…..Accuses Him of Exploiting Democracy Struggle
Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has fired back at Dele Momodu, publisher of Ovation magazine, over his recent comments questioning Wike’s contributions to Nigeria’s pro-democracy movement.
Momodu, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had during a televised interview on Wednesday criticized Wike, saying:
“Where was Wike during the June 12 struggle? Who knew him then? But today, he speaks as if he’s the founding father.”
In a strongly worded statement on Thursday, Olayinka dismissed Momodu’s remarks, accusing him of hypocrisy and alleging that the media mogul is “in urgent need of rehabilitation and deliverance before things get out of hand.”
Olayinka claimed that Momodu exploited the June 12 democratic struggle for personal gain rather than national progress.
“He only used the June 12 struggle to Japa. He didn’t struggle for anything other than his own well-being,” Olayinka said, referring to the popular Nigerian slang for escaping the country.
He further accused Momodu of siding with the elites who suppressed democratic values, alleging that he glorified the children of those responsible for the incarceration and death of Chief MKO Abiola, the widely acclaimed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.
“Where Was Dele Momodu When Nigeria Was Founded?”
“Where was Dele Momodu too when Nigeria was being founded? Was he among the founding fathers of Nigeria to be living in the country?”
He also accused Momodu of obsessing over Wike, suggesting that the PDP chieftain “now sees Wike in everything he does, even in his sleep.”
Olayinka ridiculed Momodu’s Ovation photo books, claiming they serve only to curry favor with political elites.
“Those who truly fought for June 12 didn’t use the children of Abiola’s jailers as photo models, nor did they tour military generals’ mansions for glossy spreads.”
“When the register of those who genuinely fought for the actualization of June 12 is taken, Dele Momodu should stop forcing his name into it.”
