Before the election that ushered him to office as a re-elected governor, he announced to the whole world that he was going to examine the books of the contract of the state-of-art hospital his almighty predecessor built on Sapele Road in the premises of the popular central hospital in the state’s capital. Of course, his opponents and detractors dared him to question and re-question the contract books and the procedure he was part of as a prominent member of the administration or team that brought into fruition and reality the glowing hospital that he deliberately but wrongly called a white elephant. The detractors were fully and readily ready to see how Governor Obaseki would wriggle himself out of the deal that hammered the hospital into being. The noise of the expected probe has since run its course. Also, the sensation thrills in us of the expected probe have since been lost. All the governor’s sensations, confused, or known, or forgotten, I hesitate to say, as at then, have equally all been lost – until later when they have been re-ignited in another vicinity.

What do I mean? What am I up to?
On page 12 of Vanguard of Tuesday, February 23, 2021, I read this headlined report: “Obaseki threatens to probe N30bn Benin storm-water project.” Before I quote verbatim the governor, let me state very briefly that the storm-water project was a project by the governor’s predecessor that was intended to take stagnant water from a flooded area where there is lifeless life for the people, whose houses and property are lost to the vagaries of the elements. The governor has now called or described the storm-water project as a failure and “a ploy to defraud the people.” Clearly, if we must believe Governor Obaseki, the project put in place five years ago by the one and only Adams Oshiomhole could not and has not stormed water out of the affected area. No water has been drained from the affected area along Textile Mill Road in the state’s capital. Yet a whopping thirty billion naira was sunk into the project that has not taken “away from the suffering of Edo people.” Now let me give you some of Governor Obaseki’s fairly long direct words quoted by reporters Gabriel Enogholase and Ozioruwa Aliu:

“You can see for yourself that the so-called storm-water project was a fraud; it was a contract to defraud people. From what I can see now, the storm-water project in this catchment area was never designed to take water away from the area. The area was never drained. You can see the level of what we are doing now as compared to that of the previous administration.”

By gosh! Was Governor Obaseki not a key member of the previous administration? What is really going on? The past is the past and it belongs to the past. Everything, every bad thing, that happened in the previous administration belongs to the past now. Governor Obaseki should move on and carve out his own realistic and tangible identity in terms of laudable infrastructure we can cite as models of development in his post-governorship years as we did and still do for the late Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, a past two-time governor of the state (firstly as Mid-West and later on as Bendel State). Ghosts of Governor Obaseki’s immediate predecessor’s dear past are not and should not be recalled. We must not grope and keep on groping round them. By the way, what does he want to measure with his probe? What does he want to achieve? To jail his predecessor? That can’t and won’t happen. Governor Obaseki himself knows why it can’t and won’t happen. His intended probe would be another dead-on-arrival probe. (His eloquently loquacious and loquaciously eloquent immediate predecessor will sooner than later blow and shut his mouth with his bombastic defence!)

Let me try to awaken my fallen asleep memory. Former Lucky Igbinedion tried to dredge Ikpoba River from Ikpoba Slope in Benin, in the early period of his administration. All the money sunk into the dredging project came to nothing. Those who fleeced Edo State than in the name of the Ikpoba Dredging Project did so successfully and gleefully. Governor Igbinedion’s successor did not waste his pretty time examining what happened or what did not happen. I hesitate to say it, but I must allude to it. What happened to Lucky Igbinedion in court when he was judicially charged on account of his “atrocities,” as alleged, in his glorious years in democratic power and governance of Edo State? We all know the answer. Lucky Igbinedion’s un-sweet years remain un-sweet to this day. But nothing happened to prove anything to anybody. So I hereby charge Governor Obaseki to govern Edo State well by protecting his people security-wise and making it impossible anymore for Fulani Herdsmen to terror-rise Edo people and all those living in the state. He needs all members of the previous administration to drive criminally-minded herdsmen and actual criminals among the herdsmen from his state. Fulani herdsmen have waged war on his people. He cannot say he does not know this. How the criminal herdsmen are doing what they are doing is what he should probe urgently, and thereafter expel and excise them outright from Edo State without qualms. The criminal herdsmen must be stopped. He must be tough on them as a toughie like Governor Ortom of Benue State or like Governor Akeredolu of Ondo State.

As I am writing this, I can see that workers of the Ekiadolor College of Education have been owed salaries for a pretty long time. The money Governor Obaseki intends to commit to the probe of the storm-water project should go to parts of the salaries to be paid to the owed workers, academic and non-academic, who have been languishing and who Governor Obaseki should restore to life as he plans to restore to life those the aforesaid storm-water project was intended to restore to life.

Let me note finally: I don’t support thieves in government. What I am saying is that the government should wake up and know his true whereabouts in the current state of things. Have Fulani Miyetti Allah not stolen our monies in the South-South? The billions upon billions they have stolen from us, don’t they outnumber the storm-water thirty billion naira project that “drains… water to nowhere”? I don’t endorse kleptomania in government house. What I am saying is that the governor should question, probe himself and halt his intended probe. It will fetch nothing whether or not he “clearly” takes “the necessary precaution to recover all the money due to Edo people that was stolen through this project.” A prophecy this is.

