ONDO STATE: AS AKEREDOLU MOUNTS THE SOAPBOX

contributed to obbyopsy by Omosowone Ayodeji/ leave a comment

Good evening , There's an old British Telecom advert then that: " it is good to talk.....", and today, I'm in the spirit.

Like Winston Churchill said, ''Truth is incontrovertible. Panic may resent it, ignorance may deride it, malice may distort it, but there it is. Because there's nothing greater than the truth." Again, De Casseres made a remark that, "the profoundest instinct in man is to war against the truth". So I won't be surprised if some people chose to get miffed with this piece. Such is life!

Later this week, a new governor will mount the soapbox in my state to take his oath of office which comes with its own concomitant responsibilities. Ofcourse, there would be wild jubilation and numerous accidental lyrical compositions from his party faithfuls like it was that lovely morning of February 23rd, 2009, when the Court of Appeal in Benin, Edo state capital upheld the verdict of the 5-man election petition tribunal led by Garba Nabaruma and declared Gov. Olusegun Mimiko winner of the April 14, 2008 guber election.

That was the last time power changed hands in the state.

The ineffable joy that heralded Mimiko's coming was surreal and uncommon. As a matter of fact, even the giddiness of the celebration precipitated the death of some people and lamentations for their families. Ofcourse, we were rused by the outward profundity and the continuous repetition of the phrase, "I will ensure...." by the new governor, to the extent that we expected from him a magical revolution that would transform the whole state.

At his inauguration, the slogan: "ise takun takun"-hardwork, came on board without anyone able to decode the seal within that gobbledygook expression.

As there's free shuttle buses for school children, building of Mega schools and ultra-modern markets in the 18 local govts that make up the state, so also, there were other pulchritudinous projects going on at the state capital.

After four years, we seemed not to know the true Iroko. Mind you, not as a bastion of bad leadership but as a governor with a lot in stock for us. So, we voted him in the second term. Something that has never happened before in the history of Ondo state.

Few months later, the steam started cooling down like melting dew and before long the mumbling turned to moaning and grunting. As the race for Primary School Certificate began, so the termination of workers' employment followed. The payment of salaries and bursaries in arrears precipitated responses ranging from caustic vituperation, incoherent bile to well-articulated angst and rebuke of the governor.

As a matter of fact, unemployment now become dangerously massive. We are one of the richest states with the highest number of unemployed youths in the country now. But thanks to the Buhari's N-power programme now.

Even if we're to commend him for the engagement of youth participation in his administration by virtue of his jumbo S.A empowerment throughout the state, and for changing the facades of the State Capital to those common in different conurbations in the country, can those in the North and South that hasn't seen power supply since the last 6yrs, or those deprived the chance of having seaport forgive him?

Without doubt, in these past 8years of Mimiko in Ondo state, our journey has not been easy or rosy. Though some few people experienced a sudden political and pecuniary turn-around but what you'll see on the faces of the majority before the November guber election was a picture of a helpless people hankering for the Messiah. Perhaps that's why his candidate was rejected and the people fell quarry to the APC's 'see and buy' stratagem.

Anyway, the odyssey is over now. I know the governor by now has realised, like the mythical Medusa that he castrated lives, dreams and ambitions of so many- via upper crust arrogance and ignorance but such is life.

But then, it's saddening to see a man we so loved like him play politics this tragic way. It completely negates everything he purportedly stood for. But what do we know? Beyond sound bite and political correctness,only God understands why things turned this way. It may be to teach other leaders lesson that power is transient.

Anyway, we are going to witness by Friday for the first time a seamless transition between civilian to civilian government in the state. I just can't wait to hear our new governor resonate some powerful rhetorics like:

"My dear people of Ondo state. I appreciate you for the emergence of this government.......together we will heal the wounds. Together we shall work to deliver good government to our people.

My people, ours is for the restoration of the hope of the people and to apply a redemptive balm on the excruciating alienation of the people of this state after 8 years in the throes of Mimiko's inflicted pains and labyrinth of economic haemorrhagic pillage".

(You sabi lawyers nah...smiles!)

My people, no matter the grammar, as far as I can see, aside the fact that the governor-elect said it will take hardwork to surpass the track record put into public service by the outgoing governor, there's not going to be any big difference between this Mimiko's government and the incoming one. Reason that the various investigations and interests of the APC as a party in Ondo state's wealth confirm the suspicion that some individuals invested in the race to occupy Alagbaka not for the betterment of the state but simply for personal gains. Forget the 'Change' and 'Think Anew, Act Anew' mantra. They are just mere chicaneries.

Notwithstanding, I want to advise the newly elected governor that a good image is everything and he should be ready to create a good one for himself, by addressing as a matter of urgency the issue of non-representation at the NDDC, power supply in both the Northern and Southern parts of the state, neglect of the agricultural sector, reformation of the educational system and the issue of unemployment in the state rather than concentrating on probing the outgoing governor as some people want him to do. No man is perfect, and there can never be any except God. Mimiko should just be left to his conscience, after all, those who pillaged this state before him are no more. So, he should make his achievements in the last 8 years become the incendiary prod that would spur him to do better. Though that doesn't mean that looted shouldn't be substantially retrieved but it should be done with caution and as well in a way that bestiality may not rejoice over humanity.

OMOSOWONE AYODEJI writes