’Yinka ADETUNJI
Former House of Representatives’ member Hon Banji Folaranmi, has told Hon Segun Odebunmi, who recently sponsored two bills aimed to amend the law establishing the Nigerian Press Council (NPC) and the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), to tender an unreserved apology to Nigerians.
The action of Hon Odebunmi, who is representing Surulere/Ogo-Oluwa federal constituency, generated a lot of reactions, with many describing the bills as anti-press, a maneuver to gag freedom of expression in the country.
Hon Folaranmi, who represented the same constituency between 1999 and 2003, and currently the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the constituency, and who ironically is of the same family compound with Odebunmi in Oko town of Surulere local area of Oyo state, has added his voice to the condemnation of the bills, describing the action as “a dive into draconian absolutism.”
Folaranmi, who aired his opinion through his Facebook account, dismissed Odebunmi, fondly called “Bunvic,” but whom he referred to as “Mr. Triple Direct or is it Three-Direct honourable member” (obviously due to Bunvic’s status of being a three-term member of the Lower Legislative Chamber), as a tool being used by the powers that be to further subvert freedom of speech and muzzle the press.
The man called “Uncle B – the Oracle,” who over a year ago survived a ghastly auto accident along Oyo-Ibadan road further noted that the bills were unpopular, stressing that Odebunmi’s latest move was a disgrace.
The former lawmaker consequently urged his kinsman, a leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) and who is chairman, House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values, to apologize to the nation to salvage his image.
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“In a polity where wobbling and fumbling become the rules in governance, where optimism becomes blurred and where situations become alarmingly nefarious, the media has always been the only subsisting sustaining rescuer. The more reason the mightiness of pen over and above sword remains an issue of dreadful eternity. Even at our clime here, several attempts to change that narrative has always found itself drenched in waterloo. The colonial era could not escape the onslaught of the press and as a result the independence was secured. Gowon could not sustain the gagging, Babangida could never have succeeded, Abacha too failed woefully in his several attempts to cage the press.
“Unfortunately and disgustfully, our Mr. Triple Direct or is it Three-Direct honourable member, stretches his neck to a burden his intellectual stamina could not sustain. What a reminder of the wise words of our forefathers … Okun n ho yee, osa n ho yee, omo buruku ti ori bo o! Where angel not dares trek, mere maggot of a representative is making an attempt! This is a representative of a constituency suffering from glaring reversal of fortune due to less vibrant representation. Yes, vibrant representation would always be a front burner of beautiful pragmatic representation at a trying period of a nation like now.
“Great representatives like Dino Melaye, Nduka Irabor, Smart Adeyemi, Benson Idahosa, Asake from Southern Kaduan, my humble self when Obasanjo was about to be illegally impeached based on tribal sentiment and the host of notable others come to mind. Their contributions went a long way in stabilizing the polity. Now that everything is at the verge of jagajaga and poor man dey suffer-suffer, reasonable and soothing pronouncements are expected from the Hallow Chamber of the Federation, not the kind that would lead to further increment of already over-heated polity. What’s more, it could only be parochial, a dive into draconian absolutism for somebody not being intellectually deep, neither academically sound nor linguistically viable. Attempting facing the almighty press in sequential logical duel … who has ever succeeded? Kai, kinla, opa o paniyan loju loju e ri, awon oniroyin lamon pe e!!! Just imagine, you are now being denied by all – the Presidency, the Ministry, Lai Muhammed, your town’s people, your co-lawmakers, your political party and majority of people from your immediate constituency – Ogo-Oluwa/Surulere federal constituency, who actually are you now representing? Ta lo ran o ni se eru gan-an? One could only pity seeing you naked as a nitwitted intellectual orphan, wallowing in dehydration of demeaning logical aridity. As succinctly put by Vanguard newspaper, Mr. No Knowledge, kindly stop denigrating the sacredness and greatness of a constituency hitherto noted for vibrant representation. Simply apologize to the media and the nation at large for your shallow draconian bill of NPC and your NBC of zero exponential competence. Apologize for insulting your constituency too, for the priority so misplaced. Possibly, your atonement, hands akimbo, may be of positive consideration.”