In this article:
BeninEdoObaseki

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For centuries, people from various parts of the country have inhabited Ibarapa zone of Oyo State, plying their legitimate businesses and trades, but with the recent happenings, traditional leaders, victims of herdsmen attacks and residents of the area have demanded eviction of Iskilu Wakili, a herdsman who controls armed men.

A largely agrarian zone, the herdsmen found Ibarapa area comfortable for their cattle rearing occupation. As a result of the hospitable nature of indigenes, the herders were accommodated when they came, cohabiting peacefully. Harbouring and conniving with bandits have jeopardized the relationship.

It started with pockets of cases of misunderstanding relating to farm destruction by cattle and demand for restitution from farmers.

However, about six years ago, distrust had deepened, following cases of kidnapping, killings and plundering by the herdsmen.

Emboldened by nonchalant disposition of the government over time, the carnage and slaughtering of farmers on their farms by the herdsmen festered. Then, kidnapping, arson and rape of innocent farmers became rife in the entire Ibarapa land with Igangan being the epicentre.

Prominent farmers and many residents of the zone were murdered by the suspected herdsmen. All efforts made by residents and victims to get justice were unsuccessful. The residents of the zone heaved a sigh of relief following the intervention of the Yoruba rights activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly called ‘Sunday Igboho.’

Adeyemo, who stormed the area on Friday, January 22, 2021, chased away some notorious herdsmen and evicted the Seriki Fulani of Oyo State, Alhaji Abdudkadri Saliu, who was accused of protecting and accommodating the killer herdsmen.

Alhaji Saliu, who spoke with The Guardian on Tuesday, disclosed that he now lives at his home state of Kwara. Notwithstanding that the Seriki is no more in the area, the inhabitants still bemoan the presence of another armed herdsmen leader in the zone, Iskilu Wakili, who has allegedly threatened that anyone who dares cross his territory would be killed.

Wakili, who is said to be the leader of the herdsmen in the Ayete area of Ibarapa land, has also allegedly fired gunshots at farmers who trespassed the ‘no cross-zone.’

Farmers in the zone have accused him of forcefully invading their farms with cattle. And it was gathered that Wakili works with dozens of herdsmen who are his disciples, allegedly seizing hectares of farmland at Ayete and other parts of Ibarapa land.

Speaking with The Guardian, the Baale Odomofin, Chief Saubana Oyewole, the traditional ruler in control of Gbangbangere, Konko, Dagbere, Kajola, Magbeje, and other hamlets in Ayete under the terror reign of Wakili, said the deadly herder shot emissaries sent to serve him a quit notice.

“We served Wakili a quit notice to leave our land, but he opened fire on the men sent to deliver the quit notice. It was bloody and many persons were injured in the process.

“No farmer in Ayete can harvest any crop again but Wakili does all the harvests. He technically displaced all the farmers from their farms by sending his cattle to eat all crops. He does this forcefully with his herders who invade the farms with weapons. The farmers have nothing to show for their efforts but Wakili’s farm produces bountiful harvests and people now buy his produce,” he said.

Also, the Asigangan of Igangan land, Oba Abdulazeez Adeoye, confirmed to The Guardian that those who were sent to serve Wakili quit notice were shot.

He said: “He shot those sent to give him a quit notice. But those people were fortified spiritually. But he went to bring more of his people from other places. Those working with him are even raiding shops and stores.

“He blocked the way with red fetish materials preventing people from passing.”Against this backdrop, the monarchs, victims and residents of the zone are demanding his arrest and eviction.

The Baale Odomofin, Chief Oyewole, said Wakili is at his Gaa (abode) and he must be arrested for the zone to be peaceful.

Chief Oyewole said: “We want the government to send Wakili and his men away. He blocked the Kajola road. We have tried to evict him but all to no avail.

“Anytime the herdsmen kidnapped anybody, they would go straight to his settlement. We don’t know if he is the one sending them. If you go to farms, you would not see any cassava in their farmland. Their cattle have eaten up the cassava. If you complained that their cattle ate your farm produce, they would threaten you with cutlasses.”

Again, the Asigangan of Igangan land, Oba Abdulazeez Adeoye, said Wakili must go, stressing that it is not negotiable.

“Wakili is at a farm. He must go. We attempted to send him away, but he refused. With his presence in that area, there is no peace of mind.

“They are into robbery, killings, kidnapping, raping and others. Wakili is Bororo while Seriki is Fulani. They work hand in hand.

“The traditional leaders had been reporting him even during Ajimobi administration when the issue started, but they said they were Nigerians, therefore, they could still live in any part of the country. They have killed and kidnapped hundreds of people.

“We want him arrested. He must leave this territory for our land to witness peace.” Also, the Asawo of Ayete, Oba Emmanuel Okeniyi, said Wakili had invited his armed kinsmen to join him on the farms, adding they were carrying out heinous acts.

Some victims of herdsmen attacks, such as Adegoke Abiodun and Isaiah Rotimi, unequivocally demanded the eviction of the herder.

In this article:
Herdsmen attacksIbarapa monarchs

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