By Tunde Okikioposu
Fifty eight year old Lawyer, Journalist, Publisher and serving Secretary to the Lagos State government Mr Tunji Bello is not a happy man presently: he bemoans the fate that has made Lagos House slipped off his hands, yet again.
Bello a native of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital laboured alongside other pro democracy activists for the actualisation of the June 12 mandate, made no pretence about his desire to become Lagos State helmsman.
He was among the team detailed to set up Vintage Press Limited publishers of The Nation newspaper. He was drafted in public service as the Managing Director of Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency LASSA and he later served as Commissioner for Environment in the Babatunde Raji Fashola administration. He was appointed Secretary to State Government by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode a position he held till date.
While many others will be content with their political lot; not Bello whose greatest political goal is to become the Executive Governor of Lagos State.
Bello a Muslim was among those who discreetly tried to stop the emergence of a Christian Governor in 2014 believing the lot will fall on him. He was pained a relatively apolitical Ambode was the choice of the national leader Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the exalted position.
From inception of the Ambode administration he continually bombarded Bourdillon residence of the national leader with alleged tales of “official recklessness and abuse of office” on the part of Governor Ambode, threatening to resign at a point. He complained that Ambode gave out “juicy assignments” meant for his office to the commissioners. He was so unruly that Tinubu had to caution him to control his emotions, promising that he will call Ambode to order. Tinubu had to wade in by directing Ambode to recall the “juicy assignments” back to Bello’s office.
Bello’s pain which many understood is the fact that, not only was he bye passed and Ambode chosen, he was also bye passed for Babajide Sanwoolu, though he was considered but his ill health in 2014 for closed his choice back then, even as the Deputy Governor. He had a mild stroke hence he was not anointed as the Deputy Governor.
Senator Remi Tinubu was the one who picked Sanwoolu, this medium gathered she was not comfortable with Bello’s wife: Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji Bello who is a fellow Pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, but extremely greedy, vicious and proud.
Ambode in his characteristic manner refused to join issues with him and others who took it upon themselves to report the activities of his government to Tinubu, with the absolute believe that his performance will suffice at the end.
Tunji Bello currently oversees the media unit of the Babajide Olushola Sanwoolu Campaign Organization BOSCO though Comrade Sesan Daini is the face of the unit. Daini is a mere tool in the hands of Bello who controls the budget and purse of the unit which ran into hundreds of millions of naira. He determines which project flies and which one will not.
Bello is responsible for the negative press Governor Ambode got from The Nation newspaper. He acted in partnership with Mr. Dele Alake and Mr. Wale Edun the Chairman of Vintage Press. They are worried that the scales have fallen off the eyes of their principal, Tinubu, who was shocked at the reality from the miserly result polled by Lagos APC in the first phase of the general elections that two Saturdays ago.
Unknown to many Bello was among the saboteurs of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative of the Ambode administration. He had a recycling company that bided for the recycling arm of the business, but lost to others. He used his contacts from his days as Commissioner for Environment to sabotage Visionscape Sanitation Services, instigating these firms not to cooperate with Visionscape. Bello was allotted 28 waste evacuation detail contract in Lagos; but he deployed only one truck, to cover these details, yet collects 28 truck payments from Lagos State Waste Management Agency LAWMA. He is indeed a greedy fellow.
He had serious altercations with Fashola who accused him pointedly to stop scheming, he was among the cabal that occasioned the media blackout of Fashola’s post tenure book launch. He was stunned alongside his clique when President Muhammadu Buhari name Fashola as the federal cabinet appointee for Lagos State.
Bello spends heavily on his UK based mistress,a married woman called Ronke,he ferries her to Nigeria from London monthly for trysts at Eko Hotels in Victoria Island, passing the bill to the state government.
Bello’s wife Ibiyemi the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics later acting Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State University: she was miffed and deeply pained that Ambode as the Visitor of the institution did not make her the substantive Vice Chancellor, but directed the Senate of the school to shop for a competent and qualified hand that led to the emergence of Prof Olarenwaju Fagbohun, an Awori prince as the institution’s Vice Chancellor.
The Bellos have taken it upon themselves to be of total service to the Sanwoolu’s. In fact Prof Ibiyemi is the one running domestic chores for them as well as being in charge of Dr Sanwoolu’s wardrobe. She continually bear false witnesses against others who are acquintances with the Sanwoolu’s, her involvement has made others give a wide berth to the Sanwoolu’s even at this critical hour.
Media industry practitioners blamed the collapse of Concord Press Limited publishers of Concord newspaper and her sub titles on Bello’s mismanagement. Concord newspaper failed under his watch, his former embittered colleagues offered that Bello is not worth the position of class captain.
