How Gov. Amosun Is Treating His Deputy Like A Slave + How his arrogance shot him down at Adegbite’s burial
3 min read
Ever since he assumed duty as the numero uno of Ogun State in May 2011, Governor Ibikunle Amosun a.k.a. SIA has left nobody in doubt that he had come to govern and rule like a sole administrator.
Aside from the gap created between the governor and the leadership of ACN in Ogun State during the selection of political appointees where he schemed them out of his decision and failed to appoint many of the party members but his friends and associates outside the party that brought him into power, SIA has also created a big gap between himself and few ACN members in his cabinet. Not only this, his selection of the chairmen of local governments did not go down well with the leadership of the party but it had to stomach his excesses just to let peace reign in the Gateway State.
It is no more a news that his second in command, Prince Segun Adesegun whom the governor believes is ex-Governor Osoba ‘s political son has been relegated to the backseat in the scheme of things as regards the running of the state. Sources close to the government hinted Global News that on several occasions, the deputy governor would get to know of the governor’s movement from either the SSG or other junior political apprentices.
The cat and mouse-like relationship between the governor and his deputy has taken another dimension to the level where the governor would ask the deputy not to send request files through any of his aides but bring them by himself. A case is when the deputy governor sent the list of his nominees for the Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem was sent to the governor. Gathered that instead for the governor to treat the file, he requested to know who brought the file and when he was told that the deputy governor sent it, he allegedly flung the file away and told his men that when he was ready he would bring the file himself.
It is not only the deputy governor who is tasting the arrogance of Ibikunle Amosun who is fast turning himself to an “emperor”, the newly sworn-in local government chairmen are also having a dose of SIA’s bitter pills. Shortly after their assumption of duty three months ago they discovered that were short-changed in their monthly allocation and an attempt to question these anomalies got the ire of the ever aggressive SIA who told them that they were bunch of ungrateful people and that in a normal setting none among them would ever be in the position they are today if not for him. He also told them to look inwards for alternative revenue generation sources. Global News learnt the council executives are yet to get out of the rude shock from the reply they got from the governor.
The governor’s fire-brigade approach to every issue coupled with his sole decision making is creating a wide gap between him and the people of Ogun State hence the drastic reduction in his once popularity. The event that took place at the burial ceremony of the Seriki of Egba land, late Lateef Adegbite who was the secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs was a pointer to the fact that the governor is no more in control of things in Ogun State. Both the governor who was the chief mourner at the occasion and his protocols were beaten to their game at the burial. A frontline Egba politician and ex-minister of the federation tactically and diplomatically took over the role of the chief host from Amosun and his protocols without any hitch as he received and hosted the VIPs at the occasion that included the former president Olusegun Obasanjo, ex-head of Interim National Council Ernest Shonekan, former Ogun State governor Otunba Gbenga Daniel and Governor Raji Fashola of Lagos State among others.
Sources at the occasion said rather than associating with the guests and VIPs, Governor Amosun kept a long distance from them and at a time he was said to have shouted angrily on the protocol officers for allowing most of the VIPs including Fashola to go and join others at the reception room. All these are pointer to what the year 2014 and 2015 portend for the political party and the next general election in Ogun State.
no doubt he is a good leadership
The first incident in question involved the apparent mistreatment of the Deputy Governor Prince Segun Adesegun, who when asked to bring in request files on his own, providing an opportunity to meet and discuss issues face-to-face, continued to rely on his own aides to do so. After much reminding and coaxing, SIA apparently lost his cool and refused to accept anymore request files from anyone other than the Deputy Governor, a position that he only maintained for the duration of his ire because he did not wish to have his own development aims for Ogun State derailed by such blatant disregard for the welfare of the people, in the face of real progress.
Another incident that was mentioned by this particular Global News article (“How Gov. Amosun Is Treating His Deputy Like A Slave + How his arrogance shot him down at Adegbite’s burial”, [http://www.globalnewsnig.com/how-gov-amosun-is-treating-his-deputy-like-a-slave-how-his-arrogance-shot-him-down-at-adegbite’s-burial]) was how during the burial ceremony of the late Lateef Adegbite, Seriki of Egba land, SIA’s apparently abrasive personality found him alienating himself from other prominent guests, many of whom he was on better terms with before the time in question. It is interesting to note that while the article goes on to talk about how Governor Amosun, so caught up in his little personality struggles according to the source, had his own powers usurped by a much recognized politician from Egba. Now, while this seems to paint a scene that one would most likely see in a TV soap opera, it doesn’t reflect the reality of the event, or even the happenings that surround the event.
If nothing else, it stands to reason, on a fundamentally logical level, that someone in a position of power such as SIA, would at the very least, be more than apt at covering up any differences of opinion with his colleagues and ex-colleagues. Furthermore, it seems ridiculous to suggest that someone who has achieved so much during his time in office is unable to recognize the benefits of working together as a team, and to this end, being able to resolve the conflicts that are likely to crop up from time to time. In all honesty, such claims are better left to manifest themselves as some kind of plot twist on a show on TV somewhere, because for a reader with the proverbial half-a-brain, the attempt to malign a public servant like SIA is too easily recognizable.
A river that forgets its source surely dries up! Is there any properly managed APC Unit or Ward meeting left in Ogun State? Like the biblical saying- to thy tent, to thy tent O Israel! It’s time to return to ANPP. At least there is a project- Road. Education, Health, Agriculture, water, electricity and other aspects left for the next Governor to decide. Having nothing to lose save the 2nd Term agenda which he’ll wisely jettison. Leaving the match clearly between PDP AND Labour Party in Ogun State. Farewell to the non-people oriented policies. However we believe in Resurrection. The party can still rise if the aliens are dispersed or caged. Let the short-circuited loyalists have faith. Unfortunately, here ANPP is yet to have a stable room in Ogun State. Do not even think about the establishment of multiple toll gates to recoupe the colossal amount sunk into the mono-project of road construction. Rather consider it better to leave now when the ovation is loudest. You have tried but your best may be misconceived. Losing an election wont be the best gift to receive. Take a bow.
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