OYO 1- IT could be surprising how time flies. So, it's one year already.
OYO 2 - THAT's no news. Time always fly. It is whatever one makes out of any given time that makes the difference between a time well spent or a wasted opportunity. Anyway, spit it out as l know you must be driving at something.
OYO 1 - I agree with you brother. And as you second guess me, l was referring to that conversation we were having a year ago thereabout. You remember that Bayo Adelabu interview on Fresh FM last year. I recall we were really dissecting its kernels until that exchange ended abruptly.
OYO 2 - YES, l can recollect brotherman. And l was really enjoying that discourse until that shocking news of the death of former Governor Ajimobi took the shine off our serious gist. May God rest the spirit of the man the APC people love to call the architect of modern Oyo State.
OYO 1 - YOU are right. The APC party stalwarts love to refer to their late leader as such. They think he was the best to have happened to Oyo State in the area of governance since its creation in 1976. And l would actually agree with those APC and late Ajimobi supporters that he actually turned around the face and fortunes of Oyo State within the unprecedented eight years of being in the saddle of governance in the Pacesetter State. And if you ask me the people of the state would have the same opinion about their late Governor since his sudden demise a year ago. That takes me to yet again another Penkele interview with the "irresistible Mayor Isaac Brown" last Saturday, 26th June, 2021 at the same Fresh FM radio station. Trust me, l won't miss such a hot political interview especially with the calibre of person like Adelabu...
OYO 2 - CUTS in...Now l know you are dragging me to another political jaw-jaw when l am not very sure l wanna go there this morning.
OYO 1 - CALM down Bros. I was about telling you how Adelabu was almost castigating the Isaac Brown Panel of interviewers and by extension, the Nigerian society for the way they were eulogising the late Governor Ajimobi as a visionary and revolutionary and eloquent administrator all through his eight years as a two term Governor of Oyo State.
His grouse was that why was it difficult for people to appreciate, honour and eulogise visionary and progressive leaders while they were yet alive but wait until such person had passed on or out of the stage.
OYO 2 - YOU are right. But l think Mayor himself conceeded to that. He proverbially ate the humble pie when he later at some point in the interview said "Ai se daadaa ara aye lo n mu nii ranti ara orun". And if you ask me, the Mayor was unwittingly castigating the GSM for non-perfornance!
OYO 1 - FOR me, there were many issues and take aways from the Penkele interview that we can not fully exhaust here. The banking and financie technocrat talked about the Park Management System (PMS), he spoke about the increasingly pervading insecurity in Oyo State, the management of tertiary institutions, party politics and management, economic, educational, sports and agricultural matters etc. And in none of these issues did he spare the GSM Government or give him any pass mark. Going by his tone in that interview, unlike a year ago on same radio platform, he was never patronising and didn't spare any punch against GSM and his government. He barely stopped at saying that GSM was clueless and not really capable of administring and managing the complexity of a state as big as Oyo. As Adelabu puts it, "The tone at the top" within the Oyo State Government breeds mediocrity, recklessness, brigandage and the insecurity as we are currently experiencing in the state.
OYO 2- BUT then, while l would agree with some of the Adelabu criticism of Governor Makinde's administration, at least, he would have mentioned some areas where GSM had made impacts like the recruitment of 5,000 teachers and the regular payment of salaries of government workers. Anyway, the Mayor succeeded in highlighting the government achievements in those areas. Then Penkele equally papered over the obvious shortcomings of his AP.C led Federal Government. While he praised Buhari to high heavens on his economic programmes like the revamping of the railway system, he rubished the Oyo government strides in the area of garage constructions and transportation system.
