Popular broadcaster, Oriyomi Hamzat, who was recently released from the detention of the department of state security has explained why he has had to relocate to neighbouring Ghana.
According to the 37 year old in a post in his website, he said he had to run for his life but “not necessarily because I was scared of dying but because I imagine what would become the fate of so many people including the kids I was picking from the streets if I did not flee to Ghana.”
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August is a wonderful month even to Oriyomi. It is a month that comes with surprise, suspense and amusing happenings. It is no wonder then that every important guest is called an ‘August’ visitor.
The month of August however to Oriyomi Hamzat will remain unforgettable. It opened to me some of the most interesting episodes of my life. I’m not sure but I think I have a score to settle with the month of August.
Do you all remember that I was actually sent on a voyage of experience to Agodi Prisons last year in this same month of August? That was over a case of murder that I knew nothing about. You remember, right?
That’s not even the talk for today. I’ll still talk about that in subsequent episodes of ‘Chronicles of Oriyomi’.
Now, let me share with you the story of my journey to Ghana. My beloved one, should I tell you the truth? I ran away to Ghana ni. As in I fled to Ghana. I had to run for my life. I ran not necessarily because I was scared of dying but because I imagine what would become the fate of so many people including the kids I was picking from the streets if I did not flee to Ghana.
It all happened on a beautiful day when as usual I got tensed with the situation of our dear Oyo state. Several days before this, I have been playing host separately and jointly to groups of retired primary school teachers whose pension and gratuity remained hanged up in the hands of those who are supposed to pay them.
Every time when they come to me, I feel the pain and the pity of these people. I feel the fact that some of them have kids who look up to them. I feel the pang that they are still responsible to their families, friends and relatives. And more than that, they have responsibilities towards themselves. Some of them started businesses before leaving service with the hope of falling back to such business when they retire eventually while they further fund it with their pensions.
Today, those businesses have seized to exist because the pensions and gratuities which they are expecting weren’t flowing in. Eventually, they are left with nothing! Absolutely nothing!
Some of them did not even bother to venture into business. They were super diligent in their service to the government. They rendered the service with their body, spirit and soul hoping that upon retirement, they’ll keep enjoying the fruit of their labour. They’ve been proved to the wrong. The wisdom of the proverbial tree which caused you to get wet and must therefore provide warmth for you did not apply to these people.
Meanwhile, while these was going on, groups of lecturers of colleges of education in Oyo state were also reaching out to me over their unpaid salary arrears. The calls were intense and the visitations were quite much.
After several visitations and discussion into their plight of these people, I decided to intervene as usual. I presented their case based not just on their complaint but also after in-depth investigation into the matter. I conducted the investigation both covertly and overtly, directly and by proxy, gather facts and inferences even when these concerned people do not know about it.
I did not go on air to discuss their plight until I was fully satisfied that they were right! Right! As in Right with a capital R. Ah, anybody that knows Oriyomi should know that being right is the only GO that I hear, understand and act on. The moment you are right and justified, then there is no going back on the extent I can fight with you and for you.
However, what happened after I presented the plight of the primary school teachers and the college of education lecturers wasn’t what I expected!
I was baffled! I was surprised! At a point, I was just befuddled at the extent some people can go in order to cover up the obvious, trample on the truth and silence the voice calling for justice and fair treatment.
I’ll share with you the tales, trust me it is not a ‘tell all’; because I can’t even finish telling it, but it is a ‘must tell’.
