If it pleases God almighty and anyone outside the jailors of Lagos becomes governor this February, the first freedom abroad should be the freedom from brazen lies which border on outright insult on the entire citizenry.
The APC candidate, Akin Ambode, told newsmen recently that he was not Tinubu’s stooge. That should be comic if not so sad. Ambode is given to lies, we know, but everything has limits. The curious part is, he did not have to use those words, “I am not Tinubu’s stooge”. If Ambode was any single thing, Tinubu’s stooge is it. It is very poor public relations strategy to deny what was so obvious to all and sundry.
Bola Tinubu
It is the kind posture which infuriates honest and intelligent voters. We know you are the stooge. We also know that the press would ambush you with such questions. If you could not dodge or parry the punch targeting your gut in that situation, you should avoid using those words which would turn out insulting.
A brainy person could have redefined stooge in such a situation. A governorship candidate should be able to think on his feet. You balance out insulting your voters in such a ridiculous way, with taking the punch and surviving it.
It would be hard at this stage to be doing crash courses for Ambode’s men, who we really should sympathize with, to a point. When ailments border on the pathological, it slips out of the most competent hands. A man could hardly do better than present wrong information on his official papers and even deny his original roots.
As tunes of the flute of freedom flows gently to Lagos, with promises of a lifted tomorrow, Lagos could look forward to some restoration. Jimi Agbaje might not come with a wand which waves all these oppression away at once, but lies would at least be off the table. That must be a good start.
The APC empire in Lagos and elsewhere is built on a network of lies. It is therefore, the wool spun by the mother, which the daughter must weave. Ambode’s lies go way back. Far beyond his own home-grown untruths. This party survives on deceit at different levels, but you have to be steeper into the dye to be the boss’ boy.
There are those lies we are expected to just accept and think nothing of them. It is the frontal attacks like, “I am not Tinubu’s stooge”. Is it not obvious enough that only Tinubu’s stooges could emerge from APC as Lagos governor? Do we need Ambode to stamp that?
There is another set of lies which we are not meant to probe. That is the type which tars roads at one billion Naira per kilometre. As at 7th January 2015, Raji Fashola had not explained the standard of gold he paved the roads with. We are not supposed to bother either. We should just go on and vote for another Tinubu stooge who would make it two billion Naira in his time.
Some lies come in the fibre of Shoprite, TVC, whole islands snatched off the feet of inhabitants, CORE TV, The Nation, Oil investments, Oriental, etc. These are worse than lies, because, they hide behind a finger. That, precisely is the metaphor of deceit off Ambode’s mouth. Everybody knows Tinubu owns TVC, but on which paper is it written? You won’t find his name on all the other outfits either.
So, Ambode stands a stooge. He knows he is a stooge. He also knows that we are not stupid, but people like him have no way of knowing how to come clean about what everyone knows. It is the life of the ostrich, which thinks by burying its head in the sand, it is perfectly hidden. You do not disappear by just closing your eyes.
It would be a great day, when truth rings around the head in Lagos again. It is the only time any kind of progress could be made again. We often take spiritual problems for granted, and this has nothing to do with religion. Spiritual problem do not come with religious coloration. It is a good thing that Ambode is a “Christian” and his propellers are Muslims. So it is not a function of religious edge.
The head of APC in Lagos is filled with lies. Ambode emerges from that abundance to pronounce he was not the stooge of a man who clubbed all the major APC chiefs who wanted to be governor? The man who called Governor Raji, “CHIEF OF STAFF?” , when Governor Raji wanted to pretend he was not a stooge?
An individual, organization or state, which builds on falsehood would only stand for a season. It would not last. In the past decade and half, Lagos which appeared to have started well is coming unstuck. The foundational lies could no longer sustain the ones being piled on them. Lagos sees the lies in refurbished purchases cleared for new.
But a freedom has come to Lagos in this unassuming, calm and successful entrepreneur, who told the truth about his father’s house, his school certificates, does not sell or do drugs, never stole a dime from government purse and built a business from the scratch. Who would you rather vote. A liar or a leader.
Tunmise Alo
Views expressed are solely the author’s and not that of Omojuwa.com
