The leaders spoke in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Lagos, ahead of President Bola Tinubu’s swearing-in of new ministers on Monday.

The Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Lagos Chapter, Mrs Funmi Sessi, expressed optimism in Mr Simon Lalong, assigned the portfolio of the Minister of Labour and Employment, to do well, given his experience.

Sessi said Lalong should use the experience he had garnered as a former governor of Plateau State to also deal with the issues of labour.

“The future is bright with labour and Lalong as the minister, all things being equal, if he will not change, and with the good industrial relationship that he maintained with the labour unions in his state.

“I hope he will extend it to the labour centres in Nigeria, including Nigeria Labour Congress, all workers, not only in the public sector, but private as well; both formal and informal.

“This is necessary so that we can have the working people in Nigeria partake in the same wealth that they create; it will be a commonwealth, and that is our hope,” she said.

The labour leader said that the sector would need a minister with compassion, experience; one who was humane.

Sessi said, “Someone that will give all to ensure that he will create more ground for employment, productivity, high yield of productivity.”

Also, the Secretary, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, Lagos State Council, Mr Aladetan Abiodun, said the new Minister for Labour would be facing an inherited tense industrial space due to the fuel subsidy removal.

READ ALSO: The rumblings in Edo State, By Kazeem Akintunde

According to him, the removal has impacted negatively on all fixed income earners.

“I strongly believe that if this issue is not properly managed, it may snowball into full scale industrial crisis.

“It is precisely this reason that we want a minister who will hit the ground running.

“Also, we want the issue of the new minimum wage to be quickly settled; this is another area where we are going to need quick intervention.

“Furthermore, we hope under this new administration, the Ministry of Labour will wake up to some of its statutory responsibilities in the area of labour inspections.

“This includes bringing employers of labour who often breach their contract of agreement with employees to order, as well as ensuring that the laws of our land are respected, particularly by foreign companies who usually show utter disrespect to our labour laws,” Abiodun said.

The post What we expect of new minister —Labour leaders appeared first on Frontpageng.

This is the Year 2023! As the New Year comes, it is custom for people to look towards new things. Unarguably, improvement over the present has always been the desire of human beings. The same goes with nations, which collectively look forward to improving their lots. Just as human beings make predictions, nations, too, do make projections. With a particular reference to Nigeria, to say that her present situation is revealingly appalling is not an overstatement. So, she needs prayers for the cure of her maladies and the betterment of her future!

As Nigeria approaches the 2023 general elections, it needs to be noted that the mood of the season is not smiling. Generally speaking, the society has become more polarised along ethno-religious divides and theatrical performances. It is like a moribund situation! At the base of this are negative social indices such as terrorism, banditry, armed robbery, kidnapping and arson, all which have become frighteningly alarming! The pressures of Yuletide, fuel scarcity, among others, have not helped matters either. Even when the much-celebrated subsidy regime is alive and kicking, Nigerians are already feeling the pains of its looming removal. They are already bearing the brunt of a nation that’s blessed with so much but dwelling in the kingdom of ‘so little.’ To say the least, the country is at the tipping point!

So, our Father and our God, we beseech Thee, shower on our leaders the wisdom to dream dreams and the energy to pursue them to fulfilment.

Matter-of-factly speaking, events around us have again shown that empires, by philosophy, are destined to collapse. They rise and they go away! In the global civilisation agenda, democracy is also key! It is the only legitimate way of getting the impossible done! However, in this clime, the institutional attributes of democracy have been compromised. Hence its inability to yield optimum benefits to the people. For the wise, therefore, the destiny of an empire is enough lesson that what goes around must surely certainly come around.

Party discipline has taken flight in Nigeria. Of course, without party discipline, there can’t be reasonable order; and, without reasonable order, there can’t be feasible and sustainable development. Tragically too, the leadership of the Church has no clear vision as to what it should stand for. Hence, it’s being propelled by the sour broth of the passion and impulses of the political gladiators.

