Open Letter to Gov Makinde : The State of Oyo or Oyo State? !! By Barr Abdul Waheed O Lawal

Open Letter to Gov Makinde : The State of Oyo or Oyo State? !! By Barr Abdul Waheed O Lawal.

“Your Excellency!
All protocols are duly observed sir.

Permit me with due respect to address the state of Oyo by talking of security situation in Oyo State, particularly, in Ibadan. To say the security of lives and properties in this pacesetter state is in a pallor state is an understatement.

Your Excellency, the state of Oyo is crying for security, peace and tranquility. Mr. Governor sir. I beg you not to take every observations, advice or criticisms as insults, partisanship or an attempt to rubbish whatever achievements you might think you have recorded in other areas of governance.
People of the state, including the opposition are talking because it’s not debatable that you are the governor of the state. That you occupy the governor’s house, office, signs and sits over our budget are evidence of your being the Governor. There is no doubt that the person who holds both the yam and the knife, the stick and the carrot is the owner of authority. However, it’s debatable whether a person behind the wheel is the Driver, particularly, when a person sitting at the other side or the back seat is the one who actually directs where to stop, the speed and the destination of the car. Sometimes, a driver would just kick start a car and the boss will just keep on dictating which routes the driver can or should take. Corner the driver and ask him, where is he going, he doesn’t know until he gets to their destination.

Your Excellency, as the governor of Oyo State, shave no cause to hate your personality. In fact, we must love you not necessarily because we love you but because we love ourselves. It’s trite that we have no other governor except you. Whether or not a person voted for you, the fact still remains that you are elected. There is no doubt that we will all bear the brunts if Oyo state is ungovernable due to insecurity.

In the light of the above, let me offer my sincere advice to you as my governor to be proactive enough to avert another catastrophe in Oyo State.

Your Excellency! Do not wait until chief Sunday Igboho moves to assuage and pacify the feelings of the family, friends and associates of the slained Rahman Azeez. Act timeously to avert possible crisis between Sunday Igboho and Auxillary boys over the killing of Rahman Azeez at Iwo road, Ibadan.

If you viewed and listened to the video and audio clip of the telephone conversation between Sunday Igboho and mother of Rahman Azeez. The conversation which is on YouTube has gone viral and I have read a lot of comments encouraging the former to take up the matter as he did in Ibarapa.

Your Excellency, as a National Legal Adviser to the Yoruba Welfare Group [YWG], whose agenda is the welfare, peace and security in Yorubaland without enmity with other ethnic tribes, I make bold to say, this group is ready to partner with you on peace and security.

I have the mandate of the National Coordinator Comrade AbdulHakeem Alawuje to facilitate the meeting with your Excellency to synergise with the State Security Agencies and to disclose to you information and intelligence reports on security matters about Oyo state in absolute confidentiality”.

Furthermore, myself as a concerned indigene of Oyo state who has passion for peace and security in our land, have facilitated the meeting of YWG and Vigilantees Group of Nigeria and I’m very hopeful that the synergy will produce fruitful results.

I am in touch with the Traditional Rulers who are very committed to peace and security in Oyo State. I have also visited the Seriki Sasa, discussed with Fulani leaders in Okeogun and some religious scholars on the need to partner with Gov Makinde to secure Oyo State.

The Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace (IDFP) an international NGO of which I’m a co- Chairman of its Oyo state chapter with the support of Christian Association of Nigeria [CAN] and the Muslim Community of Oyo State [MUSCOYS] is ready to collaborate with us in promoting peace and security in Oyo state.

The responses I have gotten so far are encouraging and I hope you will give me that benefit of doubt as a person who is trying to contribute my own quota to maintaining peace and security, devoid of partisanship.

I wish to state that I have legally advised the YWG in my capacity as its legal adviser and an advocate for peace and security to issue a release on the need to avert a possible clash

May God Almighty Allah save and protect us in Oyo state.

Gov Makinde! Be proactive sir. God bless you.

Abdul Waheed O. Lawal
Lawyer and Peace Advocate.”