Faseun accuses Lai Mohammed of heating up South West

Dr. Frederick Fasehun of the Oodua Peoples’ Congress has accused the National Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, of heating up the polity ahead of the 2015 general election.
In a statement on Monday, Faseun said that Mohammed had won himself the reputation of Joseph Goebbel, the Propaganda Minister of Adolf Hitler.
He accused the ACN spokesman of unleashing a campaign of misinformation, disinformation, lies and propaganda against plans to resuscitate the Unity Party of Nigeria founded by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo in 1978.
Fasehun is the Chairman of the Committee for the Resuscitation of UPN.
Faseun said in the statement: “We know how far they can go and we are calling the Nation to note that although Faseun entertains no fear from them, should there be any danger lurking around him or his interests, we will not only attack the offending tree, we shall inflict collateral damage on its branches.”
Mohammed had on Sunday accused the Federal Government of engineering confusion ahead of the 2015 polls through several means, including the resurrection of UPN.
Mohammed said the Federal Government had awarded OPC and Faseun a monthly N2.4 billion pipeline protection contract to bankroll a plan to use UPN to rattle ACN in its South West stronghold.
“Nigerians must note that Lai Mohammed and his cohorts are the ones introducing instability into the South West through indulging in this sort of misinformation, disinformation, lies and propaganda,” Faseun said in the statement on Monday.
Debunking insinuations that OPC had bagged such a contract, Faseun said they were lies and propaganda concocted by a warped mentality against him, OPC and the common people of Nigeria.
He recalled that he had himself spoken to the press on January 17, 2013 and in subsequent newspaper and television interviews about the OPC proposal to stem pipeline vandalisation.
He said the organisation was only toeing the line of private security agencies formed by militants in the Niger Delta who secured pipeline protection contracts in their area.
“Equity and Federal Character dictate we should get a similar contract. And unlike billions of naira rampantly stolen from state allocations by politicians in authority in this part of the world, the pipeline contract will feed tens of thousands of families,” Fasehun said. “Unfortunately, the Federal Government is yet to reply to our proposal, although we have been to Abuja to defend our proposal at several interviews.”
According to him, in the wake of various incidents of pipeline vandalisation and oil theft, OPC, in October 2010, furnished the Federal Government with a comprehensive proposal to provide security for petroleum pipelines in the South West.
He said: “But now Lai Mohammed, either through false propaganda or pure lying to the world, quoting figures from a richly warped mentality, has shown that he and his cohorts have hijacked the contract letter addressed to the OPC.
“Nigeria loses a significant chunk of its revenue to pipeline vandals, apart from the social dislocation and loss of lives and properties resulting from vandalised pipelines. Everyone knows that OPC has the network, commitment and discipline to render this legitimate and patriotic service to protect pipelines. Not only will it provide jobs for about 30,000 Nigerians, it will satisfy the yearnings of Nigerians that oil be produced and pumped through local refineries and pipelines in order to guarantee a reasonable pump price. Everybody will be happy –except people like Lai and his paymasters.
“UPN is an idea whose time has come. And no amount of blackmail will stop it,” Fasehun said. “The truth is that people are fed up with the master-servant relationship that ACN has introduced into politics. They are tired of people who used democracy to climb into power and turn around to destroy democracy. UPN provides a credible alternative.
“Those resuscitating UPN are committed to the legendary ideals of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, which always made the human person the centre piece of government policy. Like Awo, they are committed to the delivery of free, qualitative and affordable education and healthcare. They are committed to guaranteeing the best traditions of democracy that Nigerians fought and died for. This is what Yoruba people and Nigerians want.”
“ACN should blame itself for taking the people for granted. Over the years, ACN chiefs have continued to show zero-tolerance for internal democracy. Meanwhile, they pride themselves as the leading opposition voice.”