By EXCLUSIVE! T.V PRESENTER AND UNIONIST, AJIBOLA OJESOLA REVEALS FREQUENT THREAT TO HIS LIFE
Popular Lagos Television, LTV, Presenter and former Chairman of Nigerian Union of Journalist LTV chapel, Ajibola Ojesola has revealed to BlackBox Nigeria that there have been frequent threats to his life and safety by those he regarded as the ‘powers that be.’
He made this revelation known recently in an interview with our correspondence where he took time to expose the machinations of the powers that have been threatening his life and that of his family which included his wife and his 6 years old daughter.
Jibola as he is fondly called traced the genesis of his ordeal to his activism and clamour for better welfare in the state’s broadcasting firm. He further narrated that the whole scenario could be traced back to his position against unlawful recruitment of certain individual into the civil service arm of LTV.
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In Ajibola’s word:
“The initial problem started with the employment of some people into the civil service. In the civil service, there are rules and regulations. For people who are coming in, there are certain levels you must place them but certain persons were appointed recently into absurd levels, we fought it and at the end of the day nothing happened.”
On the threat to his life, Ajibola explained that the tactics employed by his aggressors are; physical threats and assaults on his wife telling her to warn her husband to stay clear of the OB Van purchase issue which he called the attention of the public to months ago.
“Of recent, there was a day I got home, my wife says she was going to buy something at Agege Market and someone accosted her and said, go and tell your husband to stay off the OB Van issue and sometimes, I will just receive strange calls telling me I feel I am a comrade and untouchable that by the time they finish dealing with me, I will realise that power pass power,” He revealed.
Ajibola stated further that, “Sometimes at night, some people will just come bang at my door but because I close late at work, when they open the door they find no one inside. I had to relocate my family because of their safety and sometimes I don’t stay in my flat, I would rather stay with my friends.”
When asked if he is aware of those behind these life threatening machinations, The two term chairman of the Nigeria Union of journalists, LTV chapter held back saying he won’t make their names known to the public yet but assured that they belong to the power bloc.
“I am not going to mention names but I know that there are some forces after me and my family because part of the excuses that was given was that there was an issue that we are trying to fight the powers that be but I know all these are part of the hazard of the job but as long as I am saying the truth, I don’t care whose ox is goad.”
These whole scenarios has played out for almost a year now, Ajibola reiterated that even though he is aware of where the threat is coming from, he is resolute to stay true to his conscience.
He disclosed that his car was set on fire recently which according to him is not unconnected to the whole back and forth between the union and the powers that be.
“I know them but after the election I will reveal the names of those after me because of my own safety and my family’s, I need to lay low for now and of recent, I just parked my car somewhere when I went to the Island and when I came back, the car was burnt.”
“I remain resolute to challenge any forces that want to improvise workers at the firm for their own benefit, it is not that I am the only one fighting this course for better working condition but I am the arrow head.”
“The way I do my programme is that, if you misbehave and you are not on the right side of the law, forget your political party, I will hit you In order to make our society better.”
“For the fact that I am doing this, it doesn’t give any one the right to be after my life. I have on countless occasions shared via my social media that I am not a member of any political party that those chasing me should let me be.”
When asked if he thinks the whole scenario that has played out has any political undertone, without mincing word, he answered in the affirmative and revealed that he will be hosting a world press conference to disclose the exact facts to the whole ordeal.
He answered thus,”It started like yesterday, it has political undertone and I know where it is coming from but I will not say it now. When it is time, I will have a Press conference and I will say everything and some of my Comrades will be with me on my table.”
“As we speak today, I am not with My Family, so I go to see them once in a while because of my safety at a point I was advised by my wife to quit the job and advocacy because of the threats.
“I am on a particular platform in Lagos State where people of like minds discuss developments in the country and I have equally shared my experiences on that platform regarding the threat.”
“At the right time, I will show the petitions and names of those after me because election is coming right now, I have to lay low and you can imagine my six year old girl going beside her mother on the road and someone just came to slap the woman saying ”warn your husband that the shoe is wearing is more than him.”
He further narrated that since when the whole ordeal started,”It started towards the end of 2017. I saw flashes of it then but in 2018 I saw it live with people calling to threaten me on phone, I know it is part of the job but if we want our society to be better, we must uphold the ethics of this profession but the burning of the car happened recently, early this year in January.”
When asked on what has been done about the whole situation, he disclosed that several petitions have been written to the authorities with no significance response.
“I have written petitions to the appropriate quarters to offer me protection to no avail. My lawyer submitted those petitions but up until now we have not gotten any response.”
“I was just discussing with my lawyer of recent when the car incident happened that I think we may need to do something about the petitions again.” He narrated.
When asked of other threats aside to his life, he has this to say:
You know in the civil service you cannot just sack anyone, and I have been up and doing on my job. I love what I do and no posting or frustration will stop me from saying the truth over certain developments in the station and the state.
On his plans to remedy the situation, he expressed that he would keep his plans under the sleeves for the fear of exposure to the powers after his life while he reiterated that he will host a world press conference after the election to reveal all that there is to the whole scenario.
On the coming elections in the state, Ajibola disclosed that the guber candidate of the APC is the Messiah that will take Lagos to zenith of developments, urging Lagosians to vote for him massively and forget what anybody must have said about the man in the past. He stressed that Sanwo is tested, dependable and reliable.
He used the medium to appeal to his Excellency in waiting to please turn around the fortunes of Lagos Television, flush out those that were brought in through the back door and stop the station from being used as the conduit pipe to siphon money.
