Tuesday, November 16, 2010
[size=14pt]Oyo: Thugs take over centre stage[/size]

OLALEKAN ADETAYO


OLALEKAN ADETAYO examines the spate of violence in Oyo State and concludes that it is an obstacle to the growth of democracy in the pacesetter state.


[img]http://odili.net/news/source/2010/nov/16/punch/images/pix201011162262392[1].jpg[/img]
Akala, Adeshina



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Oyo prides itself as the 'Pacesetter' state. But the news emanating daily from the state being governed by Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala leaves one to wonder what kind of pace the state is setting and to whom is it setting the pace. In recent times, the media have been flooded with news of bloodletting in the state, whose governor was a police officer that rose to the status of a divisional police officer. The development has become so worrisome that some well-meaning citizens of the state are no longer comfortable with the trend. Some have even gone to the extent of calling for the declaration of a state of emergency. This definitely could not have been the state its founding fathers laboured for.

A legal luminary, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), recently took a critical assessment of the state of affairs in the state and returned a damning verdict that the state is far from living up to its slogan of being a pacesetter state. He made the observation in a lecture titled, "50 years of democracy in Nigeria, Oyo state as a pacesetter state" which he delivered in Ibadan, the state capital, in commemoration of the 66th birthday of the immediate past governor of the state, Senator Rashidi Ladoja. Specifically, Akintola argued that in reality, the state only set the pace in culpable atrocities and evil deeds rather than in recording giant strides daily.

In Oyo State, if factional members of the crisis-ridden state council of the National Union of Road Transport Workers are not at daggers-drawn, politicians who are supposed to be after the welfare of the people will be decimating their potential electorate with the aid of their weapons-wielding supporters in the name of political campaigns.

So bad was the case that two people were reportedly killed recently when some chieftains of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party opposed to the second-term bid of Alao-Akala took their "Akala Must Go" campaign to the governor's hometown, Ogbomoso. The victims were reportedly felled during a crossfire that ensued when some loyalists of the governor were allegedly attempting to prevent the campaigners from holding their rally in the town.

Last week Tuesday, no fewer than 11 persons were reportedly injured during another round of gun battle between factions of the NURTW in the Olomi/Academy area of Ibadan, the state capital, which houses the state secretariat of the union. The union clash has become a recurring decimal.

The clash was a follow-up to an earlier dusk attack on the secretariat which left many persons dead and over 100 vehicles destroyed. The carcasses of the vandalised vehicles are still littering the various adjoining streets in the affected area. There are a few other minor skirmishes among them. In all the clashes, members of the union's faction led by its court-reinstated chairman, Alhaji Lateef Akinsola (a.k.a Tokyo), who are currently occupying the secretariat are quick to accuse members of the faction led by the sacked chairman, Alhaji Lateef Salako (a.k.a Eleweomo) of allegedly masterminding the wanton destruction of lives and property. In all instances, the Salako's faction too is quick to rebuff the allegation.

At a point, a member of the union identified as Olumide Oyelowo and his wife, Yetunde, were killed by yet-to-be identified gunmen at their residence at Alalubosa, Molade area at Alakia Brewery in Ibadan.

It is a common knowledge that the NURTW in all the states of the federation has remained a factor in the political calculations because its members are ready tools in the hands of politicians in dire need of miscreants for their dirty jobs. There is, therefore, a strong belief that the battle for the soul of the state council of the union is not far from politicians' aspiration ahead of the 2011 elections.

The NURTW clash has become so tense that a Fourth Republic Senator and traditional leader in Ibadan, Chief Lekan Balogun, had at different times called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the state. Balogun has also made several calls on the police hierarchy to redeploy the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Baba Bolanta, for his alleged ineptitude in meeting the security challenge.

Also, a group of senior citizens of Ibadan origin under the aegis of Ibadan Elders' Forum had called for Bolanta's immediate redeployment over his alleged partisanship in the various crises rocking the state. In a petition addressed to the office of the Inspector-General of Police and signed by 12 members of the group, including its chairman, Ambassador Olu Sanu, the Ibadan elders hinged their call on Bolanta's alleged inability to maintain law and order in the state, particularly the state capital, apparently due to external pressure.

The elders claimed that the ongoing crisis in the state council of the NURTW would have been abated if Bolanta had enforced the ruling of the National Industrial Court that reinstated Akinsola as the chairman. They also accused the police boss of taking sides during the violence that engulfed the state House of Assembly when some lawmakers moved to remove the Speaker, Mr. Moroof Atilola. They alleged that rather than arresting those who brutalised the anti-speaker lawmakers, the police boss ended up arresting the victims of the incident.

http://odili.net/news/source/2010/nov/16/816.html

I think Alao-Akala took Aloy-Emeka's spouse because the OP follows the man's news like fly on shit.I bet Aloy-Emeka knows everything going on in Akala's life with a spy cam.hahahaha.Na wa ooh.Just open a thread and vent all your frustration, the man deserves it.

TewMuch:

I[b] think Alao-Akala took Aloy-Emeka's spouse because the OP follows the man's news like fly on poo[/b].I bet Aloy-Emeka knows everything going on in Akala's life with a spy cam.hahahaha.Na wa ooh.Just open a thread and vent all your frustration, the man deserves it.

TewMuch:

I think Alao-Akala took Aloy-Emeka's spouse because the OP follows the man's news like fly on poo.I bet Aloy-Emeka knows everything going on in Akala's life with a spy cam.hahahaha.Na wa ooh.Just open a thread and vent all your frustration, the man deserves it.

Follow them till they drop the crime. Every step he takes, I'll be watching him.