“…Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?” Luke 24v18 (KJV).
What is going on in Ekiti goes beyond a political office or scramble for it. It goes beyond the bric-a-brac at every political cycle, with its suffusing grandstanding, wild claims and promises to deceive. Ekiti, in its usual out of the box tendencies, may be writing another template or blueprint for governance for those who seek office to serve the people, and it’s heartwarming that it is the right one or the long-awaited blueprint that would always make leaders accountable and purge them of the penchant to take the led for granted in a manner that has become habitual!
Now, let’s get to the point, it is not only in a love relationship that you ask a partner the now popular question, ‘what did you bring to the table?’. It is even more poignant a question to ask in a relationship between a leader and the led, that is, as a leader, what are you bringing to the table? What’s your pedigree? What speaks for you with the people? How have you deployed the ‘talent’ to deserve more?
In Ekiti State, as the race to Oke Bareke Governor’s office gets to an unnecessary frenzy because of those who think Ekiti people are still stuck in the old place where they can be easily befuddled and nose-led, they are getting the shocker of their lives. For the first time the people are standing in one voice, clear about where they are going and committed to the course; and I mean the critical segments of the people from the elite to the hoi polloi. Koseleri!
But this did not just happen. It’s no magic, like a conjuring from the magic wand of Professor Peller (of blessed memory) or a spell cast on a people, akin to what happened in The Sleeping Beauty of the old Ladybird series. It’s a response to promises kept and a fitting and commensurate payback in return.
For the benefit of those who may not know or have forgotten in the frenzy of politicking, or worse still, who failed to see a paradigm shift in an emergent leader-led relationship in Ekiti; before the current governor came on board via election in 2022, he chose concrete interaction with the people over fancy campaign jamborees. He engaged in one-on-one engagements with real constituents, voters, people, Community Development Associations, town unions, resident ethnic groups, professional groups, the aged and youths/students blocs, and many others.
In those meetings, critical concerns/needs were discussed and assessed, agreements reached and MOU signed, figuratively speakjng though. A gentleman agreement sort of. The interactions were firm and candid on what was/would be doable and what’s not, with understanding extracted and promises made, often with timelines for delivery. Again, Koseleri!
No guile, no high falutin, flowery embellishments, no high sounding cliches, no empty campaign mantras; pure transaction between a committed leader and trusting followers.
Little wonder that on election day in most places across the state, polling had ended before noon, and you could guess the result. The people had put their money where their mouth was! The man who had a contract with the people won the day! One part of the deal delivered. The usually vulnerable side!
Now, to the other side of the contract, that is, delivering on promises made. Only an ingrate or one nestled in bad politics would deny what Governor Biodun Oyebanji has been doing in the state in the last three years. From roads, yes roads, to electrification, health, special focus on special education and people living with disabilities, to what looks like a revolution in agriculture, development in arts and culture, unsurpassed investment in human capital development, that straddles both workforce and retirees as well as a general peaceful environment for investment occasioned by deliberate policies on ease of doing business, anything short of the general acclaim or applause for Governor Oyebanji as it’s being witnessed now would be a breach of contract from the people!
To be specific, how would one expect the people of Gbonyin area to react to an administration that cured their towns and villages of perennial darkness by restoring power supply that had been down for more than a decade in some parts? In fact it was said that any child who was less than 14 years of age may be seeing public electricity for the first time in 2023-24.
How would the residents of omisanjana-ajebandele, De-Head-Faglo, Moferere, GRA 3rd Extension, Obisesan-Oke Ala-Basiri, all within the state capital, whose communities could now boast of well tarred road access and a boost in their investments and businesses, react to a government and Governor who made it happen?
What should be the reaction of transporters and commuters who ply the ‘completed-at last’ Ado-Ifaki road, a supposed federal road with the longest reconstruction history, spanning more than a decade and a half!, rehabilitated Ado-Ilawe road, township road in Ikole Ekiti, soon to be completed Ita-Awure- Okemesi road, Ido-Ile-Okemesi road, Ikere-Igbara-Odo road and the many farm roads and Rural Access and Agriculture Marketing Project(RAAMP) roads that have brought back life to farmers and others in the agric value chain.
