By ISAAC OLUSESI
isaacolusesi@gmail.com
Albeit, the event, its leadership was entirely a National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) affair, I get drawn characteristically to public issues, opinions and events on their non-intuitive values and germane exigencies, prompted, in the instance by Comrade Jacob Adekomi’s alert, asking the State of Osun labour movement to shun insinuations that the Governor would go back to half salary after returning to second term. Impliedly expressive of the state workers’ vehemence against any inclement rumour that Governor Gboyega Oyetola would not support full salary payment to Osun workers beyond 2022.
Adekomi is no mean a player in labour politics, he’s the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) State chief. His charge recently, at the second endorsement of Oyetola for next governorship, by the newly elected NULGE Executives, with the state Trade Union Congress (TUC), Joint Negotiation Council (JNC), other affliate unions also in attendance, courted my full attention even more as Mr Governor firmly enjoined the state workers, “ Do not believe the rumour that I am paying full salary because of second term,” professing succinctly.
“I will not renege on paying full salary in my second term by the Grace of God,” he urged the labour force.
“Have no doubt in your mind that the welfare of workers remain my priority.”
The foul of the unbridle rumour is such a disagreeable thing in public image analysis, particularly, in the laudable task of sustaining the good image of Mr Governor because the rumour, a tempest or storm in a teapot split its tumults, with the speed akin to the spindles of the Christmas master light valves, intent for transmission to the political behavior of the Osun masses, is programmed to affect the electoral functioning of the governed against government.
The Osun opposition political elements, the architect of the rumour have staked merely a handful of State labour force, too soft for conformity like the reaction of motorists, negotiating a traffic sign, and made the rumour transmitters to make the subversive rumour look structured and meaningful as crystalised expression, when practically, it’s not. Whereas, the rumour, its hybridism, has its dire renaissance in the griping fear, self inputted in the opposition political elements, count down to the next Governorship election in the State. Unimaginably, the less than cursory state workers, just a handful, have only submitted to the rumour inventors’ whims and caprices, irrational or erratic, which ever applies? Both do, like in a Mafia Connect, on acute rage, apparently aimed at the State Government in Osun.
The rumour on the non- defensibility of full salary payment to Osun labour, come the Oyetola second term in office conveys the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) infamy. Too absurd. The Osun workers and generality of the state electorate will not foolhardy share any dogged obsession with the rumour. Rather, the Osun voters should see the rumour millers as ever stirred to cause electoral banditry in Osun. Two, Osun voters should see the rumour vendors as emergent liars, prospecting burning lies about the justifiability of full salary payment to state workers after now, with the rumour inventors and vendors, lying exigent to cover electoral robbery track. Three, Osun voters should see the rumour as opposition elements’ professional tool of political mass mobilisation, orientation and sensitisation for sympathy votes, solidarity votes ahead of the Governorship election in the State, and four as corollary. Osun voters should see the rumours as the political oppositions’ dive to put a stamp of legality on illegality. Too bizarre, a crime. Overtly, covertly.
Excuse me! A question here, please. What’s it really at stake that pushed the Osun opposition elements at this material time to incite the rumour of non – continuity of full salary payment to State workers, next Oyetola’s Governorship dispensation?
One. The political oppositional elements have no deep inner conviction of clear victory in the July 16 gubernatorial poll to cling to heroically. Two. They injected the rumour into the Osun selected bureaucrats to point up any hoary fate (when infact, there is none) in the growth and development of political democracy in the state supposedly under Oyetola’s watch.Three. They activated the rumour to see any thin skeletal hands of evil (when infact, there is none) in the Oyetola diverse socioeconomic development projects, fully completed, and ongoing in the state. Four. The oppositionist triggered the rumour to have a hung of how and where Oyetola gets finances for his multiple development infrastructures, and why the stability, peace in the state when infact, it’s the _LordPromise, Ilerioluwa_, unfolding.
Five. They incited the rumour to want to amble or tilt the All Progressives Congress (APC)- Oyetola Government into their own orbit whereas Mr Governor, his party is not a kite to fly for toast. Six. They abetted, fired the rumour to seek to mould the APC party- line-vote for Oyetola into their own electoral ambit, when infact, the Osun votes cannot be swindled or expropriated. Seven. Opposition members turned on the rumour to want again to enslave Osun people and subdue the state electoral space, using all knifes, all blades, all alive, while past painful lessons of Ilesa massacre by PDP is still fresh. Eight. They edged in the rumour, containing deceitful contents on full salary payment to arouse and control the voting behaviour of Osun electorate. Nine. They whipped the rumour in propaganda motion to change Osun social attitudes, or interpose electoral behaviour to the APC-Oyetola disadvantage at the next polls.
Ten. The defiant oppositions insinuated the rumour to cause or put Osun democracy under obligation to commit suicide and destroy the principle of majority rules that define the tenets of democracy. Eleven.They provoked the rumour to spark any upheavals to split the imaginations of the Osun progressive votes by stirring dissident rumour couriers within bureaucracy to hamper the state democracy, especially, now that the strength of partisanship is extended by court to public servants to carry on democracy as it pleases them, with consequences, especially, on voting. And twelve. They fermented the rumour, demonstrating their own nuisances, lawlessness.
However, the Osun electorate should rather see the rumour inventors on the alleged deactivation of full salary payment to the state workers by APC-Oyetola’s Government after 2022, as demagogues; and the rumour vendors, the ranting ants, with both the inventors and vendors untrustworthy of strengthening democracy in Osun.
But the state democracy can neither be disrupted, an inch by the rumour nor its thrust assaulted, an ounce. The rumour, its gamut collapsed, at least, suffered reduction in travel length and contents or the rumour, put on quick steps in the reverse order, with the Adekomi NLC that provided the window for the Governor to address the rumour to lapse; and the rumour agents’ attitude, retreated and decelerated by Oyetola’s determination to continue full salary payment, the second term in office.
Practically, Oyetola, at the NULGE event, hanged both the rumour millers and vendors a non-hero status for their salacious rumour, libelous lies, self-indulged in riotous, imaginations with gusto on how he carries on his governorship admirably, with God Almighty solidly behind him, his government and party for sustainability, performance and defence.
In the main, the opposition PDP rumour inventors, po- faced, looking serious as if the party did not order the rumour. And it is folly to trust the rumour vendors who daily acted like in actual initiation, with assumed naivete. Pity them, if you must.
The welter of the rumour- the alleged non-continuity of full salary payment in Osun in the next Governorship, reflecting abrasive oppositions to Oyetola’s re-election, is not measured by any sensible reasoning but only as a clever-by-less-than-half scheme of intrigues, bickerings. And the evil scheme or agenda was made to run on the clumsy tracks of dirty politics, dirty politicking, not on the smooth rail of sensibility, responsibility and sensitivity, with the rumour inventors, vendors, behaving like a neighbor one would rather not wish to have. That’s the poetry of the ignominious rumour and its poetic licence, taken for liberty. Too unacceptable to Osun voters. And it is poetic injustice, also unacceptable here. Why?
The on-hand scenario of full salary payment to Osun workers is the envy of cynics, and naysayers.
OLUSESI writes via isaacolusesi@gmail.com.