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Re: “Dictator Obaseki: Adaze Emwanta’s Evil Lie On Pastor Ize-Iyamu’s Land By John Mayaki”

l will respond to the lies and invectives churned out in the write-up with the above caption, authored by John Mayaki in an unusual media style. My style will be unusual, because l have earlier responded to similar diatribes by one Dan Ogbegie Esq, who happens to be Mayaki’s colleague in the rogue group, Edo People’s Movement. Their mutual grouse stems from my harmless legal opinion, which was quoted in a story reported by Alema Ozioruwa in Sunday Vanguard newspaper of  25 July, 2021 with the caption “Obaseki revokes right on Ize-Iyamu’s 18-hectare farmland”. At the appropriate juncture in this short piece, l shall simply quote the true position with respect to the 18 hectares of land now in controversy. But, before dealing with the bone of contention, l wish to throw some light on what has obviously triggered the perpetual bitterness of John Mayaki and his cry-baby grouse against Governor Godwin Obaseki.
In deconstructing why some bitter people cannot be happy, recourse is usually had to their early or mid years. John Mayaki was raised in the ghetto wing of Igarra, the administrative headquarters of Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo State. He was born and raised within the ambience of laziness-induced poverty. Little is known of his parentage, because he was jointly raised by well wishers in the slum where nature dropped him. It was in this slum he learnt the art of stealing. Much of his early youth was spent on the streets of Igarra, with menial work as his routine during the day and the night hours was lit by the Indian hemp smoking competitions his slum ilk were reputed for. This is the much that is known of Mayaki’s years in Igarra.
Fast forward! In 2006, John Mayaki joined the bandwagon of the freelance journalists who escorted Adams Oshiomhole into the then Action Congress (now APC). It was about this time that the Nation Newspaper was established by Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, the political leader of AC. Mr. Victor Ifijeh, an Afemai man was made the pioneer Managing Director of the Nation newspaper. To make ends meet, Mayaki operated as one of the marketing vendors of the new newspaper. In order to make him more useful to the Oshiomhole campaign train, in 2007, through the back door, John Mayaki was made the Nation correspondent in Benin City.
When Oshiomhole became Governor in 2008, Mayaki resigned from the Nation to take take up a role as one of his SSAs. There was hardly anyone Mayaki did not have dispute with in the media unit during the Oshomhole years. He wanted to be the Chief Press Secretary desperately, but this ambition was impossible because of his proclivity and insatiable appetite for anything fraudulent. As a media aide to the Governor, Mayaki’s close male relative once disappeared with a Peugeot station wagon vehicle that was attached to the media unit at Osadebe Avenue. It took the intervention of Government House security to recover the missing vehicle, which was reportedly taken to a northern State for intra-city commercial transport. Such is the dubious character of John Mayaki.
*Post-Oshiomhole years*
With a failed ambition of becoming the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Edo State, like a ghost, Mayaki lurked around Government House in the twilight of Oshiomhole’s administration and his already deflated ego was wounded by re-newed desperation. Just as he did in 2006, in 2016 Mayaki enlisted himself into the media campaign team of Governor Godwin Obaseki. After the Governor won his election and was sworn into office in November 2016, Mayaki unilaterally took over the duties of the Chief Press Secretary in Government House, Benin. He hosted journalists in the NUJ press centre, where he proclaimed himself as the acting Chief Press Secretary to the Governor. His master, Adams Oshiomhole endorsed this unofficial arrangement, even when the Governor was yet to announce those in his media team at Osadebe Avenue. In the interest of peace,  Governor Obaseki impliedly allowed this misnomer, and particularly because, he wanted to avoid any collision course with Oshiomhole, as it became apparent that the Mayaki issue was a conflict-trap that was secretly contrived to create bad blood around the new administration.
 It did not take long for the stealing spirit in Mayaki to reveal itself. The truth was made bare when journalists attached to Government House complained that Mayaki was in the habit of diverting funds meant for the media unit and monies which formed part of their allowances was usually paid in halves. Mayaki was summarily dismissed from Government House. After several pleas from Oshiomhole, Mayaki was posted to the State-owned newspaper house, the Nigerian Observer. Due to his lack of initiative and being a quarter-baked journalist with one and a half year experience in newspaper reporting, Mayaki was sent packing after one month by the management of the Nigerian Observer. For all who cared to listen, Mayaki labeled the Governor as the cause of his woes. So, when EPM was formed in 2018, its sponsors did not find any difficulty in recruiting Mayaki as one of their attack dogs.
*Ize-Iyamu’s I. O farms imbroglio*
As l have previously noted, my earlier response to Mayaki’s EPM colleague, Dan Ogbegie, will suffice in this present piece. The following was my response to Dan Ogbegie ; ditto, John Mayaki.
*”From available records the first transaction regarding the land in question was negotiated in the twilight of the regime of Lucky Igbinedion. Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as Secretary to the Edo State Government during Igbinedion’s second term in office approached the Amagba Community Development Association, (now defunct), under the leadership of one Mr. JB, saying that the Edo State Government wanted to site a campus of the Edo State College of Agriculture in Amagba and that a large expanse of land was required for that purpose. The Community in consideration of this *ex cathedra* *pledge from Government gave a large expanse of land for that purpose. Unfortunately, nothing was done about the College of Agriculture Campus at Amagba until the tenure of that Government ended in 2007. After Adams Oshiomhole came into Government in 2008, several attempts were made by Pastor Ize-Iyamu to perfect his contrived ownership over the land allotted for the ill-fated College of Agriculture campus at Amagba. The idea of siting *I.O Farms Training lnstitute* *on the Government acquired land came as an after-thought, particularly when it became impossible for Pastor Ize-Iyamu to acquire personal title to the land. I believe that when the matter gets to court, as Ogbegie has threatened, the whole truth will reveal itself.”*
In the light of the foregoing, l do not intend to waste my time or that of my readers in further responding to the tales by moonlight concocted by Mayaki in his paid write-up against me and the Governor of Edo State. Mayaki has been rendered jobless since the end of the Edo 2020 governorship election, which Ize-Iyamu his new master lost, woefully. So, it will be pointless joining issues with a jobless man, who has a history of stealing anything that he has public custody of. Besides, Mayaki personifies deciet and represents a classical exception to the saying that among thieves there is honour. His interest in Ize-Iyamu’s I.O Farms imbroglio is not without a clear motive. The NDDC tractors, which were hijacked and kept by Ize-Iyamu in his now controversial I.O Farms will no doubt disappear, if Mayaki gets anywhere close to that environment. If stealing has a tribe in Edo, John Mayaki no doubt is the Crown Prince.
I rest my case!
Andrew Adaze, EMWANTA, Esq., JP

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