By Ibraheem Abdullateef
In the wake of the successful hosting of the Kwara State Gubernatorial Candidates’ Forum, I found it necessary we do some reflections on the arising issues from the epochal event. It’s incontrovertible that, despite the last minute pull out of some of these candidates, the project remains one to reckon with in the anal of political events, in Kwara State. The absence of grand praises and encomiums notwithstanding, the innovative and idea behind this, transcends the honeyed words of the few. The fruits of the laborious exercise are there for savoury of the discerning minds. The truth of this is that, Kwara political climate had just been made clearer in one fell swoop.
OLOHUNGBEBE LAWAL IS A PHOENIX….
In fairness, prior to the initiative of the Gubernatorial Candidates’ Forum, the name Lawal Olohungbebe wasn’t relatively unknown to me and many emerging youth leaders. He had been a renowned Scholar, Lecturer and award-winning Community Developer with about a thousand projects under his belt. And this is about the little I knew. I had first met the brilliant Lawal at an Islamic event, an annual Maolud Nabiyy celebration, hosted at Ile Ajara Compound, when I was just an undergraduate at Kwara State Polytechnic Ilorin, upon an invitation by his brother, Alh. Fatiu Olohungbebe. Lo and behold, I went home with a new found love. My mind was rented with admiration and awe of a young man, speaking dexterously in Arabic and English Language, passing invaluable message of Deen [religion]. There and then I had known, there were people, Allah gifted knowledge and the multilingual Lawal, was definitely one of them. However, whereas how each of these people uses this gift is peculiar, what’s quite remarkable is how our very own silent , tireless and relentless Community Developer, Mallam Olohungbebe keeps touching, molding and reshaping the society with his. The Scholar is another Phoenix from Ilorin…..
KWARA YOUTH AREN’T “BOUGHT “AFTER ALL….
Perhaps it’s erroneous and wrong of anyone out of the Kwara Gubernatorial Candidates, to entertain the thought that he could hoodwink the youth with fake promises and honeyed words of parole, like in the past, talk less of dreaming he had them, in the kitty already. If what I saw weren’t acted or staged, which I doubt it was in any way possible, the youth of my state are coming of age. I saw passion, resilience and readiness to take giant stride in the political affairs of the state, a spirit which had been lacking in most of them in the time past. I felt proud to see the Leaders of Tomorrow transforming from the Social media Lions, arm- chair critics and activists of convenience, they had been known, to the mature and discerning minds, ready and willing to quiz and interrogate the aspiring Governors on their proposed plans and agenda. If one rides a horse inside me today, he won’t have a single hitch. The mojo displayed by some youth in bringing the event into realization cannot be overemphasized too. When the mere thought of this is this heavenly, how do you think the reality of youth getting it right this term would be? Tell the indolent leaders that the singing-dancing-and-ministering-session is over. These youth will ask questions, of the thieving and proliferation of their political birthright.
KWARA MIGHT BE PUTTING THE WRONG FOOT FORWARD AGAIN…
A man who leave projects unimplemented and undone and the one who has no set plans are much the same. In the end, they would both have little or nothing to show. We might have been shown, perhaps in a quite coded way, what await Kwara in term of governance for the next four years. I only fear my dear state’s case is not like jumping from frying pan into fire. The absence of the two leading guber contestants is at best, discouraging and unimpressive. I can only wonder what shoo the two men away from the public glare. Already rumor are rife that, one is another boy man taking others from his political Sugar daddy, perhaps he didn’t get the orders. The other was said, to be infected with a political disease called absenteeism, which informs his knacks to be nowhere to be found when it matters. But I am bemused that, that Comrade man too, is copycatting bad thing; I doubt he knows the gap in between the nose to the forehead, is quite wide. Tell him to wake up from his slumbers soon. If out of the thousands of intellectuals and intelligentsia Kwara is blessed with, we are left to choose between a yes-boy, absent man and the overrated Comrade; could it be wrong to say Kwarans could be putting the wrong foot forward again? My apologies to other parties’ candidates.
WE COULD HAVE A THIRD FORCE IN KWARA IF….
If only the other men in the gubernatorial race would be serious after the end of this round, like they had never been, perhaps the pregnancy of a third force in our political landscape would not be a stillbirth, like it used to be. What we had always been having is a Third voice- jaw- jawing along with the masses, the several challenges bedeviling the state, with no commensurate power to effect the change they fervently talk of. Instead of being a political bloc, they only make another talking bloc. For instance, in 2015, we had a quite vibrant and energetic Dr. Mike Omotosho as an option to the two old cult political groups. Several people, yours sincerely inclusive, knew he couldn’t win but encouraged him with our votes, hoping he would only become stronger with time. However, all the post- elections damaging rumor notwithstanding, the Kwara South born politician turned an ‘Amuni buni’ completely by going the ways of other political wayfarer, only to be seeing this time, lurking behind the gates again. Tell me, if Politics were that easy, would every one of us not be a politician? If only wishes were horses, even beggars would ride.
Maybe, It’s most necessary I make it clear right here, that I was impressed by the courage and mindfulness shown by the trio of Mallam Abdulaziz Oniyangi of NPM, Abdul Yinka Ajia of ANRP, and Muhammed Abubakar Muhammed of APN. I found it surprising we have such caliber of men in the race that has clearly been disadvantaged of prominence and necessary attention due to the ‘misfortune’ of being members of less known parties. However, such ‘misfortune’ could be overturned if they would stop being unheard and unseen after the elections. As much as a Third Force is desirable, we may keep having a mere Third Voice every election year, unless there’s a better political input. Anyways, this is just my take.
I wish all the men good luck. I hope we have racour-and-violent free elections. May Kwara win at the end.
Ibraheem Abdullateef, writer and social commentator writes from Ilorin.
He can be reached via eggheadibra@gmail.com.