The O TO GE movement was a clarion call for good governance in Kwara state. It is barely one year that the movement berthed but, it is not early in the day to see and know that governance could truly be better in the state.
By Gbolahan Balogun
Opinions vary on who actually coined the political buzzword, O TO GE, the albatross that sunk the ship of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Kwara State and wrest power from the vice grip of the Saraki dynasty who had held the state by the jugular for close to four decades. But most fingers point to the Septuagenarian, Alhaji Lazeez Ayinla Kolawole (LAK for short), who once narrated how he came up with the ingenious word-artistry, as he squared up to the former Senate President, Bukola Saraki for the Kwara Central Senatorial seat in 2011.
There were artistes like Aminat Obirere and the popular Islamic singer, Labaeka, who all sought credit for the political mantra but were described as mere choristers of Alhaji LAK’s invention.
What may not be known to most people, however, is the amount of distillations that had gone into perfecting the ‘Enough is Enough’ slogan as an idea for social change campaign by Hook Creative Agency in Lekki, Lagos who were contracted as communication consultants for Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq’s campaign organization in the build up to the March 9, 2019 elections. The brief for the strategic communication, according to those in the know, included giving life, currency in style, tone and design to the concept in ways that would endear it to the party and the generality of the state.
The agency, according to the sources, had conducted detailed research and reputation audits to uncover the missing links and fix the yawning communications gap. Thus, an image and environmental audits yielded a harvest of disillusionment and sense of servitude and bondage, the source familiar with the business revealed. Therefore, the campaign was premised on the basis that the last 34 years has been unsavoury with one family deciding the fate of all.
This yielded, according to the source, “We want this no more, enough is enough. To achieve optimal effect and secure immediate buy-in by the vast rural community, the communication consultants distilled “Enough is Enough” into Yoruba language, thus O to ge was born; a shorter, sharper, more direct and impactful slang that sits beautifully with the people and addresses the person of the usurper, his class and the issue at hand. Like a wild fire, O to ge became the buzzword and the most important line in Kwara politics”, the source added.
While lamenting that Kwarans may have been complacent in the past, he noted that progressive minds in the state were fed up with the system as initial campaign revealed. Hence, the O to ge concept was berthed to speak the people’s mind and address the situation.
It is one year that the bomb of O To Ge exploded in Kwara State bringing down the reign of the Sarakites. The All Progressive Party, who made a near total haul of all elective positions had had her party and still basking in her victory. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed while speaking on the outcome of the elections says, Kwara had been freed “from a choking and pauperising political hegemony of a self-imposed dynasty”.
But there is a wall of difference between winning election and governing well. Elections make fundamental contributions to democratic governance. The main purpose of democracy is not only to win elections but good governance. What the people of Kwara State want is not a mere change from Saraki dynasty to Abdulrazaq dynasty, as some people observed, but a positive change for the better. The OTOGE movement was a clarion call for good governance.
The question on the lips of concerting Kwarans today is, whether there has been marked pointer to a change from the squalor, poverty and maladministration that had characterized governance for decades and, if the political Tsunami that the O To Ge mantra evoked can actually be justified?
One thing that is not in doubt, is the fact that Governor Abdulralman Abdulrasaq’s administration has opened the eyes of Kwarans to how much previous administrations had pauperized the state through wanton looting of public funds and assets.
Barely months into his tenure, Abdulrasaq came out with revelation that the state is in debt to the tune of N100 billion instead of N30 billion claimed by former commissioner of finance, Ademola Banu and the fact that the purported debts were actually of state fund which found their ways into private pockets of individuals and certain government functionaries. He also talked about the efforts of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC to help the state recover the loot.
Soon after, the EFCC in the state gave bigger revelation on how much the state has been sucked dry by certain people in government as it handed the sum of N111,428,891.00, which it recovered as looted funds from politicians and civil servants in Kwara State.
The state Zonal Head of the EFCC, Mr Isyaku Sharu, during the handover of the drafts for the funds to the state governor said, the amount was part of the money recovered for the state government from the treasury looters.
Sharu said that the commission which started work in the state in February of last year at the zonal office had achieved a lot in terms of recovery and conviction of corrupt individuals.
He said, “We have 29 convictions and over N500 million (five hundred million naira) recovery of both assets and cash, part of this recovery is the N111, 428, 891.00 cash.
“This recovery is from suspected Kwara state treasury looters. The suspects alleged to have criminally misappropriated landed properties of Harmony holdings while other diverted funds meant for the micro, small and medium credit scheme. The suspects cut across political office holders, traditional rulers and top civil servants,” he revealed.
Then, at an event marking the annual International Anti-corruption Day rally, Sharu disclosed that the Commission had recovered N3.6 billion and 10 houses from suspected looters. “Two out of the recovered properties are in Ikoyi. One is in Lekki and the recent recovered property worth over N1 billion is in Ilorin,” he said.
He said that at the eve of the last handing over, EFCC saved the state of an attempt to loot over N4 billion of its tax refund.
“Currently, the ongoing investigation into the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWRS) led to the recovery of about N50 million.
“Effort is being made to recover the balance of about N2 billion from some notable individuals in the alleged fraud in KWRS,” Sharu said.
