Explosion! High Cost of Amosun's Vendetta against OGD to Ogun State People

Stumbled upon this mind-blowing and heart-touching article posted on Facebook by a concerned citizen of Ogun State about the current turbulence between Governor Ibikunle Amosun (current governor of Ogun State) and Otunba Gbenga Daniel (immediate past governor of Ogun State). It's worth reading! Your comment will be appreciated.

AMOSUN’S VENDETTA AGAINST OGD: CALCULATING THE COST TO THE PEOPLE OF OGUN STATE

Governor Ibikunle Amosun vs Otunba Gbenga Daniel

As a concerned citizen of Ogun State who is now keenly interested in the happenings in the state, I am definitely appalled with how progress in Ogun State is being thwarted by the ‘scorched-earth’ policies of Governor Ibikunle Amosun against the former Governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.

In the last one year since the Amosun administration took office, it appears to have set itself on a course to destroy everything Otunba Gbenga Daniel has built in the state, whether progressive or not. The whole farcical campaign is fast becoming a classic case of throwing out the baby with the bath water, the soap and the basin! I believe that it is time that stakeholders in Ogun state start taking stock of what this all-out persecution of a former governor is costing, or going to cost them.

1. THE COST OF AN UNSUAL OBESSESSION AGAINST A PREDESSESOR

From my personal observations of the Amosun VS OGD imbroglio, it is as if the present government does not believe in Continuity Of Government principle at all. Without considering the legal or moral obligations of the Govt. of Ogun State, it continues to distance itself from the Projects, Agreements, Allocations and Actions of the past governor, even where interests of innocent third parties are affected. He has ignored international agreements signed by his predecessor, revoked C of Os on land that have been developed fully, and reposed lands from third parties acquired under the former governor without due process. From my observation, it appears that Governor Amosun is so obsessed with pulling down the legacy of Otunba Gbenga Daniel, that he did not seem to care what this needless crusade is costing the people of Ogun State and the voters who put him in office. This write-up is to point his attention to some of these costs in the hope that he will slow down a bit to rethink his actions.

For the record, I want to emphasize that I believe that if any public officer has looted state funds, or illegally misappropriated state assets, they deserve to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I also want to be on record that if presented with genuine proof of illegal activities by OGD, I will be one of the first to challenge him publicly. I am NOT a politician and I do not have any party allegiance to any party or politician at this point in time. As The Ombudsman, I am only committed to Fairness, Transparency and Accountability in the marketplace. In my book, justice and fairness also goes both ways. Just as the accuser is entitled to fairness, so also is the accused. OGD has been charged to court for perceived illegal actions while governor, with active instigation, encouragement and support of Governor Amosun, and the law should be allowed to take its course, if he is really there is a case to answer by OGD. There is absolutely no need for Amosun to keep wasting more of Ogun State money in a needless wild goose chase.

Lest people assume that this is a baseless attack on Amosun from an OGD sympathizer, I encourage people to look at the following facts, investigate and seek the truth for themselves, before making up their mind one way or the other, on whether this is a simple case of bellyaching/PR work for OGD, or a genuine concern for the burgeoning public cost of the personal vendetta of the current governor against a former governor of Ogun State. It is time intelligent people start having a debate based on FACTS AND ISSUES as opposed to propaganda and innuendoes without proof.

2. FINANCIAL COST OF SPENDING MILLIONS TO ADVERTISE THE LAND COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY’S INTERIM REPORT!

Based on a rough calculation of the cost of the Full Pages of PAID ADVERTS by the Ogun State Government IN SEVERAL NEWSPAPERS to publish the interim report of its Land Commission of Enquiry, there is no doubt that the government must have spent serious millions of Naira to publish a report that is NOT even final. Those who can calculate better have suggested that it must have cost Ogun State about N100million so far! So, the question begs itself: Why spend so many millions to advertise the INTERIM REPORT OF THE LAND COMMISSION in a state allegedly broke?

