Rejoinder:Bolaji O. Akinyemi: How Not To Play The pawn! As Plateau Government chooses To Chase Shadows.

Rejoinder:Bolaji O. Akinyemi: How Not To Play The pawn! As Plateau Government chooses To Chase Shadows.

By Olugbenga Adekola

There necessarily would have been any need to respond to the Plateau state’s Honourable Commissioner for Information, if the name Bolaji Adeyemi, to which he referred have been maintained through the body of the article but since the reaction features the name Bolaji Akinyemi and obviously is in response to the article written by Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi, titled; “Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe: Tinubu’s pick for humanitarian and poverty reduction in Nigeria.”

Let me first assure the Honourable Commissioner and all the interests he represents of the impeccability of Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi. A man who by dint of hard work, consistency of thoughts, political neutrality and integrity of character is one of the most reliable, dependable and trustworthy voices on the national landscape today.
Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi, is an Apostle and a Nation Builder. He is not a politician and won’t play any, where Apostolic uprightness is demanded and nation building ethos should come to play. He is by the grace of the Almighty, a conscientious conscience of Nigeria and Nigerians by all standards of Statecraft, he is usually looked up to by many as a standard bearer

The Honourable Commissioner on behalf of Plateau State, and I believe, by extension his Principal the Executive Governor, His Excellency Caleb Muftawang, wrote;

“I am writing to express my strong disagreement with the false allegations made against our state by one Bolaji Akinyemi. The claims of withholding funds from beneficiaries are entirely unfounded and contradicted by documentary evidence.

“The article made serious allegations against our state falsely claiming that we withheld funds meant for Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs), donated by Her Excellency Senator Oluremi Tinubu. We take these accusations seriously and would like to set the record straight.

“Transparency was a priority, as names were published, and beneficiaries had to open bank accounts for direct deposits. This process was completed over a year ago, putting the issue to rest. Names were forwarded in trust but when it was observed that politically exposed persons also had their names on the list, the Governor advised that the direct beneficiaries be taken to banks and open accounts in their own name and the monies deposited there in”.

There is no need to flog the issue, the documentary evidence on which the Honourable Commissioner based his strong disagreement contradicts the reality on ground based on his own testimony;
“Names were forwarded in trust but when it was observed that POLITICALLY EXPOSED PERSONS also had their names on the list, the Governor advised that direct beneficiaries be taken to banks and open accounts in their own name and the monies deposited therein”.
As advised by Mr Governor, it would have been appreciated if a postmortem of the operation was conducted and names of the beneficiaries published for the world to see. This reaction would have been needless.

Where did this Bolaji fabricate his cork and bull story from? Asked the Honourable Commissioner.

Respectfully Sir, we see no need to banter words on this. Beyond your testimony, is the reality of IDPs. Masses across the country have the ears of Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi on matters such as this and they often call to share with him their experiences. This communication like many in the past has gotten deserving attention and the needful done for accountability.

“Where was Bolaji and his co-travellers when the Governor His Excellency Barrister Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang mobilized tractors to cultivate 900 hectares for our displaced people in 2023, is Bolaji and his cohorts feigning ignorance of the 6000 hectares of land that was cultivated for our people pro bono in 2024?” wrote the Honourable Commissioner.

Since Adeyemi is also Akinyemi in the words of the Honourable Commissioner, a proof of inconsistency of thought and lack of concentration, is anything troubling the Honourable Commissioner? As an officer under oath, he will do well to mention those who are co-travellers and cohorts of Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi.

Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi can’t deny millions of Nigerians who are co-travellers with him on the path of nation building. His is always available whenever and wherever duty calls to the course of nation building and will gladly serve, without minding whose ox is gored.

On the news of 900 and then 6000 hectares, there is absolutely no correlation between the subject matter and the drift. Nevertheless, I offer my congratulations to the Honourable Commissioner for informing us the state as a custodian of the People’s collective resources rendered a service to the people “pro bono”. We are not unfamiliar with the arrogance of public stewards. The interest of Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi is forever towards a better and greater Nigeria for Nigerians.

The Honourable Commissioner, raised a question I don’t want to discountenance.He wrote,
“It’s possible that there are underlying motivations or agendas at play. Smear campaigns often involve spreading false or misleading information to damage someone’s reputation, the writer should know that Plateau people trust Governor Mutfwang unreservedly, these kinds of malicious texts are too tiny to tamper with that”.

What’s Bolaji’s motivations, what triggered these bad examples”?.

Obviously, the Honourable Commissioner didn’t do his due diligence at profiling the person of Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi and his track records. However, the article the Honourable Commissioner responded to is a piece of good work in his nation building effort. How his call to the Honourable Minister not to put the interest of his party first missed the attention of the Commissioner is amusing. Nation Building and nothing more is the motivation of Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi.

