Pillars are strongholds and many other structures rest upon them, so when they collapse, their collapse is catastrophic for it becomes too costly.
There use to be a cynical target at pillars in this respect in the social struggles of governance and the objective is to decimate the camp of the opposition.
Political review has records of such evil in the emergence of misrule. And every society that engage the attack of pillars systematically drags the society and mass of it’s people into political slavery.
This evil agenda to silent opposition is not always an effective tool for the oppressors either, for every generation has in it’s harem and cohort a renewed elements against misrule.
The above analysis is a reminiscence of late Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN, SAM who was a victim of misrule.
Gani who used his entire life to fight misrule was never liked by oppressive governments for his confrontation against their oppressive governance.
At one time in the social crusade against misrule, he was tear-gassed at Gasua prison with poisonous substance, after then he was said to have collapsed and was rushed to hospital and never became okay again, for he nursed the effect of that evil as a health challenge with perforated lungs for years until he passed away.
Most oppressive government are so callous that, eliminating their opposition has been their method of fighting back.
Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu was another victim, another social pillar brought down by the oppressive and callous state Lords.
I was opportuned to meet Akeredolu at his law chambers in Ibadan many years ago in company of a fellow whom I choose to be silent about because am still in the public service.
My interaction with him then made me to realize why my final year result was cancelled at then St. Andrews College of Education, Oyo, I was enlightened better why and how I became a state target under the ABACHA government in 1996/1997, why I was arrested and locked inside the booth of the vehicle of Operation Gbale August 27, 1997 and flown to Ibadan from Oyo town on the orders of the then Military Administrator Col. Ahmed Usman, I remembered what I went through, chained and dehumanized in detention, as I discussed with Akeredolu in his law chambers I knew death was likely to be the cost of fighting for a sane, just and egalitarian society.
So, the death of Akeredolu today quickly brought to my subself that, *here is another victime of misrule.
You may ask, how was he a victim? Yes, he is a victim despite he was a governor.
Do not forget the forces that fought against him from becoming governor at his first tenure, luckily enough he surpassed them.
He was forcefully accepted as their own, but he was not their own because he wasn’t like them, he was in a party that he disagreed with in term of principle and legality of policies.
He championed the AMOTEKUN and as a governor of a ruling party he challenged his own party on the position of the BUHARI’s government to outlaw AMOTEKUN, he stood his ground against the ruling party which he was a stakeholder in.
You know what? In a situation like that, he had became an endangered specie, if you remember vividly the death of Chief Bola Ige, he was in a government and was challenging that same government, and he is now a story for the political analyst.
Akeredolu was a victim of misrule, the bullet had hit him long ago during the days of the Fulani warlord and he fell on the battlefield during the days of his own kinsmen.
The collapse of a pillar is a political method of decimating the camp of the opposition.
Akeredolu fought hard against cancer of the blood, an health challenge wisely suspicious to have emanated from the camp of the oppressors.
May his soul rest in peace.
Revd ‘Bunmi Thomas JP
was a political detainee in the days of tyrant Gen. Sani Abacha.
He sent in this piece from Ibadan.
revbunmithomas@gmail.com
08033747073
