Afenifere: Fasure’s
attack on OGD, show of ignorance
By Mallam Ahmed Jaji
Sunday, February 17, 2008
 |
•Daniel
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
|
I read Sola Fasure’s viewpoints on Afenifere as it
affects Otunba Gbenga Daniel with wry amusement in his column
in The Nation newspaper on Saturday, January 12, 2008 titled
"Polarizing Afenifere". Fasure has joined the bandwagon
of those politicians, journalists and commentators, who for
obvious reasons, believe that Afenifere as a group is an exclusive
preserve of those who are adept at mouthing progressive ideals
but who in reality are as conservative as Chief Lamidi Ariyibi
Adebibu.
These sets of individuals believe rather naively and in spite
of the objective reality in the South-West of Nigeria, that
the only qualification needed to be a member of the group
is the ability to regurgitate the four cardinal programmes,
as enunciated by the late Sage and the only authentic leader
of the Yoruba, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, even if in practice
and deed, whilst outside and in government, are direct anti-thesis
of what the man stood for in his lifetime.
Of course, politics is largely governed by sententious platitudes,
which are devoid of the truth. That is why Chief Ayo Adebanjo
can now be conveniently linked with the Peoples Democratic
Party simply because he is close to Otunba Gbenga Daniels,
the Governor of Ogun State, a state where Chief Ayo Adebanjo
is a Senior Citizen. Sola should have extended the same accusation
to Yeye-Oba herself, of being a member of the PDP and not
only because of OGD being "a natural charmer and GENEROUS
(Capitals mine) to boot" because she needs Otunba Daniels
financial favours to survive.
It is not a bad belief on Sola’s part to have written
that "I am following with keen interest the controversy
surrounding the attempt to smuggle Ogun State Governor, Otunba
Gbenga Daniel, back into the Afenifere, surprisingly by some
Afenifere Old Guards", it was an erroneous belief! Erroneous
belief in the sense that a person who is widely known to be
a disciple of Chief Awolowo to the extent that he was reported
to be attending meetings in the late sage’s Park Lane
residence in Apapa as a young student of University of Lagos
should not be branded as being "smuggled back into Afenifere."
Thank God, the likes of Chief Ebenezer Babatope are still
alive to corroborate this assertion. One notes also that the
Democratic antecedents and political activism of OGD were
acknowledged, albeit grudgingly by Sola Fasure. OGD’s
sin like that of Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Alhaji Lateef Jakande
and a host of others, was to have questioned the way things
were drifting from the original credo of the Afenifere and
opted to chart independent political courses.
At this juncture, the most germane question one will like
the likes of Fasure to answer is who are those custodians
of the Core values of the Yoruba to determine who must not
be a member of a socio-cultural organization like Afenifere
and who are the Cultural Officers (Custom Officers) manning
the entry point of Afenifere to warrant OGD being smuggled
into Afenifere and who sacked him in the first place to necessitate
his being re-admitted?
What is their political pedigree and antecedent to make them
climb the moral high horse to sermonize about Yoruba core
values or how many of them had gone to Ikenne, the home town
of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, that used to be the Mecca
of the Political elites in the South-West when the sage was
alive, for the past two years or less?
The point now is that people have realized that some politicians
have been using Awo’s name as a camouflage to gain power
and any unbiased and objective chronicler of History with
regards to what happened between 1999 and 2003 would not have
been surprised with the turn of events after the 2003 elections.
One is baffled by Sola’s ignorance as to "why there
was no resistance by the people of the South-West as it would
have been in the past if indeed the election was rigged as
alleged". Of course there could not have been a repeat
of the orgy of violence in the South-West after the 2003 elections
because the Governors of Alliance for Democracy and leaders
of the Afenifere had been busy entering into unholy alliances
with the then President Obasanjo to support him for his re-election
so that he could also ensure that they were also returned
for their respective second term in office.
I do remember vividly that Otunba Gbenga Daniel opted for
the PDP when it was obvious that the then occupant of Oke-Mosan
Government House, Aremo Segun Osoba was not ready to accommodate
him in the Alliance for Democracy. In fact, there was no vacancy
in the government house through the Alliance for Democracy.
That singular decision of Chief Segun Osoba was PDP’s
gain and by extension, that of the people of Ogun State. What
with the stellar performance of OGD and his team of experienced
and visionary technocrats assisting him to deliver Democracy
dividends to the state. It is also note worthy that Senator
Isiaka Adeleke was given the same treatment in Osun State
before he went "Solo" and clinched the Governorship
seat in Osun State.
If the truth must be told, the leaders of Afenifere did not
court history and they paid for their indiscretions. History
is like a woman; History must be taken firmly when she is
ready. Otherwise, she scorns the fumbler, never forgives him
and never offers him another chance. To pick on Otunba Gbenga
Daniel for doing things he had promised his people, which
has earned him accolades, for whatever reason is diversionary
and uncharitable as Fasure tried to do.
|
