Sola Fasure, the media adviser to the former minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has disclosed that the spokesperson to Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Ismail Omipidan, might be suffering from Freudian Slip over his comment that he was concerned when Aregbesola was to be awarded the grand patron of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Southwest Zone.
Omipidan, in a statement, said he called the President of NUJ when Aregbesola was to be awarded, but Fasure questioned the motive behind the move.
Fasure also noted that the office of the former governor of Osun State issued no report regarding a sum of N5 million allegedly paid to some members of the NUJ to frustrate Aregbesola’s award.
Fasure who spoke in an interview with a private radio station “Fresh FM”, Osogbo on Sunday, noted that although there were moves from the camp of the immediate past governor of the state to stop Aregbesola from receiving the award, the organisers stood their ground, and the event was colourful.
He accused Omipidan of crying more than the bereaved, saying that the minister’s spokesperson was trying to make himself look good.
Fasure said Oyetola after becoming the governor of the state, went against everything that had to do with Aregbesola, adding that he lost the last gubernatorial election because he made a lot of enemies during his time as governor.
He said, “There was no report from the office of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola that money was given to anyone. What those who made investigations were told by some of the people in charge of the program was what they published.
The spokesperson to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Ismail Omipidan said he was concerned when Aregbesola was to receive the award to the extent that he called the NUJ President. My question is, what was his own interest that he had to be so concerned about the matter?
“Aregbesola did a lot of things for the journalists during his time as governor of Osun State and that was why they gave him the award then but Omipidan coming out to say he called the NUJ president was what I don’t understand.
“There was a lot of effort to frustrate the organisers not to give him the award. It got to a stage when Ogbeni Aregbesola said he would back out.
“We called the organisers to inform them but they declined saying they were in charge and no one could decide for them. That was when Ogbeni Aregbesola accepted to go and receive the award.
“In 2018, when the time was due to prepare for the exit in office of Ogbeni Aregbesola, Osun people were clamouring for someone from the West senatorial district but when President Bola Tinubu said Oyetola should be the governor, we don’t have a choice.
“Aregbesola used all his goodwill to persuade party members to support Oyetola but it was not easy at all.
“What we used to campaign then was continuity. We told people that Oyetola would continue from where Aregbesola stopped but upon assuming office, he (Oyetola) went against everything that had to do with Aregbesola. He split the party into two and those who were loyal to Aregbesola were seen as enemies.
“What they forget is that it’s just four years. Instead of bringing good governance, they were busy making enemies to the point that they wanted to stop the NUJ from giving Aregbesola the award.
“They make a lot of enemies and that is why they failed to win the last election.”
Sodiq Yusuf is a trained media practitioner and journalist with considerable years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. His interests cover a wide range of causes in politics, governance, sports, community development, and good governance.