It is one thing for our governor to want the members of the public to know the results of the Commission of Enquiry, but quite another thing to spend a whopping N100Million or more to conduct a commission of enquiry that focused on less than 100 allocations of land in a state where over 100,000 allocations were made by the same man over an 8 year period! In order words, this government focused on LESS THAN 1% (actually it is about 10% of 1%!) of all the Land allocations made by OGD over an 8yr span and then used that result to brand him before the public as a land grabber without conscience.

Even worse, the Amosun government spent millions of Govt. money to buy newspaper adverts, including some Newspapers owned based OUTSIDE OGUN STATE to publicize INTERIM reports of the Land commission. They took out 10 pages in Punch, and many pages in several other newspapers to advertise an interim report. They even took out COLOR ADVERTS IN PUNCH at one point to advertise an INTERIM REPORT that has NO GRAPHICS! Amazingly, our governor has used close to 100 full pages of newspaper space in different newspapers to ‘advertise’ an interim report. Any genuine Truth Seeker can do the math in an era where just ONE full page advert in some newspapers cost over N600,000.00! This commission was set up and operated with millions of Naira that Ogun State can barely afford.

3. FINANCIAL COST OF DAILY PRESS RELEASES, IN THE FORM OF PAID ADVERTS, AGAINST OGD

Furthermore, the Amosun Government has also developed an addiction for taking out paid adverts in Newspapers to respond directly to press releases and paid letters from OGD. The extent of the personal nature of the vendetta against OGD is perhaps most illustrated with the almost pavlovian manner the Amosun government has felt compelled to respond to comments and press releases by OGD, with multiple page paid adverts of its own in response, even by lowly positioned personal assistants . In his zeal to engage OGD, our governor has forgotten that OGD is paying for his press releases with his own money, while Governor Amosun is relentlessly spending Ogun State government money to respond to him in the most expensive manner. Someone needs to remind Governor Amosun that a responsible government with serious work on its hand does not waste time and money responding to every criticism of its actions with PAID ADVERTS in newspapers when a simple Press Release would have done the job and not cost the state any money.

For a governor who maintains that Ogun State is broke, it is appalling how he carelessly spends the little money the state does have on responding to every press release from Otunba Gbenga Daniel. Yet, this same government did not take out any paid public adverts to explain revelations of fraud in the tax department by people in Amosun’s govet. He only issued a Press release!

4. FINANCIAL COST OF VARIOUS LITIGATIONS TO DEFEND THE LAND COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY REPORT

From the initial reaction to the interim report of the Land Commission, it is clear that the Amosun Government will have its hands full defending the different lawsuits that the politically motivated Land Commission of enquiry is bound to beget.

Already, less than a month after the release of the interim report, over 20 separate cases have already been filed challenging different parts of the report! Most of those cases will probably go against the government because the Land Use Act is very clear on which persons and bodies can deal with issues relating to Land allocations, and any knowledgeable attorney knows that a Land Commission of Enquiry is NOT one of them. Furthermore, the Land Commission of Enquiry itself appeared to have operated in CONTEMPT OF COURT since many of the issues it covered were already pending in court, and the Presiding judge should have known better than to delve into matters that are subjudice. Furthermore, from many of the court filings, it appears that many of the aggrieved persons’ Fundamental Right to Fair Hearing were violated with impunity by the commission. However, this piece is not about the legality or illegality of the Land Commission of Enquiry. The courts will eventually sort out the legal issues in due course.

However, my concern is the cost of all these lawsuits to the people of Ogun State. From what I have seen so far, the ill-advised Land Commission of Enquiry will probably generate hundreds of lawsuits within the next one year, costing the people of Ogun State millions of Naira to defend, while engaging the time and resources of hundreds of Ogun state Govt. personnel who would be engaged by the government to defend them. Yet, regrettably, I believe that this huge money waster could have been avoided by our governor if he was not so blinded by his personal war against OGD.

The sad truth is that many of the issues treated at the Land Commission (i.e. double allocation; underpayment and lack of proof of payment etc.) could have been easily handled ADMINISTRATIVELY with minimal cost to the state, with less fanfare, without alienating investors, and without exposing our state and former governor to ridicule. Historical truth is that MOST GOVERNORS SOLVE LAND ISSUES ADMINISTRATIVELY WITHOUT SO MUCH MONEY WASTING OR PUBLIC GRANDSTANDING AND FANFARE!

