The National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Yinka Odumakin, has condemned the actions of former governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo as regards the Nigerian political scene.
Odumakin made this disclosure in an interview with Business Day, stated that both Obasanjo and Tinubu were did not have the moral values and integrity to be called or described as leaders of the Yoruba race.
“It is an insult on Awolowo for Tinubu and his likes to claim to be ‘Awoist’. Awo would turn in the grave when Tinubu or his followers begin to compare him with the likes of Tinubu. In what area is the current politicians in the south west are like Awolowo? Is it in vision? Is it in character? So, when he comes to leadership, we will now move from Awolowo to Tinubu?” he said.
According to him, what pained the ‘true Yoruba’ populace the same seat Abraham Adesanya occupied in the Senate is the same seat Buruji Kashamu is occupying in the present political dispensation while also trying to halt extradition charges over drug offences.
“These are some of the tragedies that Nigeria has visited on Yoruba politics in terms of assaults on our value; where leadership is about character, about integrity, about vision. In Yoruba land, leadership is not bought; bent; is not something you rig or achieve through judicial pronouncements. To these set of politicians, it is a game of money. But in terms of values these people do not represent Yoruba people; leadership that is devaluing our people on daily basis. Ninety (90) percent of lawmakers in the south west cannot even express themselves; people with criminal background; people without pedigree; people who are uneducated; semi-illiterates; and that is the leadership somebody is promoting deliberately,” he said.
Odumakin stated the Obasanjo represented a negative influence on the Yoruba political scenery and that he ought to have become an institution in the Yoruba community considering all the time he spent presiding over the affairs of the nation.
“Obasanjo should have been Nigeria’s Lee Kuan Yew, but he messed up on the altar of inordinate ambition, ego and squander-mania. His history balance at his twilight is negative because at the last meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and the governors, they were talking about Excess Crude Account. Obasanjo started it. When you know that the likely project is that oil will sell at $60, you now bench marked at $40.
“All the differences that now come between what you have used as benchmark you go and put in an account you don’t need any appropriation before spending and call it ‘excess’. But we know it is excess corruption. He was petroleum minister in this country for most of his eight years. What happened? We know how much he sunk into the power sector. What happened to the money? It was under him they were displaying money on the table of the National Assembly; bribing money. We saw how money was flying at the National Assembly over Obasanjo’s third term agenda,” he said.
