Tinubu And The Tell-Tale ‘Ignore’ Of Sanwo-Olu

By Bolanle BOLAWOLE

What kind of English Language is the “ignore” that I used here – Queen’s, King’s or Nigeria’s English? 

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There is history behind it, which goes back many decades – to those periods when men of principles and ideology, who shunned money, position, and principles and dared the powers-that-be, were still plentiful in the Legal profession (both Bar and Bench).

As the story goes, Kanmi Ishola-Osoba, who contested, as it were, the alias of “The people’s lawyer” with his more illustrious senior, Comrade Alao Aka-Bashorun, and the sobriquet of ”Fela’s lawyer” with debonair Tunji Braithwaite, got pissed off by the antics of a judge and, characteristically, minced no words in giving it back wholesale to “Me Lord”, as they are addressed, male or female. Wanting to make up on a later occasion, His Lordship’s warming up to Kanmi was rebuffed by the radical lawyer. Reporting the incident to other lawyers and friends, Kanmi reportedly said: “I gave him the ignore!”

Tinubu snubs Sanwo-Olu

Can that be the kind of “ignore” that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu gave the Lagos State governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, penultimate Saturday at the commissioning of the first phase of the Lagos-Calabar expressway in Lagos? Tinubu reportedly shook hands with other dignitaries but passed Sanwo-Olu over. To tell you that it was not an accident or mistake, Dr. Reuben Abati, in “Mid-term, coastal road and other stories”, described what happened as snobbery and open humiliation of Sanwo-Olu by Tinubu.

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I didn’t make much of that incident until later events made me dig deeper. Politicians are usually not your ordinary type of normal or okay people. They quarell this moment and make up the next – except in rare cases like that of the erstwhile “Baba Kekere” to Tinubu who now appears, unfortunately, to have turned the corner in his estrangement with Tinubu. 

Just as the Second Republic Lagos state Gov. Lateef Jakande aka “Baba Kekere” was deemed the natural successor to the late sage and leader of the Yoruba, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, so also was Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola deemed the alter ego of Tinubu – the unannounced yet widely-known and respected Prime Minister of Tinubu’s political dynasty – until both men missed it! Isasi abi edi?

After the (deliberate?) public ridicule in Lagos penultimate Saturday, godfather and godson might have made up. I understand many peace-makers immediately swung into action to mend fences. My sister, Funke Egbemode, must have been one of them! In her “Lagos: Mr. Governor, this sacrifice must get to Olodumare”, she counselled Sanwo-Olu to offer a sacrifice of atonement to Tinubu while at the same time she pleaded with the Jagaban to accept the sacrifice.

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Those who claim to know, however, say the open display of the parting of ways two Saturdays ago appears cast in iron, similar to Aregbesola’s, which, they say, is worse than that of the “Eleyi of Ogun State” in the rundown to the 2023 presidential primary of the APC, leading to the earthshaking “ayajo” (invocation) of “Emilokan” by an obviously desperate and go-for-broke Tinubu! 

“Eleyi”, however, was able to quickly make amends, fall in line and secure a second term in office. Incidentally, the same “Eleyi” was the one Tinubu reportedly commanded to step in and perform the assignment that, appropriately, was Sanwo-Olu’s as the host governor at the road commissioning.        

Controversy trails Lagos – Calabar expressway commissioning

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Before continuing with the “ignore” story, let us quickly return to the controversy generated by the commissioning of the first phase of the Lagos – Calabar expressway. Brickbats were traded on Kosofe Post, a platform to which I belong, over the appropriateness or otherwise of Tinubu’s action. 

Said one: “How can he commission a 30km section of a 750km project? What’s the rush for? To celebrate two years in office? He should have waited for his third year in office. – Engr. Olusola Emmanuel Adedayo.

“The People’s Democratic Party could not commission a 30km part of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in 16 years! Also, the second Niger Bridge was completed and commissioned on the page of newspapers (by them) before APC/President Muhammadu Buhari came to the rescue and practically completed (the) project.” – Oloye Salami Oluwaseun.

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“We should appreciate the fact that the President initiated this project for national growth and development. Meanwhile a project can be commissioned at the beginning or a phased commissioning (can be done). The 30km (that was commissioned) is a phase of the project (and it is) to confirm the continuity of the project. Has the project stopped? No!” – Fatoki Ayobode Kehinde, Special Adviser on Environment, Ikosi Isheri LCDA.

“If not for political optics, why would you even contemplate commissioning a project that is just at 4% completion stage?  The bane of our society over the years is that we reduce leadership to an act of noise-making, rather than actually fixing things and doing things right”. – Hon. Okufuwa Samad Oluwatoyin.

“I see no issue with Tinubu’s action. Jonathan did the same thing when he flagged off the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway…” – Francis Adebayo.

