₦airaland Forum

​By Erasmus Ikhide

​THE recent vitriolic outburst by Bayo Onanuga against Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is not just a study in sycophancy; it is a desperate attempt to rewrite history using the ink of hypocrisy.

To watch a man who built his reputation on the back of “guerrilla journalism” now serve as the chief laundromat for an administration drowning in its own ineptitude is a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions.

​Bayo Onanuga’s attempt to paint Aregbesola as a failure is a classic case of a man pointing one finger while four others—soiled by the current administration’s blood-soaked and hunger-stricken reality—point back at him.

​The Myth of the “Broken State”

​Onanuga’s critique of Aregbesola’s tenure in Osun ignores a fundamental historical truth: Aregbesola inherited a state looted and hollowed out by the Olagunsoye Oyinlola administration. It is on record that the previous PDP government left Osun buried in a mountain of debt and administrative decay.

Aregbesola did not just govern; he built. From the “O-Meal” program that became a global model for social investment to the radical transformation of infrastructure and school feeding, Aregbesola gave Osun a soul when it had none. To blame him for the financial headwinds caused by the national economic downturn of that era is intellectually dishonest.

​The Hypocrisy on Insecurity

​Onanuga has the effrontery to mention the Kuje jailbreak while his principal presides over a nation where Brigadier Generals are slaughtered like chickens and soldiers are buried in mass graves weekly. Need we remind Bayo that in 2014, his current paymaster, then an opposition leader, demanded President Goodluck Jonathan’s resignation because he “could not secure the lives of Nigerians”?

By that same logic, why hasn’t Bayo advised President Tinubu to step down? Under the current “Renewed Hope” (now widely felt as “Renewed Hardship”), kidnappings have been decentralized to every nook and cranny of the federation. While Bayo churns out empty, soulless press releases from the comfort of the Villa, mothers are weeping in the forests of the North and the highways of the West.

​A Stellar Record vs. Empty Rhetoric

​While Onanuga attempts to diminish Aregbesola’s time as Minister of Interior, the statistics tell a different story—one of modernization and tangible results. Unlike the current administration’s reliance on intentions, Aregbesola delivered. He moved the Nigeria Immigration Service from manual drudgery to digital efficiency, implementing the MIDAS system at international airports and expanding visa categories from 6 to 79 to boost the Ease of Doing Business.

​Aregbesola didn’t just manage prisons; he initiated the construction of 3,000-capacity ultra-modern custodial centers and increased inmate enrollment in WAEC/NECO, focusing on rehabilitation over mere incarceration.

​Under his watch, the Federal Fire Service was revitalized, saving assets worth over N25 trillion and thousands of lives through the procurement of hundreds of modern fire engines. Aregbesola deployed over 1,500 specialized personnel to protect farmers—a stark contrast to the current reality where farmers have abandoned their lands for fear of being slaughtered.
​
The Economy of Despair

​Bayo Onanuga boasts about “relief measures” while the average Nigerian cannot afford a single square meal. Let us speak in numbers, Bayo. You claim inflation is falling, yet the price of a bag of rice has eclipsed the new minimum wage.

​The most damning indictment of this administration is the Crude Oil Math. This year’s budget was hinged on $66 per barrel. Today, with crude hovering near $200 per barrel in certain market windows or significantly higher than the benchmark, Nigerians are asking: Where is the excess profit? Why is the “excess” not reflecting in house rents, transportation costs, or school fees? The removal of the fuel subsidy without a credible cushion was not boldness; it was economic sabotage against the poor.

​The Merchant of Discord

​Finally, it is rich for Bayo Onanuga to preach about “national interest.” This is the same man whose name is synonymous with the ethnic profiling and slurs against the Igbo during the 2023 elections. A man who weaponized ethnicity to rig an election has no moral standing to lecture anyone on “desperados” or “power mongers.”

​Bayo, the real “scammers” are not those gathered at a political convention of African Democratic Congress (ADC) yesterday. The real scammers are those who promised “Renewed Hope” but delivered a funeral shroud. While you and your paymasters obsess over 2027, Nigerians are obsessing over how to survive until tomorrow morning.

