By Biola Kazeem
Jimi Agbaje came into the consciousness
of Lagosians in 2007 when he ran for the governorship of the state on
the platform of the now defunct DPA party.
With a refreshing and exciting campaign,
he captured not a few hearts and minds as a third force in a race that
was dominated by candidates of the PDP and the ACN, Musiliu Obanikoro
and Babatunde Fashola. His campaign was a breath of fresh air and
resonated with not a few people. Aesthetically pleasing and different,
it was clear that he had availed himself the services of a top notch
communications agency which helped craft and communicate his message
clearly and attractively. His performance at the debate was also
eye-catching. Soft spoken but assertive, articulate and eloquent, he
came across as a man who was well read and quite urbane. The general
impression was that with a stronger political platform, he could become a
very strong candidate.
While being a third force helped him
connect with some of the electorate, it also helped him avert something
that is fundamental to the candidate-vetting process in a democracy:
scrutiny. With media attention firmly fixed on the candidates of PDP and
ACN, Agbaje flew under the radar and his readiness, beliefs, experience
and abilities were not vigorous examined.
As a candidate of the PDP in this
elections however, the klieg lights have turned on Agbaje. While he has
retained elements of his old campaign while infusing new ones, he has
appealed to quite a number of voters and is clearly a stronger candidate
this time around. He still has the charisma, style and eloquence but
has shown that he has several chinks in the armour and would be a very
poor choice for Lagos should he get elected.
The first point to validate this is his
readiness and willingness to do anything to win the race which flies in
the face of his pretensions of being different. He emerged as a
governorship candidate of the PDP through primaries that stood the
concept of democracy on its head. Bedeviled with many discrepancies, the
primaries will be remembered as one in which 806 delegates produced 863
votes. After several protestations by other candidates led by former
Minister of State for defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, Agbaje’s campaign
concocted a response to the media that it quickly withdrew. Even though
Obanikoro traded his loud protestations for another ministerial posting,
the question that remains is how Mr Agbaje can collude with other
elements in the PDP to abuse a democratic system and still lay claim to
being different and a departure from the typical Nigerian politician.
The other weakness of Mr Agbaje’s
candidature is the lack of substance in his “Bold Ideas.” Other than
being mere populist promises lacking in real value to the progression of
Lagos State, Agbaje’s promises are almost laughable.
He promises to return Okada back to the
expressways. He also promises that he would cancel the Lekki tollgate
thereby cutting a means of revenue for the maintenance costs for an
excellent road that has added real value to the lives of those who live
in that corridor not to talk of jobs for those who operate it.
Curiously, Mr Agbaje has stayed silent on the toll being collected at
the FAAN toll gate despite the worsening state of that road. His promise
of free wifi is also a pretension at boldness at best. With smart
phones and data services easily affordable, how bold an idea is that in
the true sense of it? His promise to cut taxes even in the face of
dwindling resources from the Federal Government borders on
irresponsibility particularly because no attempt has been made to
explain how the shortfall in revenue will be bridged. In all, the entire
essence of Agbaje’s bold ideas is simply valueless promises disguised
as smart ideas aimed at luring unsuspecting voters
Another surprising weakness of his
candidature is his deceptive and pretentious morphing into a liberation
fighter, willing and ready to free the people of Lagos he imagines are
in bondage even though the facts say otherwise. Playing on the
sentiments of a few misguided souls that he mistakenly considers the
general view, he has exerted a lot of his energies focusing on a cause
that is nonexistent and a person that is not on the ballot. His painting
of Bola Tinubu as the archenemy of progress in Lagos is disgraceful to
say the least and shows Mr Agbaje to be a desperate man. Not without his
flaws, Asiwaju Tinubu will always be remembered for creating a platform
for the rebirth of Lagos and for passing the test of succession in
flying colors, a test most Nigerian leaders fail almost by default. The
anti-Tinubu cause is a fight Mr Agbaje leads on behalf of Chief Bode
George, a man who remains a bigwig of the PDP despite a conviction for
stealing-or corruption, take your pick- and his inability to win his
ward since 1999. If anything, Mr Agbaje was a close associate of Tinubu
till he was overlooked in the race for Governorship in 2007. The fact
remains that Tinubu’s administration started the massive urban renewal
Lagos state has witnessed and developed the system that completely
revolutionized the internally generated revenue system of the state to
one that is a model and envied all over Africa. Mr Agbaje’s misguided
war on all things Tinubu is the personal war of Chief Bode George, his
benefactor and godfather and as a loyal and obedient lackey, he has to
champion the cause.
Mr Agbaje’s utterances in recent times
also show clearly that he is a man of unreasonable thoughts, willing to
do and say anything just to stay onside with his benefactors. No sooner
had he won the PDP ticket in Lagos than he started issuing threats to
Nigerians to vote the failed president or face the wrath of the
south-south militants. He also said that Mr Jonathan has done more to
fight corruption than anyone in Nigeria history, a statement at variance
with the globally acknowledged fact that Mr Jonathan actually promotes,
encourages and defends corrupt officials in his government.
His disjointed speech at the youth event
for Mr Jonathan in Lagos recently where he attacked General Buhari’s
person shows clearly that Mr Agbaje is not the man he claims to be and
is in this race for himself and his group of backers and financiers who
are hell-bent on winning Lagos for vanity purposes. Mr Agbaje was merely
auditioned and selected for the lead role knowing that he has the looks
and charisma to deceive a few people. With the scrutiny that comes with
being a strong candidate however, Mr Agbaje is faltering and his many
weaknesses and pretences are turning away voters in droves. If Agbaje
truly believes the things he says, then we are left to wonder as to how
he arrives at these conclusions that are contrary to common sense and
how he would apply the same thinking process to running Lagos in the
unlikely event that he wins.
The final point is Mr Agbaje’s empty CV,
aversion to boldness and shocking lack of achievement despite being
presented with the best opportunities in life. Born to a wealthy
family, Agbaje’s main achievement remains running a small pharmacy
which has stagnated in an industry that has seen the rapid growth of new
entrants and a few leadership positions limited to his professional
association. With a father who was the former chairman of a bank and a
younger brother who presently runs one of Nigeria’s biggest banks, one
would have thought that a man who professes bold ideas would have
applied a few to his life and business and done a lot more with his life
and taken more risks. The clearest way to know who and what a man truly
is remains a simple examination of what he has done and not what he
says he will do. Mr Agbaje’s life and achievements are so uninspiring
and mediocre for someone who had the fortune of his circumstances of
birth that one wonders how he might have turned out had his
circumstances been more difficult. The question then becomes how a man
who has remained cautious and averse to boldness in his business can
suddenly become bold in running the affairs of over 20 million people.
It is a big ask and a significant gamble particularly when one considers
the great work the outgoing Governor has done and the cabal of Bode
George, Ogunlewe, Kashamu Buruji, Musilius Obaniikoro and other
characters that are propping up Mr Agbaje.
The last thing Lagos needs now is a
reversal of the course of progress that the present administration has
consolidated. To hand the state to a man with no real high level
experience in government or achievement in his career or business would
not be a smart choice. Time there was when Jimi Agbaje was an attractive
candidate but not anymore. Under microscopic scrutiny, his candidacy
falls apart from what it is, a careful orchestrated plot to lure the
good people of Lagos state into the hands of former convicts, former
murder suspects, wanted drug barons and a conspirator in the rape of
democracy in Ekiti who have all sought cover under the good looks of
Agbaje. A truly smart person will see through the ruse easily. The hope
is that there are a lot more TRULY smart people in Lagos than those who
pretend to be smart but are truly not.
Eko o ni baje o!
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