Today, I delight to ask questions, which I expect those closer than me to the affected scenes of activity to answer. The rumblings in Ondo state, though multi-faceted, are in two broad categories — security of life and property and cloak-and-dagger struggle for power and fleeting relevance by politicians and power blocs.
On the security front, Ondo state is not smiling; especially the Owo axis where I come from. Reports from home are to the effect that the activities of Fulani herdsmen and bandits are on the increase again. Dastardly acts committed repeatedly send fear and trepidation down the spines of the people. Farmers are denied access to the farm and neither can women go to the brooks to fetch water. Many fear to travel home these days.
The mostly affected areas of Owo/Ose local governments bordering the neighbouring Edo state are particularly unsafe. Recall that it was here that a first-class traditional ruler was murdered by herdsmen/bandits sometime ago. Another area that is fast becoming too dangerous for comfort is the road leading from Owo to the northernmost part of the state. Kidnapping and killing are said to have become a regular occurrence in the aforementioned parts. What is the government doing about it? And what do you, as a person in the thick of this dark cloud, think can be done by Federal, State, and Local governments and the people themselves?
The rival cult wars that ravaged Owo some months’ back are said to have abated in recent times. The curfew imposed by the state government, though not yet officially lifted, is said to have been relaxed and people have tepidly begun to pick the bits and pieces of their economic life. I heard that cult-related killings have meanwhile stopped, thanks to the efforts of the government and the traditional authorities. I watched a video of the Olowo of Owo leading his chiefs and the town’s people to perform traditional rites and lay curses on cultists, their sponsors and backers. That must have helped.
But while the crisis raged, Owo people saw hell in the hands of law enforcers who reportedly took advantage to feather their nests. I understand that so many innocent people were arrested and whisked off to Akure, the state capital, and bail, which officially is free, ranged from between N200,000 and N300,000. People were said to have been arrested right on the pavements, verandas, and balconies of their homes. The suffering was said to have been so much for my people. What do you think: That it serves them right or that the government should investigate and bring the culprits to book?
The cloak-and-dagger struggle for power among the politicians and power blocs in the state is a continuation of the confrontation between the pro-Akeredolu and pro-Aiyedatiwa factions. The Gov. Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu faction reigned supreme while their principal was alive and in power but lost out immediately he died. The faction supporting the then deputy governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, fought tooth-and-nail to prevent his impeachment and once he became governor, the pendulum of power tilted in their favour.
Power equation is never stationary or stagnant. It is dynamic and shifting; today in someone’s favour, tomorrow in another’s. Like corruption, those who lose power fight back. So, there are many angles to the ongoing fight in Ondo state: Those who are angered that it is no longer business as usual are kicking and splattering mud all over the place. That is understandable, it is in the nature of politics, especially the brand played here.
Spencer Johnson’s “Who moved my cheese” tells it all! Few people have the right orientation on how to respond to change. The person whose cheese is moved is not likely to take kindly to it. As our people will say, no one looks kindly at the person who collects food from one’s mouth! Vengeance on the one hand, and the desire to do the right thing, are thus two ends of the stick. So it is “Bi o ba o pa; bi o ba o buu l’ese”. Eliminate him/her physically if you are lucky to catch up with him/her; otherwise, ruin his or her integrity irreparably.
The other side of the coin, however, is that there can be no smoke where there has been no fire. That is one of my profession’s firm beliefs. This is the principle that makes reporters follow all leads and take all rumours and allegations seriously, believing that, in the end, something will be unearthed. The more I perused the allegations making the rounds in Ondo state; the more I kept returning to the conclusion of one informed citizen of the state that altruism is neither totally present nor totally absent in any of them. You might need more than a microscope to glean the ENTIRE truth! Even Jesus Christ did not make light of how arduous the task of separating the wheat from the chaff can be (Matthew 3:12)!
Did you read Chinua Achebe’s “Girls at war?” A 1972 short story, it focused on the essence of survival instinct in the midst of the uncertainties of the Nigerian civil war (1967 – 1970). In Ondo State, high profile “girls” are at war and the focus is survivalist instincts in the slippery terrains and murky waters of politics. In saner climes, once you serve your term and leave office, you stay away! You hugged the limelight while you were there; now is the turn of other people to do similarly. That is the norm of civilised conduct. The new sheriffs in town must also understand that their stay, too, is for a while. Respect yourself, so that you can be respected. Raking up mud does no one any honour.
Jamaican reggae superstar, Peter Tosh, admonishes those who live in glass houses not to throw stones. Were you in public office? Or are you still there? That is a glass house! You should not throw stones! Hardly can you find anyone who passes through public office without leaving skeletons behind. If you left none of yours, what of those left by family, friends, and aides? So, stop washing your dirty linens in the open. It is not all clothes that are spread out in the sun to dry.
Osun state was on fire last week. It is most unfortunate that this came a few days after the six governors of the South-west had demonstrated exemplary camaraderie, giving great hope that they were in one accord to tackle the twin problems of security of life and property and food security, among others, ravaging the region. If the governors did not have it on their agenda before now, henceforth, it must rank high on their priority list to always discuss ways and means of promoting peaceful resolution of issues within the region; especially since they do not all belong to the same political party.
