By: Aliykhal Lanre

Princess Surah Animashaun (Chairman of Epe Local Government Council Area) has alleged of a grand plot by some people deliberately aimed at attacking her personality and legitimate good governance in council area of Lagos state, Epe. In the past weeks, baseless accusations have been made against her in her traditional and social media.

And ever since the attentive world rose to its feet to applaud Princees Surah Animashaun’s virtuoso performance in three-and-half years in office, the dogs of war seem to have been let loose and they are baying for her innocent blood. Animashaun, her beautiful family and members of her cabinet have become the punching bag of miscreants on social media whose mercantile instincts mark out as cannon fodder in the hands of aggrieved and out-of-favour politicians.

Every day, they concoct lies and tasteless falsehoods to nibble away at her soaring popularity among the long suffering people of Epe division who are beginning to finally see that indeed, Epe Local Government can be better. From all indications, the mission of the people who are sponsoring the endless calumny campaign against Animashaun, her family and members of her cabinet on social media is quite simple – to distract her from actualising her second term in office, her dream of a new and better Epe LG Council and whittle down her rising profile as a promising woman leader and first female Chairman of Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State.

They figured that with her squeaky clean technocratic background and soar away performance in over three-and-half years in office, she would dwarf so many wanna-be leaders if no muck was cast on her sooner than later. But what in concrete terms has Animashaun done to earn their fear? Close observers of Animashaun’s over three-and-half year’s administration can attest to the fact that for the first time in a long while, Epe is witnessing a structured approach to governance.

Animashaun's philosophy of governance is inclusive and open one which attracts everybody. Bringing her years in the commanding height of the private sector to bear on governance, Animashaun had outlined her vision and mission in the government house from the outset. Right from the election campaign days, years back I may say, Animashaun had told Epe indigenes that her vision was for the council to become the 1st choice investment destination and a hub for industrialisation and commercial activities while her mission was to create a socially stable, business friendly environment that will attract both indigenes and aliens to seek wealth creating opportunities in the council area. So, she knew where she was going and how to get there.

Again, it may not be certain but it would seem that Animashaun is probably the first female and Chairman to articulate a vision and mission statement that would guide her in office. At the moment, Animashaun has done a good job of keeping her eyes on the prize. And that is why they are talking….. Again, in full appreciation of the security nightmare that had bedeviled Epe council through the years, Animashaun had divined that her leadership goals had no chance in hell if she failed to tackle the security challenges and infrastructural decay in the council area.

So, she went after the touts, louts, men of the underworld, public/street harlots, social miscreants and secret cultists who had made Epe LG inhabitable with a figurative sharp knife. And what exactly did she do? Quite simple – she spent the Security Votes on providing security for the council; through establishment of local vigilantees, something that some past leaders either kept for themselves or shared with their godfathers.

The people have seen a consummate consensus builder who truly loves her people. And that is why they are talking…..The final reason why they won’t stop talking of Animashaun is because they had told people that Epe and other towns in the council areas were beyond redemption; that Epe indigenes were anti-progress and had always stood in the way of plans to turn the town into a befitting council among the comity of councils of Lagos most distinctive state in Nigeria.

But now that several development is ongoing in the council area of the state, with the renovation of schools, rehabilitation of primary healthcare centres within the local government council and construction of museum and e-library that are springing up at the same time and changing the landscape of Lagos’s most rustic local government council, they have come out talking, kicking and punching.

All the allegations being levelled against the Chairman of the ancient council was baseless accusations which could not hold a cup of water, and many of them were doing these to distract her good gesture and good governance to the council, the allegations raged from certificate scandals, and many others, at least she was screened during the first term in office and we even saw her secondary school mates during the recent alma mater organised by her secondary school mates, why now kicking, ranting and talking?

It is high time for them to stop cybertalking and cyberbully against the council Chairperson, Princess Surah Animashaun does not deserve all these jargons going on social media, those media users and their paying should put enough to it and move on with their respective businesses, because this could not hold her bar from contesting for second term in office, as the adage say; one good term deserves another. And enough of all these cybertalking and cyberbully against the Chairman of the ancient council.

“It is even disheartening to have derogatory words being used in the media to describe the first female council Chairperson, a woman who has done all these. All the hear-says recently published in the media from a supposed documentary by a particular social media users and blogger are totally false, unfounded and targeted at just the aim of the plotters.”

Lanre, a journalist, writer, poet and public affairs analyst. Write in from Epe LG Area of Lagos State.

Can be reached via: aliykhallanre@gmail.com or 08060799328.