By Ọmọlúwàbí Adesegun Olutayo Osibanjo
Hearty congratulations to the Grand Master Political Strategist, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu for successfully coming out tops in the just concluded Presidential Elections against all odds, and despite all the hills, valleys, and mountains that were deliberately created on your path to victory that was already settled by God as one to succeed President Buhari.
I started my Political evangelism activism when Your Excellency emerged as the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with my proposition to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) when I was divinely inspired and led to open up an unavoidable communication with the CAN Executives via the Letter upon Subject: Red Alert to Christendom in Nigeria, dated 6th September 2022.
The Letter encouraged CAN to look beyond the Muslim-Muslim ticket and rather drill down further for a better understanding of the rationale which is reasons of competence, track record of Your Excellency’s sterling performances as former Governor, and that which obviously swing states voting pattern as the primary considerations that culminated in the decision making that brought about the Tinubu/Shettima ticket.
CAN was also advised to seize advantage of the opportunity provided to gain stronger political bearing in the affairs and administration of Nigeria.
CAN as a way of acknowledging my proposal in her letter dated 19th September 2022 directed my person to liaise with the Political Strategic Committee of CAN headed by Rev. Dr. William Okoye, a former Chaplain of Aso-Rock Presidential Villa and the rest is history.
The aftermath of the presidential election
Owing to the unnecessary Political tension that was generated as the aftermath of the Presidential Election that was pushing the country to the precipice, I was again divinely led this time to write an Open letter to the CAN President on 10th March 2023 urging the body to congratulate the President-Elect/Vice President-Elect to douse the tension in the Country and to also offer some words of caution to Messrs. Peter Obi/ Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed to save Nigeria from falling off the edge. The Open Letter to the CAN President was published in the Urban Express news and Church Times Online.
I got the first Online baptism of fire of my Life, attacks on my person, and Christian-calling as an Evangelist and Secretary to the Board of Trustees of an International Ministry for daring to request the CAN President to congratulate the President-Elect/Vice President-Elect. Some outrightly called me a bigot and other unprintable names for asking that Messrs. Peter Obi/Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed be cautioned from further heating the Polity and aggravating tension in the country. I responded appropriately to all the attacks. Links to the publications were sent to Mr. Tunde Rahman, your media Adviser via WhatsApp.
Another piece was again written to the CAN President to congratulate the President-Elect based on some perceived dangerous precedent-setting which includes the continued clamour for the cancellation of the 2023 General elections after full conclusion, the inciting actions and inactions of religious and political leaders to their followers, the call for the cancellation of the Presidential inauguration slated for May 29 and to be replaced with Interim National Government which is unknown to law and the constitution of Nigeria, and the extremity demonstrated by some of us in taking the protests right to the front of the Defence Headquarters, Abuja was the premise of what gave birth to another letter written on 1 st April 2023.
Again, the Letter was a pointer to encourage the CAN President to congratulate the President-Elect/Vice President-Elect to silence the many Christian leaders, home and abroad involved in these dangerous precedents settings and save the truncation of our steadily growing democracy. This was equally published on Urban Express news and Church Times Online. Links to the Publications were also sent to Mr. Tunde Rahman via WhatsApp.
Lagos election
Campaigns for the Lagos Governorship Election: We all had to launch personal campaigns to educate our youths and children not to mortgage our Lagos heritage and ensure that Lagos is delivered for APC because they voted en-masse for Labour Party in the Presidential Elections due to the unresolved questions about the management of the #EndSARS protest, other perceived Anti-people policies, and strong reliance on the use of Taskforce to unleash terror and brigandage to generate IGR to run the government in the State.
