Renowned activist and former Special Adviser to the late Governor Muhammad Lawal of Kwara State on Student affairs and Labour Matters, Comrade Razaq Olokoba has berated the Director General of the National Institute of Legislative studies , (NILDS), Professor Abubakar Suleiman, over his comments on the failed return bid of the sitting Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe.
Recall the don, while speaking during the 2022 Press Week organised by the House of Representatives’ Press Corps’, lamented the inability of Oloriegbe to win the APC primaries back to the Legislative Upper Chambers.
It should be recalled that Oloriegbe was defeated by Mallam Saliu Mustapha, who holds the Turaki of Ilorin title, by over 50 percent.
Meanwhile, the Professor criticized Kwara state Governor, Abdur-Rahman Abdur-Razaq for supporting Saliu Mustapha to clinch Kwara Central senatorial ticket, saying the ticket was given to a ‘lesser person’ on the basis of his academic credentials.
However, reacting to Suleiman’s comments in a circulated press statement in Lagos Wednesday, Olokoba, who is the Convener and National President of Campaign for Dignity in Governance (CDG), said it is ludicrous of the Professor to refer to someone as a lesser human being because of his academic qualifications.
His words: “I was shocked at the comments of the don, who should know better by all standards but has allowed politics to becloud his sense of judgement and perception. It is understandable that the NILDS DG will want to massage the ego of those who invited him but I had expected that he would do so within the confines of logic. Unfortunately, he went off balance.
“It is demeaning to describe someone as a lesser being because of his academic qualifications. In a system where we are supposed to propagate the importance of education, a Professor has come out to discredit someone because he studied in a Polytechnic. That’s so discriminatory and not a hallmark of the scholarship that the don claims to profess as a Professor.”
Olokoba further stated that considering the contribution of Mallam Mustapha to the community, it is safe to conclude that the senatorial candidate’s ND has been more valuable than Suleiman’s professorship.
“I challenge the Professor. What has been his contribution to the state or lives of Kwara state residents? The impact of Mustapha, on the other hand, is felt across the state. Which is more important, is it the degree or the laudable contributions of an individual to the society?”
The renowned right activist then asked Professor Suleiman to apologise for the gaffe and derisive comment, saying it is an embarrassment to his scholarship.
