| PDP will lose Ondo
if it picks Agagu again –Chief (Mrs) Mobolaji
Osomo
By BIODUN FANORO
Saturday,
September 2, 2006
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•Osomo
Photos: Sun News Publishing
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Killers are on the prowl in the South West. Five weeks ago,
it was Chief Funso Williams in Lagos State, three weeks ago,
it was Dr. Ayo Daramola in Ekiti State.
Ondo State too which lies somewhere between these two states
has witnessed four unsuccessful assassination attempts in
50 days!
Unfortunately all these unsuccessful murder attempts had neither
been condemned by federal authorities nor have they merited
being looked into, simply because no life had been lost even
when some had been permanently maimed.
Chief (Mrs) Mobolaji Osomo, a former Housing and Urban Development
Minister, and now a frontline governorship PDP aspirant in
Ondo State in this interview spoke on the worsening security
situation in the state and why Nigeria does not have to wait
until another Daramola or William is killed before taking
action.
But first, she sounds a note of warning. “Those behind
all these assassination attempts should better watch it in
the interest of peace and security in the state and the country
as a whole. We just have God to thank that no life has so
far been lost even though some have been permanently maimed.
I sincerely believe it is in the interest of our leaders particularly,
President Olusegun Obasanjo, not to wait till these failed
assassinations actually become successful before efforts are
made to get to the root and expose those behind them in Ondo
State. We terribly missed Funso Williams and now Ayo Daramola,
but all these could have been averted with just a minute pause
to look at the threats that preceded them, as it is the case
now in Ondo State.
With the public outcry and condemnations that greeted
the murder of Funso Williams, many would have concluded: Not
again, but barely two weeks after, Dr. Ayo Daramola, another
guber aspirant of People’s Democratic Party was assassinated.
Are you sure the dangerous trend could be stopped and why
do you think they would be reasonable to spare Ondo State?
God forbid such a thing happening in Ondo State, because Ondo
State is a different kettle of fish. If anybody will think
of killing anybody in Ondo State, it would become an ethnic
problem which might result in uncontrollable sequence of events.
So whoever is behind all these assassination attempts should
better recall his hatchet men and demobilise them.
Are you saying security in Ondo state has badly degenerated
to this level, with no visible effort being made to address
it?
The state of security for persons and property in Ondo state,
is a matter that is agitating the minds of everybody. Very
recently, the state secretary of the PDP, Hon Boluwaji Kunlere
was attacked at about 2a.m in his house, he was fortunate
not to be at home but his wife and aides were not that lucky.
His wife was brutally wounded. Hon Bamido Omogbehin, a member
of the state House of Assembly, was visited by assassins,
he too was saved by God but not without giving a dose of their
bitterness to two of his aides they met at home. They were
terribly matcheted and abandoned in the pool of their blood.
Dr. Niyi Ikuemelo from Okitipupa was given a fairly different
version of the attack. He was kidnapped, his attacker held
to him for about a week, demanding N2.5 million ransome. The
latest was Bimbo Fajolu from Ile-Oluji. He was abducted around
Oja-Oba in Akure and dumped few kilometres away after he had
been severally shot. He was rescued by passers-bye who saw
him in the pool of his blood. I too was not spared of this
threat. I had a very nasty intimidating experience in ore.
One of the state governor’s personal Assistants, Femi
Johnson, came with some people to surround me in a house where
I went to. I was just lucky that I escaped.
As a major stakeholder not just in Ondo state P.D.P,
but at the national level yourself had been visited with this
threat apart from those you have mentioned. What efforts did
you make to call the attention of security agents and other
custodians of security to this emerging bloody situation?
I lodged complaint with relevant authorities I believe security
agencies in Ondo state are aware of all these incidents.
They have responded in a way. Both the state Police Command
and the SSS recently called a meeting of top politicians and
other stake-holder in the state, though sad enough the governor
refused to attend it, but we all went there. At the meeting,
we discussed exhaustively, all these assassination threats
and the general issue of political violence in the state.
I really believe that the Police have a duty to fish out the
culprits and their mentors to discourage further attempt,
God forbid, which could lead to loss of live.
A cursory review of the list of those whose lives
have been attempted in Ondo State revealed that except for
Bimbo Fajolu, the rest were from Ikale, the governor’s
home base of Governor Segun Agagu. What message is being sent
here?
According to the Police at the Ondo meeting, they believed
the attempts were local issues. But we disagreed, we don’t
believe so. We believe these attempts were conceived and aimed
at those that have been perceived to be opposed to either
the incumbent administration’s poor performance or his
second term bid, which for all intent and purposes the governor
does not deserve.
