THE MAN AUXILIARY,DREADED EVEN MORE THAN HIS BOSSES His parents named him Mukaila, but he chooses a truculent alias by which he prefers to be known and called – Auxiliary. The name, anomalous as it is, is synonymous with terror and generosity, depending, that is, on what side one is operating from. But to the larger populace, terror is Auxiliary and Auxiliary is terror. Mukaila Lamidi (a.k.a Auxilliary) has been described as the most ruthless among other members of his union. He fears nobody, but all fears him. He is seen as the garrison commander of his faction of the Oyo State Council of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). He is the most dreaded. But as fearsome as he is, one thing that cannot be taken away from Lamidi, according to one of his childhood friends, is that Auxiliary is extremely generous. “There is nothing he cannot give away to assist people and that is the reason why he has many followers even more than Tokyo. His followers can even testify to that. He has hectares of land which he divided into plots for his followers”. Success He’s also seen as one of the most successful members of the union. Auxiliary has fleet of cars, numbering about 20, alongside commercial buses. “There is no area in Ibadan , that he does not have any of his buses plying the route. In Iwo-Road Motor Park alone, he has about 20 commercial buses, aside from those in other Motor parks. Some of his cars include; Hummer jeep, Acura jeep, BMW jeep (bullet proof),Sienna, Sequella, Quest(bullet proof)” a source told this paper. Auxiliary’s house at Olodo area of Ibadan was described as a ‘complete home’. He also has Estates at Wofun, Isebo, and Olodo all in Ibadan . Auxiliary also has a Quarry site along Lagos/Ibadan expressway with about 12 trailers at the site. He also has three hotels in Ibadan , namely Oluomo MMK hotel, located at Iyana- Church area, Diamond Hotel at Isebo , described as one of the best hotels in the whole of Ibadan . He has five wives, with a lot of concubines and many children. He is described as a very caring father, who makes sure that his children are educated, though some of his children are said to have also been involved in union activities, especially the bloody violence within the union in recent times. Auxiliary, those close to him also said, loves attending parties, and is especially fond of Fuji musicians, one of whom is Saheed Osupa who waxed an album in his honour. But a source said, though a socialite, Lamidi hates the sight of nosy photographers. No one dares take his picture, not unlikely for security reasons. “You can’t snap him, unless you zoom your camera lens because you never know when he’s happy or angry”, the source said. Early days Born about 50 years ago into a polygamous family of late Pa Lamidi, at Kube family compound in Gbenla area of Ibadan. Mukaila is the second child in the entire family and the first from his mother’s side. He had a sister named Muibat, who later married one of his friends simply identified as Lati Eku. Auxiliary had since his childhood days proved to be a heady boy, Sunday Sun learnt. Due to his mulish nature he dropped out of his primary school and later moved to his mother’s family house at Ile-Oju Abere in Inalende area of Ibadan and was living with a woman called Mama Alagbo now late at Ode-Oloo. He immediately enrolled at Nawar-ur deen primary school, Inalende. He managed to finish his primary education and later joined his group at Mokola round-about where they engaged in car washing. Auxiliary was later apprenticed at a Mechanic workshop at Ire-Akari area, along Inalende. He was yet to graduate before he decided to join the transporters’ union as a bus conductor and later learnt to drive and obtained both driver’s license and certificate from his former boss simply identified as Kutati (meaning “He who defies death”). Initially Lamidi was nicknamed Dagger because of his notoriety for stabbing adversaries, who crossed his path with a knife, which he handled most adroitly. This was later changed to Auxiliary in recognition of his perceived invincibility and ability to come out of any tight corner. The word Auxiliary itself was derived from the special gear of a vehicle believed to enable such vehicles navigate any terrain. “He can enter anywhere and comeback. He will go to any war front and comeback; he’s always ready for war” said another associate of the motor park warlord. His rise He started his union activities at Ojoo motor park as ordinary garage boy and later moved to Iwo-Road alongside Ojobilo, Watari, Esike- Labaika and others when Chief Bankole Adeyonu, was the chairman of Iwo-Road unit of the union then and has been operating there till date. He has since then been a close friend to his former boss, Alhaji Salako (Eleweomo). He was a political thug to the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN).He has also worked for the late strongman of Ibadan politics, late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu . Auxilliary and the late Eleweomo were said to be very loyal as errand boys to Tokyo even when Chief James Ojewunmi was the state chairman of the union. Tokyo was said to be Vice Chairman in the union hierarchy. Alhaji Bashiru Adigun was the secretary then, while Alhaji Wasiu Abubakar (a.k.a Tawa) was the state Treasurer of the union. Tokyo alongside his warriors led by Auxiliary and Eleweomo were said to have planned a ‘coup’ which led to the removal of Ojewunmi as the state chairman of the union, while Tokyo became the chairman. Tawa who felt he should have been the chairman was said to have later gone to court to challenge the emergence of Tokyo but Auxilliary and Eleweomo frustrated his effort at coming back to the union. Tawa and his supporters later formed an association called Self Employed Commercial Drivers Association of Nigeria (SECDAN) and were operating from Cultural Centre in Ibadan where they had their office, while Tokyo continued to rule the union from Olomi secretariat of the union throughout the administration of former Governor, Alhaji Lam Adesina . Tawa and his group with the cooperation of late Adedibu worked for Senator Rashidi Ladoja to become the state governor and in 2003, when Ladoja eventually became the governor the story changed as Tokyo was implicated and jailed for the murder of another factional leader of the union then, Alabi Adeniran who was said to be operating from Ogbomoso. Tawa became the chairman again while Tokyo was in prison. Auxiliary and members of his gang were said to have stood behind Tokyo even while in prison and they saw late Adedibu as their enemy. But after things went sour between Adedibu and Ladoja, Adedibu reportedly approached Auxiliary and Eleweomo said to be in self exile at Seme in Republic of Benin being on the wanted list of the police over a similar murder case. An accord was said to have been reached with Adebayo Alao-Akala, Ladoja’s deputy who was being groomed then to take over from Ladoja , that he must ensure the release of Tokyo from Agodi prison immediately he became governor . In apparent fulfillment of this promise Tokyo ’s release was secured and he again overthrew Tawa as the chairman of the union. Trouble, however, started brewing between Tokyo , on one hand and Auxiliary and Eleweomo on the other when Tokyo as part of a survival strategy ensured that his two dreaded lieutenants were not given any key and influential positions in the state executive after his return. While Auxiliary was made the secretary of the Egbeda unit of the union, Eleweomo was transferred to Town Service in the Ibadan North/East Local Government at Gate. Tokyo ’s decision to distant the duo from the state secretariat, according to sources, was borne out of the fact that he feared Auxiliary and Eleweomo were very stubborn and could upstage him as he did to his predecessors. With the murder of Eleweomo on December 30, 2010, the mantle of leadership of his war machine naturally fell on Auxiliary. And events of the past days have shown the servant who is fiercer than the master.-via Daily Sun
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 15:13:37 +0000
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