial issues when Oyo state is decaying daily under his watch.
I saw another headline yesterday where he was quoted as saying that things are hard.
No doubts. Things are very very hard and the Governor should be held accountable here in Oyo state.
Why is it that he has continued to borrow recklessly and yet, rural development is at ground zero?
Why is it that Oyo state does not have an acre of farm anywhere despite spending and borrowing billions of Naira in respect of Agribusiness?
Why is it that he has kept spending Local Government funds on non productive projects like Light Up Oyo and Bus Terminals?
Why is it that Government assets and Lands are no longer safe?
Why is it that Oyo state kept falling behind in Education to the extent that we are now behind states like Borno and Kaduna?
Why are we still depending on the North for the supplies of pepper, tomatoes, onions, yams, watermelon and ground nuts when we can easily grow this farm products, except onions, here in Oyo state ?
Why is it that Government no longer pay for the WAEC and NECO fees in Oyo state like before?
Why is the Governor not telling us what he has been doing with the increased monthly Allocations for the state and the 33 Local Governments?
These are areas we need the Governor to dissipate energy not on issues that are now beyond his powers.
I must remind the Governor that time is seriously running out fast.
Perhaps, it is time to send emissaries out in search of the ” Omi”.
May I suggest Tunisia?
SOLA ABEGUNDE.