OYO 1 -HAHAA! Don't be naive now! Where have you ever seen an opposition politician praising the party in power? At least in the Nigerian climes here. The natural thing for him was to praise his APC and President Buhari to high heavens and paint the PDP and GSM as black as possible. Penkele even reminded Mayor that there must be something positive and much attractive in his party that is making even some PDP sitting Governors cross over to his party, the APC! And about the payment of salary you talked about, didn't you hear Penkele challenged GSM not to go cap in hand to Abuja this month-end "l bet, they won't pay the next salary!" That was how Penkele brutally dismissed the much vaunted regular payment of salaries by the current government in the state. As if that was not enough, Penkele took the communication skills of Governor Makinde to the cleaners. He said he was lacking in coherent public communication and presentation skills. He lampooned the Governor for his penchant for repeatedly uttering "em, em, em" whenever the Governor was talking to the press. He was short of saying the Governor was a political fraud(like the MMM Ponzi scheme) and not fit to occupy the No.1 political seat in Oyo State. For me, that was very uncharitable and sort of hitting GSM below the belt We can't all be as eloquent as the Cicero when it comes to public communication.
OYO 2 - IT is better as you have clarified that Penkele jab against Seyi Makinde on his style of communication. If not, l was beginning to think perhaps you are an APC apologist or even the party's spokeperson!
OYO 1 - COME off it guy. You know l would say things the way l see them. I don't claim to be right always. But l can always decipher my right hand from the left. So you would be wrong to say l am...
OYO 2 - CUTS in...We don hear you Bros. I am only trying to keep you on track as a matter of fact.
OYO 1 - TALKING about being on track. Adelabu equally raised the issue of Alternative Project Funding Approach being employed for executing infrastructural and developmental projects in Oyo State. I had been enamoured by this approach until Adelabu came down hard against it and burst the bubble in that interview. Now l am more confused on whether to still stay as a GSM fan on this APFA or reasoned along with Penkele on his exposé.
OYO 2 - WHAT is wrong with the APFA by GSM? For me, it would allow faster development of the state's infrastructure. More roads and other development projects would be carried out while there would be less pressure on the Government to commit the state's scarce resources on building infrastructures alone.
OYO 1 - WHILE I agree with you on that, Adelabu argued that such approach does not make much economic sense as it would only plunge Oyo State into future debt notwithstanding that the current government has already incurred debts running into hundreds of billions of naira. He advised that the present government should cut its cloth according to its size so as not to put future administrations in the state into unnecessary financial debts and economic slavery.
OYO 2 - I am sure all the organs and functionaries of GSM's Government would have gone to town by now frantically responding to Penkele point by point on all the issues raised against their Principal! I tell you guy, this week would be interesting as there would be much counter fireworks from the GSM camp.
OYO 1 - YOU are even talking about lesser political officials and government functionaries reacting to the Penkele Fresh FM interview. Even the big masquerade himself is already reacting. GSM later confessed same day of the Penkele interview that he stayed glued to his radio set listening and paying attention to all that Adelabu had to say about his government and politics generally. So, if one has to interpret that statement from the Governor himself, it stands to reason that this Bayo Adelabu Penkelemesi is the major issue and the most potent contender against the Governor.
OYO 2 - ALL said, it seems this Adelabu has set off at dawn talking about the 2023 Governorship Election in Oyo State. Apart from his latest Fresh FM interview being the second one within a year, he told the Anchor of the interview that he would soon be back on the platform for another round of political interviews. No doubt, this Penkele is repeating for the upteenth time that he is still the Bayo You can Trust and that as his supporters would put it, this Bayo is Better!
OYO 1 - YOU can say that again. Adelabu appears to be ready for the next Governorship race and better prepared than other aspirants that are showing interest in the Governorship seat come 2023. And if you ask me, these other aspirants and intending ones should be ready to play a daunting catch up game by the time the political race hots up!
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The above is the second in the series of the improvised dialogue between two Oyo residents who had both listened to the second edition of live broadcast of a radio programme, " POLITICAL CIRCUIT", a FRESH FM, Ibadan political interview programme aired on Saturday, 26th June, 2021. The programme featured Chief Bayo Adelabu as Special Guest.
