Bucknor Akerele’s ‘many lies’
The Comet 18/07/01
By Ola Amupitan

Sympathy – as support and agreement – deservedly went the way of Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Kufoworola Buckor-Akerele as she itemised, before a congregation of reporters at Alausa last week, the many ordeals and abuses to which her office and person have been subjected in the past two years of Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Administration.

According to Her Excellency, the latest travail is that the security door she had used in the past 25 months to gain access into the State’s Executive Council Chamber was sealed up and bolted against her during the upper Thursday’s meeting. She must now use the public entrance if she wants to partake henceforth in subsequent council meetings.

Bucknor-Akerele wisely brought this unsavoury development to the attention of the Governor who told her it was a privilege and not a right for her to use the same security door with him. Hearing this, the woman put one and one together and in her utter frustration concluded that the occurrence portends danger to her person as well as signify an attempt to further ridicule and diminish her office.

But the State’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Dele Alake will not hear of it. He pounced on the woman and lashed fiercely at her, describing the Deputy Governor as a liar, who was sprouting lies to whip up public sympathy. Surely, this woman has got my sympathy if she has been reduced to the level where a Commissioner can refer to her as a liar.

Let us hear them out. Said the Deputy Governor: "There is a threat to my life. I believe so. I have never ever used any other access door since I have been in office. By forcing me to use a public entrance who did I know is waiting there to throw acid on me, to attack me or do anything inimical to me? So you see it is also a threat to my personal security".

This is how the Honourable Commissioner responded: "She is telling lies to whip up public sympathy. There is no reason for anybody to threaten her life. The door in question is in the Governor’s office. There are other doors available to the Deputy Governor. It is unfortunate that somebody of her calibre is involved in such frivolity. Nobody can threaten her because she is not contributing to governance. At the bottom of the face-off is that the Governor has refused to approve a N6million yearly wardrobe for the Deputy".

The Yoruba forebearer bequeathed the word of wisdom to the effect that if you are sent with words that should make a man feel like a slave you will be sure to deliver a message that makes him feel like a freeborn. Pray, where is the lie the woman has told here? The Governor said he had withdrawn the privilege of which the woman complained. The fact that a security door exists presupposes the fact that the public door has the potential for endangering the life or privacy or convenience of the Governor and his Deputy – the reason why they both used it while the going was good.

It is not part of democratic licence for a Commissioner to address the Deputy Governor as a liar even if in truth she had told a lie. Good breeding also requires respect for the elderly. The Deputy Governor, constitutionally is superior to all the Commissioners combined as exemplified by the fact that the Governor has power to sack the entire cabinet but he can never touch the Deputy. Indeed if the Governor should die today or become incapacitated the Deputy automatically becomes the Governor. It is always good to constantly remember that the Governor occupies his lofty position today also by virtue of a sizeable vote cast in support of the Deputy. Just imagine the Commissioner’s expansive glee of accusing the Deputy Governor of requesting for a N6million annual wardrobe allowance as reason for the face-off! But the real question is how much does the Governor take as wardrobe allowance that emboldens the Deputy to ask for six?

All these boasts of pomp and power by which a Deputy is left in the cold, redundant, and out of involvement in governance are nothing but a blatant rape of the Constitution and a tendency towards the leader-takes-all propensity which in the final analysis showcases the perpetrator as power-drunk and selfish. Imagine the cheek of the Commissioner’s averment that the Governor still has so much to do for Lagosians when the first citizen that should feel the impact of the Governor’s good leadership – the Deputy Governor – is daily placed in the public glare as being under the Governor’s intense persecution. What has become of the great government policy of empowering women and children when the First Woman of the State has been turned into an object of ridicule and a symbol of frustration?

Sincerely, a man’s maturity is not only measured by the fact that he could manage a woman at home, but also by how ably he manages the woman in the workplace. For this reason the Governor’s mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, called on the Chief Executive not too long ago to close rank with his Deputy – not because she believes the Deputy was in the right, but because it is the right and proper thing to do no matter the level of misbehaviour for which he alienates her. Even God does not cast us off forever inspite of our most grievous iniquities.

Again, the Honourable Commissioner said it was unfortunate that somebody of the Deputy Governor’s calibre should be involved in such a frivolous. He who feels it knows it! Is it frivolous to cry that an executive office has been turned into a mere titular appointment that "does not contribute to governance"? Is it frivolous for a Deputy Governor to draw attention to the fact that the access she had to a security door has been withdrawn and that has been down-graded to using the public entrance when beloved Commissioners like Dele Alake have all the access she lacks?