There was another meeting of the anti-graft commission and the Governor on March 3, 2020, where the sum of N263,327,8000 being what he said, “cash recovered from suspected Kwara State treasury looters” was handed over to the state.
Sharu, at the event told the press of the “overwhelming success achieved in terms of convictions and recovery of assets. According to him, the commission had made “48 convictions and the worth of recovered assets both at interim and final forfeiture is in excess N8.5 billion”
This could probably be what informed the Governor at the twilight of his administration that he had instituted a 21-member committee headed by a former Senator and chieftain of the APC, Alhaji Sulaiman Ajadi to look into and review the sale/disposal of government properties by past administrations. While inaugurating the committee, the governor talked about the sleaze and rots that had permeated management of Kwara State properties across the federation.
This much was revealed when the committee submitted its interim report where the Chairman, Senator Suleiman Ajadi, said the panel made far reaching recommendations upon which the governor would need to take urgent decisions.
Ajadi said: “There are so many thorny issues surrounding the control and management of some assets like the Kwara Hotel, the International Aviation College, the amorphous case of the Shonga Farms and the entire Harmony Holdings structure.
“We are also looking into the issue of the amusement park, which was sold in very unclear circumstances for a princely sum of N100 million in 2010, but which, perhaps fortuitously, has been bogged down since because of litigation.”
Ajadi called on the Governor “to look critically at the issues and make pronouncements in the immediate future even before we make available the final report.
“This is because quite a few of the issues highlighted are going concerns, which will require prompt government attention and action.”
But perhaps, if there is an individual who has his eyes on the fruits that O To Ge movement could bear is Barrister Mohammed Sambo. Sambo was a frontline foot soldier in the political war between the O To Ge and the Continuity Vanguard called O Tun Ya.
Sambo, a renowned activist, had immediately after the swearing in of Governor Abdulrasaq, in cohort with five other members of a group called Kwara Development Trackers, KDT set in motion the process of collating what it called “a pictorial compendium of the state of infrastructure and social amenities across the 16 local government areas of Kwara State. The members which included Arc. Zakirudeen Oladotun, Oyeleke Oyejide Abdulazeez, Lawal Olorungbebe, Abdulrasheed Akogun and Stephen Adeola Awoyale, for over two months went round the nooks and crannies of the state and conducted a baseline study in critical sectors of education, health, water, tourism and general infrastructure. A summary of their finding, according to the group, is that ”past administrations reduced the state to nothing to be held in pride”
The group thus published its finding into a compendium with the view that “it will serve as developmental indicators for monitoring and evaluation of the government interventions” as well as a reference point to observers of government actions.
It was an elated Governor Abdulrasaq who received the voluminous document, assuring his audience that his administration had already set to work on critical areas that need intervention while looking at bigger picture of developmental programmes that will benefit Kwarans.
There is no doubt that the Governor is living up to his words as can be gleaned from ongoing road construction and rehabilitation program under its urban renewal initiative project across the state. Such is also the case in other sectors including provision of infrastructure.
Not only the O To Ge die-hards are applauding the developmental effort of the Governor, encomiums are being showered from a section of opposition party, the PDP, where two different groups in the past week had jumped ship to pitch tent with the ruling APC’s camp.
If their assessments are based Abdulrasaq’s performance, the opinion of Mr. Abiola Azeez, a political analyst from University of Lagos is far deeper and more instructive. Azeez, who analysed the gain of O To Ge through the prism of negativity, wondered what would have happened if APC had lost the election and Atunwa had been Governor.
According to him, “Since His Excellency, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq became Governor of Kwara State it has not been business as usual for the political gladiators whose legacy is to enrich themselves and the godfather Dr Bukola Saraki at the detriment of Kwara taxpayers.
Now, let us imagine if the last election did not go in favor of Kwara APC and Razak Atunwa became the governor, people would have been committing suicide for loss of hope for better life.
“Recently, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq announced that the state is in debt of N100 billion and through the help of EFCC, had various sums of money from the last administration.
“Now imagine, If Razak Atunwa was the governor, Bayo Sanni will continue his stealing at Harmony Holdings, Muritala Awodun would have remained as KW-IRS chairman and N4 billion will never be discovered. The N4.8 billion tax refund would have been shared and Bukola Saraki would have been given the larger share.
The properties recovered will still be in their procession and more would have been allocated to themselves and their families and girlfriends (case study of Kwara TV GM).
If Razak Atunwa was the governor, will counterpart fund of RAAP, UBE etc be paid?
He continues “If Razak Atunwa was the governor, won't 'good boys' move around with immunity and impunity and cause troubles and killing people?
“If Razak Atunwa was the governor, will civil servants get operation vehicles and ministry's monthly subversion?
“If Razak Atunwa was the governor would there have been transparency in contract bidding and award of contracts?
If Razak Atunwa was the governor, will water run from your tap and public toilets be provided.
If Razak Atunwa was the governor, will college of Education staff and other civil servants get their salary arrears?
If Razak Atunwa was the governor, won't you have relocated to Lagos for greener pasture?” Azeez concluded.
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