Opinion

Mascot of mediocrity: A rejoinder to Dapo Abiodun’s imported propaganda merchant

Published

1 year ago

May 26, 2025

On a calm Sunday morning, after an intense strategy session with two highly regarded colleagues; one, a seasoned media strategist; the other, a titan in Nigeria’s entertainment industry, I came across an article authored by one Seyi Bakare.

The name is clearly a pseudonym, but its style and content betray its true source; one of Governor Dapo Abiodun’s imported media lobbyists from Ondo State.

The piece, provocatively titled “Wale Onifade’s Agbero Onslaught About Dapo Abiodun,” was neither a defence of governance nor an exercise in intellectual engagement.

Rather, it was a misguided, insult-laced rant from someone clearly more committed to sycophancy than substance.

Instead of addressing the valid and pressing concerns raised in my earlier article, “Rewriting History With Lies: Governor Dapo Abiodun’s Dangerous Obsession With Altering Facts,” this media consultant opted for petty name-callings, unprovoked insults, and empty rhetoric.

This isn’t just unprofessional; it’s an indictment of the very office he represents. When the incompetent begin to yell insults at their critics, it’s often because they fear the truth.

Let me restate this plainly.

I am Wale Onifade, a proud Owu prince; not some imported spin doctor who sees every voice of reason as an enemy of the state.

The attempt to frame me as a “lackey” of a former governor, a “political leper,” or an “attack dog” is both lazy and laughable. These names reveal more about the poverty of ideas in your response than about the person you’re attempting to smear.

And since you’ve now stripped yourself bare in the marketplace of ideas; dancing publicly without rhythm or grace, I suppose congratulations are in order.

You’ve done a fantastic job marketing a bad, mid-level product to the good people of Ogun State. You’ve taken political mediocrity and packaged it like premium leadership.

But while your pen dances in circles, you’ve conveniently forgotten to explain how your principal claimed to have studied a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from University of Ife; a programme that doesn’t even exist in that prestigious institution.

That’s not just an error. It’s a deliberate distortion; a textbook example of the very historical revisionism I warned about.

This is not about personality clashes.

It’s about holding public office holders accountable and refusing to let sycophants distort truth under the guise of media management.

If your principal continues to rewrite history unchecked, we will continue to call him out; boldly, factually, and responsibly.

And when he does well, we will not hesitate to acknowledge it either.

If you truly believe in the drivel you’ve been peddling, also have the courage to put your real name on it.

In Yorubaland, we say: “Omo Akin ogbodo sojo.” A true warrior fears no one.

Step out; with your full chest, and own your words like a true professional.

Wale Onifade
Media Commentator | Public Affairs Analyst

Opinion

Rotary Ikoyi Metro to launch vital 4-day Lagos schools screening (Video)

Published

2 days ago

September 17, 2026

Mariam Balogun

By Victor Ojelabi

The Rotary Club of Ikoyi Metro, led by President Rotarian Emeka Nwosu, will begin a four-day vision and hearing screening for Primary One pupils across 10 public primary schools in Lagos Island, Lagos State, on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, under a Rotary International Global Grant project chaired by Rotarian Oladimeji Olatunji-Audu for the club.

Also read: Rotary Club of Ogudu GRA Installs 20th President During 20th Anniversary Celebration

The Rotary Ikoyi Metro screening, which runs until Friday, September 25, will commence at 9 a.m. daily, with Holy Cross Cathedral Primary School, Campus, serving as the venue.

The Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board has formally approved the exercise for pupils in the 10 selected schools within the Lagos Island Local Government Education Authority.

In its September 9 approval, LASUBEB described the intervention as a “noble gesture” complementing the Lagos State Government’s efforts to improve basic education.

The participating schools are Holy Cross Cathedral Primary School, Ade Oshodi Primary School, Anglican Girls Primary School, Christ Cathedral Primary School, and Ebute Elefun Primary School.

Others include Edward Blyden Memorial School, St. David Primary School, St. Mary Convent School, St. Peter Primary School and Tinubu Methodist Primary School.

Nwosu said the intervention was built around a simple concern: children experiencing difficulties in the classroom should not be written off before possible health-related causes are investigated.

“Sometimes, what looks like a learning problem may simply be a child struggling to see the board clearly or hear what the teacher is saying. Through this project, we want to identify those challenges early and give affected children the opportunity to learn and thrive alongside their peers,” Nwosu said.

The project is being implemented in partnership with other Rotary clubs through the Rotary International Global Grant mechanism, combining resources and expertise to address preventable vision and hearing difficulties among schoolchildren.

The cub’s project chairman said the initiative was designed to go beyond simply identifying pupils with difficulties.

“Screening is only meaningful when it leads to action. Our objective is to identify children who require attention early enough and ensure that those who need further intervention are appropriately supported. A child’s ability to see and hear properly can make a remarkable difference to the child’s confidence and performance in school,” Olatunji-Audu said.

The Lagos Island exercise follows an earlier phase of the wider Global Grant project launched in July 2026, when hundreds of pupils from public primary schools in the Ikoyi-Obalende area underwent vision and hearing screening.

The broader intervention has brought together Rotary clubs and partners in Nigeria and overseas.

The World Health Organization has also identified vision and hearing as important to children’s development and education, noting that unaddressed sensory impairments can have significant consequences for school-age children.

Also read: Rotary Club of Ogudu GRA Installs 20th President During 20th Anniversary Celebration

For Ikoyi Metro, the four-day intervention therefore carries a powerful message beyond the medical screenings: before concluding that a young pupil is struggling to learn, it may be necessary to establish whether that child can clearly see the lesson and hear the teacher.