Dr. Olusegun Mimiko

This article – written by Kolawole Olabisi (The Nation) – is a rebuttal of Bola Bolawole’s recent articles in the news dailies questioning the fidelity of the reports on the unprecedented support for Dr Mimiko’s Labour Party in Ondo State. One of Mr. Bola Bolawole’s articles can be read on Tribune: http://www.tribune.com.ng/30032007/politics.html

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Going through Mr. Bola Bolawole’s article with the title: “Re: Media Hype and Electoral Fortunes: Matters Arising,” on page 12 of the Saturday, 31 March, 2007 edition of The Nation, one cannot but agree with him on some of the salient issues he raised and truism in them.

However, the referred former editor of the PUNCH newspaper ostensibly goofed or deliberately chose not to confront the stark reality of the unfolding political scenario in Ondo State. This is no doubt for reasons best known to him and this, for now, is outside the scope of this article.

For contrary to assertion that he comes home regularly from his Lagos base, albeit “in recent weeks,” to quote him, the Owo-born journalist appears not to be in consonance with events on the political scene in his home state. Otherwise, he would not have bashed the media which he has and he is still benefiting from of bias and labeled it as a veritable medium of propagating falsehood! If not anything, the media has been alive to its responsibility and has given fair reportage of events in the state save for some exceptions which could be excused given our peculiar situation. This also is outside the scope of the write up.

In Ondo State today, the political scenario is an interesting one indeed as the incumbent Governor, Dr. Olusegun Agagu is now daily battling stiff opposition against him. Yet, a few months ago, especially before December last year, this was hardly the case. From all intent and purposes, he (Agagu) looked set to ward off his opponents without much stress. The tempo has now changed. A key factor in this change of fortune for Dr Agagu’s desire to govern Ondo for four more years was the advent of erstwhile Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Dr Olusegun Mimiko into the race for the Alagbaka Government House. Mimiko (fondly called Iroko of Ondo politics by admirers), a two-time Health Commissioner and Secretary to the State Government (SSG), is a grassroots politicians with a huge followership base declared under the Labour Party on December 14, 2006, thus adding zest to the hitherto bland political atmosphere in the State.

In spite of the fact that several other candidates are jostling for the plum position, the contest for who emerges as the governor on April 14 appears to be a straight one between Mimiko and Agagu.

Thus, the battle for who controls the state begun in earnest. And the contestants have taken their manifestoes to the electorate criss-crossing the length and breath of the state canvassing for votes on the rostrum. Undoubtedly, Dr Agagu had a head start in the race to retain his job having been on the seat for almost four years, he had virtually gone round each of the 18 local government councils in the State several times over selling his achievements in office to the people.

Interestingly enough, immediately Mimiko declared his intention to run, a development which put to rest the rumour mill which had been rife with stories of his not running for the Alagbaka Government House, Agagu took his campaign train to both Ondo East and Ondo West local government councils, Mimiko’s home town and natural stronghold.

The Governor invited a galaxy of press men to give the occasion special media coverage; expectedly, the media hype that was to greet the events was unprecedented as both the print and electronic media were awashed with the reports of the visit for several weeks after.

But being an unbiased umpire, several of the media men who were invited by government to cover what was termed in government circle as: ‘Onslaught on Iroko’s den’, requested to be on the entourage of Dr Mimiko whenever he too intends to take his campaign tour to Irele and Okitipupa, the two local government councils which should naturally be Agagu’s hunting ground being an Okitipupa indigene himself.

Expectedly, this request was granted and the press men came, witnessed, and wrote their reports giving accounts of the huge crowd of Agagu’s kinsmen, even in his hometown, who came out to declare their support for Dr Mimiko’s ambition to rule the state from May 29, this year. But sadly enough, and as is usually the case where people want to be mischievous, the media was to be blamed for doing its job and for giving the true picture of the campaign tours of Ikaleland by Dr. Mimiko.

What, perhaps, irks one about Mr. Bolawole’s article and others that had been published by lackeys of the Agagu’s government is the attempt to distort facts and gloss over the fact that the people of Ondo State want a change of government come May 29, this year. With the coming of Dr Mimiko into the race, even the very soul of the ruling PDP government in the State has been decimated. Its chairman, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, under whose tenure Agagu became the governor of the state, dumped his party for the LP. The Secretary of the party in the state, Hon Boluwaji Kunlere, also left the PDP while a host of other leaders and political office holders in the Agagu administration, including chairmen of boards and parastatals resigned their positions and joined the LP.

