Once again, we are witnessing the season of official hypocrisy in the celebration of the life and death of General Robert Adeyinka Adebayo who passed on recently. The remains of the late military governor of western Nigeria will be committed to mother earth today in his hometown of Iyin, Ekiti State. The chief mourner, the lousy Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has been pouring encomiums on the General. This is an occasion to remind Governor Fayose of how he humiliated the late General Adebayo during his first term of office.
On April 3, Mr. Bamidele Opeyemi, who was then a serving commissioner in Lagos state Governor was burying his mother in his hometown of Iyin Ekiti. Governor Bola Tinubu decided to grace the burial ceremony. His colleagues, ex-governors Segun Osoba and Niyi Adebayo also attended the event. After the church service, the trio and other dignitaries were hosted in General Adebayo’s house in the town before departing to their respective destinations. In a bid to embarrass them Governor Fayose reported their presence to then President Olusegun Obasanjo who was then his godfather that Mr. Tinubu had brought armed thugs from Lagos to cause mayhem in Ekiti state. He also claimed that the thugs were hiding in General Adebayo’s house.
Without any investigation, Chief Obasanjo ordered the Commander of the Nigerian Army brigade at Akure to assist Governor Fayose to arrest and disarm the thugs. In compliance with the directive of the Commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the private residence of General Adebayo at Igede road in Iyin Ekiti was invaded by the armed troops. In fact, the troops were led to the house by Governor Fayose. Although the army found no thug in the house they laid siege on the house till the following day. All the guests including sitting Gov. Tinubu were subjected to house arrest and detained.
Embarrassed by the invasion General Adebayo called Governor Fayose to end the siege on his home. He asked the power drunk Governor Fayose to inform his boss that he was not harboring thugs in his house. But General Adebayo was ignored by Governor Fayose. Why is Mr. Fayose now pretending that he respected the General in his lifetime? Why has he not taken advantage of the burial ceremony to apologize to the memory of General Adebayo? Why has Chief Obasanjo equally failed to express regret over his irresponsible behavior when he paid a condolence visit to the bereaved family of General Adebayo?
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