Re: We Didn’t Know Faleke in Kogi Until Audu Selected Him by Gideon Olugbemi
A perusal of the interview Dr. David Atte granted the Vanguard will reveal nothing new to the discerning especially close watchers of the present imbroglio in the state except viewed for what it is, another gooey attempt to rationalize an absurdity.
Dr. Atte has not made any nouveau revelation every Kogite is unaware of as it concerns the inept and directionless leadership the state have been yoked with for over a decade. It is therefore absolutely unnecessary for Dr. Atte to attempt justifying why he accepted to serve in the Transition Committee because it is nobody’s business. It is in the furtherance of his inalienable right of choice but his sanctimonious posturing on the precarious situation in Kogi state smacks of sycophancy unbecoming of a person of Dr. Atte’s “caliber.”
Dr. Atte is free to throw his weight behind anyone he deems fit and no one will begrudge him of this rare opportunity to political relevance and redemption but ascribing his decision to a pan-okun agenda is not only erroneous but misleading.
Is Dr. Atte sincerely opposing Hon. James Faleke just because he was practically unknown in Kogi state until he was selected by late Prince Abubakar Audu or he is on a futile quest to trivialize what has become the authentic symbol of Rescue of Okun from corrupt leadership?
What Dr. Atte fails to understand is that in politics as with life itself, it is not always how long but how well. Dr. Atte’s testimony of complete ignorance of Hon. James Faleke in all the struggle for a better Okun in the last thirty years is not only shallow but lame; because even a toddler understands and appreciates the fact that the current quest for justice in the midst of the contrived confusion in Kogi state is the epitome and zenith of struggles for not only a better Okun but a Kogi State we can all be proud of. One can empathize with Dr. Atte and others with the same attitude given the fact that Hon. James Faleke achieved in a short period what they have unsuccessfully toiled to accomplish in ages; that could be mesmerizing and discomforting at a go.
It is rather sad to notice the incoherence in Dr. Atte’s postulation because, if he can confess and testify to credible contribution by Hon. Faleke to the development of Lagos as a sojourner, will it not be a plus for Kogi state that Hon. Faleke will bring into governance that wealth of experience in private, public and political administration to his state of birth considering the dire straits the state is presently in? Or when has it become a sin to excel outside your state of birth and respond to calls to return and contribute to the development of one’s home state?
On the issue of eligibility raised by Dr. Atte, my advice is that he offers his invaluable legal expertise to his new boss, Alhaji Yahaya Bello at the tribunal because it will really come in handy.
It is not in Dr. Atte’s place to decide in whose hands to put the future of the people as over 240,000 Kogites whose right it is already made that choice on 21st November, 2015 by indicating their preference for the AUDU/FALEKE ticket.
Best wishes to Dr. Atte in his new assignment, but is it not ironic that Dr. Atte will really want to identify with the government of Alh. Yahaya Bello considering the fact that his tenure as commissioner in Kwara state then under Chief Cornelius Adebayo lasted for just three months. Déjà vu, I will say because this is going to be another short spell in office.
For the avoidance of doubt, let it be known that as at today, Hon. James Faleke is the face and soul of Okun struggle and aspirations and the people have come to that realization hence their support not only because he is an Okun man but because of the zeal, commitment and patriotism he has brought to the KOGI RESCUE MISSION.
Our people now recognize their true leaders and no amount of mischievous misrepresentation will sway them from the reality that Hon. James Faleke has proved himself a reliable, dependable and trustworthy leader they can rely on to walk them through the contrived chaos in Kogi state to a brighter and better state for the good of all Kogites.
Dr. Atte should take this saying of our elders seriously; AKII BINU ORI KA FI FILA DE BADI which literally translated means, it’s futile to adorn the bumbum with the cap just to spite the head; because it will never fit.
