The leader of a faction of the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, has explained why the group is against President Bola Tinubu’s government.
He recently revealed that the current state of the nation and everything Nigerians keep going through led to Afenifere’s stance.
Speaking during an interview with PunchNG, Oladipo disclosed that the current issues with inflation, electricity hike and insecurity go against everything Tinubu promised during his many campaigns in 2023.
Stating that it is obvious to several Nigerians now that BAT was only lying to assume his current position, he stressed that not supporting the current administration is not Afenifere’s verdict, but the stance of 99 per cent of Nigerians.
“I don’t know how many Nigerians listened to Mr President when he was commissioning the road. He said he wanted to congratulate his partner, referring to Chagoury, the contractor who is handling the project. I almost fainted when I heard it. So, the President admitted openly that he is the one building the project. This is the coastal road that was never advertised for open bidding, they just awarded it, and nobody is saying anything except Afenifere. I don’t understand why Nigerians are keeping quiet. Where is it done? That is a conflict of interest. If we had a vibrant National Assembly, that alone would be enough to get this man out of office. But who will talk? It is only Afenifere that will continue to talk; and we shall continue to talk.
The situation of the country informed our assessment. We are all going through it and it is obvious. There is insecurity in the land and nothing is working. The electricity bill has gone up, and inflation is skyrocketing. If you leave the house, you are not sure whether you will come back in one piece. When campaigning, Tinubu told you that ‘if after my first term you don’t have 24-hour electricity, don’t vote for me.’ Now we know what it is — lies, and propaganda. Tell me what aspect of life you consider okay now. None. It is not Afenifere’s verdict; it is the verdict of 99 per cent of Nigerians,” he said.
The Afenifere leader declared that he believes that 99 per cent of Nigerians are against Tinubu because an overwhelming majority of Nigerians agree that the present administration is not working.
Admitting that the President is actually a fantastic human being, Oladipo emphasised that the APC leader just doesn’t know anything about the act of governance.
“Ask anybody on the street whether this government is performing or not, the answer will be no. Ordinarily, Tinubu is a fantastic human being, but he just does not know the act of governance.
If you paid your electricity bill before the Tinubu’s administration, you should know how much you are paying now. Before this perilous government, I bought a brand-new Jeep for N15m, but now that same Jeep is N250m. Who among the average and honest working Nigerian can buy a car today? No honest civil servant can buy a brand-new car in Nigeria now; it is not possible. Where are we going? You know how much we were paying as house rent before they came, and how much we are paying now. The current situation is that you have no house to live, no car to take you around, no job, and you can’t feed. So, what exactly is left? A government that cannot provide three-square meals a day — what type of government is that? They said they have increased the minimum wage to an amount that cannot feed you for a week. Take N77,000 to the market and see the little things you will get. They only look after themselves, not the populace. They can buy special flying jets, Cadillacs, motorcars, flying ships, and all sorts, but the common man has nothing. They said they provided transportation means by way of CNG. Where are they? Have you seen any? It’s unfortunate,” Oladipo said.
He further noted that Tinubu getting significant Yoruba support during the 2023 elections has nothing to do with Afenifere because it is not a Yoruba group.
He concluded by saying that Afenifere only cares about the right person leading the country, and what part of the country the person is from does not matter.
“We are not a Yoruba group to start with. We keep telling them that Afenifere is not a Yoruba group. We are for the greatest good for the greatest number. It is nice that it is even happening now because it is proving our point. We are not against Tinubu because he is Tinubu, and we will not be for him because he is Tinubu. We will be for him if he is doing the right thing. We will be against him if he is doing the wrong thing. Anybody can be in that position. If the person is not doing the right thing for the greatest number of Nigerians, we will oppose it. If he is doing the right thing, we will be for him. We are not a Yoruba group at all, and we have proved this several times,” he added.
