The courageous governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-rufai stirred the hornet’s nest last weekend in Ikoyi, Lagos when he offered a scientific prognosis on how to end the bitter scourge of godfatherism in Lagos.
El-Rufai who never mentioned any godfather’s name exposed the overrated task master as a paper weight political figure who could easily be sent to retirement through the ballot. The reactionary elements and Tinubu’s hawks kicked expectedly.
According to them, the Pharaoh of Lagos is a magnanimous tyrant who cares to drop crumbs to the impoverished majority through his vast patronage networks hence, the servitude should continue.
Whilst the halfwits Tinubu’s sheep were busy whinning over El-rufai’s workable template of freeing Lagos, a disgruntled , faceless hired group masquarading as Yoruba Youth Council led by one Adedotun Hassan addressed a press conference where he claimed that ‘his’ not mine ‘godfather’ is progress despot who enthroned President Muhammadu Buhari.
That is contextually false. To start with, only God empowers and enthrones leaders. It is fraudulent to arrogate the collective efforts of various tendencies and interests in the south west who facilitated Buhari’s victory in 2015 solely to Bola Tinubu.
Former Lagos State Governor and now Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, SAN as a poster boy of then opposition Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN produced the results for Buhari.
The last presidential election results in Lagos crumbled the well-entrenched lies and propaganda that Tinubu rules the political firmament of the state. Truth be told, the tyrant is more of political liability than asset in Yorubaland. The was visible in the rigged governorship election of Osun and how he failed to impose his stooge, Olusegun Abraham in Ondo State.
It is shameful that Adedotun Hassan, an ethnic hustler who has been defrauding bigwigs in the region by passing-off himself as a comrade fighting for the interests of Yoruba nation could be easily bought over by the same man he led protests against his avarice and impulsive greed to rape Lagos till death.
Hassan was among the promoters of protests against hike of Lekki Toll Fare, one of the fraudulent schemes where his ‘progressive godfather’ rakes in millions daily from hapless Lagosians. It was gathered that having lost out in a bid to become a federal lawmaker, Hassan has returned to his vomit and started hailing the chief tormentor for pecuniary and political gains.
Hassan and the faceless disgruntled Yoruba youth he leads should point to any worthy enduring legacies that TInubu has bequeathed to the Yoruba nation other than brigandage, vote buying and whole scale stealing with finese and sophistication.
Is it a man who was caught carting in our collective patrimony in bullion vans in broad day and still had the effrontery to tell us to our face that he owned the money, that should revered?
What honour remains for a ‘godfather’ who traded off his party presidential candidate, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu in 2011 for money? These disgruntled youth indeed need help.
The depraved intellectual quotient of these so called Yoruba youth is another sad legacy of Tinubu godfatherism where critical thinking has been subjugated by ill-gotten monetary inducements. These can’t be conscientious Yoruba folks. The Omoluabi ethos extols virtue and good name above ill-gotten wealth.
A man who has compromised every institution cannot be regarded as a progressive element. He is lacking in character to lead Nigeria. He should bury the thought. Tinubu can’t play God. The almighty is still in charge of the affairs of men.
Let it be known to Tinubu and his cohorts that his reign of impunity is gradually grinding to a halt. By 2023, it will be total political eclipse for the power-drunk godfather.
Dabira Olorunfemi writes from Lagos
