Ogun and Pains of Excision

President Bola Tinubu 

Being the text of an open letter to the President and Commander-in-Chief, Bola Tinubu 

By Omooba Malumba Oyedele

Youths across Yewaland bring Your Excellency greetings on the milestone of your attainment of the seat as the 16th President of our great country. The Yewa Youth Assembly (YYA) heartily felicitate you for showing uncanny courage and ubiquitous resilience to clinching the trophy.

The YYA is of the staunch belief that your antecedents in politics does not allow holding of power for the sake of holding. You use power to transform society as typified in Lagos under your Governorship. It is trite to equally remind ourselves that you equally use power to make men. Examples are legion.

This Assembly want to notify Your Excellency, for actionable course, the age-long marginalisation of the people of Yewaland in Ogun State, which predates even the creation of the State. It however became worst after the  creation of the State.

Agreed that poverty of mind and pocket mainly had not allowed the region to produce the Governor for the State in almost five decades of creation of the State in 1976, top notch Executive positions, which lies at the discretion of Mr. President has equally not been given to the people.

Ever since the berth of the fourth Republic in 1999, the other senatorial districts,  namely: Ogun Central and Ogun East has been exchanging the ministerial slot for the state. It is needless to say that we have been  deficient in terms of infrastructure, to make matter worse.

Three-time Pulitzer winner and American Author New York Columnist, Thomas Friedman, opined that “sometimes, the news is in the noise, in what is being said and shouted, and sometimes, the news is in the silence, in what is not being said at all.” 

Both silence and talking we have been doing ever since. Our people will say persistence is needed to drum home the message of the oracle to the deaf. We have decided to beat the red iron, once again, to achieve being given the Ministerial slot.  The zone is not in short supply of renowned technocrats. They are legion and legendary. The likes of Dr. Yemisi Bamgbose, Femi Dokunmu, Chief Dapo Oke, Dr. Kunle Salako, Prof Jendele Hungbo in no particular order are men of impeccable integrity that has been tested in more than  one capacities in the past.

The last time Yewaland produced a Minister was under the late General Sani Abacha in 1997 in the person of Senator Iyabo Anisulowo. It was even Minister of State.

We plead with your Excellency to use your good offices, particularly your human capital development gift to consider us for a substantive ministerial slot as a man of history that you are.

Once again, congratulations and thank you for this squeezing your time to read this.

Oyedele is the National Coordinator YYA