Oyo 2019: Why Oke-Ogun should present Okediran as consensus candidate

Oyo 2019: Why Oke-Ogun should present Okediran as consensus candidate

April 15, 2018 - Koleoso Adelowo Opinions

POLITICAL calculations, permutations, alignment, re-alignments and persuasions have all started in earnest since February 14, 2018 when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the time table for the next year general election.

Aspirants have swung into action to meet and reconcile with even their arch political foes as a way of massaging and assuaging their egos. The people of Oke-ogun axis of Oyo State are warming up for the benevolence of destiny conferring on them the opportunity to govern the state. Activities are on-going across the political levels from the Ward, Local Council, State, Federal Constituencies, Senatorial and the Federal as individual aspirants make consultations towards getting supports to clinch the ticket.

Oke-ogun should gear up and not relent in its efforts to reach out to other zones to give them the opportunity to govern the state in the next dispensation, 2019. Our zone, like other zones in the state, has actively participated in the previous electoral exercises and supported the preferred and successful candidates from Ibadan and Ogbomosho axis that have administered the state.

Oke-ogun is a dependable ally, sincere and reliable people to align with. They look for the best material in terms of the candidate and the political party to align with. In the current search for the probable candidate among the retinue that have indicated interest, Oke-ogun people, therefore, needs to streamline and prune down the list of the aspirants. The zone will queue behind the party that presents its candidate from Oke-ogun and give block votes to the party. We have played second fiddle for a long time. Be that as it may, Oke-ogun will be counting on the good people of Ibadan, Ogbomosho, Oyo and Ibarapa to give us massive to emerge as the next governor.  We need other zones’ support, because we cannot do it alone. Negotiation is a key factor in politics to secure elective positions and this is on-going across various political camps and this is why we will be counting and beckoning on the other zones to support us at election.

But as they say, charity begins at home. The zone should do its home work properly and harness its potential and present a capable, impeccable and quality candidate that can stand the rigour of governorship election. We have competent materials as other zones do, but in the spirit of fairness, equity and justice, Oke-ogun will be grateful if the incumbent governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, can fulfill his promise of assisting the zone to produce the next governor of the state. It is our passionate appeal to the other zones to give us the needed support. Yes, we have the population but we are not relying on that as the only factor to clinch the ticket without the support of other zones, because a tree cannot make a forest. We pray and earnestly hope that our demand will be acceded to by our brothers and sisters from other sides of the State. By presenting a competent and quality person eminently accepted by other zones, Oke-ogun will provide the needed responsible, responsive and quality democratic dividends to the people of the state in 2019.

As a pace-setting state, if the incumbent governor can fulfill the promise, which he has reiterated at different fora in Saki, Iseyin and Okeho in Oke-ogun axis of the state, that he will ensure the emergence of an Oke-ogun person as the next governor, we earnestly hope and yearn for the fulfillment. The good work that Ajimobi has been doing stands him out and there is no doubt that he will want someone who can sustain his good legacy and a credible candidate to take over the rein of governance in the state.

Oke-Ogun has a credible candidate in former member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Wale Okediran, who parades unrivalled political credentials considering his previous political engagement, pedigree, level-headedness, dedication to the service of the people and sincerity of purpose. Other candidates are also good but the zone cannot ignore tested hands and known for unknown. We cannot gamble when the opportunity is availed the zone to present a candidate that the other zones will not be comfortable with. The devil we know is always better than the saint we do not know. Oke-ogun earnestly wants to govern the state in 2019 and this is the more reason we should present eminently qualified and tested person to the state. While one is not condemning or running other aspirants from the zone down, quality is always better than quantity.

An analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and the threats conducted on some of the aspirants from Oke-ogun showed that Dr. Okediran is far better.  Okediran should be our preferred candidate from Oke-ogun, and many of us are sure that he will be acceptable to the people from the other zones, because he has distinguished himself in the previous political assignment he undertook. He represented the Itesiwaju/Iseyin/Iwajowal/Kajola Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007 where he demonstrated uncommon responsibility and dedication to the service of humanity. As a responsible representative, the constituency witnessed unequal representation. The present governor of Katsina State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, who was the Speaker then, counted on Okediran as a reliable, competent, vibrant, intelligent, dependable and responsible member and ally. As a matter of fact, Masari appointed him into various Committees of the House and made him to Chair Ad Hoc Committees despite his engagement in series of assignments on behalf of the House and his constituency.

