AYO’ B ’FOLUSO
In the last few weeks, the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Abiodun Abayomi Oyebanji who is often referred to as BAO, has been running helter-skelter to save his face. If he is not organising media parley outside the state, he is paying social media influencers heavily to launder his image and promote his audio projects. The other day, I went to social media, specifically X (formerly twitter) only to see some All Progressives Congress (APC) social media users share same pictures with same narrative – same texts, same words lifted verbatim and shared across X blogosphere to paint Governor BAO as working.
Funnily and ridiculously, I saw a narrative that Governor Kàlò-Kàlò built a roundabout as an intersection of four adjourning roads. Sadly, and sardonically, no roundabout was seen in the pictures bandied by these online users. And the roads did not even measure up to 3km each. I felt very sorry for my dear state. The same state government as of last week was said ready to take some social media influencers from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on a tour around the state for projects executed by the state government. That, we are still waiting to see.
The other day, Governor Kàlò-Kàlò went on to showcase federal government intervention project in the area of health as his project. I saw the pictures, shuddered and asked myself how could a governor be so shameless to ‘usurp’ federal government projects and own it. Recently, the Federal Ministry of Health carried out some rehabilitation of some federal hospitals. That is the project Governor BAO and his shameless online warriors are claiming as a state government project. If Governor Oyebanji is true to himself, let him air a documentary on national TV stations of his achievements in the last 3 years.
As if the above were not enough, Governor Kàlò-Kàlò only 10 days ago went to Lagos to organise a media parley with media houses. He housed several newspaper editors and electronic media personalities, paid them from Ekiti State’s taxpayers’ patrimony to whitewash his image. Rather than run to Lagos for media frenzy, why did Governor Kàlò-Kàlò not invite the media guys to Ekiti State and take them on a tour of his achievements in the past 36 months? Of course, he could not have done that because he knew the perilous state of Ekiti roads. He also knows there are no tangible projects of his administration to showcase.
Truth is Governor Kàlò-Kàlò has been running audio government in over 3 years. Now he feels buying some expired political heavyweights will save him from the impending disgrace. The other day, I watched as Sen. Babafemi Ojudu – the farmer came out to brag about not allowing any stranger to take over power in Ekiti State from Governor BAO. Really? Same Ojudu who said in 2022 that Ekiti would not allow somebody’s ‘houseboy’ (referring to then Oyebanji who was a boy to the former governor, Niyi Adebayo) to lead Ekiti people. Today, he has become a houseboy to the former houseboy because he is on Governor Kàlò-Kàlò’s payroll. If only shame exists in Ojudu’s dictionary, he would have buried his face in it.
Let no one deceive Governor BAO. No amount of face-saving legerdemain can see him through the tsunami waiting to finish his political relevance. No amount of media laundery can cleanse him or his clueless government. If the APC dares to foist him again on the party despite the several noise from every nook and cranny of Ekiti, then, the people will speak through their vote at the ballot. Ekiti cannot be deceived for a second time. Enough, it is often said, is enough.
– Ayo’ B ’Foluso
Ado-Ekiti