Daniel in the lion’s den
By Femi Adesina (kulikulii@yahoo.com 08055001928)
Friday, January 29, 2009

A fortnight ago, Gov Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State fielded questions on a special interview programme tagged Governors’ Forum. It was broadcast simultaneously on the state radio and television. I was privileged to be one of the interviewers, who had been drawn from different media houses.
In the course of the programme, the governor said something that struck me as being quite profound. He said Ogun was the only state, where there is allegedly a killer squad, but you don’t see any corpses. It was food for thought.

On Monday this week, however, the picture changed. Maybe the enemies heard the governor when he spoke, and decided to prove him wrong by providing a corpse. Chief Dipo Dina, gubernatorial candidate of the Action Congress (AC) in the 2007 elections in Ogun State was shot dead.

The natural tendency on hearing about Dina’s death is to exclaim that the Ogun State government did it. And I heard some people say so. They quickly jumped to the conclusion that the alleged killer squad loyal to the powers-that-be did Dina in. We will come back to examine the plausibility or the inherent ridiculousness of such position.

There’s no doubt that all is not well on the political turf in Ogun State. There is a robust and virile anti-Daniel camp, which for the past two years or so, has engaged the Governor in battle royale, a fight to finish. And the arrowheads are powerful and influential people like former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, his daughter and former commissioner in the state, Iyabo, former minister, Jubril Martins Kuye, PDP chieftain, Sule Onabiyi, about half of the members of the House of Assembly, a controversial moneybag called Buruji Kashamu, and many others. It is a war of attrition, a battle of wits and grit that will surely not end till Daniel leaves power. It is a power tussle, it is all about who becomes governor in 2011, which area of the state produces the number one citizen from next year.

To an outsider in the politics of the state like me, it is simply a case of the Egba, or some other division, wanting power again in 2011, when natural justice and power rotation principle demands that a Yewa man should be governor. In the 34-year history of the state, the Ijebu man has been governor (Four years and three months by Olabisi Onabanjo). The Remo man has occupied the position (Daniel is almost seven years in office). The Egba (Olusegun Osoba did six years) had their turn, leaving Yewa as the only division that has never ruled. Daniel reportedly has a pact that he would support the Yewas for 2011, but the other divisions are screaming blue murder. They have spat into the sky, and collected the spittle with their own faces. The Egbas used to employ the Egbados (old name for the Yewas) as houseboys and housegirls, how can they ever allow such second class citizens to then rule over them? The Ijebus also have their own argument. But like I said, I’m an outsider in the politics of the state, so my reading may not be correct.

There are other issues. Ego. Alleged betrayals. Looting tendencies from people who, though unelected, wanted the treasury to be in their charge. Failed godfatherism. And many others. And Gov Daniel has reached this conclusion, as he told the media during the Governors’ Forum: “I would be failing in my responsibilities if I allow the reins of power to be taken away by rogues or vagabonds or people who have no pedigree.” In fact, he added that though he does not know who will succeed him, he knows those who won’t – the rogues and vagabonds, those with no pedigree. The battle line is truly drawn.

People accuse Daniel of opening many battlefronts at the same time. The House of Assembly, some elders and founding fathers of the party, former commissioners and aides who left in anger, and only last weekend, he described Dimeji Bankole, House of Representatives speaker, as “a curse to Ogun.” Yes, the battlefronts are many, but the quest for power, particularly if you need to demolish an oligarchy, is never a tea party. If you want to overturn the old hegemony, as the governor says he wants to do, then prepare for war.

Back to Dipo Dina. It is murder most foul. Madness. Wickedness. But is it political assassination? Is it robbery that went awry? We wait for investigation reports. Vice President Goodluck Jonathan has talked tough once again, saying the government will not tolerate wanton killing of the citizenry, and that the security agencies must get to the bottom of this as fast as possible. Quite commendable. But didn’t we hear such before? Is it not now a popular refrain? Bola Ige was slain, we heard it. Funsho Williams was slaughtered, they said it. Aminoasari Dikibo. Harry Marshal. Bisoye Tejuosho. Admiral Omotehinwa. Pa Alfred Rewane. And many others. Why should we then believe that they will ever bring Dipo Dina’s killers to justice? In a country where inefficiency is almost a national credo? We fear, and justifiably so.