Okediran networked regardless of political parties’ affiliation. This is the quality this aspirant is made of. We should, therefore, not trade or ignore quality for quantity. Oke-ogun should queue and stand stoutly behind Okediran to clinch the governorship ticket and gain the confidence of other zones for us to govern the state in 2019. He is the best candidate among the aspirants we have. We should give him the opportunity. Oke-ogun cannot afford to lose the opportunity availed us by presenting a political neophyte. Eminently qualified, more sellable, amenable and acceptable better than most of the other aspirants of his previous contributions, Okediran will facilitate the desired developments to Oyo State to the admiration and appreciation of everyone.

Adelowo writes from Ayekale, Saki

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A stop over in Istanbul

A stop over in Istanbul

 April 8, 2018 Wale Okediran Features

We descended into Istanbul a few minutes after daylight just as the early morning sunset the eastern horizon ablaze with a golden haze. From the air, high rise buildings, spikes and minarets of mosques and cathedrals bathed in the early morning sun appeared as grey silhouettes against the fast approaching smudge of land.  Then suddenly, we were under the clouds and beneath us laid an enormous sea as it stirred in the early morning sun with colourful boats, yachts and merchant ships bobbing on its smooth blue surface. This colourful flotilla was followed by a landscape pimpled by clusters of tall buildings interspersed with rivers, wide boulevards and the shoreline of the sea of Marmara on to a serpentine road network that slithered between residential and commercial buildings like snakes in search of preys.

Welcome to Istanbul, Turkey’s economic, cultural and historic centre as well as the bridge between Europe and Asia. Despite the sunshine that seeped through the aircraft windows, we were informed that the outside temperature was 12 degrees Celsius.

As the Turkish Airlines Flight TK 624 from Abuja to London en route Istanbul finally taxied to a halt at the arrival hall of the Ataturk International Airport, I mused over the fact that I had a five-hour wait in Turkey before my departure to London. Fortunately, I was informed that with a modest fee, I will be issued with a Visa which will give me the opportunity to enter Istanbul. With another fee, I was able to hire the services of a taxi with a tourist guide for a three-hour sight-seeing of the Turkish commercial city.

 

Istanbul has been a city for over twenty-seven centuries. Historically known as Constantinople and Byzantium, it is the most populous city in what is modern-day Turkey.  It is also a transcontinental city in Eurasia, straddling the Bosphorus strait (which separates Europe and Asia) between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Its commercial and historical centre lies on the European side and about a third of its population lives on the Asian side. With a population of 15 million people,  Istanbul is one of the world›s most populous cities and ranks as the world›s 7th-largest city proper and the largest European city.  A major cosmopolitan city, Istanbul has over the ages welcomed all and sundry from writers to vagrants, musicians and rebels. TS Eliot, James Joyce, Paul Theroux among other famous writers have all preceded me to the historic city. In his famous book; The Great Railway Bazaar, Paul Theroux, the well-known travel writer put the matter beyond any doubt when he observed thus; ‘’Istanbul is a total slut- it doesn’t turn anybody away’’.