What utter nonsense and sheer arrogance! Did Tinubu think that Ms Bucknor-Akerele is there as the deputy governor of Lagos State, to be "managed" by him? Does Tinubu think that this lady is one of his purddah slaves? This is exactly the problem with these backward mis-educated buffons holding public and private offices.
If law and order and justice exists in Nigeria, this deputy governor would have tossed this ignorant moron masquerading as governor, in court so fast that his head will be spinning. Same goes with his parrot, Dele Alake.

This woman's life is evidently under threat from within, how much more, from without.
Unfortunately for her and the rest of the Nigerian women, there's no redress and guarantee of justice, equity and fairness in that stone age country.

Enwerem didn't forge any thing. By the time Aremu their brother told them that he felt better with Enwerem in charge, it was already too late to retain him with Chuba and co desperate to take over. "Matured" was eventually hounded out of office for "incompetence".

You will notice that after the Tinubugate, talks about certificate forgery has died down and even Salisu Buhari had to go to Aremu and obtain a presidential pardon immediately. That is why when they started Na'aba probe noise after Chuba, the Arewas threatened to remove Aremu and the whole noise died down again. You will see after this Ige saga, a new rule will be written.

You took those observation right out of my mouth. I am so angry with this spineless Nutty Professor who doesn't understand what his job description is. It is more shameful that this oximoron of a guys claims to graduate from Imo State University law School at Okigwe now Abia state University. This guy is what Igbos call Dike na ulo ete ama nmiri. The guy can not even make a simple decision without Obasanjo directing every move he makes. I am even more angry with Okadigbo who is the only man who would have checkmate Obasanjo, instead he let his longer throat get the best of him and he fail into Obasanjo's trap.

Since you prefer to have women sit down at home and tend to your children, I won't be surprised that the (white) women who are producing your children are welfare recipients AKA white t****. You wonder why you find decent Igbo women elusive?

Hope you're having a fruitful trip. I am surprised you want us to do "eyes right" because Yoruba handles are involved. Well, I ain't gonna do that because good neighbourliness dictates that I owe the Yoruba nation a duty of care. Afterall, one of my Biafran heroes Akanu Ibiam was married to a Yoruba Biafran(Olayinka) who stuck to/with him through thick and thin. I'll do my best here to shape all the nations of BiafraNigeria. I'm sure you read where I'd referred mallam Bature to a UK charity that will help those violated teenage girls with VV wahalah. That's me.

On a very serious note, Tinubu's conduct towards this woaman is disgarceful to say the least. I am convinced the only reason he is doing it is because she is a woman. If you look at the bit I've pasted below, you'll see that his own mother has intervened because it is a big let down on his up-bringing.

Why Yoruba women in caption? you ask. Well, I personally see a pattern of systematic marginalization and abuse from the time Aremu yabbed a lady journalist in a live program. My point is that there is enough education in the Yoruba nation to eradicate this sexual discrimination. If Tinubu prefers working with a male deputy, then he should wait patiently for 2003 and then he can convince his Afenefere caucus to disenfranchise Ms Akerele's supporters. In the interim, he should grow up and treat that lady with decorum or he should step down. I wonder who her husband is. If you did that to my wife, I'd kick up a lot of storm and if I don't succeed because of Tinubu's guber immunity, I'll wait for him to finish and then we'll look each other in the face. Alhaji Chicago lacks self-respect! Yeye man.

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"What has become of the great government policy of empowering women and children when the First Woman of the State has been turned into an object of ridicule and a symbol of frustration?

Sincerely, a man’s maturity is not only measured by the fact that he could manage a woman at home, but also by how ably he manages the woman in the workplace. For this reason the Governor’s mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, called on the Chief Executive not too long ago to close rank with his Deputy – not because she believes the Deputy was in the right, but because it is the right and proper thing to do no matter the level of misbehaviour for which he alienates her."

Yoruba women are beginning to fight back. You know I wasn't aware that the Idiot called Olabode George(who avoided a debate with Orji Kalu on Aremu's performance) has been jailing Yoruba women illegally in a democratic set up. Now they want to go and publicly display their "private" parts as a symbol that they've been debased. If Yoruba land is turning backward like this only God knows what women must be putting up with in the North. Chei! where are the Funmilayo Ransom Kutis and Olayinka Ibiams?

