Ogun State is special. Anyone lacking and especially poor in administration and managerial competence should not be allowed to run the Gateway state that has produced prominent and world class administrators, both in the past and at present.
With the desperation of a failed administrator and banker who has consistently been jostling for the tickets of major parties to become the Governor of Ogun State, it is very important that we bring to fore the various fraudulence acts cum managerial incompetence of Jimi Lawal so that our people in Ogun State particularly respectable delegates of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State will have a first hand assessment of the man who through his perpetual lies aspires to drive the resources and economy of Ogun State; a man who offers what he doesn’t have.
Mr Jimi Lawal was the former Managing Director of the now defunct ‘wonder bank’, Alpha Merchant Bank. He has been, severally, convicted of massive bank fraud in Nigeria and suffice to say that he is also wanted for tax related issues in United States of America (https://www.infinitylive.com.ng/yhe-story-of-jimi-lawal-see).
As documented in the “ *Case Study of Alpha Merchant Bank PLC”,* it was mentioned that the corrupt practices, ownership and control crisis destroyed the Bank’s Management Board to the extent that it could not operate as a team. Mr Jimi Lawal as the Managing Director and fellow offenders were arraigned before the Failed Banks Tribunal in 1995 sequel to their failure as Directors of Alpha Merchant Bank.
Furthermore, Mr Jimi Lawal was the former Special Adviser on Investment and Promotions to Governor Nasir El Rufai, the Governor of Kaduna State. His tenure in that office witnessed several protests by many organizations such as The Centrum Initiative for Development and Fundamental Rights Initiative (CEDRA) and other human rights associations who asked the Governor to sack Lawal. The then Chairman, Board Trustees of CEDRA, Dr. John DanFulani strongly advised the Kaduna State Governor to sack Mr Jimi Lawal.
If truly Mr Jimi Lawal is a credible personality with good human relations and excellent economic ideas as he is claiming and want us to believe, why would the protesters continue to, since 2015, rain gutters on him over his managerial impotence and lack of critical social development initiatives and Investment ideas.
If we must add, he is the same man moving from one party to another with the unrealistic assumption that the Ogun State gubernatorial ticket of PDP could be manipulated in his favour. That is a mission impossible. Ogun State is too sophisticated to be taken for a ride. _Maa seju sero, ero mo ibi ti won nlo._
The good people of Ogun State and PDP stakeholders particularly the delegates must realize that his gubernatorial desperation is to cover up his unholy acts under the “immunity clause” if he becomes the Governor.
To have such an individual with such a dream is like having a political dagger on our face. Mr Jimi Lawal who has failed to manage a micro organisation cannot claim to suddenly have the capacity to manage the human and economic resources of the gateway state with a land mass of 16,419.26 square kilometers and over 10 million population.
No doubt, Mr Jimi Lawal lacks capacity, merit and competence and should not be allowed to have the mandate of PDP in Ogun State. If he failed more than two times, he will definitely fail again. We don’t want that in our party.
Kolawole Ayinla
PDP, Afon ward, Imeko LG