As I threaded my way out of the arrival hall with the usual hustle and bustle of arriving passengers, customs and immigration officials as well as a throng of relatives and friends, I was welcomed into Istanbul by the brilliant sunshine of a spring morning. On sighting a dollar note visible from my front shirt pocket, my Tourist Guide, Atilla asked me to tuck it in apparently to forestall being a victim of pickpockets.  Moments later, as Atilla drove me into Istanbul City, we ran into a heavy traffic which slowed our journey. ‘’Rush hour traffic’’ noted my guide before pointing out the Marina side of the Marmara sea with all its glittering high rise apartments which he said cost millions of dollars to buy. More modern buildings followed including hotels among which were the Sea Pearl Atakov Hotel, the Hyatt Regency and the Galleria Mall among others. All these edifices and other corporate offices I was told, belonged to the ‘new city’. Before long, we chanced upon the Old City Wall with its historic buildings such as the Blue Mosque, and the Topkayi Sarayi. According to Attila, ‘’Old Istanbul begins as you pass the City wall at the Golden Gate, the Arch of Triumph of Theodosius (built in 380).” At the Old Castle, we turned off the main road to narrow paved roads with outdoor Cafes and Bars including the Sultanahmet where I found myself in the midst of a colony of other tourists mostly elderly Asians snapping away with their expensive looking cameras. It was here at the Arasta Bazaar that I bought some exotic Turkish Spices and Tea with some souvenirs. Ahmed, the shop owner went out of his way to introduce me to his wares. As he put it; ‘’We have all types of teas from Jasmine to Diet Tea and Slimming tea. We also have teas for treating all types of diseases such as Cholera, TB, Asthma and Diabetes.” Then with a wink in his eyes, he brought out a brownish package; “This is for real action. We call it the Viagra Tea.”

My first encounter with Istanbul was through the Turkish novelist and Nobel Laureate, Orhan Pamuk’s 2004 fictionalized memoir, Istanbul: Memories of a City where I was introduced to Istanbul’s unique culture and tradition. It was Pamuk who also introduced me to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, widely regarded as the father of the Turk nation. And apart from the airport which was named after him, everywhere one goes in Turkey, one sees photographs, portraits and statues all in his name. He is on Billboards, Stamps and Coins while his name is given to streets and plazas. Ataturk who came to power in 1923 declared Turkey a Republic, closed down all religious schools and introduced the Latin alphabetic. He died in 1938. It is said that modernization stopped in Turkey at the death of Ataturk.

Some of the major attractions in Istanbul are the city’s numerous shopping centres, from the historic to the modern. One of them, The Grand Bazaar, in operation since 1461, is among the world›s oldest and largest covered markets.  On my arrival at the Grand Bazaar, I was offered a glass of delicious tea, an important part of Turkish culture which is a sign of the hospitality of the Turkish people. It was also at the Bazzar that I was introduced to another Turkish delight, the Baklava a very sweet dessert favoured by Turks and Tourists alike. ‘’We Turks have a very sweet tooth’’ was Attila’s response when I complained about the high sugar contents of the tea and Baklava. He also informed me that the Grand Bazaar which is as old as 500 years, has 3000 shops and 61 cobbled streets and is visited by an average of 250,000 people every day.  Apart from the Baklava, another popular snack in Istanbul is boiled corn which is sold from push carts inside which electric cookers have been installed. When I wanted to try the snack, my guide discouraged me saying that boiled corn was only eaten by poor people!!

Another important Turkish Landmark I got from Orhan Pamuk’s novel was the Bosporus River. So enchanting was Pamuk’s description of the famous river that I was determined to visit the famous landmark. Because of the limited time at my disposal for the sightseeing, Attila suggested that we use the Tram for our trip to the river in order to avoid the heavy traffic around at that time of the day. My last encounter with the Tram was in the late 70s when I travelled to Alexandria, Egypt for a Medical students Conference. It was therefore with a lot of nostalgia as I accompanied Attila to the Tram station. I was expecting to be asked to buy a ticket but was surprised when Attila used his pass for our access. His explanation was that Tourist Guides are allowed to use their official pass for tourists. As we waited for the Tram’s arrival at the Tram station, I noticed that most of the instructions at the station were in English and Turkish. It was a five coach tightly packed tram that we boarded five minutes later at Gulhane Station. I also noticed that I was the only black in my coach with many of the Turkish women wearing western dresses without the traditional veils expected as is the practice in many Muslim countries. From Gulhane, the Tram passed through Sirkeci station and on to the Metro Bridge where we disembarked.

