by Bunmi Olaniyan

I hope Asiwaju will tell those inconsequential yokels waxing idiotic lyrics in these very words without editing “if you don’t believe I am deserving of all these awards and accolades ask Baba Akande:Ask Lai Mohammed:Ask APC members especially the youth who have seen and felt my generousity

Teach the people how to fish and they will be too lazy to feed, give them fish and they will be eternally grateful…..Adedibu 1887

A lot of cynical Nigerians erroneously assume APC are the flip side of same political coin shouldering similar moral baggage as their main opposite PDP, but the truth is that they are completely woven out of different moral tapestry, working very hard to position themselves in delivering true dividends of democracy to Nigerians, which has eluded us at the hands of PDP councillors, local Government Chair persons: State Governors and Nass members amongst other political functionaries.

Take Jagaban Bola Hammed Tinubu for instance he is the Asiwaju of Yoruba land, leader  and Civilian/traditional Field Marshall guarding the South West from the impending encroachment of marauding PDP forces coming to hold us in perpetual servitude (we have not forgotten their 60years boast), not only this but using his own personal resources he liberated all the South Western states with exception of Ondo , then stepping back to allow the free and organic  flourish of  democracy and good governance  .

Grateful Nigerians, Traditional rulers in Yoruba land and several youth representatives including those in APC scrambled over themselves to confer on him enviable titles all at once to show their sense of gratitude for rescuing the South West region from certain servitude. He must have been pleasantly surprised to be considered so highly, to acquire this triumvirate of honour and applause considering he was only undertaking a selfless task. Even his mentor Awolowo I am sure will be looking down from heaven smiling benevolently at our Jagaban.

Uniformed service chiefs, Regional and National Political leaders past and present would never dream of even getting one of these honours, so to get several from students and youth Representatives,Organisations,Political associates even more than the afore mentioned all at once I am sure he was overwhelmed and completely humbled.

I know some haters and malicious souls with sinister agendas who don’t want any good for our beloved country spouting their duplicitous verbiage, claim he only got all those accolades and honours through a system of financial inducements across the board but let’s be honest that is the most ridiculous crock of self-serving Bull crap (excuse my French) i have heard…let me briefly assuage my anger before continuing..

Those who conferred such honours upon him would have been aware that Nigerians typical of their suspicious and cynical nature would be critical hence their obvious response would have been to refrain until a thorough investigation had been carried out and if they had found any hint of untoward moral blot summarily withdrawn the honours and chieftaincy titles to prevent any griping accusations of bias or (and) inducement.

Their sense of fair play and collective unction of gratefulness overrode that fear of criticism by haters and naysayers demonstrating he got these well-deserved accolades fair and square not just for Singlehandedly liberating the Southwest but upholding the noble and honourable Political ideals of Awolowo the late sage in thought deed and actions.

Even right now many reading this will vehemently argue Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has done nothing to deserve these titles accolades even the financial windfall that he had come into, in the aftermath of his Governorship tenures, that the whole exercise and Tinubu road show is a pathetic sham one would never find any morally upright and intelligent person desirous of a better Nigeria party to.

However i aim to adduce incontrovertible evidence to prove how wrong they are in their infernal and fallacious thoughts and inference towards the moral personality Of Asiwaju and why these awards accolades are well deserved for a remarkable statesman(not just a statesman but a man universally loved and adored both on land and sea south to the North, Nigeria and abroad)

His biological or adopted mother depending on who you ask late Iyaloja of Lagos also possess same set of Personality traits, proof if you need any as to the power of Genetics and DNA which was genealogically impacted  and passed through to him from her. Consider the manner in which she summarily bequeathed the post of Iyaloja upon her Granddaughter, perhaps intending to spare much older, qualified and experienced Market Women the added burden of that responsibility or perhaps following in the Yoruba proverb “Aja iwoyi lo mo ehoro iwoyi le”(the modern Dog is much suited and equipped to chasing after modern rabbits)

If you still have any difficulties or doubt  believing he is eminently entitled in any way shape or form I suggest you cast your eyes upon his  spectacles which I have never seen him without, modelled exactly after that of the late sage Chief Awolowo and the Indian Nationalist Mahatma Gandhi  never mind him being the unlikely fashion icon responsible for heralding a renaissance of the Awolowo cap which is now a sort of Fashion statement amongst many of his adherents ,and Nigerians generally. In actual fact I am proud to proclaim I just placed an order for two, one in wine with gold threading and the other in black white threading all I need now is the appropriate traditional outfit to go with it. I don’t hear the Pharisees chortling about Asiwaju’s honour and accolades being unfair and unmerited now.

Altruism and Social Welfare are embedded traits in Asiwaju Tinubu’s filial pedigree as shown above, to be honest he is so good at anything concerning Socio Political welfare that my suggestions to his Party members and leadership is to just disband any backward and unsustainable Party zoning arrangements or Religious considerations and unanimously adopt this Political enigma and Moral compass as the Presidential hopeful that will challenge Jonathan in 2015.

