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By Orukotan Ayomikun Samuel
I was in the middle of trying to remove the speck in someone’s eyes when I was reminded of the beam in my own eyes. I couldn’t correlate these two simultaneous incidents and at the same time, I couldn’t ask questions just to fix my confused state of mind. The parable was enough to ruminate over and I couldn’t hesitate to do just that. I was still in the connecting mode when I realized that I have to be up my eyes in this traumatic experience and it would be with all sense of running my eyes over something that this eye-opening issue will be attainable. It was not until I analysed this parable critically that I discovered that my friend was really sending me back home. A Yoruba person would tell you the full implication of this parody.
I have a State, which is akin to my home, and this State has in itself many states when you want to do the economic comparison, let me spare my esteemed readers and followers the gory details and hit the nail on the head even as it is hot.
John Denver was an American singer and writer whose songs celebrated the beauty of simple living. Some of his hits like, “take me home” and “sunshine on my shoulders” were award winning but the label of these hits were too petrifying to boast of in response to the parable of my very informed friend.
Ondo state, my dear state! Where are we in the ranking of states? Where are we heading? I ask because I have actually lost orientation as to what Ondo-state had become lately. A state popularly called the sunshine state is doing the dual work of the sun in differing direction. How do I mean? The sun that is meant to photosynthesize is suddenly infesting the young and the old. No sunrise industries in our sunshine state except for the sunset industries that has exceeded its usefulness, even the passionate people (plebeian and proletarian) of Ondo-state now suffer from sunstroke while their political opportunists in form of elites are enjoying the sunny side of the sunshine state.
Many now use sunscreen as a temporary precautionary motive against the strong effect of sunstroke. Whose direction is the sun rising and setting towards to? Definitely, the noblesse and what has become the fate of the passionate people in the sunshine state.
A state that was financially buoyant before is now going insolvent. We keep exploiting everybody in the state. We are persistently making life difficult for the governed and consistently encouraging social vices. The people are crying with the eyes free from tears, the people are grunting and squealing like pigs. Many are going to bed with empty stomachs, they are cursing the train that brought you to power via the minority, the standard of living of our people has gone worse just because the eyes of our government in power has grown bigger than their pot stomach.
Dear Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko
The electioneering promises you made to the good people of our dear state has become a mockery. In its real sense of honesty, in fact, it sounds like an old fogey. You never promised us hardship. You never promised us bad roads. You never promised us another wilderness experience in Ondo state like the one the Israelites went through yet today we are paying dearly for your propaganda and whatever it represents.
Not to forget that you are also a politician and any electioneering promises by your clique are tantamount to propagandas. So, you are actually acting in your full capacity. Well done! But be it as it may, a lot is happening in our state, a lot has happened and in fact, a lot will still happen more so that the spiritual powers and the physical Supremes are in a bloody feud for control.
The mortality rate in the political strata of the state is worrisome, this is not far-fetched from the fact that a lot has been done in the secret, and that God is generous rewarding openly. Whatever you sow, definitely you will reap.
The “I WILL WORK FOR YOU” that you said in quick successions during your inauguration as governor of the sunshine state has become a butt of local and international jokes all because you have decided to fail the state. A lot of responsibility was placed on your dear head and you accepted these huge responsibilities by taking the oath and swearing to uphold the dignity and honor of the state.
Honestly speaking, you brought innovations. You brought new inventions. But what is the essence of inventions and innovations if it does not have a meaningful impact on the citizens? Today, we can boast of shopping mall, modern markets, modern schools, mother and child hospitals and the likes in our dear state. I must acknowledge the fact that they are good ideas with some limitations; you are not living up to expectation in some areas as well.
The work force of the state are not paid as and when due, even the ones that are paid are short-changed. The workers are working in pains neither are they happy with you nor your government.
Ondo state unfortunately has been in the news for the past few weeks and this is not far-fetched from the sudden emergence of baby factory in the state and some other worrying issues. The various protests in the state in the past few weeks summarize the absurdity from your government. Yet you want efficiency from them even when your government is not efficient in the prompt payment of workers’ salaries. You keep retrenching workers all in the name of “ghost workers” but survey has it that not all that are retrenched are ghost workers neither do they fall short of requirement to work in a public civil service. So, who is deceiving whom? No public employment in the state any longer and yet Ondo state is in debt, the chicken and egg situation is what I don’t fathom. There are no capital projects on ground that justifies the reason for our debt. All we have as at present are cosmetic projects that cannot withstand long-run conditions.
The bursary award of the only Federal University in Ondo state (FUTA) has not been paid even when the students have given unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar.
You specialize in beautifying the whole city but the intent- the content of the city does not reflect its outward appearance, and that is why many will say, “face value is false value.” This misplaced priority is no doubt the reason for our “dead-weight debt.” Sometimes when you have what to say, time will not be a friend.
To be continued.
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