I was expecting a small river with visible banks and shallow waters. However, what I saw as the Bosporus River was way beyond my imagination. It was like an ocean and for the first few seconds, I remained transfixed with awe at what befell my eyes. I was told that the Bosporus River which unites the Black sea and the sea of Marmara and separates the continents of Europe and Asia is 19 miles (30km) long with a width of 2.3 miles (3.7km) As the only sea route between the oil-rich Black Sea and the Mediterranean, the Bosphorus is one of the busiest waterways in the world. More than 200 million tonnes of oil pass through the strait each year, and the traffic on the Bosphorus is said to be three times that on the Suez Canal.

Even though it was still about ten in the morning, the River, calm and full was already busy with activities.  At the riverside, tourists and their guides could be seen all over the place enjoying the scenery as well as the riverside restaurants, bars and cafes. High above, a leisurely group of the young and the old leant over the bridge barriers with their long fishing rods as they tried to catch some fishes from the river below. Startled by an approaching sound of loud music, I looked up to see gaily decorated Tourist boats with music blaring from their cavernous interiors cruising on the river with their gargles of passengers clicking away with their cameras. Far beyond the horizon could be seen small fishing boats side by side cargo freighters with rusty hulls as they floated away in the glittering water.

As I took in the whole beautiful spectacle, I felt at peace with myself but was worried in case I overstayed and miss my flight to London. However, Atilla my guide reassured me. ‘’We still have some more time’’ he said as we sipped the ubiquitous sweet Turkish tea from one of the numerous sea side cafes where we sat under an umbrella. ‘’Istanbul has many wonderful places to visit, unfortunately, you don’t have enough time to see them’’ my guide lamented. ‘’For example, you need to see the Asian and European parts of the city which the Bosporous has evenly divided into two. On the right side of the River is also the Selimiye barracks where Florence Nightingale attended to wounded soldiers during the Crimean war. Towards our left, Austria is just about an hour away by boat. Then at night, the river comes alive with music and dancing. You know that Istanbul is famous for its nightlife with plenty of taverns, pubs and cafes playing live music’’ Then turning to me with a boyish grin, he said; ‘’Why don’t you stay the night. I can help you to postpone your flight till tomorrow. London is cold and miserable. I understand it is snowing there now. But here, Istanbul is warm and lively. Stay the night. I will make sure that you enjoy yourself’’ he said.

When I told Attila that I won’t be able to stay back because of some very urgent issues awaiting me in London, he said; ‘’in that case, you need to come again, this time with your family, maybe for about three weeks or more. You can’t really do justice to Istanbul in three hours’’

After a quick snack and another cup of tea which cost 5 Turkish Lira (3.1 lira is equal to 1 USD), at the Galata situated in the Sultanhnet, we headed back to the airport. In order to avoid the heavy traffic, Attila decided to drive through the back roads where I saw the other side of Istanbul. Far different from the glittering high rise buildings and posh hotels by the water side, I saw run down and in some parts, dilapidating residential buildings in front of which some elderly men whiled away the time. With just a few kilometres to the airport, we ran into a youthful crowd of placard carrying men and women.

‘’Are they demonstrating against the government?’’ I asked Attila.

‘’No, not against the government’’ Attila replied. “They are angry with the US over her interference with the war in Syria.”

When I mentioned that some people are not happy with the way President Erdoga seemed to have turned Turkey from a progressive, secular and democratic republic as engineered by Ataturk into an almost hard-line Islamic State, Attila would have none of it. “Erdoga is doing very well. We all love him. You can see by yourself how peaceful and beautiful Istanbul is. It is like that all over Turkey’’ was his response.

From Erdogan, I shifted my attention back to Attila who had now increased the speed of his car as we headed back to the airport. Thankfully, the traffic was light and we made our destination on time. Moments later, the Turkish Airlines Flight TK 1985 to London Heathrow took off from the airport’s Terminal 1.

From the aircraft, I looked out the window at the fast receding Istanbul’s sunny skyline as my thoughts went to cold, freezing London where I was told the temperature was below 5 degrees Celsius. Suddenly, I wished I had taken Attila’s advice and stayed for the night in the land of the minarets, spices, sweet tea and the elegant Bosporus river.

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