Lateef Raji: Obanikoro is a hypocrite… let me tell you why

by Lateef Raji

ObanikoroAt times, keeping silent when people make mischievous or misguided statements could be misrepresented for acquiescence. Hence, it is better to talk or react on things that matter when it matters.

Let me begin by stating from the outset that reacting to an individual like Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, by all standards, is not a worthwhile venture. For one, Obanikoro lacks the intellectual acumen that could make engaging in logical discourse with him an enriching enterprise. Second, his proclivity for political opportunism is legendary, and it would be foolhardy for one to offer him a platform to further take advantage of. Third, Obanikoro’s penchant for triviality, a major pre-occupation of men with uncreative minds, is not, in any way, an endeavor that one considers fascinating. Furthermore, men such as Obanikoro who leave the substance and expend all their energy running after the shadow often end up creating unnecessary diversion and distraction, thereby turning attention away from serious issues.

In-spite of all the aforementioned, it is, however, essential, once in a while, to expose the shallowness of petty -minded individuals like Obanikoro in order to properly put them in their rightful place and ensure that they are not overindulged. At times, keeping silent when people make mischievous or misguided statements could be misrepresented for acquiescence. Hence, it is better to talk or react on things that matter when it matters. According to Martin Luther King, Jr., “our lives begin to end the day we keep silent about things that matter.” The only difference, however, is that unlike Obanikoro, one would not engage in uncultured eruption. Toeing such a line would be improper.

Recently, in his characteristic style of seeking cheap and undeserved public attention, Obanikoro indiscreetly made dull-witted comments on entrance fees for admission into Lagos State Model Colleges. In a season when seeking for needless political relevance has become the order of the day, one is not in any way perturbed that Obanikoro made a ridiculous foray into a subject that he is not competent to talk about. By imprudently accusing the Lagos state government of insensitivity for leveling the sum of N10, 000 as a fee for admission tests, Obanikoro has unwittingly exposed himself to ridicule.

For the purpose of putting the record straight and in the interest of the general public,  it is vital to state that the fee in question is for administrative charges for external examinations and not for the pilot Computer-Based Testing (CBT) as being erroneously claimed by Obanikoro and his co-travelers.  In its characteristic innovative and creative approach to governance, the Lagos State government introduced the CBT as a pilot scheme to further improve the standard of education in the state. The scheme is only open to a limited number of qualified candidates who will like to participate in the pilot scheme. It should equally be stressed, unlike what is being insinuated, that the screening test is not a new development as it has always been the practice for years.

It is also relatable to give emphasis to the fact that the fee cannot in any way bring hardships to parents as the screening tests into model colleges/upgraded colleges are only for parents who opt to have their children and wards in boarding schools. Admission into all other public secondary schools in the state does not attract any amount of fees.

Apart from these, education at the model colleges is highly subsidized by the state government, thus making it accessible to even low-income earners in the society, compared to the private schools that is seen as exclusive preserve of the affluent in the society.

What Obanikoro and co did not disclose to Nigerians is that the federal government unity schools also charge specific amount as entrance fees for prospective students. Also, unlike the federal government unity schools that based their admission policy on a variance ‘cut off’ marks’ procedure that favours candidates who score low marks at the expense of those with high marks as the case maybe, candidates seeking admission into the Lagos state model schools are admitted strictly on merit. In the past four years, the Lagos state government has invested massively in the infrastructure development of not only the model colleges in the state but also all public secondary schools.  Through the Eko Project, instituted by the Babatunde Fashola Administration, the quality of performance in the entire 639 public junior and secondary schools in the state has improved considerably. The project has enabled school administrators to take charge of their developmental needs by utilizing school grants for purposes that have improved learning outcomes, particularly in the three core subject areas of mathematics, English and the sciences.

Ironically, one of Obanikoro’s sons once contested for election into one of the Local Council Development Area whose creation his father and the PDP staunchly opposed. That, of course, is the way of opportunists. As a federal minister of state for defence, Obanikoro’s most visible contribution to Lagos state was the deployment of soldiers to frustrate the Lagos housing scheme at Ilubirin. While he was chairman of Lagos Island local government, the famous Lagos City Hall was razed down by fire beyond recognition. The same hall was rebuilt and modernized during Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s tenure, and completed by BRF; it is today a pride of every Lagosian.

One would like to close with the immortal words of a famous Greek Philosopher, Aristotle: “The man who does not rejoice in noble actions is not good; the good man judges well in matters of the good and the noble.”
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Lateef Raji is Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Information & Strategy.

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

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