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FOR almost 20 minutes on Tuesday, the City Hall, Lagos, was in turmoil, following verbal attacks launched by Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State against his Ondo State counterpart, Dr Olusegun Mimiko.

The event, organised by the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) to launch Development Agenda for Westen Nigeria, was attended by other Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governors from the South-West, who spoke one after the other on what they had been doing to integrate their states with others in the region.

The Ondo State Commissioner for Environment, Chief Sola Ebiseeni, who represented Mimiko, in his speech, noted that there were some factual inacu-racies and omissions in the document being launched, citing, for instance, the fact that oil was first discovered in Araromi, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, in 1908 by the German Bitumen Company, whereas history gave Oloibiri the credit.

He also noted that the ARG document was too centred on Lagos, neglecting developments in other states, particularly Ondo.

When it was the turn of Aregbesola, he started by attacking Mimiko for not doing anything positive in Ondo State, while he also berated former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who, he said, did nothing to develop Nigeria.

While taking on Mimiko for his observations on the document, Aregbesola described Mimiko as someone who wanted to reap where he did not sow, wondering where he was when they were fighting for democracy, agitating for the actualisation of the June 12, 1993 election.

Aregbesola added that integration could not take place in Yorubaland unless all the states were controlled by the ACN, stressing that the Ondo State governor had been frustrating all efforts by the ACN to let him see “light,” by crossing over to the ACN.

The Osun State governor added that anyone who was not in the ACN “is an Amulumala, not an Omoluabi.”

Aregbesola, who reportedly told Mimiko last week, at the Odu’a meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State, that he was “committed to his removal” as Ondo State governor, restated that pledge again, on Tuesday.

It was at that point that Chief Ebiseeni, who represented Mimiko at the event, cut him short, asking the chairman on the occasion, Mr Fola Adeola, to call Aregbesola to order and that he deserved a reply.

Three attempts by Adeola to, however, call Aregbesola to order failed, as the Osun State governor continued to rail against Mimiko while the hall became rancorous and its crowd uncontrollable.

The situation temporarily went out of hand as other governors and dignitaries at the event expressed shock at the conduct of Aregbesola, while Senator Bola Tinubu and Dr Frederick Fasheun stressed that the gathering was for Yoruba unity and progress and not for politics.

Former speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Dimeji Bankole, who also spoke on the incident, told Aregbesola that it was against the concept of Omoluabi in Yorubaland for a younger person to attack or abuse his senior.

Bankole asked Aregbe-sola to stop being carried away by the position he occupied which, he said, was a very temporal one, adding that “you are governor today, whether by hook or crook, you won’t be there tomorrow. Look at me here for instance.”

Aregbesola came into the event midway with six bodyguards around him, who carried some flags and followed him to the high table where other notable personalities, including General Alani Akinrinade, were seated already.

The governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, said the development in the country dated back to 1958, though it had degenerated, adding that all hope was not yet lost.

“We should stop speaking about Awo but follow his footsteps and practice and also improve on the things he has done. We should call ourselves together and look for the way forward,” Amosun said.

Ekiti State governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, also said nothing being done was strange to him, since he was part of the planning and development of Afenifere.

Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, said “I am pleased that the launch of the book took place in Lagos and also welcomed everybody,” adding that Lagos was solidly cooperating to see to the implementation of the project.



http://www.tribune.com.ng/index.php/front-page-news/37171-aregbesola-causes-uproar-attacks-obj-mimiko-at-afenifere-meeting-in-lagos-says-qif-you-are-not-in-acn-you-are-not-omoluabiq

Am not surprise at this cos he(Aregbesola) is a religion and tribal extremist. There are so many things still left undone right there in Osun and now accusing another person. He should go and sit down jor! Nonsense.