OPINION: “Educated Aregbesola”; the newest oxymoron, by Femi Adeyeye
Femi Adeyeye’s opinion…
“Aregbesola receives Award of Best Governor in Education.”
At about 2.45 am, I woke up after a very sound round of discussion with my GF (I mean Good Friend) to read the most shocking headline of the year 2016. Vanguard News delivered this shock to me in the crudest form not minding my present psychological state but trust me, I have a very good shock absorber as a young African with seven lives. Pardon my versatility as I would be looking at some rudimentary classes I took in literature even as a science student.
There are three figures of speech that pose difficulty in usage for classic writers and readers. They are the Paraprosdokians, Antithesis and Oxymoron. These three represent a contrasting influence in any text or statement when used. They are classified second in the quadripartita ratio – the classification made by classical rhetoricians. All thanks to the news headline, it made me remember all I have read in the past on the use of figures of speech.
The news of Ogbeni Aregbe receiving an award as Best Governor in Education left me unhinged as it took me a lot of time to pick the mildest of the titles that came to my head as the title for this rejoinder.
I still find it very surprising why the award organizers have just decided to put up all logistics and preparation into organizing a disgrace for this demagogue at the end of the year even at the bite of a “recession”. This shows the height of hatred they have for him and how fast they want to crash his demeanor of populism. I am always ready to assist in such patriotic act.
Do they not know that he is the Governor of Osun State, the state of the Living Spring that was more like the Arab Spring in 2016? There was a harvest of protests in Osun; from students to workers even the toddlers protested against the high-handedness of Aregbesola’s administration. It was as bad as secondary school students taking to the streets in mass demonstrations. There is no second-guessing that the policies of this ailing governor are anti-education; from the proliferation of Unity Schools to non-payment of salaries of education workers. Even with the bail-out funds, AREGBESOLA WAS NOT BAILED. As I write, LAUTECH lecturers have not been paid, students have been home, baby-sitting for seven months with no hope of resuming soon. Yet the African Education Monitor Magazine with a dumb-ass executive official invested on him an award in education. What a direct antithesis! What are they monitoring? – their Purse or Education?! This further amplifies the irrationality of my people when money beclouds reasoning.
Let me tap the governor out of his chronic amnesia.
Was it not in this state, students wore different clothes to school for days?
The Christians wore choir regalia, Muslims wore their masjids and hijabs while the traditionalists were in their full armour of the gods due to Aregbeism – a state of being confused.
It was in your state, college of education students protested and were teargassed.
LAUTECH students were shot at during a protest and you never made a reasonable statement.
If the educational welfare was commendable, in fact average, would they have protested? The organizers have only awarded you for your direct antithesis.
Workers were not paid for months due to your mismanagement and thieving professionalism.
Fela had you in mind when he said a thief with gun steals a token while a thief with biro steals billions.
I won’t be surprised if by investigation, a news outfit has it that you feigned to be the Governor of Lagos State or Akwa Ibom to get the award. It is very possible considering your antecedent (past records of being a crook). It would only add to your portfolio of thievery. Sincerely, it is much possible for a leopard to change its spot than an Aregbe to change. You are a close custodian of the Dark Legacy of Tinubu who also is the Chancellor of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, so stop shouting AWO LEGACY. Awolowo engineered free and quality education. You and your egbons are engineering poverty, chronic capitalism and poor education with pocket-tearing fees.
It is a pity that three APC elder statesmen cannot manage a single university. The late Gani Fawehinmi (SAM) would never forgive those of you who rode the horse of activism to become rough politicians for selfish interests. Megalomaniacs.
Many a times, I wonder if any of you completed the human evolution chain. Darwin might be wrong somewhere and somehow. Posterity would never forgive you for betraying the Yoruba race.
It is very disheartening that we celebrate thieves in this clime of ours. We would not give our daughters’ hands in marriage to a man who stole goat but we would, in pomp and pageantry give our daughters to men who stole naira. The goat seems to be different from the naira. If you want to be a thief, be a BIG THIEF – that’s the gospel we preach.
Irrespective of how denigrating our values have become, some of us who are agents of societal consciousness won’t be configured to the system. We will continue to conscientise the decayed public on values and reorientation in all possible ways. We would never be discouraged by the state’s media propagandists. We would never celebrate a thief, rogue and dream-killer.
On this note…
LAUTECH students say you are the worst governor in education for the year 2016.
Ilesa students say you are a dream-killer.
All secondary school students in Osun State call you a religious confusionist.
All workers in Osun say you are a bad manager and I say calling you an educated governor is the newest oxymoron.
Opinions expressed here are solely those of Olurunfemi Adeyeye and do not necessarily reflect that of NewsroomNG. You may reach Femi via [email protected].
