A governorship aspirant in Oyo State, Prof Adeolu Akande, on Wednesday,  called on the state Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, to allow compassion to guide his decision when dealing with matters that directly involved the people he governed.

Akande called on the governor to remember the promise he made to cater for the security and welfare of the people of the state when he was elected.

He said, “The primary responsibility of any government is to protect lives and property. The sacredness of private property is second in importance only to that of the preservation of life.

“The furore generated by the demolition of the property of Mr Yinka Ayefele must have demonstrated to the government by now that it was an unpopular decision. Government is about the people and not the anger and emotions of the people in government. The Yoruba capture this truism when they say, ‘Ogbon ni Oba n lo, Oba ki lo agidi’ (ruler rules with wisdom and not with stubbornness).

“The Ayefele saga has once again brought to the fore the need for Governor Ajimobi to rethink his government and review its personnel and focus, as he embarks on his home stretch so that history can be kind to him. As the pioneer Chief of Staff in the administration, I am pained to see that many of the lofty ideals that endeared the governor to the people in the early years have been abandoned and replaced with practices that can only wipe out the achievements of these early glorious years of his administration.”

Akande noted that many of the personnel who encouraged controversial government decisions and actions claimed innocence in private conversations and never identified themselves with those decisions.

“I recall that the location of the Ayefele building was an issue when the dualisation of the Challenge-Toll Gate Road was conceived by the government about 2012 but the governor in his magnanimity directed that all government agencies involved must take measures to protect the building from demolition, even when some forces encouraged him to demolish the building. I plead that Governor Ajimobi should exhibit this same compassion in taking measures that will protect Mr Ayefele, protect private investment in the state, and restore public admiration for him instead of the present angst that pervades the state,” he added. – punch

– Aug. 23, 2018 @ 10:45 GMT |