​Rauf Aregbesola has a record he can defend. Can you say the same for the hunger and blood that define your current tenure?

No, Bayo. The mirror is your greatest enemy


https://osundefender.com/bayo-onanuga-vs-rauf-aregbesola-the-selective-amnesia-of-a-propaganda-merchant/

Bayo Onanuga failed to understand that you can't defend Tinubu without looking senseless. It was always clear that Bayo and his principal are battling a chronic case of low self-esteem and imposter syndrome.

The sycophantic "on your mandate" anthem, the false sense of megalomania, the hold on Lagos decades after governing, the level of covetousness, greed and self-centered aggrandizement etc are pointers. The signs of a budding dictator were always there.

On the anniversary of his first year in office, he unveiled the World's largest portrait at Eagle Square on June 12. It was a portrait of himself. It is also conspicuous that he has never mentioned Abiola or done anything for his legacy since assumption to power.

Buhari did more for Abiola than the man who benefitted the most from his legacy. This tells more of the useless failure he hero worship as a god.

These people spent their whole Buhari time attacking Aregbesola of being a total failure. The same Aregbesola who said he doesn't understand the job he had to do as minister of interior. Now they are singing his praises to high heaven just the same way they are painting Obi white from the mud the dragged him through during and after his time as a governor.

If Tinubu can decame to ADC today. He'll be loved dearly by Obidients.

The pattern is all the same.
They now love El Rufai, Amaechi, Aregbe Kwakwanso these are people they detested for associating with Tinubu. They love them now because they are associating with the chief gbajue in charge. They used to love Bwala, Reno etal but it only takes spitting truth about their gbajue candidate to hate those people to hell.

alanto:
These people spent their whole Buhari time attacking Aregbesola of being a total failure. The same Aregbesola who said he doesn't understand the job he had to do as minister of interior. Now they are singing his praises to high heaven just the same way they are painting Obi white from the mud the dragged him through during and after his time as a governor.

If Tinubu can decame to ADC today. He'll be loved dearly by Obidients.

The pattern is all the same.
They now love El Rufai, Amaechi, Aregbe Kwakwanso these are people they detested for associating with Tinubu. They love them now because they are associating with the chief gbajue in charge. They used to love Bwala, Reno etal but it only takes spitting truth about their gbajue candidate to hate those people to hell.

Trash! Trash! Trash!

Is omokri not your god now? You derided FFK and even the memory of his father, is he not your god today?

Mirror is your greatest enemy!

CharlotteFlair:
Trash! Trash! Trash!

Is omokri not your god now? You derided FFK and even the memory of his father, is he not your god today?

Mirror is your greatest enemy!

I told you in my previous comment you know nothing about politics. Reno and FFK are not my friends but I love how especially Reno have turned against Obi. I love how they are now being used to launder the image they tried to destroy. No one can be more loyal than people that needs to prove a point. That's why Atiku needs to learn politics from Tinubu. We are talking of Adamawa. The governor of Adamawa has stripped Atiku off his Waziri title and chieftaincy. Atiku won Adamawa governorship election in 1999 and went ahead to become Nigerians vice president. He's a former governor, former vice president and yet the present governor doesn't even want to hear Atiku. The same Governor won against this Binani woman. That means both the one that contest with Atiku in PDP and the one that contest against him in APC have slipped through your Atiku's finger tip. Don't worry your mind will rest after the ADC primary.

What's the business of the pokenosers in the family affairs?

alanto:
These people spent their whole Buhari time attacking Aregbesola of being a total failure. The same Aregbesola who said he doesn't understand the job he had to do as minister of interior. Now they are singing his praises to high heaven just the same way they are painting Obi white from the mud the dragged him through during and after his time as a governor.

If Tinubu can decame to ADC today. He'll be loved dearly by Obidients.

The pattern is all the same.
They now love El Rufai, Amaechi, Aregbe Kwakwanso these are people they detested for associating with Tinubu. They love them now because they are associating with the chief gbajue in charge. They used to love Bwala, Reno etal but it only takes spitting truth about their gbajue candidate to hate those people to hell.

Bro, what's their business with Aregbe and Onanuga matter?

