…Says, irresponsible leadership has reduced Nigerians to slaves in foreign lands’
From WOLE BALOGUN, Ado Ekiti
Renowned lawyer and philanthropist, Chief Wole Olanipekun , (SAN) has blamed leaders in the country for the alleged slavery many Nigerians in Libya have been subjected to, saying failure to provide responsive and responsible leadership on the part of our leader was largely responsible for the debasing treatment Nigerians are receiving overseas.
Olanipekun said the leadership failure, leading to the wanton neglect of Nigerian youths has led to a migration of ambitious but frustrated young Nigerians who seek greener pastures in other countries such as Libya only to meet worse things there.
The senior lawyer spoke in Ikere-Ekiti, at the weekend, when the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi commissioned the newly built Hall of Fame at the Palace of Ogoga, Oba Adejimi Adu Alagbado .
The museum, according to Ooni and Ogoga, will protect the historical heritage of the town and serve as a veritable ground for learning and research.
The hall consists of six compartments thus: historical museum, royal court, brave men of oath, Ikere from another town, pioneers and the town’s legends in history.
The duo of Oni and Fayemi are from Ifaki and Isan in Ekiti North
senatorial districts, respectively.
Olanipekun said the slavery in Libya and other countries will continue unabated if the government fails to identify and empathise with the unemployment youths.
“When I was in the university of Lagos in the 70’s, I had over six
offers as a fresh graduate who had not attended the law school. But today, nobody sympathised or empathised with the youths, they were abandoned in their own fates.
“After graduation, no unemployment, nobody attends to them and they thought they have to take the tortuous , winding and dangerous routes to where the greener pasture is.
“And most of us who are successful are not helping matters, we are wicked. We don’t tell the government the truth . What is in Libya that our youths are going for? This is a shame on all of us.
“Libya has just been rescued from a major crisis, they have no human rights protection mechanism, no freedom, because they have always been in military dictatorship.
“The main reason why we are not faring better is that government is muzzling the private sector. They didn’t allow it to grow. A private body can only plan based on budgetary provision and policies of the Federal Government, that is why it is difficult to classify our economic system, it was so narrowed and monolithic in nature.
“But let me say this, if Nigeria fails to take care of its youths by
creating tomorrow for them, we are inadvertently planting a revolution and threat for the future”, Olanipekun warned
Advocating for a governor from his town Ikere, Olanipekun, who praised the state’s PDP for adopting the deputy governor
Kolapo Olusola, an indigene of the town, as its sole candidate, urged the APC to follow suit, saying the town parades excellent aspirants in the party that can do the state proud.
He said Ikere, as the second largest city in Ekiti State, after the
state capital, is ripe to produce the governor 21 years after the
creation of the State, adding that the town is also the biggest town in Ekiti south senatorial district, a zone that has not produced a governor since 1999.
“The APC has a successful medical doctor, Wole Oluyede, a businessman, Mr. Kola Alabi and a retired permanent secretary, Sesan Fatoba and many other Ikere indigenes as aspirants. The party must field one of them because I know they will do the party proud.
“I know some politicians may not like my position, but that is the
truth, Ikere deserves it . As the President of Ikere Development
Forum, I have to lead the course of Ikere people. We have over 86 professors and tested technocrats and the population to make things happen.
“But let me warn that this may not happen when we are in crisis. There are no two Obas in Ikere except Ogoga. Let us rally round him for development to be sustained and for the governorship we are eyeing to come to fruition,” he advised.