Behind every great fortune, there is a crime – Balzac. And behind every blood dripping mayhem unleashed on innocent civilians in Ibadan and its environs, there are wild, feral and hardened criminals. Think of the punchy ‘omo-Ijoba’ moniker lumped on political thugs under the watch of this Government and you start to seamlessly connect the dots of atrocities committed around the capital city since May 29, 2019 – the day Governor Seyi Makinde’s caravan strolled briskly into the expansive Agodi Government house.
At first, one is tempted to ask what makes GSM’s bromance with Mukaila Lamidi, aka Auxiliary, thick. For a calm, easy going, soft spoken and fabulously rich engineer to share affinity with that dreaded personality continue to beats one’s imagination. One go-to and simple answer to that riddle maybe that of ‘alter-ego’ which Wikipedia says is an alternative self. This also helps explain the point that in politics, as the saying goes, anything is actually possible. That you are easy going and soft spoken does not implies you can’t strike a deal with the devil or wine with its incarnates. It is the way it is. People look out for their alternative self and explore and exploit it to the point of elasticity.
Of course, history is replete with auxiliary’s mendacious atrocities from his hey days under the tutelage of late Ibadan political maestro, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu and his mentor late Alhaji Lateef Salako (eleweomo) though I am not actually dipping my pen into those ugly and stinking past. Nevertheless, I will paint a picture of who Oyo PMS chairman is before he became an official with convoy of this present Government. Not quite surprising, auxiliary’s name whenever and wherever it’s mentioned rings bell of troubles in Ibadan – especially since he’s now being brandished as the ‘Deputy Governor’. An agent provocateur whose Park Management Services has been so recklessly fingered in about any extortion and every exploitation of motorists in Ibadan. And an ex-convict whose records of misdeeds gingerly stand before the public.
For the eight years of late Senator Abiola Ajimobi’s administration, Mr. Auxiliary and his co rabble rousers had tough love and were occasionally yanked off from the state to pave the way for the needed peace, security and stability that was a myth under the previous PDP administrations. Hence, his sentence to a Lagos prison for instance came as a soothing balm to People’s teeth gnashing and harrowing experience especially those within Iwo road axis and it’s surrounding. Welcome another PDP Governor the pace setter state after eight years in vacation.
In essence, politicians are very clever. Especially those from Oyo PDP extraction! They send other people’s wards to where theirs can’t go. They recruit thugs who send chill up the spines of their opponents and common man. They hire happy trigger monsters to scare of people from getting across to them and often empower this misguided elements with dangerous weapons and ammunition. In return especially after election is over, these dangerous weapons are then used to unleash terror and torment people whose singular sin sometimes is that they are present at the scene of their notoriety.
Again, the administration of late Senator Abiola Ajimobi stands out across the state’s length and breadth for single handedly uprooting the seeds of political gangsterism and thuggery that was so planted, watered and nurtured by previous PDP regimes without batting an eye. Due to its tremendous success in sustaining peace and security across the state’s curves and contours, the Government had the luxury of tinkering with almost about everything until Engineer Seyi Makinde happened to Oyo people.
And with the end of Ajimobi’s era, Oyo people basked in the glow of ‘omituntun’ mantra which they mistakenly thought would snowball peace, prosperity, security and stability and development that were the hallmarks of the previous regime. Then the man auxiliary resurfaced again in Oyo politics after spending almost a decade in the quicksand of political oblivion. There are many reasons Governor Seyi Makinde will not throw Mr. Mukaila Lamidi, auxiliary back to the gutter. And that simply will be the last straw that may break the Governor’s carmels back once election knocks the door. While there are burden the Governor will drag towards next election, none is going to be as heavy as dragging a political thug along with him. Not dropping Auxiliary will anger and infuriate people that his infrastructural strides will count for nothing.
In Lagos state for instance, political gangsterism and thuggery have been elevated to a position never before seen. And the poster child for that elevation is MC Oluomo. So, it might be that GSM, being a calm and easy going person is trying to play Tinubu in Oyo or PDP is trying to copy Lagos APC strategy and tactics of intimidation and harassment. Which ever way, Oyo people are smarter and won’t allow someone play kite with their precious lives. In other words and as Michael Bassey Johnson declared “nice words and nice appearance doesn’t conclude that someone is nice, sometimes, the nicer you look, the more deceptive you appear”.
OYO101, Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion on issues affecting Oyo State, is published on Saturdays. He can be reached via muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com and 09065176850.
