IYIOLA AKOGUN: THE CURSE OF OBSESSION AND DISEASE OF NOT KNOWING WHEN TO STOP

 Dear Barrister Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo,

Let me begin with all due apology that your initial piece had all indications of cognitive dissonance, sanctimony, dramatization, and consequently, it is all performative. You embarked on storytelling and narrating the history of our dear state and you began from 2003? If I may ask, is it because the years that preceded were beautiful or were also not years to be proud of. You had to sweep the late Lawal administration under the carpet, don't you feel it is hypocrisy? This is a question begging for an answer. 

Sir, you are beyond being bold to have laid claims, evaluation and issuance of judgement on three administrations but forsake/exonerate Lawal's administration. Therefore, it is a disservice to the new generation of Kwarans sir. If history was not properly recorded, what you did is like the version of the Yoruba history that said the world was full of oceans before Obatala came with a Cock, sand and white clothe; then he placed the Cock on the white clothe and the Cock used its legs to scatter the sand. Hence, that is how we have come to have this vast land in the world. I am sure you also find this version of Yoruba history ridiculous Barrister. It is total dismissal of the people's identity, the intention of the writer was to write for foolish people, perhaps like himself, he definitely knew that was not the history.

The confidence to equally compare and eventual rubbishing of the Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq led administration with that of Bukola Saraki and Fatai Ahmed is similar to the story of a Trojan Prince known as "Paris", he fell in love with the wife of a Greek King, knowing fully well that Greek possessed greater military strength, civilization and even far advanced than Troy. As you know, Troy disappeared from the pages of history for that singular action, which you will agree with me, perhaps if you are convinced that it was foolish. The destiny of Troy and its people should not have been staked at the war, all they needed to do was to return the wife to the rightful owner and continue to exist on the page of history. May be you do not understand the danger of not putting history straight. If not, the simple responsibility of not altering history and setting the record straight should not have been a burden. I believe we must not assume that you know well enough. Paris was foolish, despite all reality before him, he allowed love to cloud his reasoning. The opposite here is that hatred is what you harbour with the same effect and consequence. 

Sir, at what cost does supporting Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq cost Kwara. You are someone who supported AA, later dubbed as not being educated or not advancing his education for Governor of our state. Yet, you stand boldly before Kwarans, isn't it daring sir? You're suddenly a concerned individual and patriot? 

Logically, we can hold Bukola Saraki and Fatai Ahmed responsible, accountable, question them on why their actions contradict their education. In fact, it was right to have expectations from them. However, knowingly to you, the strategist of O'toge political porn, don’t you think you are going overboard by expecting anything remarkable from the sitting governor, your two eyes were wide open. As Reuben Abati rightly said few days ago, *"experience does not count in prostitution"*, I am certain aspiring political prostitutes won't need your manual, they will know how it feels in the end. 

Proceeding in registering my disappointments as a young Kwaran, permit me to say I have on many occasions witnessed where you pointed fingers without providing us sufficient information on your achievements, even personal wins that will serve as motivation or occasions principle worked for you that we can emulate. Barrister, don’t you have any record, history that is worthy of note sir? 

Collapsing the three administrations in the state as minimum government and shielding a particular one from history should be considered foundation of *"political porn"* in the state? I meant no offense and I would like you to read all these with open mind, you know, I am just curious. If you are that great as a person, why are your greatness only found in criticisms and shedding *“tears of shame”* on how O’toge turned out to be? 

You are talking about trillions again? We are having discussion on trillions again sir? Recall that there was a time Bukola Saraki was said to worth 17 trillion, you and your radio colleagues made the claim. Statistics and facts proved even Kwara State financial history does not amount to that. Sir, are you being mischievous again, without facts, statistics, you are making huge claims again based on implicit assumptions that escaped scrutiny? Affairs of statehood transcends beyond raping people’s history and violating moral codes for campaign of calumny, designed to bring people down. You lie with all *"aggressiveness"* like someone who is not aware that God exists.

Three thousand roads should have been built? Your idea of governance must have been premised on some *"student umionism template."* To what extent do you understand governance or strive to equip yourself with the financial history of Nigeria, governance is beyond having bedroom tea and grabbing a pen to write such a new year message sir. I challenge you to give us the analysis of how such amount of roads should have been built with correct financial estimation and Kwara's financial strength, did you dream of Akwa-Ibom overnight? You exaggerate Kwara's strength, part of the reasons why AA had to tear O'toge's manifesto and adopted the Student Union Government module. They were far from reality, you live in Utopian city, you should try to step out and see the world. Governance should be about reality and not promises, when will you learn this and let it guide your politics? 

Yes, I decided to be generous with my figures, If Kwara is receiving 3 billion since 1999 every month, for 12 month is 36 billion and multiplied by 22 years (2022 just began but I included it) will be 792 billions. If we should round up everything and update our current earnings, Kwara should be pegging slightly above one trillion naira in recent time. Please where do you see the trillions being embezzled? If you want to engage in intellectual gymnastics, you should at least get your facts right sir. Don't just stare at the ceiling and the fan rolling and be imagining things with your leg crossed on the wall dear Barrister.  

For your information, a report published by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its “2020 report on women and men” shows that Kano state had the highest number of out of school children with 989,234, while Akwa-Ibom (581,800), Katsina (536,122) and Kaduna (524,670) followed closely. Other states that ranked high on the list are Taraba (499,923), Sokoto (436,570), Yobe (427,230), Zamfara (422,214) and Bauchi (354,373). (Culled from Premium Times).

The states that were said to have the lowest numbers of out-of-school children, according to the report, were Cross River with 97,919, Abia with 91,548, Kwara with 84,247, Enugu with 82,051, Bayelsa with 53,079, FCT with 52,972 and Ekiti with 50,945. You can't take away the efforts of the past administration in achieving that, you and I know how long it took for AA to constitute the cabinet and he is definitely no magician, you know all this Barrister Akogun. 

Aviation College and Stadium are not beneficial? Are you so detached from history that you failed to see how many graduates are being produced from that college? You even omitted KWASU out of desperation to rape Saraki with propaganda again, you ignored countless of projects and urbanization plan of the Saraki led administration, water and electricity projects in the state. Were you on exile sir or you lost the proper record of history? 

Our worry now is the decline in quality left by previous administrations and total disregard for the efforts it took to get this state to where it is today. The stagnant stage we are now, you are not a victim of this turbulent time, but an accomplice, syndicate sir. The continuous display of virility of the obsessed from your end is worrisome dearest Akogun. Governance is beyond viewing state craft from the eyelid of a child. 

History is clear, there was no need to manipulate it, such attempt only advertises or notifies people to look beyond the fence of your compound to know whether all is well with you. Enjoy the new bromance with Professor Oba and continue your plot for 2023, but do not alter history, you have no place in it. Continue to hustle as you have always done, run errands as you have always done, it will pay one day. The wages of “the obliqueness” is there as payment of your kindness. 

Bukola Saraki is not a demi god, however, do not rob a man of his merits. We are not laying claims on what we did not do, we are not stealing anybody's effort, we are only stating clearly what we've done in area of Education, Health, Sport, Infrastructure and other key areas of development without addition or subtraction, it is evil of you to have compared us with the present administration, very evil of you. Sir, kindly take your tears of shame on O'toge forward, we can't afford the comfort you seek. 

Conclusively, we equally charge you to continue to be the perfect human that you are. Those who are custodian of your history may perhaps be willing to entertain us one day, especially your days of doing business in PDP. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR SIR!

 

David Titiloye writes from Lagos.