WIFE of the Oyo State governor, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, on
Wednesday, said her purported arrest in London would not deter her from
travelling to the United Kingdom (U.K) to play her motherly role to her
14-year-old daughter attending school there.
She spoke in an interview with newsmen shortly after the Chief
Medical Director of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Professor
Temitope Alonge, led her on a visit to cancer patients and the mammography
suites of the hospital, in commemoration of this year’s cancer week.
She was in company with the state Commissioner for Health, Mr
Muyiwa Gbadegesin; Information and Orientation Commissioner, Mr Bosun Oladele;
Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Commissioner, Mrs Tokunbo Fayokun and the
full complement of her husband’s media team.
Mrs Ajimobi said she had learnt to be more careful in whatever she
did, adding that her ordeal had made her a stronger person, antics of “dirty
playing politicians” notwithstanding.
“I visit my 14-year-old daughter in the UK every three weeks. I
won’t say because I am the first lady, stop playing my role as a mother. I have
to care for my daughter. As a minor, she has to come home every three weeks.
And I don’t have any other child there that can look after her.
“My son is in Birmingham, which is far away from where my daughter
stays. So, I am going to keep performing my role as a mother to my daughter. If
I have to go back tomorrow, I will, as long as I am not using government
funds.
“She just did not go there yesterday; she has been there since
2007 and I have catered and cared for and nursed her. As a responsible mother,
I will still go there and visit my daughter.
“And this daughter is subjected to coming home every half term and
summer holiday, when her peers are outside there having summer holiday. Because
I couldn’t afford to spend that much time with her since 2011, she comes home
every holiday.
“But when she has to go home for the weekend, she cannot afford to
come home (Nigeria). I go through the stress. And because I am the first lady
of the state, I don’t stay as long as I used to stay. I went on Sunday and I am
back today, which means I left yesterday (Tuesday) to get here this morning.
So, let them know that I owe my children my duty as a mother and that I won’t
give that up for anything,” she said.
Describing her husband’s government as God-ordained, she stressed
that she and her husband would not be defeated by political detractors, as
Governor Abiola Ajimobi would realise his vision for the state.
Speaking during her arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International
Airport, Ikeja, Lagos aboard a Virgin Atlantic Airways aircraft, which landed
at 6.50 a.m., Mrs Ajimobi described as laughable, the rumour of her arrest,
affirming that she only travelled last Sunday to London to accompany her child,
who returned to school.
Mrs Ajimobi, while saying that she was not surprised at the
extent people can go to peddle rumour because of the dirty politics of
Oyo State, however, added that the development has shown that the true test of
any human being is ability to stand firm in times of crisis and controversy.
Her words: “I am here live as you can see, I have never had any
encounter with the London Metropolitan Police, and I know I will never have.
“It is just rumour like you said, and I think the time has come
for us in Nigeria to stop playing dirty politics, we should be very objective,
when we are giving information, in particular members of the press, we should
verify the information we are giving, and I just want to use this medium to say
that the ultimate measure of any man or woman, is where you stand in times of
conflict, challenges and controversy and not in times of comfort.
“I stand on the solid rock of Jesus Christ, and all other grounds
is sinking sand .It is a phase, it will pass over, this is because I am more
than a conqueror. It is the price I have to pay as the wife of a politician, in
particular in Oyo State, where there is record of dirty politics. I do not have
any blemish in my wardrobe, and I am never going to have any.”
She also used the occasion to clarify the rumour doing the rounds
that she was arrested two weeks ago, saying that at the time in question that
she travelled with her husband to Taipei, in Asia through Dubai for an official
engagement.
“I went on an official visit to Taiwan with my husband, and
we did not go to London, from Lagos, we went to Dubai, to Hong Kong, to Taipei,
from there back to Hong Kong, to Dubai and back to Lagos.
“My international passport is there for the record, I could give
my passport to you to photocopy and verify and return to me. It was also
alleged that I had travelled out of this country for 52 times, that sounds very
ridiculous to me, it means I do not even live in Nigeria. Like I said, we can
make photocopy for verification.”
Source: Tribune
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