Our political landscape has given rise to public opinions on both ordinary and sensitive issues as they occur. Sometime, there are more opinions than actual issues and occurrences. The recent views made by Olusola Adegbite, a Lecturer in the Faculty of Law of Obafemi Awolowo University on the media assaults on former Governor of Lagos State Mr Babatunde Fashola left a big question mark on the place of knowledge and information.
For those who missed the article as published online, Olusola Adegbite spared no words to cast aspersion on the Governor of Lagos State Mr Akinwunmi Ambode. He described the assumed Governor’s involvement in media attack on Babatunde Fashola with most derogatory words not even ideal to be used against a councillor in a Local Government parliament let alone an Executive Governor of a State.
For anyone who failed to explore space for acquiring right information, ignorance can never be an excuse. In the entire article, the Lecturer of Law made budging statements without a single evidence-based justification of the notion for which he nailed his victim severely. Then I ask what the place of knowledge is?
George Bernard Shaw once said “beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance”. Olusola refused to give benefit of doubt in his submission by neutralising his opinion and thus doing justice to literary common sense. The lack of decorum in the entire piece betrayed the author’s emotion while he totally forgot he was a don from a well-respected institution in the country. Well, it is a good choice of word in this scenario to refer to the author as a qualified lecturer in a Law Faculty of a reputable academic institution in Nigeria.
Even at the instance of a sponsored media service, the author supposed to know that there is no justification to assume and conclude that Governor Ambode was being used by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, hitherto described by the author as hidden face, to launch media attack on his predecessor. The law teacher who quoted thousands of proverbial statements to support his position forgot the one that says “get all your findings right and hold unto the one that is the truth”. In the process of unleashing his emotional tsunami, he should have given benefit of doubt since he was not quoting any tangible evidence; and as such, he would be respected for writing from knowledge point of view and not sheer emotions which does not have basis in Law.
Foremost, there is no basis for comparing eight years government of Fashola to Ambode’s three months as being placed by the author. When Fashola’s administration began, he was written off that no good thing could come from Asiwaju’s choice of candidature. Today, it was evident that that choice was predominantly good for most Lagosians. If not for the purpose of putting the record straight with Mr Lecturer, there is no reason for anyone to get bothered about Ambode’s performance because he has already started on a good note as a Governor with human face and required prudence. While I believe no one should be too much in a hurry, we need another four years to put Asiwaju’s choice of candidature in the last general election in Lagos State to test. Ambode is Tinubu’s product as Fashola was, and of course several excellent leaders including the Chief Security Officer in the State where Olushola teaches Law at a federal University.
In fairness to Bola Tinubu, the standard of governance delivered by Fashola showed the place of vision on the path of the political icon being adjudged as the chief propagator of the media war against Fashola. In politics and school of power, assumption is a weak premise.
Following ignorance like a sinking star, OlusolaAdegbite didn’t realise that a public commentary that speculates must be deployed as a neutral third party point of view, not like the one expressed by him in the said goof off.
As far as I know, Lagos State needs every fair opinion it can get to sustain peace and tranquillity the people enjoy. Any paid opinionist will only be doing injustice to well-being of over 25 million people already living in peace. Derogatory and uncultured words used by the author to describe the Governor as doing ‘night soil man’s job’ among other insultive languages is not descent of a kindergarten school teacher not to talk of a Lecturer, and one who teaches Law for that matter. As much as he quoted several Yoruba proverbs to justify his piece, he deviated from the Yoruba norm that teaches politeness, culture and fair hearing.
Today, Ambode is the Governor of a state that has more responsibilities than others. We will be doing better if we deploy energy of criticism on his management abilities but not on political issue he is not liable for. No clear evidence has been traced to him in this complex political friction.
Within the shortest possible time, AkinwunmiAmbode has shown the world he is a good product and another quality choice from the Jagaban institute. Without wasting time, he has set agenda for good governance, rolling-in scores of achievements in a short while.
While restructuring of the civil service to improve performance of government workforce is fast taking place, Ambode has also demonstrated high spirit for prompt response to urgent issues that affect the populace such as removing the Apapa gridlock and taking proactive measure to eradicate avoidable accidents often caused by tanker and container drivers. A listening leader, he has fashioned out ideal engagement of the stakeholders in decision making and creating an environment that promotes accountability and transparency by taking after the President on single account system to avoid leakages. He has reawaken hopes of the youths in job provision and wealth creation by setting up special ministry to solve unemployment problems and ensure wealth creation.
Ambode is laying foundation for good governance by repositioning the local government system to enhance better performance. He is reopening cities and communities through road construction and enhancing the health centres with ambulance services across the state, all these even before appointing his commissioners.
While Ambode is so busy with the business of good governance in the State, Olusola is busy looking for how to discredit the Governor, forgetting that attack on the Governor of Lagos State is an attack on the entire Lagosians.
The author has failed to dissuade public opinion in favour of his self-created motion. Asiwajuand Fashola have come out to inform the public they are in good terms with no brushings, whereby Asiwaju himself condemned the said attack on Fashola. Ambode on the other hand has squarely faced business of Governance with no time for petty political issues. The trio are best of friends that Olusola cannot define how cordial they are.
While engaging in the dirty job, it is wrong for Olusola to assume his opinion on this matter is a popular notion with entire Lagosians. The Teacher cannot speak on behalf of Lagosians because he is not one of us; we are proud of all democratic Governors God has blessed us with inNigeria’s democratic eras namely Alhaji Lateef Jakande, Sir Michael Otedola, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN and Mr Akinwunmi Ambode who is presently consolidating achievements of his predecessors.
The same way the author is seeing Ambode as an apprentice was the way the public saw Fashola when he newly came on board. Thank goodness he became a good student of good governance of Asiwaju’s leadership institute and became the pride of Nigeria. Fashola himself has always identified with his leader Asiwaju and claimed that they remain inseparable. The trio are concerned about good governance for Lagosians, but busy body like Olusola Adegbite is trying to sow a seed of discord.
Maya Angelou in wisdom once said “my mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than college professors”.
For Olusola Adegbite, the academic community will not pardon a teacher of legal studies who blatantly flaunt ignorance by laying knowledge to rest, cracking emotionally like die-hard politician. Besides, the spirit of Lagos will not be pleasant with anyone who drums opinions capable of causing outrage among both political class and nominal citizens of the State. Itesiwaju Ipinle Eko, lo je wa logun!
Hon Segun Olulade is a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Epe Constituency II