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“Should President Tinubu proceed by commissioning every 30km project as if there are no other important things to focus on in the nation? Nigerians love to celebrate mediocrity!” -Hon. Okufuwa Samad Oluwatoyin.

“To commission means to put something/someone into active service. Thus, can the commissioned road be put to (active) use? Citing other irregularities or improper socio-political actions of past governments represents the level of negative values or misplaced priorities of Nigerians.” -Taiwo Lasisi, President, Ta’awun Political Forum, Lagos.

A respected lawyer, an SAN to boot, also forwarded to me criticisms from Network for the Actualization of Social Growth and Viable Development, which reportedly described the commissioning as “premature and misleading”, following which it cautioned “against the politicization of infrastructure delivery”, adding that “project commissioning should reflect substantive completion and usability of the project in its entirety or at least a major functional section”.

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Another critic said “the so-called commissioning… just cannot be right…”

Tinubu: Balancing act or what?

My response:” Was the 30km actually completed? And was it properly done? As the Chinese would say, the journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step taken… Let’s encourage Tinubu and Umahi to forge ahead with the project.”

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When we see the quantum of federal projects that were taken to the North during Buhari’s tenure – with funds sourced from the South or borrowed (which all of us will have to pay back), I want to support every meaningful project that the South can benefit from the Tinubu administration as compensation and balancing act.

I wouldn’t have reasoned like this in the past, but time and experience reshape a man! Count the number of federal projects that Buhari attracted to his home-state of Katsina alone, not to talk of the entire North! The North has more federal institutions than the South. It has virtually all the significant military institutions. It has more states, more local governments, and more (though questionable) allotted population figures. All these attract more federal resources to it.

The North produced most of the country’s military leaders, and those ones leveraged the position to favour the North with all the above advantages. Northerners reportedly control more of the country’s oil wells, despite that not a drop of crude oil is mined in their region. They parade the country’s richest men. To crown it all, they hijacked the federal capital from Lagos and took it to the North!

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That people in the South cannot see all of these – or simply choose to ignore it, thinking it does not matter – baffles me.

In Acts 26: 24 as the apostle Paul spoke in his own defence, mesmerising everyone with his much learning, Festus, one of the rulers who would determine his fate, exclaimed: “Paul, thou art beside thyself: much learning doth make thee mad!” Sometimes, much learning is a chain! Let the South take heed!

Sanwo-Olu: Guilty as charged?

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I now return to Sanwo-Olu. Tinubu could have pretended that all was well. An enemy who pretends to be a friend is more deadly than one that shows his true colour. That way, you are better informed whether to mend fences – where possible – or keep a safe distance if making peace becomes impossible.

Sanwo-Olu has pleaded his innocence against the many allegations levelled against him: That he was lukewarm to Tinubu’s plight during the #ENDSARSNOW protest. That he flirted with Atiku Abubakar in the run-down to the 2023 presidential election, thinking that Tinubu would not surmount all the obstacles hewn his way, first, to the APC flag, and then to the presidency itself. That he deliberately neglected to do the needful during the Lagos presidential election, which Tinubu embarrassingly lost to Peter Obi/Labour Party. To make matters worse, he allegedly thereafter swung into action and handsomely won his own second term election three weeks later.

As if behaving like a man they wanted to roast for dinner who soaked himself in oil and stood by the fire-place, Sanwo-Olu was said to have been fingered in the Obasa impeachment saga that rocked Lagos politics to its very foundations. The embarrassment apart, note that Tinubu, the godfather of Lagos politics since 1999, reportedly described the event as a “coup”. And what is the penalty for coup plotters, especially failed coups?

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Sanwo-Olu, they alleged, wanted to snatch the Lagos political structure from Tinubu. What is the crux of the fight-to-finish between Nyesom Wike and suspended Gov. Siminilaye Fubara? Is it not about who controls the political structure in Rivers state? So, in the recently-conducted Lagos local council polls, those familiar with the matter said not a single councillor position was conceded to the governor.  

Beware the ides of politicians!

As journalists we say, from vantaged professional training and experience, that there is no smoke without a fire; which is why we pursue every lead to a logical conclusion. But in politics, there are smokes without a fire! Some kitchen cabinet members of a South-west governor conspired one day to arrest the rising profile of another politician who did not belong in their camp. What they did was to inform His Excellency that someone sighted the politician in question at Bourdillon. His Excellency screamed!

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In our political parlance, any reference to “Bourdillon” is Tinubu. The governor in question and Tinubu were light and darkness at the time. The accused was summoned! He swore with everything that he never went near Bourdillon, but the harm had been done. His accusers withstood him to his face – even though they knew they were telling lies! The man fell. Whether he recovered, I cannot tell.

In Nigerian politics, it is not every smoke that fire ignites!

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