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…I stand by my words – Olafemi
Former Acting Governor of Kogi State and a former Speaker of the State Assembly, Rt. Hon. Clarence Olafemi has been advised to separate his personal ambitions from the Okun agenda.
The advice was given by the Director General on Media and Publicity to the Governor of Kogi State, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, while addressing a group of Okun Youth in Lokoja , Sunday. He said the former Speaker should begin to act like a statesman, with a bigger picture of the state rather than individual ambitions, calling his allegation of marginalization against the Okun people by President Buhari and Governor Yahaya Bello, “unsavoury, uncomplimentary and hasty”.
“My attention has been drawn to an open letter, purportedly written by a former Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, alleging marginalization of the Okun people of Kogi West Senatorial District. As far as I am concerned, the letter was in bad taste. Chief Olafemi didn’t tell the world about his true grievances.
“A leader of Olafemi’s caliber should explore more diplomatic channels of sending his protests across rather than resort to an open letter to embarrass the hierarchy of the party. Moreover, he recently told us how the national chairman of the party recently enlisted him to reconcile aggrieved members of the party. He should have reported his grievances to the party leadership rather than resorting to writing to the public to castigate the President.
“The Governor has hailed the President’s fairness in appointing Prof. Ocheni as Minister Designate. The late Minister who was replaced was from Kogi East. It wouldn’t have been fair to appoint his successor from another zone, given the fact that the zone lost both the governorship and ministerial slot to t cold hands of death.
“Anybody can lobby for appointment but the discretion of choice depends on Mr. President. Olafemi should have allowed someone who didn’t lobby to be Minister spearhead this protest to give it an atom of credibility.
“Kogi West is currently occupying the number three position in the State Executive Council and number one in the legislature. It is believed that the zone will also enjoy Board appointments at both the Federal and State levels. Therefore, cry of marginalization in the state is false and at the Federal level, hasty”.
Fanwo called on Rt. Hon. Olafemi to key into the United Kogi Project and see all Kogites as one, saying the era of ethnic jingoism and “opportunistic chauvinism is gone for good”.
“In Kogi State of today under the leadership of Governor Yahaya Bello, we no longer see ourselves as people of different ethnicities, but people united by a common destiny under the New Direction Agenda for development.
“It is imperative to note that the people of Kogi State are solidly behind the President Muhammadu Buhari administration and will continue to support the President. Olafemi should use his position and experience to support our drive for unity and development. When he supported Echocho in the 2011 poll against his Okun brothers, we had the impression that he was detribalized. We wish to continue to hold on to that lofty belief”.
Speaking further, Fanwo said the state is undergoing “attitudinal reengineering to reposition it, unite her people and place it on the pinnacle of development”, urging political leaders to embrace and preach peace, unity and progress.
“Referring to the Chief of Staff to the Governor as ‘powerful’ by a person of the caliber of Olafemi is unfortunate. The Chief of Staff is an appointee of the Governor who carries out the directives of the Governor. Olafemi should have looked beyond this as someone we respected so much”.
Fanwo allayed the fears raised by Olafemi in his open letter to the President, saying Governor Yahaya Bello will be fair to all.
“Governor Yahaya Bello is a friend of Okunland, Kogi West and Kogites in general. He has been fair to all. Okun is currently holding the positions of the Secretary to the State Government, Commissioner for Finance and Head of Government Economic Team, Commissioners for Agriculture, Education and Women Affairs. Okun also have the State Security Adviser and the Director General on Media and Publicity. Only Yagba West doesn’t have a Commissioner in Okunland and the Local Government boasts of the Special Adviser on Political Matters and the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board. No Okun person held the position of SUBEB Chairman before the advent of the Yahaya Bello administration. This explanation is necessary to expose the inaccuracies in the letter. Okun has never had it so good in terms of state appointments.
“It is our belief that qualified Kogites will be considered for Federal Board appointments by the President. Okun will be well represented in the scheme of things at the Federal level”.
In a swift response, Olafemi said Fanwo is only employing ‘media English’ to avoid the real issues raised in his letter.
According to Olafemi; “I do not intend to go into media argument with the DG media to the Governor but is he saying that anybody who join politic should not have ambition ? Or are you saying you are not aware that I was founding member of APC and one of the funding member of APC in the state, a former BOT member and a member of the Presidential Campaign Committee, where were you then?
“Your choice of word will only compound an already compounded issue. You have not answer the basic question that if 4 appointments are coming to the state at once within a week then it is justify to go one direction. The state appointments you are talking about is not what am complaining about at all my complain was about the federal appointment. You did not see anything wrong to respond on the man who first post congratulating the east for having 4 appointments within a week and saying more are still coming.
“I will strongly advice you to correct the imbalance which is real rather than focusing on media English. Am not such a person, I stand by my words and reiterate that it was done after wide consultation which goes beyond media war.
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