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CAN WE AFFORD TO THROW THE BABY AWAY WITH THE BATHWATER?
BY DR AKINDELE ALEX BABATUNDE
This piece emanates from my take on the unbearable dust that has rented the political atmosphere of Ilaje nation in particular in the last few months in respect of the happenings around the leadership of our Governor, Dr Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa.
As a concerned citizen of Ondo State and thoughtful son of Ikale nation, I must open up to the general public that I’ve murdered sleeps and suffered lots of nightmares.
Hmmmmm! ” Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown”. Let me say unequivocally here that our people are not good students of history. A mad man is better than an angry man in this circumstance.
A mad man is sensitive to death when he sights an incoming and fiercely over-speeding trailer but a provoked and heavily infuriated man is not.
There is a popular saying that “split milk isn’t worth crying for because it’s irrecoverable”.
To all our leaders, critical stakeholders’ and traditional rulers from Ilaje nation, I want to humbly direct this piece to you to be thoroughly meditated upon for action.
It is no longer a news that almost two decades ago Ilaje nation advocated to govern Ondo State and reeled out all their fundamental rights as entrenched in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the occupation of the seat of Governor in our dear state. God in his infinite mercy has given you Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa by providence and there is nothing anybody can do about that.
He who has ears should hear as the time has come to unmask some of the expensive misdeeds of some of our leaders in the name of politics; the associated consequences of their actions and inactions in the face of posterity.
Let me refresh our memory shortly about how late Dr Olusegun Kokumo Agagu governed Ondo State and the people responsible for his premature exit from office as Governor.
Of course, it wasn’t unconnected to the happenings around us presently in South Senatorial district of Ondo State and specifically the unbearable heat from Ilaje nation.
Let me put a popular Yoruba proverb on its feet for us to access “Man’s enemy resides in his home for he is the architect”.
Straight to my candid appeals. First, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa is presently the governor of this state and the point here is that he hails from Ilaje local government where the mainstay of this state is domiciled.
Decades of agitations and strives to be Governor from this region didn’t yield any fruit but the food is now on your table by providence.
What offense has God committed? Are we cursing God for this huge benevolence? I want to honestly appeal to our political leader, Chief Olusola Oke, San e’tal and all our traditional rulers from the riverine to put their house in order.
Let there be serial meetings to educate our wards on the urgent need to make very good use of this sacred opportunity.
Our leaders and other critical stakeholders’ ditto our traditional institution must use their instruments of leadership to usher in unity and cohesion that will birth and establish the vision and mission of Governor Aiyedatiwa in tandem with “Our Ease” in our region.
I doubt if we all know that we’re so backward in terms of infrastructure and all yardsticks of the presence of governance in our region. We need to embrace our own, support him with all our initiatives and back him up to succeed.
Furthermore, “perfection is of God and never of humanity”.
Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa is not perfect but I am convinced he knows what he is doing. Can a student learn under a very chaotic atmosphere?
Absolutely no! I doubt if our people from Ilaje nation really know that they’re making Ilaje nation inaccessible to Mr Governor.
Yes, his physical presence speaks more volumes than the instrument of power. The question some people will ask is that how does that stop him from doing the needful.
Of course, it’s really affecting him from doing the needful because a tree does not make a forest.
He needs us. Governance is a collective responsibility. We need crops of talents, expertise, professionals, advisory role and prayers to make him succeed.
Moreover, we must also relax our political emotions and other associated depressions in respect of what transpired in the last primary elections.
Though we’re humans and fallible but Mr Governor does not mean any evil nor meant to witch-hunt anybody as he justifies this disposition in the various stakeholders’ meetings held prior the primary elections.
Of course, the way, manner and approach the primary elections were being managed mighty not be perfect and this will no doubt pave way for future correction.
It’s high time we outlived the scars sustained from the outcome of the party primaries. We must be preoccupied and proactive on how to attain total reconciliation.
Our party’s unity and cohesion must be prioritized now. We must put our individual expectations behind us.
Future political permutations of who becomes the next Governor is not a priority now. Future is of God and not man. It’s only God that has the supremacy over the affairs of man.
It is very important to let us know that the capital of our State, Akure already has its own capital projects ongoing. We all know the infrastructural development that greeted Owo during the reign of late Arakunrin Odunayo Akeredolu of blessed memory.
It is also very audible to us the monumental medical facilities and other capital projects delivered by Dr Olusegun Mimiko to Ondo City in particular and Ondo State in general during his reign as governor.
Let us allow our own to look inward and do same. Our Governor still have 30 months to deliver the dividends of democracy to us here in the south if we rally round him and give him the required support.
Gone are those administrations when paucity of funds were the major impediment to achieving desirable development via good governance.
Of course, we have the resources and the human capacity can easily be deployed if the political atmosphere is urgently made enabling.
Before rounding off, I must reiterate here that Ondo State sees favour in the sight of Mr President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR by giving us three Ministers.
Hmmmm! The only way we can retain this gesture is to meet our target of at least a million votes.
The total votes that brought Professor Dayo Faduyile on board as Senator representing us in the Red Chamber during the last Senatorial by-election must be seriously improved upon. Imagine our party garnering 68,748 or thereabout votes in the entire South
Senatorial district .
How will this translate into our expectation in 2027 general elections for Mr President if the essence of this piece is not executed.
To cap it all, I must also say here that it is only if we put in our best and cast votes worth 400,000 for Asiwaju here from the South that we can grab one of these Ministerial appointment.
Once again, I want to urge the leadership of our party here in the south using Chief Olusola Alexander Oke,SAN as a point of contact to put this party in order through a well planned and objective reconciliation team for the accomplishment of this very important task.
Thank you and God bless.
Dr. Akindele Alex Babatunde is a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Okitipupa local government area of Ondo State
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