Afolanke mi owon, se o ti gbo? Where are you and what do you make of this? Is it just a small misunderstanding between a Party boss and some party members who happen to be women?
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Women Seek Apology, Threaten to Parade Naked in Lagos

Vanguard (Lagos)

July 19, 2001
Posted to the web July 19, 2001

John Ighodaro
Lagos

LAGOS State PDP women leaders are threatening to walk the streets of Lagos naked should the party's South-West National Vice Chairman, Commodore Olabode George fail to apologise to them for alleged inhuman treatment meted out to some of their members.

Speaking to the press at the party secretariat in Lagos yesterday, their spokesperson, Alhaja Ali-Balogun demanded "an apology from Commodore Bode George and Alhaji Ashorobi for the unwarranted evil they have visited on our women."

"If they refuse to apologise, we are prepared to protest by walking the streets of Lagos naked and camping in our nudity in front of Commodore Bode George's house for seven days," she said.

"It is both sad and unfortunate that a national officer of our great party who is supposed to protect us in anyway possible from physical and emotional harms has become the harbinger of bodily assault on us while at the same time exploiting the instrumentality of his high office and background as a military officer to detain in the most inhuman condition some of our women members in Abuja.

"You are all aware of the fact that Alhaji Ashorobi Murtala, the Lagos State PDP Chairman was suspended while a vote of no confidence was passed on Commodore Bode George by more than two-thirds of the party's Executive Council in fulfillment of the requirements of the party constitution."

Alhaja Ali-Balogun noted that "in a bare-faced disregard for the supremacy of the party constitution, Commodore George in a typical show of military bravado and contempt for the due process of law fraudulently presented Alhaji Ashorobi as the state party chairman and the legal representative of Lagos State at the national seminar for PDP leaders in Abuja.

"Some of our women members who were present at the venue of the seminar decided to peacefully protest the presence of the ex-chairman at the seminar though the women rightfully thought they were exercising their rights as guaranteed by the constitution, Commodore Bode George and Alhaji Ashorobi thought otherwise. Both men and women were ordered by Commodore Bode George to be detained with hardened criminals."

As far as the threat from those women goes, that too is a sign of female awareness and success in Yorubaland. Female activism is one thing on which we do not take a back-seat to any other tribe in Nigeria. This is why any of the important firsts for Nigerian women was accomplished by a Yoruba woman. Mrs. Ransom Kuti, whom you have cited was an un-paralleled pace-setter. She was followed by many others, including Mrs Ebun Akinriade. Who are the Biafran women of distinction and what did they achieve?

The conclusion of your posting reminded me of the "my father's Merc is bigger than your father's" syndrom. I'll indulge you.

Your posting has in a funny sort of way reinforced my earlier argument that something is patently wrong with the Yoruba men folk that makes it difficult for them to co-exist peacefully in an egaliterian fashion with their tribeswomen.

Take the case of Funmilayo Kuti as an instance, Aremu & friends sent the "unknown" soldiers who killed her off and what excuse did he give? The case has come up before Oputa. Tinubu is tenaciously pursuing his kill-akerele mission and no body wants to listen or say anything. My question is: if this guys will mete out so much c**p to notable ladies, what will happen to the "lowly widows" of Yoruba land? The clue is in the treatment from olabode George who thinks the place of women is in prison with rapists and criminals. Wonders shall never end!

To the next part of your posting:

You wrote: "Female activism is one thing on which we do not take a back-seat to any other tribe in Nigeria." This is why any of the important firsts for Nigerian women was accomplished by a Yoruba woman. Mrs. Ransom Kuti, whom you have cited was an un-paralleled pace-setter....... Who are the Biafran women of distinction and what did they achieve?

AFolanke, you must be a very young ajebutter(no insult intended). Please ask your folks about the great pre-independence Aba women's riot which taught the colonial masters a lesson or two. The men actually took a cue from this Biafran Amazons and went on to shout about "boycotting the boycottables". That is going back when.

During the first republic politics there was a lady whose name was on every lip. She was a Biafran called Margeret Ekpo and that is also going back when.

Closer to your time, there was a lady who used her magazine to tell the much dreaded dwarf Abacha what an idiot he was, and consequently was jailed for "coup plotting". The pretty Biafran is called Chris Anyanwu and so on and so forth!

I will also implore mumu Folanke to go and ask any of her Nigerian soldiers sibblings, Who saw combat during the civil war, how Biafran women distroyed their military Aircraft in Port Harcourt sector during the war. Even DIM Ojkwu mentionned that in one of speeches when he paid tribute to Biafra women.