Truth is, problems with land allocations have been around since before the Land Use Decree itself. This problem is COMMON IN MANY STATES including Lagos State with the most expensive real estate in Africa. Yet no state has set up a land commission of enquiry like the type we have in Ogun state and no state has spent so much money advertising results of its Land Commission of Enquiry. Otunba Gbenga Daniel did not waste money and time investigating Governor Osoba, his own predecessor and political antagonist, despite the fact that it was alleged that Gov. Osoba allocated 50 hectares of land, out of 100 Hectares of land earmarked for development by his government, a few days to leaving office! Even Governor Tinubu, who succeeded a government that was hostile to him, did not waste money and time persecuting his predecessor. He simply did what he had to do administratively, so that he can have the time to create his own legacy. So, someone should be asking Governor Amosun, WHY THIS NEEDLESS WASTE?

To be continued!

Continuation: Explossion! High Cost of Amosun's Vendetta against OGD to Ogun State People

5. DEVELOPMENTAL COST OF ALIENATING INVESTORS FROM OGUN STATE

One of the tragic consequences, and incalculable cost to the people of Ogun State, of the personal vendetta against Otunba Gbenga Daniel, are the effects the policies of Amosun Government are having on investors who once flooded to Ogun State during the OGD years.

Based on my examination of OGD’s stated strategy and political manifesto, his stated intention, BEFORE HE BECAME GOVERNOR, was that he would use land as a tool to woo investors into the state, and use cheap land as a ‘carrot’ to make Ogun State a magnet, by creating a viable alternative for Lagos businesspeople and companies who were being squeezed to death by exorbitant price of land in Lagos State. Contrary to the rhetoric being dished to the public by the Amosun government, OGD’s PUBLIC STATEMENTS before he won the election, proved that he did not just wake up and decide to give huge discounts on cost of land in Ogun State. He articulated it clearly in his manifesto before election, and he also made it an open policy in his administration that as long as you want land for development in Ogun State, you can have it for very reasonable prices. From his published statement, it was clear that his expectation was that Ogun State will benefit much more than the cost of land; in the form of increased employment; increased taxes and income tax payments to the state among others. He went out of his way not only to commit his own personal businesses to buy land in the state, he also ‘blackmailed’ many of his business associates to come to Ogun State and ‘begged’ many illustrious indigenes of Ogun State to ‘come home’ and buy land for development by giving them discount offers they cannot refuse.

The records indicate that in the space of 8 years, OGD issued close to 100,000 Certificates of Occupancy to different businesses, corporations and individuals. This led to an explosion of huge companies such as Nestle and Glo building major factories in the state, leading to an explosion in land prices in Ogun State. Ironically, it is this huge success in attracting land developers and businesses to Ogun State that is now being used as the focal point and arrowhead of hispersecution!

Sadly, it appears to me that Governor Ibikunle Amosun, perhaps in his blind quest to ‘get’ OGD, did not bother to calculate the cost of his vendetta on the industrial revolution that OGD started in the state. Rather than quietly resolve genuine areas of conflict, double allocation, or even questionable underpayment for land where they appear, he decided, contrary to common business sense, to carry a megaphone into the marketplace, questioning everything to do with land allocation in the state. He then followed that up with large scale revocations of land assigned to many companies, some of them with completed buildings and structures already on them! He never bothered to do the sensible thing that would minimize losses to these businesses; reduce adversarial lawsuits; or preserve the integrity of the Continuity of Government in Ogun state, as long as it gives him an opportunity to embarrass and ‘expose’ Otunba Gbenga Daniel as a reckless manager of land.

Regrettably, the effects are already being felt in Ogun State economy, as many businesses and individuals are now beating a hasty retreat from the Ogun state lest they be caught in the cross-fire of this war being waged against the person and legacy of OGD. The long term costs of this development cannot even be calculated at this time but Ogun State people are going to pay that price for years and years. We will lose job opportunities for citizens; lose tenement rates from the lands; lose income taxes that could have accrued from the businesses, and land values will stagnate and go down now that there is no longer any rush. Somebody needs to pinch our headstrong governor and tell him to apply the brakes before he drives our state into the river!