No be same people who attacked Malami all through Buhari's government for be the one heading the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, the same Malami is of their current heroes.

Walahi, those people have never been sincere about anything before

alanto:
These people spent their whole Buhari time attacking Aregbesola of being a total failure. The same Aregbesola who said he doesn't understand the job he had to do as minister of interior. Now they are singing his praises to high heaven just the same way they are painting Obi white from the mud the dragged him through during and after his time as a governor.

If Tinubu can decame to ADC today. He'll be loved dearly by Obidients.

The pattern is all the same.
They now love El Rufai, Amaechi, Aregbe Kwakwanso these are people they detested for associating with Tinubu. They love them now because they are associating with the chief gbajue in charge. They used to love Bwala, Reno etal but it only takes spitting truth about their gbajue candidate to hate those people to hell.

Look at the mirror before pointing fingers.

You’re talking about shifting loyalties like it’s a one-sided game, but your own record is right there for everyone to see. You once praised El-Rufai to the heavens when he was leading the charge, mobilizing the North, and helping secure the APC ticket and eventual victory for Tinubu. Today, because he’s no longer in the APC camp, he suddenly becomes a terrórist and a corrupt man in your books and the books of The APC. What changed, his character or your convenience?

You dragged Reno Omokri through the mud when he was attacking Tinubu, even when he called him a known drug bárón and dared him to court, something that never happened. Now that Reno is singing a different tune and attacking Peter Obi, he’s magically your hero. Same man, same mouth, only your bias changed.

Let’s not even start with Femi Fani-Kayode, Daniel Bwala, and the rest. Your acceptance of them has always depended on who they’re speaking for, not what they stand for.

And now it’s Rauf Aregbesola you’re attacking. But when he was a governor under APC and aligned with Tinubu, you had zero issues with him. Suddenly he’s incompetent because he’s no longer in your camp?

This isn’t about “Obidients” or any other group. It’s about a pattern you’re clearly part of.

Stop the selective amnesia.

I've replied this message before. I wont respond again.

Ofunaofu:
Look at the mirror before pointing fingers.

You’re talking about shifting loyalties like it’s a one-sided game, but your own record is right there for everyone to see. You once praised El-Rufai to the heavens when he was leading the charge, mobilizing the North, and helping secure the APC ticket and eventual victory for Tinubu. Today, because he’s no longer in the APC camp, he suddenly becomes a terrórist and a corrupt man in your books and the books of The APC. What changed, his character or your convenience?

You dragged Reno Omokri through the mud when he was attacking Tinubu, even when he called him a known drug bárón and dared him to court, something that never happened. Now that Reno is singing a different tune and attacking Peter Obi, he’s magically your hero. Same man, same mouth, only your bias changed.

Let’s not even start with Femi Fani-Kayode, Daniel Bwala, and the rest. Your acceptance of them has always depended on who they’re speaking for, not what they stand for.

And now it’s Rauf Aregbesola you’re attacking. But when he was a governor under APC and aligned with Tinubu, you had zero issues with him. Suddenly he’s incompetent because he’s no longer in your camp?

This isn’t about “Obidients” or any other group. It’s about a pattern you’re clearly part of.

Stop the selective amnesia.

helinues:
Bro, what's their business with Aregbe and Onanuga matter?

No be same people who attacked Malami all through Buhari's government for be the one heading the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, the same Malami is of their current heroes.

Walahi, those people have never been sincere about anything before

Bros. My concept of comment don different now. I now try to open people's eyes to their agenda. Because they are all about agenda. I take my time now to proof whatever I say here.

alanto:
Bros. My concept of comment don different now. I now try to open people's eyes to their agenda. Because they are all about agenda. I take my time now to proof whatever I say here.

You can only open the eyes of neutral members not the Obidients. Those ones have made up their mind long time, there is nothing you can say about this government that will ever make sense to them

alanto:
These people spent their whole Buhari time attacking Aregbesola of being a total failure. The same Aregbesola who said he doesn't understand the job he had to do as minister of interior. Now they are singing his praises to high heaven just the same way they are painting Obi white from the mud the dragged him through during and after his time as a governor.

If Tinubu can decame to ADC today. He'll be loved dearly by Obidients.