Mr. Waheed Adebayo’s write up in the NIGERIAN TRIBUNE which galvanized Mr. Bolawole into writing was even a mild reporter’s account of the actual happening at Okitipupa. One can hardly blame the Youngman for applying self censorship in his report, who knows some people might be asking for his head by now. Were Adebayo to write on the outright rejection of Agagu by his Ikale kinsmen as was the case during the visit of Iroko to the local government area, were he to document in actual terms, the vituperations of the people of Iju-Odo, the Agagu’s hometown on their son whom they accused of neglect in his four years as governor, were Adebayo to write on the visible show of solidarity of the Ikale people for Mimiko who as two-time commissioner for health brought real healthcare facilities for them the like of which has not been replicated ever since, wont they have asked for his (Adebayo’s) sack?

Did THE NIGERIAN TRIBUNE’s reporter revealed in his article that at Igbotako, which is almost a shouting distance to Iju-Odo, Agagu’s hometown, an indication that the Ikale people are not happy with Agagu’s performance in office as governor was given by a cleric, Evangelist Sunday Akingbehin who mounted the rostrum, opened his Bible and read from 1Timothy, 5:8 thus: “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever”. To him Agagu, who is an Ikaleman, has not provided for his people.

His word: “We told him when he was canvassing for votes in 2003 that we will vote for him being our son who knows our need. He promised to give us a higher institution which is lacking in the entire Southern Senatorial District. He also pledged to give us water, electricity and provide jobs opportunities for our people. But four years on, he has not kept the faith and we have rejected him.”

These are actual events that happened in a sitting governor’s domain and should Mr. Bolawole be interested, I will be wiling to send either CDs or video cassettes of Mimiko’s visit to Okitipupa and Irele council areas to him to see that Mr. Adebayo not only under-reported the rallies but was also too mild in his report; after all, seeing, they say is believing.

Mr.Bolawole is well aware that politics in his home state is not usually that of, to quote him: “Omo eni ko sedi bebere, ka fi ileke si t’omo elomiran, teni nteni,” that is, “you do not say because your daughters buttocks are not big enough, therefore, you will decorate another man’s daughter’s backside with your own beads; what is yours is surely yours.”

The people of Ondo State are highly sophisticated people, very upright and would not be party to partisanship based on ethnic affinity and this had been proven severally in the in the past. Mr. Bolawole would definitely bear me witness on this as there is no need to go into history to prove this salient.

If you are a good material, you will be supported by all and sundry even if their son or daughter is contesting for the same position. So when has it become an anathema for the Ikale people, renowned for their knack for doing what is right irrespective of whose horse is gored, to rally round a man whom they know is not from their local government?

The truth about this matter is that the long-suffering people of Ondo State want a change and they are prepared to effect a change of baton of who occupy the Alagbaka Government House come May 29 this year.

Perhaps, those who indulge in staying in the cocoon of their cozy rooms in far away Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja or wherever and write stories about Ondo State should be told that the people of the state are aware that the resources available to the current administration are, perhaps, more than all the revenues the state had from 1976 when it was created to 2003 when the present administration came into office.

For instance, in July last year alone, Ondo State received from the Federation Account a total of N9 billion! Yet what do we have to show for all these?

Except pipe borne water which are only being drunk on the screens of the state-owned television station, surface-dressed roads that break harried motorists’ windscreens, hospitals that lacked facilities excepts those hurriedly put in place for visiting August visitors and which are soon evacuated to God knows , where after the ceremony, or is it gigantic billboards erected all over the state with phantom projects listed as completed for the use of the people? It is now clear to all and sundry that there has been no corresponding level of development to match Ondo ever-increasing resources in the last 4 years. Any wonder then the clamour for a change by the people who now see Dr Mimiko, a man they know, as can be seen from the huge turn out whenever his campaign train berths? This is the reason why the media is always at the receiving end for daring to let the people who are outside Ondo State know the true position of things.

As a reporter some years back, a politician of note called me aside one day and told me to tell my colleagues that the media is the last bastion of hope for the masses and that should the media be compromised then all hope is lost. It, therefore, behoves on us media men to hold the forte and live up to expectation. True, the media can be compromised as is evident here; the truth is that it is still the last hope of the masses and everything must be done to defend this noblest of all professions.

*Kolawole Olabisi, a former Assistant Editor of the PUNCH newspaper is of the Ondo State Labour Party.