6. SPIRITUAL COST OF THE DESTRUCTION AND DESECRATION OF CHURCH PREMISES

Not only did Governor Amosun revoke several C of Os for many religious bodies in the state, HE ACTUALLY WENT AND DESTROYED PART OF THE PREMISES OF THE CHURCH OF THE LORD, ALADURA simply because it happened to be the church of the ‘spiritual father of Otunba Gbenga Daniel’, on the ground that the land allocation was not properly documented or conflicted with another C of O. He never tried a non-destructive approach to resolving any administrative or moral issues he may have with the allocation. He simply sent bulldozers to the premises to pull down the walls barely 3 days after attending the burial service of the father of Otunba Gbenga Daniel is that same church!

In a state where most of the citizens are very religious (more than 90% of Ogun Citizens are either Muslims and Christians), there is bound to be serious repercussion for Governor Amosun, and by extension, the people of Ogun State, when the wrath of God begins to manifest for desecrating the premises of the Church of the Lord, Aladura in such a public manner. Religious institutions (Christian and Muslim) have always occupied a special place in our land. They have always been treated with special deference by politicians , simply because they represent a source of faith and hopes of the people, both in this life and the hereafter. Many smart rulers have also learnt over the years to stay away from directly confronting these institutions. Those who threw caution to the winds always ended paying the price. Unfortunately, sometimes, the states they rule also suffered along when the judgments come down.

By blindly going after the church believed to be that of the Spiritual Father of Otunba Gbenga Daniel, as part of his ‘scorched-earth’ policy against OGD, Amosun may have beaten more than he can chew, if he does not quickly repent. Unfortunately, oftentimes when a ruler is being punished for his sins, most times it is the people that suffer the most. Personally, this is one cost of this needless war that bothers me the most. You only need to read the Books of Kings in the Bible to get an idea of what I am talking about here. God will have to help us in Ogun State from the consequences of our governor’s crude and reckless pursuit of his predecessor.

7. SOCIAL COST OF CLOSING EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS FOUNDED BY OGD

It is widely believed by observers of the terrain in Ogun State that the decision to scrap Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), the first University of Education in Nigeria, and one that is highly rated by the NUC and world university ranking system, as well as the four ICTs established under the OGD government, is part of the Operation demystify OGD campaign by our current government. The circumstances surrounding the hasty decision to scrap these functioning institutions, as well as the lack of proper due process leading to the decision, speaks volumes about how our present governor does not really care about the cost of his war against OGD on the people of Ogun State. In an era where other states are looking for more institutions to help educate their citizens, that a governor could just decide to scrap institutions providing educational opportunities for thousands of its citizens every year, is simply mindboggling. Yet, this does not appear to have bothered Governor Amosun in the least. Now, many thousands of Ogun indigenes many never get an opportunity to get higher education. What a price we have to pay for a personal obsession of our governor for OGD!

8. COMMUNITY COST OF INCITING ETHNIC CONFLICTS AND DISCONTENT BY THE ONGOING VICTIMIZATION OF THE IJEBU PEOPLE ?

I sincerely believe that by far the greatest cost that Ogun State people may have to pay for the relentless persecution of OGD is the possible incitement of ethnic conflicts and discontent in the state. Once we get on the unruly horse of ethnic conflict and agitation, nobody can predict where it would end. Lives could be lost and years of harmony among the state’s major ethnic groupings may be lost forever.

While many people in Ogun State are yet to pick up on the undercurrent of victimization of the Ijebu people under Amosun, many knowledgeable people in Ogun State politics are suggesting this trend exits though many are reluctant to go public at this time. I will give a couple of examples that seems to be suggesting this dangerous development and hopefully Governor Amosun will consider them and understand that there should be a limit to his pursuit of his personal agenda of OGD. Frankly, it is my sincere hope that there is no truth to this undercurrent and growing perception among the Ijebus.

