FASHOLA’S BRUISING BATTLE WITH POLITICAL PIGS by Femi Ojo

“I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes    it” George Bernard Shaw

Pix courtesy of google

Once upon a time, he was the poster boy of his political party, the darling trailblazer and a shining star among equals. He was referenced for good governance not only among the members of his political party even the then ruling party found him too difficult to ignore in our polity. He was arguably the leading light among the 36 state governors in the country, his many policy models were copied by his mates in the South West and some other states in Nigeria as well. His many giant steps attracted international attention; he was always invited to share governance experience nationally and internationally by proximate political and economic actors. He was intellectually grounded and when he opened his mouth to talk, his words made more than common sense.  He was the love of all and the pride of his party even many   musical artistes sang his praises beyond their sonorous voices!  

The former Governor of Lagos State, Nigeria, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola was once upon a time, a man who I can describe with those words above but unfortunately he is currently in a mudslinging fiesta with his political adversaries. In the past three weeks or so, we have witnessed the mudslinging fiesta on Fashola’ personality with many allegations of corruption leveled against his person while he was in government. The allegations against him started with the story of how a whooping N78m was spent by the former governor on the upgrade of his personal website and as the former governor was responding with his comprehensive explanations on this allegation, another allegation of sleaze was out on how  an over- inflated fund of about N138m was spent by the former governor for constructing two boreholes at the government house and as that was going on, the story of how another N1.2bn was spent by him  on the construction of Pedestrian bridges along Eti Osa/Lekki/Epe expressway came out in the media. In the past three weeks Mr. Fashola has been in the news for something not too good for a sterling  ex-governor and  this is no thanks to the political pigs who are not relenting to prove that  that Mr. Fashola’s is not a man with clean hands. 

I am one of those who believe that Fashola was a good governor and indeed performed well while he was the governor of Lagos for 8 years and attacking his personality now will not obliterate his record in Lagos State. The man changed the face of Lagos and it is on record that Lagos became a model state for many states in Nigeria. He was that governor who had passion and was committed to his administrative assignments in Lagos but who unfortunately had no control over the politics of the state. It is this lack of control over the politics of the state that today has come to haunt him in these Fasholagate allegations. He was an administrator in politics but not a politician in administration! I know heroes are not saints but why is Fashola being rubbished by those who are hell bent to tarnish his hitherto good name in our polity? The answer to this may not be far-fetched; he is one of the few good guys whose impressive achievements in governance have inevitably positioned him for future political role (s) in the country. And for sure many Nigerians are hoping that he will be appointed to man strategic position by the President to help bring the change which the ruling political party has over-hyped.

Rubbishing Fashola whether by his supposed god-father or his loyalists or by external forces under the umbrella of civil society organization or by the conspiracy of all the aforementioned amount to tearing the APC and this will only give the opposition the opportunity to exploit the disputatious composition of the ruling party that is currently on test.  Should this attack go on, the consequences may be too fatal not only for Mr. Fashola but the spillover effect may by extension threaten the continuous existence of the ruling party and may affect politics in the south west region of the country in the national political permutation. The political pigs in this mudslinging fiesta and attack on the former governor must know that no matter what, Mr. Fashola still remains one of the best brains who can actually approximate to political reality the ruling party’s mantra of “change”. 

 One must commend Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for coming out in the media last week to state categorically that he was not part of those who were trying hard to pull Mr. Fashola down. Although this was a welcome development that Jabagan dissociated himself from this unprovoked attack on the former governor even though there is this rumour that his show of public condemnation of those who attacked Fashola earlier on was another politics from the one who might have brought the initial muck on the former governor maybe to teach the former governor some political lessons. Whatever the reason (s) why the former governor was dragged into this mud, I think caution must be applied by those who might have orchestrated such attack. The ruling party is a party on trial and as it is now, Nigerians are patiently waiting to see the much anticipated political miracles that the party will bring while the defeated former ruling party is waiting for the failure of APC and its handlers, therefore those who want the former governor in dirt should also know that in the process might as well drag APC into trouble.

The tasks before APC are gargantuan and currently the nation is yet to see the policy direction of the ruling party while Mr. President is strategically looking for men and women who will help hold many political positions to give the country a new direction. One expects that those who are busy  tarnishing Fashola should be the ones that should push his credentials as one of the few politicians who can deliver the change that the country needs. Now that we are in a new month of September, when we hope the President will announce his cabinets, one  will hope that APC will get its  house in order and support the President in finding sound politicians who can help deliver the dividends of democracy and with the hope that Fashola will be among these people instead of throwing dirt at a man who has made the common sense revolution possible through his many exemplary achievements while in power.