Whodunit? Daniel? That would be extremely tactless. What would be the motive? Dina contested the election with him, but he did not even challenge the result. If killing was the next option, would the target not then be Ibikunle Amosun, who not only sought to take Daniel’s seat, but is still at the tribunal three years later?
Is Dina’s murder political? Or were there other considerations, a business deal, perhaps, and those who bumped him off knew that fingers of suspicion will be pointed in the political direction, while they get away clean and clear? And again, is it a replay of the Ayo Fayose formula? Do you remember? Okay, let’s go down memory lane.

Ayo Fayose was the intrepid young man who became governor in Ekiti State in 2003. He was not the typical establishment person who would not rock the boat, not ruffle any feathers, like Niyi Adebayo before him. He did not have a privileged background. Soon, a tiny but powerful elite clique rose against him. But being a street-wise person, Fayose licked them all, and appeared to be coasting towards a second term in office. On our dead bodies, the elite vowed. And suddenly, we began to hear of killings and attempted killings. The last straw that broke the camel’s back was the murder of Dr Ayo Daramola, who was poised to run for governor in 2007.

All these were hung on Fayose’s neck, and matters came to a head in October 2006, when a state of emergency was declared. The clique finally got rid of Fayose by foul means. Is that now the formula being adopted in Ogun? Kill prominent people and hang it on Daniel’s neck? Get him so busy trying to extricate himself from the labyrinth of allegations and suspicion spun round him, that he won’t have the presence of mind to determine his own successor?

I warned the Ekitis when they turned their state into one big cauldron under Fayose. I referred them to the words of Chinua Achebe. When brothers fight themselves to death, a stranger inherits their father’s estate. And that was what happened. Brig-Gen Adetunji Olurin, a Yewa man, eventually became Sole Administrator under emergency rule in Ekiti. Will Ogun people also make the same mistake?

I know Gov Daniel. I had known him many years before he went into politics and became governor. Can he kill? I don’t think so. But then, you would argue that killers don’t emblazon the tag on their foreheads. Yes, it’s true, but I’ll be shocked if this Daniel that I know had a hand in Dipo Dina’s murder, or anyone else’s for that matter.
Whodunit? That is the question. Our security agencies must get to the bottom of yet another mindless murder. It should not further elongate the list of unresolved assassinations in the country.

Egba person regarding a Yewa (Egbados) person a second class human. wonders!!
Looks like a civil war. Let them be careful, that is exactly how it all kicked off in 1966 that snowballed into some much bigger and some one else paid the greatest price. History often tend to repeat itself when we are blind to our past.

A profound piece of s.hi.t not deserving any dignifying response.

@^^ but u did respond

nethacker:

@^^ but u did respond

Hahahahaha don't mind him. Sweeping under the carpet is a national credo. Am not suprise the same will be the case here.

Yorubas are Killers

So many retards and wasted lives still roaming N/L

AC should check itself very well, this's purely an intra party affair.

@
poster

How much were you paid? Remember Wale Adedayo was a member of OGD's inner circle. Have you ever bothered to check is blog? You obviously are a paid agent.

stormm:

@
poster

How much were you paid? Remember Wale Adedayo was a member of OGD's inner circle. Have you ever bothered to check is blog? You obviously are a paid agent.

Do you mean the poster or writer? They are definitely two different kettles.
As I am the poster and not the writer of the article.
As for the writer, I don't any sign of being bought by any of the person or groups in mentioned. I think he was rather objective in his analysis of what is happening in Ogun state.
That is why I was saying that history tend to repeat itself. The first republic fracas had it root from the civil war ignited by the the Awolowo/Akintola camps fuelled from the centre, that gradually snow ball into much bigger things and then Akintola paid with his own life and the rest of the victims were innocent bystanders.

It funny how the likes of SEFAGO on this forum tend to hype what he calls Igbo disunity which is more or less a steroetypical Nigerian Igbo relationship, but fail to realise what is happening inside his own paradaisic enclave he tend to portray.

@eziachi

Eziachi:

Do you mean the poster or writer? They are definitely two different kettles.
As I am the poster and not the writer of the article.

Sorry, thot they were the same. Poster, what's your opinion?