~Debo Akinbami, PhD
When lettering, the writer did not target a syndicate. He did not know that one existed. The piece entitled ‘The organised calumny against Aiyedatiwa”, which has since put brothers at daggers drawn, was not meant to stir up the hornet’s nest. The article was an innocuous offering, designed to gently draw public attention to what was suspected to be a dangerous flash.
In its wake, public conscience was poked. Characters were strangely jolted and fiercely agitated. Meanwhile, the idea was not to cause anyone to lose sleep, and so, where it does, I offer sympathies. For clarity, the article does not oppose Governor Aiyedatiwa’s critics. It does not discourage criticisms about him. And to interpret it in that light is to be evasive. On the contrary, the writer encourages criticism. What is flagged is a whole new game. The fraud of making a commodity of Aiyedatiwa’s name, under the guise of criticism.
Governor Aiyedatiwa holds the office in trust, after all, and it is the citizens’ right and responsibility to gauge his acts; to hold him to account. The writer has also previously criticised the governor, and still does, as and when due. Any citizen who wants the governor to do well and leave loftier legacies would criticise, where necessary. That is not in contention. I refer, in this regard, to constructive criticisms, which are, in fact, an act of patriotism and a tool for good governance.
The haste with which rebuttals were mobilised and the volume of venomous vituperations over the innocent commentary suggest that profiteers from the calumny against Aiyedatiwa were incidentally hit. The poisons poured coordinately from all sides, which suggests, even more strongly, that those in the business of blackmailing the government live amongst us and that the culprits are syndicated. But even so, the hit is unintended.
At any rate, we cannot pass a blanket judgement yet; and this is not putting up any badge whatsoever. Discernment prods that those bruised by chance may have started out as decent critics and got their hands soiled through sinful gratifications. Or that some may have been mischievously propped to uncritically deploy talents in defense of their state. Others may have joined the gang to cushion the effects of the scorching economy on their stomachs.
Those who, for want of legitimate work, accepted calumny on contractual terms occupy a different phylum. It’s, to this extent that it is difficult to draw the lines. What is instructive to note, however, is that a common thread runs through all reactions, in spite of the lewd layers of logic the lawyer-writers injected into the space. Much as they tried, they managed to expose themselves as established hagiographers.
Those bruised by the truth are afraid of their own shadows, having feared that they bear predictable patterns of public engagement – they are always either hailing a minister or hauling insults on the Governor; and that, I suppose, is the charge for which they are paid, or compensated. The syndicate has ethnic apologists too, who protect regional interest, unlike those who would rather trade theirs for instant monies or promised political porridge.
The syndicate has produced geniuses. It has also raised the smart-by- halves. Peopled by media accomplices and members of the intelligentsia who manipulate data and brandish it as institutional assertions to derail a government. To veil partisanship, they pitifully struggled to vainly operationalise criticisms, but the weight of guilt was predictably heavy.
Governor Aiyedatiwa is not the devil blackmailers portray him to be. The ineptitude they paint about him is a calculated ploy to make his government look bad. The tale that he dominates the party is a lie already told to bigger buyers. His only sin is being politically impenetrable. We have been around long enough to know that ministers respect their Governors. The new breeds in Ondo want Aiyedatiwa to deify them for their capacity to supply lies to the villa.
If organised calumny against Governor Aiyedatiwa was doubted up to now, the resultant outbursts signalled more, and necessarily compel patriots to be more vigilant; to sieve what seem to be fair appraisals but are paid ploys to demarket the incumbent and present a minister as an alternative. In the final analysis, the syndicate constitutes distractions for the minister, for whom it masturbates; and for the Governor who daily recommits himself to service, it is no less a distraction.
***Dr. Akinbami, who teaches Journalism and Public Relations at Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko, writes from Igboegunrin.
Leave a Reply