Unlike Tinubu, Politicians Abandon Osoba In London After Knee Surgery

According to DAILY POST, Nigerian politicians appear indifferent about the health of Chief Olusegun Osoba, a leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who is now on a medical vacation to the United Kingdom.

Osoba, like his political colleague, APC National Leader Chief Bola Tinubu, is alleged to have undergone knee replacement surgery in London.

Governor Dapo Abiodun announced the news after returning from a contentious international trip he took soon after his father’s funeral.

“Our Baba, Chief Olusegun Osoba, had knee replacement surgery in the United Kingdom, and we thank God that everything went well since he is now fine and in great health,” Abiodun revealed at the Abeokuta Independence Day celebration on October 1.

Our correspondent discovered that a month after Gov. Abiodun announced Chief Osoba’s knee replacement surgery, no politician in Ogun State felt compelled to pay a visit to the former governor.

Politicians, whether from Ogun State or elsewhere in the country, have not paid the octogenarian the regular visit, especially his beneficiaries from his own state.

Despite the fact that Abiodun stated that he visited Osoba after the surgery on September 30, our correspondent learned that no new effort has been made since then, either by Abiodun or the State Government, to make solidarity visits to the elder statesman.

Some commenters speculated that this could be a strategy to avoid “unnecessary” spending.

Some people, however, are perplexed as to why none of the various political office holders have visited the APC leader in his hospital bed.

“Let’s look at Ogun State alone, aside the Governor, we have the Deputy Governor, the Speaker, three Senators, nine House of Representatives members, 25 House of Assembly members excluding the Speaker and 20 local government Chairmen; We also have appointees like the Secretary to the State Government, the Chief of Staff, the Commissioners, Special Advisers and many others. Why has none of them visited Baba Osoba?

“If people from other states did not visit our leader, what stops those in Ogun from doing so? We have former governors here, we have former deputy governors, we have former Senators and many other politicians in Ogun. Many of them were made by Osoba. Have they forgotten the man just like that?

“I remember former Governor, Ibikunle Amosun visited Tinubu in London. Why has he not visited Osoba. If he could put aside his differences with Tinubu to go all the way to London to see him, then nothing stops him from doing something similar for Chief Osoba,” a loyalist of the octogenarian told our correspondent in Abeokuta.

DAILY POST recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari topped the list of over 40 Nigerian politicians and dignitaries who visited Tinubu in London.

Before his return to Nigeria recently, the abode of the former Lagos State Governor in London turned a Mecca of sort as top Nigerians took turns to check on him during his recuperation period.

Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo and Umar Ganduje of Kano, all visited Tinubu in the United Kingdom.

Just before his return to Nigeria, members of the House of Representatives from the north also visited Tinubu in the foreign land. The delegation of the northern lawmakers led by Ahmed Wase, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives did not just visit the APC leader, they also endorsed his rumoured presidential ambition.

On why it has not been the same with Osoba, who also went under the knife for knee replacement surgery like Tinubu, a political leader in Ogun State, Chief Dapo Adeyemi, berated Nigerian politicians for hypocrisy.

Adeyemi opined that most of the politicians who visited Tinubu in London believed he was in a position to influence their political careers, saying they did not see Osoba in that light.

“That shows how hypocritical our politicians are. Most of them believe that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will continue to influence their political progression in APC while Chief Osoba is not in that position.

“It is also likely that those who visited Asiwaju in London and even when he arrived Nigeria might be after his money. Definitely, Chief Osoba does not have the money to waste for such politicians,” he said.

Speaking on why Osoba’s beneficiaries in Ogun State did not make any attempt to pay him a visit, Adeyemi added that: “I must confess, most of those perceived as Chief Osoba’s beneficiaries are few in the State. Another problem is that even the few are not taken care of in the present administration despite the support given to Prince Dapo Abiodun by Akinrogun Osoba. And his supporters believe that he should speak to PDA, which Chief Osoba that I know will not do.”

In his advice, Adeyemi said: “Honestly, I think Chief Osoba should reduce his active involvement in the politics of the State. One expects his beneficiaries like Chief Segun Adesegun and Hon. Kunle Adeyemi to take over his structure and nurture them. Unfortunately, it does not appear these two are ready to fit in.

“I will also advise the people to be wary of politicians during their campaigns. It is becoming obvious that a lot of politicians seek for positions for their own interest and not that of the electorate. They also find it difficult to implement most of their electoral promises.”

Also, a lecturer at the Lagos State University, who did not want to be mentioned because of the sensitivity of the issue, held the view that Osoba did not possess the political relevance of Tinubu in national politics, asking how many people the veteran journalist groomed in politics.

“Baba Osoba is not in the same level as Tinubu. How many people did he build in politics, especially in national politics? Back home in Ogun State, what we know is that people don’t celebrate former champions. We can only pray that God grant Baba Osoba quick recovery,” the don said.

In 1999, Osoba and Tinubu were both elected as the governors of Ogun and Lagos States respectively. While Osoba lost his reelection bid in 2003, Tinubu was reelected for a second term that ended in 2007.