Indigenes of the South West expressed relief and wholesomely welcomed the sacking of bandits from the zone which has been plunged into an orgy of violence by marauding bandits and criminal Herdsmen.
The South West Nigeria, comprises of five states, namely, Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti States. With the lone exception of Lagos State, the rest of the states have felt the harsh reality of insecurity. Kidnappings, rape of local women, destruction of farmlands and cold blooded murder became an order of the day as bandits ransacked the region.
The rising rate of insecurity gave birth to the South West Security Network, codenamed Amotekun.
Just as the various states launched and equipped Amotekun, the bandits kept having a field day. While many had expected the new security outfit to be fortified with local traditional charms as was in the case of the Agbekoyas in the 1960s, the governors seemed to have a different idea as recruited officers of the new security network were trained in modern methods of community policing.
This may have been why when Sunday Igboho, a renowned fighter of the traditional mould angrily launched an offensive against the Fulanis in his local government area, Ibarapa, which had witnessed it’s fair share of banditry, the people welcomed him.
However, elders advised caution. The Ooni of Ife, one of the region’s most respected traditional rulers outrightly condemned Igboho’s pronouncements for Fulanis to leave the land. Some other elders were of the opinion that such an order may spiral out of hands and get out of control.
The Governor of Oyo State, Engr Seyi Makinde, who until then was seen as the ‘Starboy’ of the SouthWest due to his achievements in other areas of development, suddenly found himself faced with an insurrection.
Igboho’s order without recourse to constituted authority, which is the governor, has been translated in many quarters as a challenge of the governor’s authority.
While many felt that the governor had not been able to deliver on security, other men of foresight warned that there cannot be two parallel governments in a state.
Igboho went ahead and expelled the Fulanis from Ibarapa, including the Sarki Fulani of the town.
As forewarned by the elders, the crises has spread to other areas of Oyo and indeed other parts of the South West.
A market at Akinyele Local Government Area, Shasha Market became the next spot for violent protest. Northerners who had lived in peace with the people of the town were targeted after an alleged skirmish between an Hausa man and a Yoruba lady.
These are not the best of times for the governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde.
What surprises many however is the fact that while Oyo State is embroiled in crises, the governor who is the only PDP governor in the zone, seems to be on his own. The national party and other South West governors have not openly condemned the crises nor visited Makinde to commensurate with him.
The ‘Starboy’ seems a lone soldier fighting invisible entities.
Many have wondered why the PDP has not issued a statement on the imbroglio in Oyo State.
The governor himself in a state broadcast advised his people not to be swayed by detractors on social media who he believes are politically motivated to cause crises in the state. He said: “It is time to put Oyo State first. Individuals stoking ethnic flares in Oyo State through utterances or social media posts, are enemies of our state. People leveraging on this unfortunate event to further their political ambitions are not our friends.”
With this statement, it can be interpreted that Makinde believes that there are people fueling an already volatile situation.
Who are these people? With the silence from the PDP National body, Nigerians are curious.
It will be recalled that Makinde has been at loggerheads with Ex-Governor Fayose of Ekiti State over the leadership of the party and the nomination of the Zonal chairman of the party to Dr. Eddy Oyefeso.
On the latest crises in Oyo State, Ayo Fayose in an interview, blamed Makinde for not properly handling the crises. He said on Channels TV: “Be proactive, borrow from us, we are Generals in this field”
Reacting to this statement, an Ibadan resident, Tunde Oyetunde and Makinde supporter wonders how many wars of such magnitude Fayose has fought: “It is funny that Ayo Fayose is referring to himself as a General at a time when Generals are needed on the front. Should he be on TV telling the world that the governor has failed or extend a hand to help to the governor at such a trying time. By the way, what war has Fayose fought? As far as I am concerned, all he ever fought for was his seat in government and his now and then criticism of the president. He cannot in all fairness compare that to the crises currently going on in Oyo State. If he has no better advice, it is better for him to keep quiet and not rub salt into injured wound”.
Oyetunde believes that Makinde has handled the situation well: “Our governor has done very well. We know what would have happened if he had not spoken out against Sunday Igboho’s pronouncements and the forceful and illegal ejection of Fulanis. What we saw in Shasha over a slight disagreement could have escalated into full blown ethnic crises. Now, there is peace, after the curfew was announced. We have lived with our northern neighbours for years and we have never had any problems. I would advice all influential men in the South West, including Fayose, to join hands in containing the crises now. This is not the time for politicking”. He said.
On Tuesday, some northern governors, paid a visit to Oyo State. They include Kebbi State Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, Abdulahi Ganduje of Kano State; Bello Matawalle of Zamfara and Abubakar Sanni of Niger States.
Many are asking, where are the southern governors and more especially the national chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus?
While Seyi Makinde has been seemingly left alone to fight his battle by his party and is being castigated in the social media, a concerned Yoruba indigene, Oyeronke Bolajoko Akinlolu believes that Makinde is going through the present trials because he has no godfather:
“It is only Nigerian masses that fight for political names and for politicians. To the big men, they don’t look at party names, they are friends, they discuss in a mature manner and find solution. The problem of Nigeria is beyond what we discuss on social media.
What we really see in Oyo state is that the Governor doesn’t have a godfather, so he is fighting the battle of his life with people that are claiming they are the ones that made him to win; forgetting that we all put our hands on deck to make sure APC didn’t win Oyo State. Now, some PDP leaders are romancing the APC, going to bow for Tinubu just because of money. The insecurity in Oyo state is not funny, all those opposing the governor are looking for impeachment or state of emergency to be declared on the state, for their own pecuniary interests and political gains.” She said.
Digging deeper into why the PDP at the national level hasn’t shown interest in the Oyo crises, a PDP top member accused the national chairman of allegedly being more interested in re-election than forging peace within party ranks in the South West zone. Said the member, Gboyega Omotayo: “What we hear is that Secondus is allegedly romancing with some enemies of the governor who will ensure he gets a second term. I do not want to call names but the lackadaisical attitude of the national leadership of the party to the travails of Makinde at this time, is highly regretful, however, to be fair, he did direct the warring parties to the Bukola Saraki reconciliation committee, I think it is high time all warring factors met because we need all hands on deck for the next national elections”.
Once upon a time, not too long ago, Makinde with a retinue of achievements, was the pride of the PDP. What has happened between the governor and his party? Can the Starboy’ shine again? Can the PDP afford to jeopardize the only governor the party has in the South West by not supporting him now?
In his state broadcast, however, Makinde sued for peace and assured that the situation is under control
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