Diran Odeyemi: Long in Tongue, Short in hand – Ademola Oke

Diran Odeyemi’s recent interview on Agidigbo FM’s “Oselu Gbode” was an opportunity to correct past missteps. Instead, it became a platform for further self-inflicted damage because of his being mealy mouthed and narrow thinking. Rather than mend fences, he deepened existing cracks with a display of inconsistency and unguarded speech.
His remarks bespeaks a man unable to exercise restraint, one who allowed emotion to override judgment.

The programme exposed not just his grievances but a pattern of indiscretion he himself admitted to—openly confessing that he once divulged confidential information in a bid to curry favour. That singular act continues to define the trust deficit surrounding him.
Much of his outburst was directed at Governor Seyi Makinde (GSM) and Alhaji Adebisi Olopoenia, both of whom appeared to be his sore throat that dominate his thoughts throughout the interview. Yet, in his criticism, he conveniently ignored the goodwill and opportunities he had previously received—an omission that weakens his argument and raises questions about selective memory.

His sweeping assertions and predictions lacked grounding, coming across more as personal vendetta than reasoned analysis. It turned everything into a yellow humour. The tone suggested not conviction but frustration—fuelled by a belief that others must share his disposition toward loyalty and betrayal.
Particularly troubling was his dismissal of Adebisi Olopoenia with derogatory labels. Such remarks reflect poorly on the speaker, not the subject. He dismissed Olopoenia as a stark illiterate and a political merchant. He failed to own up that our self-styled, educated parrot could not march Olopoenia in achievements.

This is what is called sheer serendipity. Achievement, after all, speaks louder than insult, and public discourse demands a higher level of decorum.

Whilst Odeyemi is still struggling to build a house, paradoxically, the illiterate Olopoenia is by jove a owner of high rising buildings.
In the end, the interview did little to rehabilitate his image. Instead, it reinforced a long-held perception: that of a man whose words often outrun his discretion.

As the saying goes, “least said, soonest mended”—a maxim that, if applied, might yet serve him well . Unfortunately he is longer in tongue- a vacous rhetoric and shorter in hand- a verifiable achievements despite his years of servitude.