Democracy & Governance
MC Oluomo: The Awesomeness and Professionalism of Thuggery and Agberoism -By Emmanuel Ojatunwase
A question that keeps reoccurring to me is ‘Why do we need to apply thuggery in our election and agberos to our governance in Nigeria?’. In Oyo state, there are the likes of Auxiliary, Kabaka in Edo state, MC Oluomo in Lagos State, to mention but few.
The 2023 General Election has come and gone with various shades of reactions, counter-reaction, allegations, and counter-allegations which has greeted the Nigerian polity. A large number of columnists and media organizations have also done various degrees of analysis on the pre-election, election, and post-election matters which has continued to hit our polity till date. It is no gainsaying that the election was marred by pockets of violence in some states like Lagos and Rivers, with Oyo State serving as the beautiful bride of a free and credible election.
One of the controversial moments during the electoral season is the MC Oluomo-Iya Chukwudi saga, which Oluomo later apologized with a rebuttal that his statement was a joke and he wasn’t ordering the Igbos not to vote in Lagos. However, the Obedient Movement refused to take his rebuttal in good faith after the the Gubernatorial election which was keenly contested between Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the the APC, and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party which was marred by pockets of violence.
A question that keeps reoccurring to me is ‘Why do we need to apply thuggery in our election and agberos to our governance in Nigeria?’. In Oyo state, there are the likes of Auxiliary, Kabaka in Edo state, MC Oluomo in Lagos State, to mention but few.
Oluomo is a description of someone being a success at something he knows how to do best. He is part of a system that is inimical to the development of our society. A very vital attribute of any given system (either working or failing) is its penchant for fighting against change and interference with its system and operations. A throwback to an event that occured about four years ago where he was stabbed by a thug of a rival gang in an event, and a picture of him in the hospital where he was receiving treatment had armed policemen on guard protecting and watching over him, where reputable politicians and first-class individuals in the society trooping in droves to register their present and solidarity. Clerics and everyone in attendance hoping and praying for him not to die.
It is worthy to note that MC Oluomo is a first-class citizen, and to cap it all, a citizen of the United States of America with his wives and children based abroad in affluence, but he decided to remain in Nigeria with the hustle and bustle of his paymasters in Nigeria. He has built a robust career in thuggery, nice houses in choice areas in Nigeria and the United States of America, hobnobbing with the crème-de-la-creme in the society, a popular socialite who has done awesomely well for himself. However, I actually have nothing against him, but the system that produced him. We are all pawns in the grand game of the political elites.
