Date Published: 10/30/11

Unveiling Senator Abiola Ajimobi by Comrade Zachariah Ajisafe

It is indeed a trite to say that the best time to have genuine assessment of an individual is when the person is in affluence or in the position of authority. As a lecturer and social commentator, I have always taken time to study people before concluding on them.

However, the case of the present governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi has continued to confound me. Since his first public appearance as the Senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, outwardly, Senator Ajimobi cut the personality of a decent , straight forward, kind and sincere person. Expectedly , on assuming duty as the governor of Oyo State, I was one of the many people that rejoiced that at last, the state was ready to make serious progress.

As much as I am not out to condemn or chastise the governor for the well known inactions of his government, I want to point out some areas where he has actually disappointed us, his admirers for immediate redress. I am doing so in his interest and the general interest of our dear state.

Shortly after he took oath of office, Senator Ajimobi without any prompting or pressure from anybody declared that he would create 20,000 jobs within the first 100 days in office. Many people including the spokesman for the immediate past governor told Senator Ajimobi that the promise was a tall one which they said then was unattainable . instead of reasoning with the critics of the planned programme, the media adviser of the governor called Prince Oyelade and co names and asked them to wait till when their government is 100 days before condemning the governor. Alas! 100 days came, 120, 130 and it is now almost 200 days not even a single job created out of the 20,000 promised by the governor.

Five months in the office, Governor Ajimobi has not kept any of his promises with the people of Oyo State. The promise of immediate payment of the 18,000 minimum wage ; regular payment of Salary before 25th of every month and monthly publication of the state accounts are all still begging for fulfillment by the governor.

But if one can excuse the inability of the governor in meeting these promises to lack of good knowledge of the workings of the government or inexperience or lack of the requisite capacity needed to drive the programmes at the speed the governor was envisaging when making them, what I found most unacceptable, ungodly and inhuman in the actions of the governor is the unnecessary outright act of vindictiveness in the running of the government. I was acutely shocked to hear on the radio by one of the current Local Government caretaker chairmenin the state that they(the chairmen) have not paid the outstanding two months salaries and allowances of the Caretaker Chairmen and councilors that served under the last government because the incumbent governor told them not to pay them. Why? This is the least I personally expect from Senator Ajimobi whom I thought would be promoting politics without bitterness. This is outrageous. And for this to be happening under a progressive government in Oyo State of 2011 is profane

I had thought that the government had settled the payment of these chairmen after they cried out about two months ago seeking the intervention of all the Islamic clerics in the state to beg the governor to pay them their entitlements. Did they actually need to seek the Imams intervention or beg anybody at all to get their entitlements?

In summary, I want to advise our governor to always consult very well before making promises, keep his promises and the idea of running government with arrogance, hatred and bitterness should be discarded. It is God that put you there and should always put God first in all your dealings with people.

Comrade Zakariyau Ajisafe, Agbowo, Ibadan