The former chief of staff to the State governor and a gubernatorial aspirant, Prof. Adeolu Akande has admonished the state governor Sen Isiaq Ajimobi to deal with the people of the state with compassion and not with brute force.
Prof Adeolu made this known in a statement issued amidst the ongoing controversy over the demolition of some parts of the Yinka Ayefele music House which also houses his Fresh fm studio, located at challenge in Ibadan.
Some parts of the building came under demolition on early hours of Sunday morning drawing huge outcry and condemnation from within state as well as the country at large, with the Social Economic Right and Accountability Project (SERAP) demanding that the Oyo state government to rebuild the demolished building.
Prof Akande stated that the primary responsibility of any government is to protect lives and properties. The sacredness of private property is second in importance only to that of the preservation of life. He also further affirmed that No government without the element of compassion can go down in history as a successful government.
According to him, “The furore generated by the demolition of the property of Mr Yinka Ayefele must have demonstrated to the government by now that it was an unpopular decision. Government is about the people and not the anger and emotions of the people in government. The Yoruba capture this truism when they said ‘Ogbon ni Oba n lo, oba kii lo agidi’ (A Ruler rules with wisdom and not with stubbornness)
The Ayefele saga has once again brought to the fore the need for governor Ajimobi to rethink his government and review its personnel and focus, as he is embarks on his home stretch so that history can be kind to him. As the pioneer chief of staff in the administration, I am pained to see that many of the lofty ideals that endeared the governor to the people in the early years have been abandoned and replaced with practices that can only wipe out the achievements of these early glorious years of his administration.
I recalled that the location of the Ayefele building was an issue when the dualisation of the challenge-toll gate road was conceived by the government about 2012 but the governor in his magnanimity directed that all government agencies involved must take measures to protect the building from demolition, even when some forces encouraged him to demolish the building.
I plead that Governor Ajimobi should exhibit this same compassion in taking measures that will protect Mr Ayefele, protect private investment in the state, and restore public admiration for him instead of the present angst that pervades the state.”
He further advised the governor, Sen Ajimobi to make amends that will restore public confidence in his government.
