The rate at which the Governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde went about giving out gifts of exotic cars to some Media practitioners and Musicians in a period of general pain and hardships leaves a scar taste in the mouth.
The ill advised measure must be the Governor’s way of rewarding the beneficiaries, who, indeed helped in the propaganda that secured him a second term in office.
The fact that the Governor chose to reward those who helped him to secure a second term should not be News.
What is News however is the timing, the manner and in the case of the Media guys involved, the personalities involved.
I will first of all deal with the personalities of the Media practitioners who benefited from the Governor’s largesse and why I think the personalities, much more, rather than the Governor should be weary of such “Greek gifts”.
Two individuals from a particular FM Radio station based in Ibadan have so far enjoyed the gift of cars from Makinde.
One of the two is the anchor of a popular political program which is aired on Saturdays between the hours of 10am to 12 noon.
The other beneficiary is not only the Chairman of the NUJ in the state but also a panelists on the aforementioned program.
The program in question is purely political and Its effect on an election in Oyo state would naturally be massive, most especially, considering the huge followership enjoyed by the Radio station that airs the program.
It got to a point that the anchor and panelists on the program were laboring to defend their neutrality because it was obvious that their platform had become an image making avenue for Governor Seyi Makinde.
By the time the election were concluded, not many were left in doubt of where the loyalties of the Broadcasters in question was.
The public giving and acceptance of the car gifts coupled with the timing just helped in removing any vestige of doubt from the minds of the public.
Just like a referee in a football match, Broadcasters are expected to be umbias in their analysis and reporting of events.
Unfortunately, that is not the case anymore. Nowadays, those privileged to be behind powerful microphones have almost generally seen such microphones as avenues to curry favours from the corridors of power and to the detriment of the general public who always thought whatever they heard on Radio must be the gospel truth.
As for the Musicians who have been offered and taken gifts from Governor Makinde, I have no problem with them. After all, the job of a musician is to sing the praises of the rich and get compensation for the job done.
However, I have serious problems with Governor Seyi Makinde who thinks this is the right time to go about gifting cars to some individuals who did him, mark my words, those he’s been giving this cars to did him personal good.
He had never shown the public whatever good the beneficiaries of his Father Christmas gifts did to the people of Oyo state.
Governor Makinde also owe the people of Oyo state a duty to explain from which purse the funds for the purchase of the exotic cars were drawn.
Was it from his personal purse or from the coffers of Oyo state?
Some days ago, the Governor’s ” Man Friday” was pictured gifting cars to some PMS guys!
The fellow who performed the function to the best of my knowledge holds no office in government. Yet, he performed a function meant for a Government official!
Or, was it Seye Famojuro as an act of benevolence that purchased the cars from his own purse?
It is unfortunate that Governor Makinde chose this time to spit absurdities in the face of hungry and impoverished citizens of Oyo state.
While cars worth millions of Naira are been distributed to those who helped the Governor with false propaganda, hapless citizens of the state are being given some funny package of foodstuffs as palliatives.
It is up to the people of Oyo state to hold the Governor accountable for the billions of Naira collected from Abuja on their behalf as palliatives to cushion the biting effects of the removal of subsidies.
SOLA ABEGUNDE.
