Oyetola’s Plan To Appoint ‘Lagos Agenda’ Man, Akinola As Chief Of Staff Causes Disquiet
The Oasis Reporters
November 30, 2018
As Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola gets set to Inaugurate his cabinet, plans by him to appoint yet another ‘Lagos Agenda’ import from Ilesa, Dr Charles Akinola has run into controversial circumstances.
Lagos Agenda refers to the years Aregbesola spent as a politician and state commissioner in Lagos State. On becoming governor of his ancestral state, he came along with mostly Osun indigenes resident in Lagos to work with him in Osun state. Most native born Osun State citizens who stayed in the homeland felt marginalized and neglected in the scheme of things.
Governor Gboyega Oyetola himself, was Chief of Staff to the immediate past governor, Rauf Aregbesola and respondents in Osogbo insist that both Oyetola’s service and that of his former principal was lackluster. They accuse the governor of not being a thorough bred politician had no good policy directives to offer Aregbesola. Then he moves on to choose another lackluster candidate to serve in his former office.
Sources in the Government informed an online news source, CityMirrorNews that the Governor’s kitchen cabinet was divided on his choice of Dr Charles Akinola as Chief of Staff.
It was gathered that Akinola, an indigene of Ilesa, was chosen by the governor out of the three people considered for the office.
According to the sources, first son of the immediate past governor of the state, Mr Kabir Aregbesola, a former Commissioner for Innovation Science and Technology, Engr, Oluremi Omowaiye and former Commissioner for Sports, Special Needs and Social Protection, Comrade Biyi Odunlade had been penciled down for the CoS appointment.
However, when the news filtered that Akinola might be appointed as CoS, majority of the Oyetola team rejected his choice, sighting some political reasons, according to the sources.
When asked why Akinola should not be appointed, one of the sources said ‘Dr Akinola is a brilliant person, but it is politically and administrative wrong to put him in that position (Chief of Staff).
‘The immediate past governor of the state, Aregbesola is from Ilesa, so is Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole. The senatorial candidate of the All Progressive Congress-APC for Osun East Senatorial District, Hon Ajibola Famurewa is from also from Ilesa, while the Speaker to be for Osun House of Assembly, Hon Timothy Owoeye is also from Ilesa.
‘It will be politically wrong to appoint another person from Ilesa as Chief of Staff. Besides, with due respect to Dr Akinola, he cannot manage the CoS office successfully. He will surely run Oyetola’s administration into trouble.
He is not accessible and persuasive.
‘Oyetola is not a politician, the Deputy Governor; Benedict Alabi is not a politician. We need a grassroot politician to be the Chief of Staff, it is a key office.
‘Appointing Akinola as CoS will again raise the issue of the ‘Lagos agenda’ which was used to campaign against us before the governorship election.’
The current Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon Najeem Salam has been considered for the Secretary to the State Government position.
Besides the state capital, Oshogbo and Ile-Ife, Ilesa remains a very significant town in the political geography of Osun state. However concentrating many high profile appointments in the home town of immediate past governor Aregbesola, smirks with the illusion of a new godfather in town, bent on monopolizing power to the detriment of other sections of the Osun society. More so, the consideration of Aregbesola’s son for such an important position begins to form the impression of a dynastic plot in the making.
Additional source : City Mirror News
