In a country where people lobby for political appointments with some even spending money to do so or seeking help from spiritualists to make it happen, I was not surprised that the man, who calls himself Honourable Peter Okafor, finds it difficult to believe that I declined Governor Olabode George’s offer to be a commissioner in his cabinet in Ondo State in 1987. But I was shocked at the infantile way he reasoned, when he said George and the others I mentioned in my column in the last two weeks did not respond to my articles because they are “gentlemen that can’t stoop low to join issues with me.”
If George does not read my column I know a friend of his, a former federal minister in the early 1990s who does. Is it not therefore a matter of common sense that if my story was not true that Chief George and the others would have told their media aides to refute my statements? Especially when this is a series in which I am giving proofs to Colonel Clark that I am a man of integrity.
But is Okafor, who has been the only one complaining about this series and does not believe what I have been writing, a man of integrity? I implore him to send an article which I will help him publish in this column, that he had never offered nor received bribe from anyone. If nobody reacts that he is a liar or threatens to report him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), then it will be clear that he is a clean person. But will he ever pick up the gauntlet, in other words, will he accept the challenge?
I still have more shockers for Okafor and the other doubting Thomas out there! After Tunde Savage, Governor George sent Colonel Afolabi David, another Lagos Island – born mutual friend of ours and my colleague in the 1965 matriculating set at the University of Ibadan, to persuade me to accept his offer. But when I did not change my mind, George then reached out to late Lt. – Colonel Okunola Okuromade, his classmate at St. John’s Primary School, Aroloya on Lagos Island and at Ijebu Ode Grammar School through whom we met in the early 1960s.
He was then living in Sapara family compound at Ajele Street near St. Peter’s Anglican Church, while Okuromade (a.k.a. omo okun) and I were staying in nearby Joseph Street with my uncle, late Pa John Bankole Adedipe, a teacher at Baptist Academy, Obanikoro, Ikorodu Road, Lagos. Okuromade’s aunty (Mama Dayo, nee Adetutu Adesigbin) was married to my uncle.
Okuromade who came to my house with Colonel David opened the discussion with: “Sina, you have to accept Bode’s offer because he was mandated by General Ibrahim Babangida, the Head of State, to appoint you as a commissioner in his cabinet. And if you did not come on board, the Head of State and Commander – in – Chief would think that it was because Bode did not reach out to you because nobody would believe a Nigerian would decline the offer of commissionership from a Governor.”
I declined Governor George’s offer for two reasons. The first was my belief that it was not good for the Editor of a non – government newspaper or a columnist in such a medium, to accept appointment to serve in the cabinet of a Head of State or a State Governor or as their Chief Press Secretary or Special Adviser or Senior Assistant on Media and Publicity.
I believed then, and still do, that such jobs are for journalists working in government – owned media, the Ministry of Information or a trained public relations officer. As a columnist, I had been writing objectively, commending and criticizing government policies and actions be it at the federal or state level. But if I became Commissioner for Information in Ondo State, I was bound to defend government policies and actions as good, even if I knew they were bad and did not agree with them. By nature or innate character, I am not someone who because of enhanced status in the society and the opportunity to earn better salary, make money or own property, would make such a volte – face.
It is a known fact that in the 32 years the trend has been on since Babangida introduced it in 1985, that no Editor or columnist of an independent newspaper who accepted to serve as a Chief Press Secretary or Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President or a State Governor, came out with the integrity or reputation not tarnished. Ditto the Editors and columnists who served as Commissioner for Information in state cabinets.
This was the comment of Onitsha, Anambra State – based Lucia (080 – 3350 – 0865) in a text message sent last week on one of the president’s spokesmen we have seen in the last nine years: “I used to like the column of Mr……… for his objectivity but he went into government and succumbed and became biased.” Kudos sir, just keep up the good work you are doing.
More to come next Wednesday
Dr. Okeke’s ridiculous reaction to Mrs. Folarin’s series (4)
The earlier part of Dr. Okeke’s third text message was missing. All that appeared at my end was this grammatically nauseating sentence: “You are not equipped for this tutorial and moreover not on the pages of newspaper (sic) unless ulterior motive is the motivating factor (sic).” All I did in the article he was criticizing was report the testimonies of four men who said Mrs. Folarin’s herbal medicine cured their prostate enlargement or cancer. And they proved this by giving their Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) reading before using her drug and after doing so.
If Dr. Okeke knows the meaning of the word, would he have seen the report of the testimonies by patients as me giving a tutorial? This is an adjectival word about someone teaching people about something. Can you also believe that a medical doctor with university education, not a junior secondary student, would use the word motive, a noun, with its transitive verb version (motivating) in one sentence? If not that I have drawn attention to his shocking error it is not impossible that he could one day have used motive as two nouns in one sentence. In other words, instead of unless ulterior motive is the motivating factor he would have come up with unless ulterior motive is the motivation.
To be continued next week