OSUN IN 2013: THE BEST IS YET TO COME

Gov. Rauf Aregbesola

It is true that the state of Osun has experienced tremendous changes that earned the state recognition nationally and internationally first as the best manager of the education ministry through the collaborative efforts of the governor Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola and his amiable deputy governor Otunba Grace Titilayo Tomori who double as the commissioner for education in the state. The Federal Ministry of Environment did not fail to give kudos to the state for its proactive steps on the flood control by giving the state an award for it performance.

In the poverty index of states Osun comes second, thus positioning the state as the second best managed state in Nigeria. Osun is also rated as the state with the lowest unemployment rate in Nigeria by the National Bureau of Statistics. Infrastructure development in the state is noticeable everywhere you turn to. Agriculture revolution is afoot.

The late American President Abraham Lincoln once said “nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character give him power” Why did he say so? He said so possibly because as a man who once tasted power he knew that power is the true test of character. Power in the hands of a person with integrity, is highly beneficial, whereas power in the hands of a tyrant is disastrous. The people of the state of Osun are now in the best position to judge whether this administration has benefited them more than the ousted administration. It is difficult to find a household that has not benefited directly from Ogbeni’s administration. That confirms Lincoln’s philosophy on the true test of human character.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo on October 6th 1978 while accepting the presidential candidate nomination of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) stated “the office of the President carries with it enormous obligations and responsibilities. It is not at all an office of pleasure, nor is it one of unmixed pomp and pageantry. On the contrary, having regard to the democratic setting in which the office will be held, having regard to our present economic, political and social circumstances, having regard to the legitimate yearnings, and the crying and pressings needs of our people…it is an office which, to make real success of it will,ipso facto demand, from its incumbent, a kind of industry, self-discipline, public probity, tolerance, vision and sagacity which have no precedence here in Nigeria. So it is clear that the Executive Presidency of Nigeria is an office which should not be adventured, light-heartedly, recklessly or with one’s mind suffused and dominated with self-regarding, ethnocentric, or tribal prejudices, predilections, and partial affections”. The Awolowo’s philosophical statements are applicable to the office of the governor as well. The office of a governor is not a tea party affair if much impact is to be made on the lives of the citizenry.

So the message to our good political opponents who want to wrestle power from the incumbent Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola of the state of Osun is a message of goodwill, a message with self-examination, for Aristotle that said life that is not self-examined is not worth living. All political aspirants to the political offices have their rights guaranteed under the Nigerian constitution and it makes the political arena more interesting if it is conducted in accordance with the rules. However the big question is do you possess the quality of a good leader? How many of us after the mandate might have been given will be industrious, self-disciplined prudent, tolerance and sagacious?

Aregbesola is unique and that explains why his administration is unusual. Given the funds at his disposal, and the level of the peasant economy of the state it is amazing the record of achievement so far recorded when compared with the immediate past administration .

It is not a fluke to be adjudged the second best state managed state considering the position of the state on the federal allocation table and the position of the state in previous ratings. Osun is the 34th state on federal allocation table and was the worst state in the South West geo-political zone poverty and unemployment index of 2011 which was based on data collected in 2010. That confirm astute leadership.

There is an old saying that says “champions don’t become champions in the ring they are merely recognized there”. Aregbesola made his mark in Lagos and the office he occupied under the able leadership of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu left a remarkable impact that has not been surpassed till date. Just as he puts his life on the job over there the same he is doing today in the state of Osun. Aregbesola reminds one of the famous quotes of President Theodore Roosevelt which goes thus “it is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Roosevelt was known for action, of all the leaders his nation has ever had he was one of the toughest- both physically and mentally- Ogbeni Aregbesola shares these attributes with Roosevelt. He works atimes round the clock, nonstop, just because he was in a hurry to right what was wrong by the past administrations.

According to the governor “in our state this very year”2013 “is very significant for us. Every politician operating a four- year political calendar knows that the third year is crucial. That is the last year for an incumbent to impress the electorate. This year therefore will be the culmination of the silent revolution that had been going on in the four corners of the state, We have exerted much efforts in job creation, agriculture, education, culture and tourism, roads, rural development, healthcare, social welfare, youth development, urban renewal and so on. These are overwhelmingly coming to fruition this year. It is indeed the year of great deliverance for the people. It is going to convince our people beyond any shadow of doubt that government indeed is serious business and will make the desired impact when serious people man it.

This year will therefore bring the consolidation of the first phase of our pact with the people and the beginning of the next phase in our development march in Osun.” The governor is optimistic that the prospects for success is there and that the year will better the previous ones. The optimism of the governor is based on the planning and the programs that his administration has put in place, for instance the Lagos food exchange market is put at #3.5 billion per day and with the railway services the O REAP Osun Rural Enterprise and Agriculture Programme is expected to feed the Lagos domestic markets and bring to the state nothing less than 2.5 billion naira to the state weekly this in turn will positively affect the funds that will be circulating for the development of the state. The #30 billion bonds already secured will also go into capital projects and given the financial health check of the state according to the capital market Osun will certainly be the best in the coming financial year.

The youths will also have cause to smile as the recruitment of another 20,000 batch of youths will soon be announced bringing succour both to the youths and their parents. Politics therefore to the people will be what it is ; government of the people for the people and by the people .

Conclusively, this government therefore is “working on a sustainable growth and development process that will transform Osun and situate it at a level far, far beyond what it is now” all the government is asking the good people of Osun is understanding, cooperation and goodwill which will certainly foster the much expected all round development. That is maximum good to the maximum number of people. This administration has become a phenomenon due to the fact that the schemes being executed has made International Institution like the World Bank to commend the state and has as well attracted the UNESCO and Federal government agencies, leading to one award after the other, like our Northern brothers will say ‘wa nna ba wasa ba” and the Easterner will put it this way “this one no be joke o” and the Yoruba will conclude it as “ o ko ja awada” all means it is not a joke. We therefore offer our hands of fellowship to our friends in other political parties in the state to join this Soul train. We are going on a journey that is open to all who love and cherish good governance as well as development to team up with us .

> Yomi Obaditan-Osogbo-Media Aide to the governor of state of Osun