Mr. President-Elect Sir, now that the Elections are done and dusted, and won with the Certificate of return in your Kitty, I strongly suggest that it is one more time for you to re-launch the same re-conciliatory and healing process by applying the same soothing and healing balm deployed for use immediately after you emerged as the Presidential candidate of the APC in reconciling all Citizens, Associations, Groups, and Ethnic nationalities back unto your Fatherhood and Leadership by considering the Purposeful Agenda Setting listed below for your top priority attention and action:
The Nigerian Diversity Factor:
The fear of losing the distinctive values, culture, traditions, and heritage of the Ethnic nationalities that make up Nigeria was a major fallout of the 2023 Presidential elections and in the run-up to the Gubernatorial elections, with Lagos as the case study when the battle for the Soul of Nigeria got shifted to Lagos.
The level playing ground created for Indigenes and Non-indigenes in Lagos state was taken to greater heights with massive employment of Igbos and other Ethnic nationalities in the State Civil service (Go and verify with a visit to Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa), Ministerial and Commissioner appointments, running as candidates in Elections and getting elected as political officeholders without restrictions as far as getting elected as members of the Lagos State House of Assembly and also Federal House of Assembly, owning Lands and Markets. This does not exist anywhere else in Nigeria except Lagos and all due to the One-Nigeria spirit and benevolence of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This level playing ground was taken for granted, abused, and also taken further to a Crescendo with the faithful of the Labour Party planning the takeover of Lagos all the way from Isiala-Ngwa, Abia state. This was combined with threats from the resident Igbo Community to take over Lagos by installing the Governor of their choice in the Elections, calling Lagos a No Man’s Land. This became a near War situation between the Yorubas and Igbos.
We were meant to develop National core values from our Diversity to bond us together as a Country to become our uniqueness, Strength, and Strong selling point but all these became a Mirage during this period. The Diversity factor has brought to the fore, the need to protect the Identity and Heritage of every Ethnic nationality by making meaningful distinctions between host and settler communities, Vis-à-vis Indigenes and non-indigenes. The Constitution and Federal Government policies need to be aligned in these regards to prevent avoidable Ethnic clashes in all the Cosmopolitan cities and by extension, Nigeria.
A lot of Rights have been done and a lot of Wrongs have been committed from the time of Amalgamation to Independence and even till now. We have to become courageous and bold enough in the face of the foregoing to rise up above all ethnic, religious, political, and personal considerations to reinforce the Rights and correct the Wrongs.
Consultation with CAN and Christendom in Nigeria:
The Muslim-Muslim ticket behooves that considerable efforts are made to show that your Administration has no intent at all to side-line or marginalize Christendom in Nigeria by engaging the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and all other Christian bodies in Consultative meetings for the inclusion of Christian technocrats and professionals in your Government.
Rehabilitation of the National Christian Centre:
This Edifice is the symbol and rallying point of Christianity in FCT, Abuja, and has suffered great maintenance neglect over the years since after completion in 2005. The Complex is in a dilapidated state and in dire need of renovation, unlike the National Mosque which is always glowing and shining. Let Posterity remember your Muslim-Muslim Government in the first term as the only Christian-faith-friendly Administration that will graciously renovate and refurbish the National Christian Centre.
Creation of Agencies for Christian-faith and Islamic-faith Affairs:
Our current National realities demand that we create two separate Agencies for the two dominant Faiths in the Country to look beyond Pilgrimage matters and work more closely with the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), the Christian Association of Nigeria, and the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs to develop Strategies and propose policies that would achieve tolerance, cohabitation, unity, and stability to totally eliminate insecurity, insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and other criminal vices using Religion as the covering Veil.
Shangisha Landlords Association Vs. Lagos State Government:
This Litigation was since dispensed off with by the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the Apex Court of the Land about 40 years now, and the Judgment creditors, Shangisha Landlords Association are yet to take possession of the 549 Plots as pronounced by the Apex court. There’s really no need for the Lagos State Government to return back to the Apex Court for Interpretation of some aspects of the Judgment which the Government showed disdain for about 40 years.
