Here is ur Monday tonic culled from my column in today’s National Pilot Newspaper. Happy reading.... A MORNING WITH ALHAJ SAKA ONIMAGO After forwarding to my editor the last Monday’s piece entitled “This Contraption Called Nigeria IV” in the wee hours of Sunday 29th September, 2013 via my laptop, I tried to catch some sleep; but the students (of Al-Hikmah University I guess) living just behind me had woken up and resumed to their daily exercise, (singing). They started the morning with such tracks as “egbamioo….,!!!”, “emadamiduro, emi omo baba’olowo”, “Kunkere”, etc. Noise making is their every minute routine. They are always happy. Nigerians are probably the happiest people on earth after all. I begin to wonder if Universities teach morals any more. I don’t blame them; the present generation of Nigerian students is facing hell. Ranging from under the inhuman condition in which they learn to several other challenges facing them. However, changing from my room to the guest room only reduced the noise but couldn’t stop disturbing my sleep. I put a call through to Comrade Olanrewaju Ishowo, a brother and a companion who lives just a stone thrown from my apartment, and told him to get dressed and come to my apartment. He arrived about 15 minutes later and I told him to let’s visit Alhaj Zakariyyau Onimago, the Honourable Commissioner for Education in the state. He didn’t oblige and we jetted out in my 1995 Under Civic model. From Face II of the Ologe Federal Housing Estate, we set out. As we approached Ansarul Islam Secondary School junction, we were carried away with the news (from radio Nigeria via the car radio) of Kenya Mall’s shooting that killed the Ghanian literary icon, Professor Kofi Awoonor and several others; and Wole Soyinka’s account of how he escaped being killed in the Mall. “Yi wo e so hun” a voice from a commercial bus driver plying Oko’olwo- Oja axis interrupted our discussion. As I complied and turned my wheels slightly, the bus driver whose face was expertly decorated with acutely sloping tribal marks added “Olosi” and spread his five fingers towards me. From the spot, few seconds driving brought us to the exalted gates of the Hon. Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development. We met the affable but not too simple politician sitting at the veranda in his compound chatting with two of his associates. Immediately he sighted us, he sprang up saying ha, ha, ha, the Ishowos, come, come, come and sit right here with me and we got talking. The veteran politician made the visit interesting as he took us round Nigerian politics with resent happenings. Obviously, he is not comfortable with how the Nigerian political environment is being unnecessary heat-up. As a religious and elderly person, he found it so difficult to fathom how someone who has barely spent two years in office of a four years term will be so detracted fighting everybody around. He wonders why 2015 that is about two years ahead should constitute a stumbling block to progress in 2013. According to the God fearing politician, only Allah will determine what happens in 2015; so Mr. President and the rest should take things easy. He believes in the cause of the Kawu Baraje/G7 Governors; claiming that it’s normal for the new PDP faction to demand for what they believe are their rights. The President should endeavour to trash issues out with them so that we can move ahead. He warned that our present leaders have to be careful, so that this growing democracy will not be truncated. He had barely concluded the above statement when his security man approached and brought it to his knowledge that there are about 20 gentlemen outside the gate desperate to see him. Without an iota of hesitation, he instructed the security man to allow them in. They trooped in with not too friendly faces that showed that they’re dissatisfied with something. The Commissioner humbly gave them plastic chairs to sit down and tell him their mission. The Coordinator of the group told the Commissioner they were from Temidire/Obanishua around Airport. He complained that they have not benefitted from the present government of Alh. Abdulfatai Ahmed. Claiming that they don’t have water and have been sleeping in darkness for months as their transformer has packed up long time ago. The Commissioner immediately put a call through to his colleague in the water resources and he promised to give the community (Temidire) two bore holes. The visitors had hardly finished saying thank you when the man of integrity spoke to Alh. Zulu Oloje on phone, the Ilorin West PDP aspirant for the upcoming LG elections scheduled for October 26 this year. He invited the former Commissioner for Energy to see him at home immediately, letting him realize how important it was for him to show as soon as possible as the situation at hand demand prompt action. Believe me yours; Zulu appeared before anyone could say Jack. He addressed the people and gave them assurances that he will link up with the new head of the ministry and they shall be given new transformer very soon. The visitors left happily not because their problems had been solved but the manner in which they were received by the two commissioners. It was after their departure we continued our discussion on Nigerian politics. He described the Late Dr. olusola Saraki as a political sage who gave enough political tutorials to very many present politicians in Nigeria and indeed Kwara State. According to the man of wisdom, “the political tutorials I received from the late sage still guide me today in my various activities. In fact, the tutorial classes are still continuing under Dr. Bukola Saraki”. When I asked him how he has been coping with people trooping in to his house early in the morning bringing one complaint or the other, he responded saying it’s normal for somebody like him who is seen as a middle man between the government and the people of the grass root. He added that “a politician must not be deceitful if he wants to be trusted by the people he leads. When you play politics keeping your door open, identifying with people and sharing whatever you have with them, they’ll be ready to follow; and that is exactly how the present governor of the state, Alh. Abdulfatai Ahmad, operates”. However, when I put it to him that I personally believe the establishment of KWASU is Dr. Bukola’s greatest achievement among many others; so as the Commissioner for Education in the present administration, what new things should people expect from this government; he responded thus: “this government is a government of continuity. The fact that the present governor was part of the last administration makes things easy for him to understand. He was part of all the achievements recorded during Dr. Bukola’s administration. There was no single policy executed during the last administration that Alh. Adulfatai Ahmed was part of. KWASU was not the only educational magic done by the former governor; the Aviation School is another one. In fact, the Institution is graduating the youngest pilot ever. Every child count policy introduced in 2008 is another one. All these laudable policies are being continued and maintained by the present administration. For any house built without maintenance will soon collapse. Moreover, youth restlessness can only be arrested with skill acquisition; and it is as a result of this the governor is committing over a billion naira to establish a vocational centre in Ajasepo. On the free education policy of Alh. Abdulfatai Ahmed, he reiterated that Headmasters and Principals should desist from collecting more than what the government approved. The token the government allows them to take from the students is enough to run the schools. According to him, since the government has resolved to make education free, every stakeholder should ensure that it is realizable.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 13:03:53 +0000