Now to agric proper, with over 6,000 youths onboarded in the Bring back our Youths to Agriculture programme, who now have their own farms after getting cleared lands, farm tools, seedlings, takeoff grants and off-taking opportunities from government, a generation of young, active, enthusiastic and proud farmers is springing up in Ekiti. These include a youth corps member (NYSC) from Benue State who only came to Ekiti for his compulsory youth service but has decided to stay put, not because he got an oil and gas or banking job here but unprecedented support from the government to own a cassava farm and start life on an independent pedestal! Or a lady farmer who specializes in tomatoes and in just three seasons was harvesting tonnes of tomatoes on her farm, or a fish farmer, who had no prior experience but got trained and his products are already being exported. They now count their blessings in millions and there are thousands of them in farm clusters across the state! They are beneficiaries and poster youths of what a well thought-out policy backed by sincerity and commitment could do to transform lives!
What of investments in the health sector which include, rehabilitation of eight general hospitals, upgrading tertiary health institutions and numerous primary health care centers, beyond brick and mortar to include modern equipment, recruitment of qualified healthcare providers, improved remuneration and encouraging work environment.
I wonder what should be the disposition of government workers and retirees under pension, to a government that has enhanced their status with payment of backlog of arrears of various emoluments, consistent payment of owed pensions and gratuities through enhanced disbursement of funds to clear the backlog dating back to more than a decade ago, and just recently, an enhanced minimum wage for workers which has been adjudged as one of the best in the country.
Not to be left out of the equation are people with special needs, including children in special schools who now enjoy ‘special’ status in the state as a result of the Governor’s unpretentious focus on them and their wellbeing. They now have improved schools, professional handlers, standard equipment, means of mobility and above all an atmosphere of love, inclusion and sense of belonging that exude from the body language of Mr. Governor himself and which no one could toy with!
Meanwhile these are just a tip of the iceberg compared to what’s on ground and ongoing in the state in an effort to fulfill promises made and keep in focus the vision of Shared Prosperity of Governor Oyebanji’s administration, where no one is left behind in a novel, trust-backed, inclusionist agenda.
So, when you are confronted with the gale of endorsements of the magnitude being experienced in the state, from almost all strata of the society, rooting for Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s second term in office, they are actions engendered by the desire to make good their own part of a contract. In this case, it’s not just the mantra of one good term that deserves another but one good contract seen to conclusion in good faith! This is not too common in a polity where campaign promises are seen as mere feel-good romance and nothing more!
Or, if what you see or notice is the resilient push-back from the people against any other potential contestant or wishful claimant to the governor’s office, it is unforced! but a vote for certainty, an acclamation for performance, loyalty to a promise keeper and an endorsement of good work, to continue!
In essence, the age of sweet-tonguing the electorate for votes may be over. The era of mounting the soapbox to spew rhetoric and excite the crowd to get their votes, only to turn your back after the election leaving them in the lurch is over! It is even more heartwarming that Ekiti is leading the charge in this renascent movement of holding leaders to concrete, measurable contract and rewarding them for staying the course and keeping the bargain, at the appropriate time. In Ekiti Governor Biodun Oyebanji would be the first beneficiary of this new deal, come October 2025 at the primaries and then ultimately in 2026 at the polls, and this no doubt would be the template for office seekers in Ekiti going forward!
Old Winston Churchill once said, “To every person there comes in their lifetime that special moment when you are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to you and your talents…”
Oyebanji has seized the moment. He has performed creditably. His work speaks for him. He will be rewarded accordingly!
I ask again, What are you bringing to the table?
Kanmi ‘Toye, Writes from Ile Obanurin, Odo-Ese, Okemesi Ekiti.
