|
Ogunlewe
means well
for Lagos and Nigeria
For sometime
now, there has been an orchestrated media campaign against the person of
Ogunlewe. His principled opposition to LASTMA has been largely
misrepresented. But according to the minister in his recent interactive
session with Ebomhiana Musa of Daily Sun newspaper �There must be law
establishing it� you cannot govern without law and the citizens must not
be unduly subject to the arbitrary rule of rules.� So, the minister is up
in arms against the unconstitutionality nay illegality of LASTMA. The
pertinent question to ask is: What is wrong with that? The reading public
has been inundated with fairy tales and fed white lies about Ogunlewe. In
all this, the impression being created is that the amiable Ogunlewe lacks
the moral credentials to occupy the exalted office of Minister of the
Federal Republic.
But since none of these hack
writers has come up with any concrete evidence of the alleged foibles of
the minister, discerning Nigerians are beginning to see through the fa�ade
of such lies. They are beginning to appreciate the fact that the minister
is simply a victim of calculated falsehood aimed at torpedoing his rising
political profile.
In fact, a certain myth of unpredictability is
woven around him. Uncomplimentary remarks are carelessly and thoughtlessly
made about him. But one thing that is interesting about this man is that
he does not lose his sense of composure on account of this. He remains
focused, working assiduously to meet the presidential mandate, the
distraction notwithstanding. As a student of history and a man with a
prodigious capacity for sober reflection, Ogunlewe knows that politics
devoid of principles is the prerogative of political prostitutes who
always come to grief.
Known for his analytical
prowess, deep introspection and ascetic Puritanism, Ogunlewe has
demonstrated in no uncertain terms his utmost concern for public good. He
has exhibited an uncommon courage in the discharge of his ministerial
responsibilities and really shown that he is actually the servant of the
people and has equally taken it as his duty to give the nation the best of
his service. So criminalizing his activities or demonishing his
personality as Omatseye elected to do will not subtract from his
monumental achievements.
Ogunlewe came into works
ministry with a high preponderance of revolutionary zeal, adorning the
garb of a reformer. With a strong passion for the rehabilitation of our
dilapidated road network, he unchained the ministry as soon as he took
over and with frenzy launched it back on the path of hyper activity. As a
reformer he has been able to revolutionise Nigerian road network. His
greatest asset is his penchant for transparency and honesty, two
commodities that are in miserable supply in Nigeria today.
Since 2003, the urbane looking
minister has gradually carved for himself the image of a subtle
revisionary. Even to his worst critics, Ogunlewe is widely acclaimed as
the most legitimizing factor for the Obasanjo administration. Analysts
contend that the incumbent Works Minister has indeed engendered certain
dynamism hitherto unknown in the annals of reform in the country.
Discerning analysts of the unfolding political scenario believe that OBJ
need Ogunlewe as much as he needs his personal security chief because
while the later will provide him personal security, the former is the only
factor through whom he could flaunt his credentials as a reformer and
agent of change.
If there is any member of OBJ
cabinet today that has done enough to endear this government to the
electorate, it is Ogunlewe. The minister, a reporter�s delight, operates a
24-hour open-door policy and is so passionate about it that his aides in
the words of his ebullient chief press secretary, Lawrence Ojabo, �cannot
afford to do otherwise.� This is a cardinal virtue Ojabo has so
internalized and is practicing with admirable distinction.
Ogunlewe remains a
self-confident man with persuasive tendencies and a genuine sense of
rapprochement which is easily discernible in him. With principled
conviction, he treads where lesser mortals dare not. He has what Prof.
Wole Soyinka would describe as ecumenical spirit � you accommodate others
as long as they do not violate your principles.
Suffice to say here that the
underlying philosophy of any change is embedded in fundamental
repositioning from a hitherto known stand to a more progressive and
realistic position against the backdrop of prevailing circumstances.
Indeed, well-meaning analysts and intellectuals are agreed that the
desirability of what Ogunlewe is doing has never been in doubt. This is
basically because at the rate we were floundering as a nation, a
fundamental approach is inevitable. Also, viewed from contemporary
universal trend, the revolutionary approach of Ogunlewe is indeed
visionary and aggregated the collective aspirations of well informed
Nigerians.
For chroniclers of history who
crave to do justice to the Ogunlewe phenomenon in the Nigerian context,
the extra attribute of wisdom which demands fairness, thoroughness,
sincerity of purpose and a good appreciation of the contending issues
within the unique circumstances needs to be applied.
Mr. Rogers Edor
Ochela,
Zuba-Abuja
| 
