On Chief Jibril Dotun Sanusi's Statement on Governor Makinde: Let the Masquerade Come Out

I have just read a statement signed by Chief Jibril Dotun Sanusi, businessman and Gbonka Olubadan of Ibadanland, titled "A Governor Surrounded  by Praise Singers is on a Journey of Doom"

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I read it a couple of times but could not make sense of the point the piece was trying to make. I showed it to a few friends and asked  them to read it and tell me what they thought the writer was driving at. Their conclusion was the same as mine. It is a complaint without a stated grievance. 

If the Governor is surrounded by praise singers, who are they? If there are policies that are wrong, which ones? If the people are suffering specifically because of decisions taken by this government, state those decisions and show how. Public criticism serves society best when it is anchored on facts, not shadows 

More curious is the unmistakable impression that the masquerade behind this song has refused to come fully into the market place. The statement reads like the voice of someone speaking through another person-- a writer unwilling or unable to append his own name to his convictions. If there is a case against the Governor, the person making it should come out, own his song and state his grievances plainly.

Chief Jubril Sanusi is an elder and stakeholder in Oyo State, and he's entitled to criticise the Governor and his government. But criticism from a person of his standing should illuminate, not insinuate. It should tell the public what exactly has gone wrong and what should be done differently.

The statement itself says leaders should listen to the truth.  That is sound counsel. But truth is strengthened by facts and particulars. Those who demand courage from people in power should demonstrate the same  courage in their own interventions. 

Governor Seyi Makinde, like every public office holder, is not beyond criticism. His policies, programmes and conduct should be interrogated. But serious criticism requires more than warnings about praise singers and Journeys of doom. It requires evidence, examples and clarity.

Governor Makinde has spent seven years delivering people-friendly programmes and quality projects across the state for the welfare of the people. The people of Oyo State are his witnesses. He has spent those years running a government that is open to criticism  and equally open in putting its acts and actions before the public for scrutiny. He respects the old and gives the young their due regard. But of course, neither good pounded yam nor smooth amala will satisfy those who have resolved never to be satisfied. There is little anyone can do to assuage "friends" who have made up their minds to become "enemies" 

Very importantly, I would ask for the real author or authors, whoever they may be,  to come out clearly and tell the people what their real grievance is. What exactly has Governor Makinde done? What precisely is the complaint? If there is a song to sing, let the  masquerade come out and sing it in the open. 

Oyo State deserves a debate conducted in daylight. This intervention is simply  too vague to bear the signature of a war chief. A Gbonka should not fire arrows into the fog. He should state clearly his mission. 

Morohunkola Thomas is an Ibadan-based Attorney