The military Heroine of Biafran women during the war have never been egualled anywhere in modern time. Even the Military Mighties like USA have never recorded the amount of bravery Biafran women recorded during the war. So If Folanke want to talk about first. It will benefit her to understand that Biafran women were the first women on planet earth to taste Military combat in war theater.

Now back to how Biafra women distroyed the Nigeria Vandals Military aircraft. When Port Harcourt fail to the vandals in 1968,. Nigeria vandals deployed the highest Military asenal and jet fighter at that time around old Port Harcourt airport. This posed a challenge at the time to Biafran soldiers. during military strategic meetings many options where dicussed all those option involed high number of risks and casualties. Finally Biafran women asked the commanding officer at the time to allow them to spearhead the operation. My Brothers what happened next will go done in history whenever the story of Biafra war and Biafra independence is written. Could you believe that this sisters went there and wipe out the whole Nigeria hardware before those fools knew what hits them this ladies mission were accomplished without any casualty or lost of military equipment.

Folanke want to talk about first that is a debate I would like to engage her on. From Folanke posting it seem to me that she was born after the civil war. So it will benefit her to go back and read the history of Eastern Region. The yoruba women threatening to march nude, that is already been done by Aba women against British imperialism taxes. I think Ms Folanke should go and read up on the Aba women riots of late 1940s and 1950s.

Dateline: 22/07/2001 08:01:20

Tinubu, Bucknor's Differences Irreconcilable, Says Lagos Speaker

'If I were deputy, I would resign'
By Frank Kintum

The differences between the Lagos State Governor Senator Bola Tinubu and his deputy, Senator Bucknor-Akerele are irreconcilable, the state's Speaker of House of Assembly has said.

Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora who made this assertion in an interview at a cocktail held by Michelin in Lagos in honour of retiring Mr. Ibukun Akinduro, revealed that he has made several attempts to mediate in the crisis without success.

"It would appear to me, that is my own personal opinion, that the differences between them are irreconcilable, so I don't know what else anybody can do".

Other than his attempts, the Speaker added that "I am sure some of my other colleagues in the House had also tried on individual basis, then we have tried on collective bases".

The Speaker adduced three fundamental areas where he feels there have been disagreements between the governor and his deputy.

According to him, there is the problem of conflict of roles "may be somebody is not appreciating what her roles should be, secondly, the problem of ego, there can never be two captains in a Ship, I say you can only have one head of the government at any level".

The Speaker also stated that the crisis in AD is another factor that has worsened the relationship between Tinubu and Bucknor-Akerele in the course of governance.

He feels it would only amount to deceit to continue to believe that there is no crisis in the Alliance for Democracy, "there is crisis from the national AD, even to the ward level, and these crisis have brought about factions, and when you have factions, you now have advisers who now tend to fuel the crisis.

"We have advisers who would fuel crisis and make reconciliation extremely difficult if not totally impossible. That is why I say between the governor and the deputy we now have irreconcilable differences".

On the possibility of the House of Assembly impeaching the deputy governor, he explained that the issue of impeachment is a constitutional procedure, and that it has never crossed his mind

"The issue at hand is between the governor and his deputy, so if people talk about impeachment, that is just a figment of imagination, as far as I am concerned at least for now", he said.

Saying he cannot advice the deputy governor to resign, Dr. Mamora claimed that "If I were the deputy governor I would resign. Under a situation where it will appear that I can no longer serve and that the totality of me has become irrelevant, then what am I doing? that is the hallmark of integrity and honour".

He said it is really not his business to advice the deputy governor to resign because beside being grown ups, as politicians they all have different approaches to politics.

When asked if he does not feel the real problem between Tinubu and his deputy has to do with the planned second term of Tinubu, he said "it is too early to talk on second term, we are just half term into the tenure, I am sure Governor Bola Tinubu is not even bothered about second term for now".

Ever since assuming power in 1999, the duo of governor Tinubu and his deputy have been maintaining a frosty relationship defying all attempts at resolving it.

The deputy has accused the governor on several occasions of side-lining her office and subjecting her reputation to ridicule, an accusation that has been denied.

Only recently, the National Chairman of the Alliance for Democracy, Alhaji Ahmed Abdulkadir advised the deputy governor to resign if she could no longer work with the governor.

Following suit, governor Tinubu also asked her to resign, even as he described her as 'a sinking crying grandma". The deputy governor in her reply, says she is not ready to resign.