The last attack now has gone as far as Ile-Oluji. I don’t
think it is a Southern (Senatorial) issue. It is a PDP issue.
It is an issue of those who are for Agagu and who are opposed
to him. Already we are working towards un-masking those being
used for these dastardly acts. Each community now is trying
to fish out the culprits. Each community is now on the look
out for those who are training thugs, those who are recruiting
training and arming retired military and police personnel
to be used for these reprehensible acts. Each community across
the state is now looking very closely within so as to be able
to fish them out.
There are reports here and there that Chief Osomo
is interested in becoming Ondo state governor, in 2007. How
for is it true.
It is very very true, it is not something new. This is something
I have tried in 1999. If you could remember, I won the primary
of the Alliance for Democracy at that time. But then it was
taken away from me, I didn’t mind, hoping that the best
would be given to Ondo state. But this time I believe I have
a duty to come out to have another go at the governorship
of that state maybe so many things that are wrong, many of
us can work together collectively and change the situation
from what it is. There are so many industries which I set
up that are now dead, I believe I can revive them.
In the riverine area, there is so much devastation and erosion
going on. There is so much sea incursion washing away many
communities, we have to do something about it. The northern
senatorial too, the only avenue of escape in that place is
if you are going to Abuja and the line from Owo, we need to
open those places up. And coming to the central senatorial
district, there is need to open it up by crating new roads
that will link it with the two other senatorial districts
and the main highway from Lagos to the East. There is need
for employment for all our teaming youths, it is a responsibility
we owe them and owe the nation’s security.
If you say you need to work with people to do all
these, don’t you think people will ask you why didn’t
you work with Dr Agagu?
I have been working with him all the time, but he believes
the whole thing is a joke, the problems, are real and are
staring us in the face since 2004, after allowing him about
a year to settle down and map out the strategies and modalities.
I have been screaming that what we are getting is not good
enough, but he will not listen. To ensure there would be no
farther avenue for us to point out these things that we know,
are not good enough, he created a wall, pocketted the party
and invite or allow anybody he wants to see into the party
caucus, those who would always sing his praise, when it is
too obvious those who are supposed to praise him, the masses,
are cursing him and are saying not again.
Now that he has refused to work with you, you feel
it is time to come out.
I believe so not because it is me as such, but I believe there
is so much to be done. It’s not just Mrs Osomo as such,
it is because of the future of that state.
You are coming on rescue mission?
Surely, that is exactly what I am coming to do
Can’t people misconstrue your intention to rescue the
state, for a personal dislike for Agagu? That coming from
the same senatorial and political zone, you were just out
to block his second term bid.
I have nothing personal against Dr. Agagu, I like him and
he too knows that. I was one of the 12 people, in fact the
third, that signed for his candidature in 2003. I sincerely
like him personally, what I could no longer tolerate is mediocre
service and the way he has been fooling people of the state.
My people in Ondo State deserve far more than what he is dishing
out to them. This is the only oil-producing south-western
state, there ought to be the difference in their entire life.
If it is about good governance and development, could the
people have a small taste of the difference you are coming
to offer?
I am a tested hand in Ondo State. I have already told you
the industries I built in Ondo State. Not only industries,
I wrote the memo and articles of the former Owena (Omega)
Bank, Confidence Insurance. Even the issue of oil discovery
in Ondo State was my own home work. I learnt he (Agagu) has
been trying to claim it. Let me quickly point out that we
have received royalties in Ondo State in 1980, we received
N3 million. At a point, the Federal Government stopped payment
of that money. Later, it was revived under Ernest Shonekan,
that was when he (Agagu) was deputy governor under Olumilua.
With so much coming from oil, would you say people
sitting on this oil and the state as a whole have got a fair
deal?
We have nothing, nothing whatsoever. We are on water, we have
no water to drink, we have no light, we have no functional
health care.
What is that thing that will make PDP retain Ondo
State and what is that thing that could make it lose the state?
How is the party tackling this?
PDP will not retain Ondo State, if the party picks him (Agagu)
again as its 2007 guber candidate (cut in how?) how? People
are disenchanted with his performance. They did not believe
he would do better than what they have seen. They have no
trust. At the end of the day, people are regretting that they
made a great mistake. His performance during the period of
Olumilua, they put the state funds in some phoney banks, the
money disappeared.
Are there real threats that the party may lose Ondo
State?
It is real, if not even a threat, it is assured. If he comes
back, people will just find an alternative, they will dump
the party for any other one. And that will be the end of the
road for the party in the state.
If he is not taken as the candidate to represent PDP, then
whoever the candidate is, would have a lot of hard work, a
lot of panel-beating to do, because, he has really damaged
PDP to a state of coma.
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