Assamadaani Hails Buhari Anti-Corruption Crusade, Appeals to Ambode on even Development
Alhaji Yahaya Oshoala Ajagbemokeferi Assamadani is a retired Director of Education at the Lagos State Ministry of Education. Before his retirement, he was a secondary school principal in four different schools in Lagos state. His father, Late Oshoala Ajagbemokeferi was instrumental to the peaceful co-existence of all religions in Ikorodu. Assamadani may have retired as a class room teacher but not tire to teach as his Jumat sermon at the ORIWU CENTRAL MOSQUE, located in the heart of Ikorodu is an auditorium of moral lecture every Friday. The Chief Imam of Oriwu Cental Mosque speaks extensively to SECURITY MONITOR’s crew where he blames parents, clerics and government for the havoc continually wrecked by young boys in the name of cultism.
WHAT IS YOUR VIEW ABOUT THE ANTI CORRUPTION WAR OF PRESIDENT BUHARI LED FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?
I can see things becoming better in this country. For the fact that, unlike before where stealing is said not to be corruption, we now have a leader who is determined to put an end to the cankerworm called corruption. Someone who is not greedy, who knows that one day he will give account of everything he does on earth to his creator. That is a person of our able president Muhamodu Buhari. He’s a man of direction. I would have asked that he should be given four more years so as to cleanse the nation of political dirt and impunity. At least to consolidate on what he has started and to put it into perfection, because I know he’s somebody who can do it. The little hardship we are experiencing is expected. Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka one says that “when you are fighting corruption corruption will fight you back”. Today, GOD has given us a messiah, President Buhari is undoubtedly our messiah. What baffles my mind is that Nigeria is impatient. We need to cooperate with him to achieve his goals. To fight corruption is a tea party. He needs our collective efforts. I can recollect in the olden days, Prophet Moses’’ was the messiah that put an end to the torment inflicted on Egyptian. And he took them across the red sea and he was leading them but his people denied him, they failed him and he was not allowed to complete his job. JESUS was sent as a messiah too, but Israelites denied him, they prosecuted him. They didn’t allow him to do the job he was sent to do and that is why today when you talk of Christianity you Israelite is not in the forefront. Jesus was sent to lead, he was sent to educate and save souls, but they did not cooperate with him and that is why the Israelites are what they are today. If you look into the history of Holly Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) will know that he did not succeed alone, he was able to make it because his disciples came in his support. They gave him support and that is why they were stronger till they were able to defeat the problem in their land. I want to urge Nigerian not to behave like the Israelites but to emulate the disciples of Prophet Mohammed because they were firm in their support during the trying times of the Holy Prophet. This account for why Islam is the fastest growing religion on the globe nowadays. Our own messiah in Nigerian is President Mohammed Buhari, a man with clear heart, a man of vision, a man of decision, a man who is ready to sacrifice anything to see Nigerian through. May God help him.
ARE YOU IN SUPPORT OF THE REVIVEIW AND ADOPTION OF PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONTHAN’S NATIONAL CONFERENECE REPORTS?
Some people are calling for the adoption of the report and I can’t blame them because this is a program we spent millions of naira on. I have not seen the report and it appears it favors some section of the country. So, those who see it as favored report will always want us to visit and adopt the report.
WHAT IS YOUR VIEW ABOUT GOVERNOR AMBODE’S ADMINISTRATION?
Governor Ambode is an example of someone they taught cannot kill a rat but eventually kill a cow. The Governor is doing wonderfully well, he’s trying his best. I like him for two things; always prompt to caution, advice and always alert. He’s ready to spend everything to make sure that he succeeds. I thank God for him. But there is no one that without weakness, he needs to balance his project and ensure it is not one sided. Former Governor Lateef Jakande was adjudged as the most performing governor in the state. Jakande achieved greatness by visiting all areas of governance. I mean all divisions and wards got equal share of his projects. By giving every local government areas the same thing at the same time, the former governor accelerated even development in the state. I therefore appeal that Governor Ambode should do the same thing by making sure that the dividends of his regime goes round. Because people are complaining of marginalization in certain quarters, they are alleging that most of the governor’s projects are concentrated in Badagry and Epe, the two exit of the state. He should let it goes round. Although he’s trying but need to look at this point I just made.
BUT THE STATE GOVERNOR PLANS TO CONSTRUCT FOURTH MAINLAND BRIDGE THROUGH IKORODU (CUTS IN)
I want to thank you him for having it his projects and it is my wish, my prayer that it is done by the grace of God. The fourth Mainland Bridge is a long expected road networks that Lagos state and Nigerian as a whole has been yearning for because Lagos state is the vehicle that drives Nigeria economy. The Lagos Mainland and Island is already shock up that we need expansion. You can imagine people leaving Ikorodu for their place of work in Victoria Island, Lekki and other areas at 3:a.m. 4:a.m every day to beat the traffic congestion on the only Lagos /Ikorodu road. Ikorodu is highly congested and despite that it has vast land for expansion. So, the fourth Mainland Bridge is long expected. Not only that, Ikorodu needs township roads expansion project. The congestion we are witnessing within the town is unprecedented. And it as a result of massive movement of people into the ancient city, we have the land and we are surrounded by water. All township roads need to be dualised to make life meaningful to the residents.
GANGETERISM, CULTISM AND YOUTH RESTIVENESS SEEM TO BE RAMPANT IN IKORODU IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE DONE TO STOP THIS MENACE?
You don’t blame these young guys, I’m responsible, you are responsible, government, the chairman of local government, the imam of the mosque, the pastor, their individual parents are responsible for the menace, which means everybody is responsible. We have abandoned our responsibilities and neglect the word of God. If we follow what the Bible and Holy Qur’an teach us that we should “teach your children so that he can give you rest of mind” we wouldn’t have those problems.
Aside that, how do we start family affairs nowadays, where did the man and woman married themselves. How did we come together as father/mother to get a child, was it a legal way by our tradition, by our religion or we just hook up from a corner and start the business of making babies. Do we make education as priority? The parent who will leave in the morning come back late at the night, how does he educate the children; the school we are talking about are not in good conditions. All these are bastardizing the life of the children. We don’t look after them and that is why we are what we are.
Unemployment is another side attraction for cultism. When you graduate and you can get a job. The devil finds work for the idle hands. Can you leave your work as a professional and come to take cutlass or gun after working in the whole day and tired, for them they don’t have anything doing, just to smoke, drink and think of what to steal. That is the reason why the land grabbers are using them. So my advice to them is that they should work to the peace and the development of their community. Like what governor Ambode says those people who feel they want something doing let them put down their weapons and come to register with the government for skill acquisition and empowerment program.