I am not a member of the APC but surreptitious rumblings I am getting from my underground sources in the party informs they might be harbouring parallel plans to my suggestions already which explains the sudden surge in different opinion pieces, articles flying about the last couple of weeks eulogising and chronicling how honourable and morally upright this man is. I say expediency in these grave and uncertain times demands they “close eye” and rip the plaster off the wound once and for all as delay of the inevitable is dangerous.

Let APC damn the consequences and simply announce Asiwaju as their Presidential candidate already!!What more do they want?

If the man is qualified enough to possess all these laudable qualities in addition to the awards, Chieftaincy titles and accolades then he is obviously overqualified to be the Presidential hopeful and even more important that elusive morally upright and accountable President Nigerian has been yearning for.

We witnessed and experienced his purely altruistic and selfless mode of Governance all through both terms of his Governorship tenure, the way he was able to financially empower many of his associates and minions, I mean just look at the Fuji Musician and one of my favourites K1 the ultimate, the man plays multi-faceted roles as official artiste, Public relations for Tinubu. I was bemused to even see him playing a prominent role in a recent Yoruba movie seeking to tell the story of Lagos sponsored by the Government so he even moonlights as a Nollywood artiste when Tinubu/APC needs him, the Man’s mind numbing multimillion Ijebu ode mansion is veritable proof of Asiwaju’s magnanimity to loylists.

The historical accounts of how Asiwaju repelled the PDP incursion selflessly of course and in the process rescued the South west from the big bad PDP wolf is the stuff of legends and a watershed in Political history. We must never fail to acknowledge how cordial and supportive he has been of his Successor Fashola especially allowing him a free and unencumbered hand, ditto for the rest of South West APC Governors. A cursory look at the prevailing standard in APC states symptomize clearly the dividends of democracy being enjoyed  which is missing in the rest of Nigeria, just visit Alimosho LG  Ayobo- Ipaja;Ikotun and lekki drainage to mention a few. Oyo state Governor Ajimobi after taking care of state Government schools still had money left over and rather than embezzle, used some of it to buy a brand new coaster bus for Rochas Okorocha’s school.

We know by dint of hard work, savings, smart investments, regional ,national and even global goodwill Asiwaju Tinubu was able to acquire a king’s ransom, prime landed property in Lagos and abroad, proxy shares in several businesses including the Alpha Beta contract to collect tax on behalf of Lagos state Government  and rumoured billions in the bank(that we can’t confirm just mere speculations from haters)

My only hope is that he will not listen to any of the jealous haters and fifth columnists who are going about town proclaiming that he is not morally equipped or deserving of being the Presidential hopeful of the APC or even the federal republic of Nigeria. I certainly hope as an ardent admirer that he will not sell himself short by opting for the demeaning post of Vice Presidential candidate as that would be denying Nigerians the opportunity and privilege of his vast experience.

I will hate him thinking “I am a 62 years old man, morally bereft and absent of good conscience and of marginal moral judgement accused of nepotism and dictatorial tendencies, the main cause of the dearth of internal democracy in APC southwest and nationally, with serial allegations of corruption and avarice swirling over my head”

The truth is that all these niggling and unimportant Inconsistencies upon Asiwaju in the real scheme of things are as important or relevant as a zero after decimal point totally useless.

I should feel really sorry and nothing but shame for those detractors who are being deceived by the PDP or driven along by jealousy which I guess most of Asiwaju’s critics truly fits into going along with the quest to unfairly malign the good name and noble conquest of this great man.
I hope he will be thinking  “Wow look at me with all my awards, accolades and eulogies, i am not just independently wealthy beyond many’s wildest dreams, brilliant but also a foremost Political strategist and saviour of Yoruba people very soon Nigerians, if anyone thinks I am not then   “Screw you I am going home ” in the immortal quip of my favourite Animated character Cartman in South Park.

I hope Asiwaju will tell those inconsequential yokels waxing idiotic lyrics in these very words without editing “if you don’t believe I am deserving of all these awards and accolades ask Baba Akande:Ask Lai Mohammed:Ask APC members especially the youth who have seen and felt my generousity, do you think they are just feeding me what I want to hear, massaging my ego for their own parochial ends and motives or deceiving me??

I am the king dawg!!! I rule this Mother!!! Come 2015 I will continue to rule this mother up in here..

 

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Olubunmi Olaniyan works in the IT sector in west midlands UK as a software testing analyst in JHC LLP and is a a writer , social commentator and budding entrepreneur. He studied in the University of Salford Manchester for his BSc in politics with Criminology and Postgraduate in Coventry University obtaining an MA in terrorism international crime and global security