First, the TASUED and two of the ICTs that were recommended for closure by Amosun Government are located in Ijebu Land. TASUED occupies a very dear place in the hearts of Ijebus and they are yet to be given a credible reason why this crown jewel on their land is being scrapped. Secondly, out of the 17 permanent secretaries sacked in the last one year under Governor Amosun, somebody has pointed out that about 15 of them were Ijebus. If true, this disproportionate number of Ijebus, in the list of sacked permanent secretaries, is a serious cause for discontent among the Ijebus, and it is only a matter of time before the persecution of the Ijebus under Amosun becomes a hot issue in Ogun State, if he does not slow down. Thirdly, the abolition of the first Agro-Cargo Airport in Nigeria at Ilisan, Iperu is another case in point that is making many observers wonder if indeed this war with OGD is being extended to the Ijebus as an ethnic group. I personally do not know enough of the ethnic politics to make a determination whether this is true or not but the fact that it is even being discussed in some forums is not a good omen.

As usual, when ethnic discontent blows out into the open, it is the sons and daughters of Ogun State that will pay the price as communities attack each other.

9. THE POLITICAL COST OF FIXATION ON OGD INSTEAD OF EXECUTING PROGRESSIVE DEVELOPMENT POLICIES

Governor Amosun probably did not understand that at the end of the day, the people of Ogun State and posterity, are going to rate his government based on what HE did during his tenure, and not what he destroyed from the preceding government. At the end of the day what people really need the most are Food; Jobs; Power; Education; and Security. Amosun can chase OGD around for 4 years and get known as the Vendetta or Probing Governor or he can roll up his sleeves and get to work building a legacy of his own. As it is, the people of Ogun State who voted for him in protest against General Obasanjo’s meddlesome antics in the politics of the state, and the resulting disarray in PDP at the time of the election, have already lost one year of hope and expectation. The stark fact is that no new major practical developmental initiative has been taken by this government in the past one year. All the the good people of Ogun State have received for their mandate in over a year is Truth Commission and Land Commission and other Inquisitorial activities instead of Food, Jobs, Security or education. Truth Governor Amosun must face is that Commissions DO NOT FEED anybody. People are already getting tired of this all-out vendetta against a governor that gave them 8 years of unprecedented development. Governor Amosun will do well to actually free himself from the sycophants telling him what he wanted to hear, and get a real feel for the sentiment in the land. Otherwise, he may end up squandering 4 years of opportunity to build, and consolidate, on the initiatives started by Otunba Gbenga Daniel. That indeed will be a tragedy.

In closing, and with respect, Governor Ibikunle Amosun must understand that his personal campaign against OGD has a huge COST for the innocent citizens of Ogun State who are expecting positive development from him. He must understand that it is the people of Ogun State who are paying the huge cost of this campaign to bring down OGD. At some point, Gov. Amosun will have to account to them, and explain the wisdom of spending so much money, and time, to bring down only one man. He must understand that he will NOT be the governor forever and history has an eerie way of repeating itself. The same way he has gone about the relentless campaign to destroy his predecessor, one of his own successors will eventually repay him in his own coin. The ‘Law Of The Seed’ NEVER fails.

Hopefully, nearly 4,000 words will be enough for the stubborn gladiator.

DR OPE BANWO Esq.
Concerned Citizen Of Ogun State and Truth Seeker
(Dr. Ope Banwo is an Attorney, Human Rights Activist, Public Commentator, Ombudsman, and Founder of the Nigerian Election Viligilantes Organization [N.E.V.O])

Posted on Facebook by The Truth Seeker on August 10, 2012 at 12:30am.

may God help us all

I just hope all this will stop in our generation.This must not continueit just has to stop

Otunba Gbenga Daniel was someone me myself like before.But now i so dislike him....He aint good at all

I really think Governor Amosun should move on with development already, does he want to take the entire four years of his tenure pulling down what his predecessor built whether illegal or not he just have to start delivering the promises he made to the people of Ogun state that voted him into power, he is not even assured of a second term and he is yet to start delivering dividends of democracy to the citizens of Ogun State.