Edo Govt Backs Okpebholo’s Tinubu Cap Directive, Says It Will Empower Tailors

 By Temidayo Akinsuyi

The Edo State government has dismissed criticisms trailing Governor Monday Okpebholo’s directive to members of the State Exec­utive Council (SEC) to wear President Bola Tinubu’s signature cap, describing the controversy as unnec­essary and misplaced.

It even noted that wear­ing Asiwaju’s cap will even create more work for tailors.

Governor Okpebholo had, during last week’s Ex­ecutive Council meeting in Benin, urged his commis­sioners and aides to em­ulate President Tinubu’s dress sense by adopting his trademark cap style, saying it was a sign of solidarity and alignment with the ide­als of the ruling All Progres­sives Congress (APC).

“I will not forgive any commissioner that is not wearing this cap. In our exco meetings, if you are not wearing a suit and you are coming to the meeting without this Asiwaju cap, you will go back.”

His comment, which was intended as a lighthearted gesture, however, sparked widespread reactions on social media, with critics accusing the governor of trivialising governance.

Commissioner for Infor­mation and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, who spoke to Daily Independent on Monday, said it was sur­prising that some Nigeri­ans chose to focus on trivial matters instead of engaging with issues of governance and development.

Afegbua explained that since members of the State Executive Council were ap­pointed on the platform of the APC, they were expect­ed to demonstrate loyalty to both the party and its national leader, President Bola Tinubu.

“Why do people take very serious issues that don’t even concern them?” Afegbua asked. “Before you become a commissioner in this state under the APC government, you must be a member of the party. You must also defer to the leader of the party, President Bola Tinubu, and buy into the Re­newed Hope Agenda, which is the campaign mantra of the APC.”

He added that the party’s traditions and symbols, in­cluding its anthem ‘On Your Mandate We Shall Stand’, serve to strengthen unity among members, and that the governor’s suggestion was meant to promote ca­maraderie, not controversy.

“So, if the governor re­minds us to wear the insig­nia of the man who leads our party, should that both­er anyone? Does wearing Asiwaju’s cap stop us from performing our duties as appointees? The answer is no,” he said.

Afegbua described the public backlash as an exam­ple of misplaced priorities, insisting that the comment by Governor Okpebholo was made jokingly to light­en the atmosphere during a meeting.

“It was just a little re­mark to spice up the mo­ment, yet some people have turned it into an issue. Why drink Panadol for someone else’s headache? Are we complaining? Are you a commissioner complaining on our behalf ?” he queried.

The commissioner stressed that members of the Edo State cabinet re­main loyal to both President Tinubu and Governor Ok­pebholo, who is the leader of the APC in the state.

“Some of these commen­taries are just laughable. We should focus on serious mat­ters that add value rather than dwell on trivialities,” Afegbua continued. “If you look at it from another per­spective, wearing Asiwaju’s cap will even create more work for tailors. It’s still con­tributing to the economy.”

Afegbua urged critics to allow the government to concentrate on delivering good governance to the peo­ple of Edo State, emphasis­ing that symbolic gestures of party loyalty should not be mistaken for misplaced priorities.