The pattern is all the same.
They now love El Rufai, Amaechi, Aregbe Kwakwanso these are people they detested for associating with Tinubu. They love them now because they are associating with the chief gbajue in charge. They used to love Bwala, Reno etal but it only takes spitting truth about their gbajue candidate to hate those people to hell.

Your comments never ever make any sense.

Are you a yoruba man like Bayo ?

CharlotteFlair:
Trash! Trash! Trash!

Is omokri not your god now? You derided FFK and even the memory of his father, is he not your god today?

Mirror is your greatest enemy!

I'm showing you what your people were saying about the new Messiahs. If I go through your own comments now I may find enough to post.

alanto:
I told you in my previous comment you know nothing about politics. Reno and FFK are not my friends but I love how especially Reno have turned against Obi. I love how they are now being used to launder the image they tried to destroy. No one can be more loyal than people that needs to prove a point. That's why Atiku needs to learn politics from Tinubu. We are talking of Adamawa. The governor of Adamawa has stripped Atiku off his Waziri title and chieftaincy. Atiku won Adamawa governorship election in 1999 and went ahead to become Nigerians vice president. He's a former governor, former vice president and yet the present governor doesn't even want to hear Atiku. The same Governor won against this Binani woman. That means both the one that contest with Atiku in PDP and the one that contest against him in APC have slipped through your Atiku's finger tip. Don't worry your mind will rest after the ADC primary.

Stop.denying the obvious. Your comments never make any logic.

You are crying Binani, Atiku, Adamawa

The thread is about Bayo Onanuga. What is your problem ? Are you ok ?

alanto:
I'm showing you what your people were saying about the new Messiahs. If I go through your own comments now I may find enough to post.

You don't ever make sense. Do you want to discuss about messiah's now ?

Address the topic of Bayo Onanuga, another of your messiah

DatNiggaDaz:


Stop.denying the obvious. Your comments never make any logic.

You are crying Binani, Atiku, Adamawa

The thread is about Bayo Onanuga. What is your problem ? Are you ok ?

I really don't understand how you guys think. You brought Reno Omokri and FFK into this thread. Why can't I add more people?

alanto:
I really don't understand how you guys think. You brought Reno Omokri and FFK into this thread. Why can't I add more people?

This is why your comment makes no sense. Go and read your first post and see your messiahs you listed.

Why are you pained ? Why bring PO, why are you talking about El rufai and kwankwaso ?

No one talked about Reno and FFK until you showed up. Are you ok?

helinues:
You can only open the eyes of neutral members not the Obidients. Those ones have made up their mind long time, there is nothing you can say about this government that will ever make sense to them

You created a thread on Nairaland announcing you were suspending your support for Tinubu and even encouraged your ilk to do the same because of the worsening insecurity under his watch. You took that stance because the government you support wasn’t making sense to you, yet you did a full 360 and went back to supporting it, even as insecurity got worse.

So why malign others who chooses not to support a government that still doesn’t make sense to them?

Ofunaofu:
You created a thread on Nairaland announcing you were suspending your support for Tinubu and even encouraged your ilk to do the same because of the worsening insecurity under his watch. You took that stance because the government you support wasn’t making sense to you, yet you did a full 360 and went back to supporting it, even as insecurity got worse.

So why malign others chooses not to support a government that still doesn’t make sense to them?

Do you want me to renew your blocking? if no stop the years of trolling on this forum

helinues:
You can only open the eyes of neutral members not the Obidients. Those ones have made up their mind long time, there is nothing you can say about this government that will ever make sense to them

Then we'll have a lot of proof on this forum for people coming after us.

alanto:
Then we'll have a lot of proof on this forum for people coming after us.

You can only correct neutral people. Correcting the Obidients is a pure waste of time as their mind is fixated

helinues:
Do you want me to renew your blocking? if no stop the years of trolling on this forum

Classic deflection, especially when the truth hits hard

alanto:
I'm showing you what your people were saying about the new Messiahs. If I go through your own comments now I may find enough to post.

Hahaha 😃

I was done with you a long time ago. The venom spat on u is really driving you cràazy 😃.

Onto the next one..