Kindly allow Nigerians and the International community to see and know your Administration as a very strong respecter of the Rule of Law by magnanimously instructing the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to raise a Global Certificate of Occupancy (Cof O) for the 549 Plots in the name of Chief Adebayo Adeyiga, the Chairman of the Shangisha Landlords Association and finally Close-out this Age long dispute. There is no controversy or ambiguity at all over the List of the Judgment Creditors as claimed by the Lagos State Government. Kindly allow the original Landlords still alive to eat from their hard Labour before passing it on to their Children. This will also add up a whole lot to the healing and reconciliation process in Lagos state.
Lagos State Government:
There is an urgent need to offer some words of caution to the Administration of the APC Government to reconsider the anti-people, traffic, and tax policies that are portraying APC as an insensitive party that is unleashing brigandage in the name of enforcement with her Taskforce going about hounding only private vehicles in Lagos, impounding and auctioning same bought with hard-earned money at the slightest excuse. If these anti-people policies are sustained, APC may just give a Goodbye kiss to the seat of power in Lagos State at the next general elections in 2027.
Agberos & Touts in Lagos:
This is also seen as one of the major plagues affecting the APC Government of Lagos State. It is mind-boggling to see that our youths now see Mr. Musliu Akinsanya a.k.a M.C Oluomo as a role model because of his very high rating and rising profile as a Philanthropist and Politician controlling massive wealth, all acquired from “Agbero and Touting” activities. The young ones now see these menace as noble job and profession. Some have abandoned schooling completely for tutelage in this nefarious delinquency at Lagos motor parks now.
This is a dangerous precedent that is rapidly increasing the index of our Out-of-school children in Lagos state. This has got to be nipped in the bud right now if we do not want to record a massive and uncontrollable upsurge in the already increasing scale of crimes in our Lagos.
Truth be told, our Electioneering in Lagos and by extension, Nigeria has gotten to the level where these urchins are no longer relevant. Voter intimidation by “Agberos and Touts” is now considered a very strong aberration and constitutes a very negative corporate image and narrative for any Nation in the International community.
Good governance has now become the Hallmark and panacea for our Youths and Intellectuals to return any Government or Administration back to Power as demonstrated during the just concluded Presidential elections. Any government that delivers good dividends of democracy needs not to worry or can even go to sleep when it is time for re-election as the administration’s good deeds go to work to deliver a successful re-election.
Your administration will command respect and earn legitimacy in the eyes of the International community when the menace of “Agberos and Touts” is tamed all over the Country.
National Emergency Management:
On the afternoon of Sunday 2nd April 2023, there was a Road traffic accident on the Long Bridge of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, outwards Lagos, involving an Oil tanker truck laden with Diesel and one SUV. Details of both Vehicles are unknown as of the time of this write-up.
The accident resulted in a Fire outbreak leading to a massive Inferno. It took over 3 hours for a Red Fire truck to appear on the scene after colossal damage had been done on the bridge as several vehicles were totally consumed before emergency rescue arrived. So many other numerous emergency cases abound for mention.
This underscores the need for the review of the Law establishing the Nigeria National Management Agency (NEMA) to cover both the National and States for timely and effective responses with an enlarged scope to cover all Emergency response services to eliminate avoidable deaths and save our Lives. The Agency needs to be equipped with Helicopters and more Ambulances added to the Fleet with other mandatory Rescue equipment and /or machines.
All of the above if attended to by your government, your administration would have taken care of low-hanging fruits that will put you in good stead for acceptance and desired support from the already frustrated populace.
Thank you, Sir.
Long live our President in waiting and Commander-in-Chief and long live Nigeria!!!
Ọmọlúwàbí Adesegun Olutayo Osibanjo R.ENG, MNSE, MNIEE, MCIPSMN, The Political Evangelist is a COREN Registered Engineer and versatile Professional.
Email: adeolu.osibanjo@outlook.com | Twitter: @BoboOshy
Ọmọlúwàbí is a Man born of the best ideals, a responsible Yorùbá citizen, raised with good manners, respect for others and for Elders.