How did Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi’s admonitions escaped the attention of the Honourable Commissioner except for mischief?,where he wrote;
“Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe has no excuse not to succeed except he allows himself to be preoccupied with the desire to become the next Governor of Plateau State”.

“Personal gain”!: Is Bolaji seeking to advance an interest or position?
The gain of Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi is to see a functional Nigeria and States that work for their people
“Political agendas”: Are there underlying political motivations or alliances driving the smear campaign?
It is unfortunate that Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi’s sincere observation of events in the state is seen by the Honourable Commissioner as a “smear campaign”. If the glass is smeared, it is definitely from the inside and we may see better and clearer, if the Honourable Commissioner will keep the glass clean. His questions were raised on the money donated to the IDPs, simple reference to a public document of the disbursement transactions through the banks would have saved him from explaining without public evidence.

“Misinformation”:Is Bolaji spreading false information or taking facts out of context?

Investigating the re-bagging of grains and related palliative measures may uncover more information about the situation. However, it’s crucial to verify information through credible sources to avoid perpetuating misinformation.

The Honourable Commissioner again vindicated Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi by the explanation he offered on the reason for re-bagging; “The only re-bagging that happend with the authorization of government is for more coverage (from 50kg to 25kg) as the people in dire need are in their numbers”. The bags before and after re-bagging are critical means of communication in brand marketing. The Honourable Commissioner should know, and sharing same around an election is nothing but inducement.

Again the Honourable Commissioner wrote,”If Bolaji feels compelled to advice the Minister of Disaster and Humanitarian Affairs, he’s free to do so not to nichodemusely fabricate falsehood.
“We are disappointed by the article’s reliance on unsubstantiated claims and misquotes. Our commitment to transparency and accountability remains unwavering”
So there are unsubstantiated claims, on which Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi relied to make his assertion? The public will like to read from the Honourable Commissioner, where those are coming from.

We invite the public to review our records and witness the positive impact of our work, wrote the Commissioner.
It is important that details of the paragraphs to which the Honourable Commissioner reacted are put here, for the benefit of the public, he invited to adjudicate on the matter.

The wife of the President, like a concerned mother headed for Plateau State and donated 500 million Naira to displaced persons in IDP camps, she handed the funds to the Plateau State Government for onward disbursement to the targeted beneficiaries. Regrettably, the donation was mishandled as names of politicians that were not affected ended up on the list of beneficiaries and up till today there is no clear cut information from Plateau State Government on the identity of the beneficiaries after victims raised eyebrows to no avail.
The EFCC is duty bound to respond to the plight of the survivors for this brazen acts of cultural corruption away from the often trendy media arrest of politicians and yahoo boys. This is the highest height of corruption, when food is taken away from the mouth of those who are hungry. The public awaits an EFCC investigation of the twin evil inflicted on humanity by the shoddy handling of donations from Beta Edu and Remi Tinubu, the Minister and the First Lady respectively. The desire of the donors to see the smiles of the survivors was truncated because they relied on Plateau State Government officials, the political structures of their politicians rather than the best global practice of a data-driven process.

We are not in doubt that if the attention of the Executive Governor of Plateau State is drawn to the issues raised by Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi, heads will roll. What the Honourable Commissioner should be doing by now is informing us of the setting up of a commission of inquiry into allegations substantiated by his own narrative.

Well, I will be failing in my duty if I fail to call the attention of the Honourable Commissioner, the state of Plateau and of His Excellency to a paragraph in Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi’s article:
“If the global human community thought they have seen all that the depravity of humanity has to offer from Nigeria, they were proven wrong by the event of the Christmas period of 24th, 25th and 26th December 2023, when 25 rural villages in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State were invaded by terrorists who for 3 days turned the territory into a killing field that spilled over to scores of villages in neighboring LGAs of Mangu and Barkin-Ladi in Plateau State”.

The welfare and wellbeing of our Brethren in the affected communities is Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi’s preoccupation for now, which he started in his latest article that a cross current of political storms generated by personal interests of individuals as the case is in Rivers State, Plateau and Nigeria can’t afford now.

Let me use the opportunity to inform the Honourable Commissioner of Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi’s rare courage and determination to spend his Christmas on the Plateau with his international friends as the guest of His Excellency who of course as the chief security officer of the state will be our host. We are prepared to work with all stakeholders for the success of Christmas 2024.

On a final note, Mr. commissioner’s outburst towards my principal is quite unnecessary if he posits that they are impacting the lives of the citizenry at least as expected. The fact remains that there can’t be no “smoke without fire.”
For the sake of camaraderie, I would hope that my principal is proven wrong this time; which I very much doubt, because, Vox Populi, Vox Dei.”
Olugbenga Adeniyi Adekola
Executive Assistant on Communications to Dr.Bolaji Akinyemi gave this rejoinder in a press statement.,made available to Premium News Daily