READ ALSO: The Mafia paradigm, By Abiodun Komolafe

The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo once said that in a society where dogs kill tigers, grave danger is on the prowl! Needless to repeat that Nigeria presently harbours a spiral chaotic social situation; and the social response of individuals, groups and social institutions has been largely negative, selfish, divisive and un-coordinated. Out of sheer ignorance, people are working against the interest and survival of the country. It is a chaotic situation with no remedy in sight. The emphasis here is about cohesion in a democratic society, not a concoction of forced orderliness through dictatorship or state-induced society-policing, which is outright repression. For Nigeria to survive, there must be collective political will to survive!  The more reason Nigeria needs prayers!

Time it was in Nigeria when seeing a corpse by the roadside was a major issue. Then, the affected local government officials would not only do all that was necessary to remove the remains in record time but also deploy environmental health experts to sanitize the area to prevent the possible spread of epidemics. Even traditionalists within the locality would want to conduct ‘special prayers’ to ward off evil spirits. Since times and things have changed, these days, watching in amusement while the victim groans to death has become a trophy for civilization.

In the olden days, if a report was made to a Local Government Chairman about dilapidated portions of a road in his or her domain, rest assured that he or she would not rest until such a road was fixed. These days, the chairman will even sponsor social media campaigns to discuss ‘Rome-burns-Nero-fiddles’ tales, just to divert the people’s attention and sway opinions from such a burning issue.

Many years ago, Professor Ango Abdullai described Nigeria’s university system as ‘a bottomless pit’, notorious for collecting money without producing anything. Well, that was many years ago! It is unfortunate that, many years later, the university system still produces nothing! While institutions of higher learning elsewhere are attempting, even solving problems of various patterns, what Nigerians have on their hands is a country whose town is being deliberately tormented by the gown. For instance, where is the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) in the scheme of resolving Nigeria’s socioeconomic woes and what’s its impact on the exchange rate currently threatening the country’s economy?

Once upon a country, Michelin Tyre Factory was sited in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and Dunlop was in Lagos State. Berec Battery, Hegemeyer, Chellarams, UTC Motors and others also pitched their tents in Nigeria’s future ‘Centre of Excellence.’ Ditto for Kingsway and Leventis Stores in Lagos and Oyo States!  Osogbo Steel Rolling Mills and Nigeria Machine Tools were established in Osogbo in the old Oyo State. Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited was in Kwara before relocating to Kogi State! At a point in Nigeria’s chequered history, we were not importing rubber because it was readily available in our backyard. Buying a good car battery wasn’t also a problem because Exide Battery, among others, was being manufactured in Ibadan. However, these industries have long walked away and it’s as if the gods were angry!

Compare also the contents of Coke in the 1980s with what we now have and one will realize that a society without firm control will soon become a lawless society! Yet, nobody is drawing world attention to what is likely to kill us dead!

Fellow Nigerians, this is a New Year! It is also another defining moment in the life of Nigeria. Precisely, it is a year power must change hands at her topmost political level! As a praying nation, we are optimistic that, with God taking the front seat in the affairs of dear country, the Year 2023 will bequeath to us fresh hopes and new gifts; new opportunities and new beginnings!

You’re the Prince of Peace! You are also our Buckler and the Key of Life! As we go to the polls early this year to elect new leaders for this ‘Giant of Africa’ and its component states, command peace to our country!

Great things, they say, start with little steps and those who cannot manage stardom cannot manage crises. So, our Father and our God, we beseech Thee, shower on our leaders the wisdom to dream dreams and the energy to pursue them to fulfilment. Grant them the wisdom to use the opportunity that the situation presents to become masters of brilliant ideas and innovations that’ll push development forward. In this hurting world of mixed fortunes, teach them to rearrange the eye of governance with a view to repairing the country’s problems. Grant unto them the power to picture into a future that is waiting to unleash its punishment for their failures.

You’re the Prince of Peace! You are also our Buckler and the Key of Life! As we go to the polls early this year to elect new leaders for this ‘Giant of Africa’ and its component states, command peace to our country! Deliver us; be our stay! Light our candle and enlighten our darkness. Gird us with strength and subdue under us those that rise against us. ‘Lift us up above those that rise up against us and let our cry come before You, even unto Your ears.’ Steer our country’s ship of state away from the locust years of uncertainty and ravenous culture of impunity and give us a Nigeria where, in the words of Governor Nyesom Wike, “every Nigerian can have hope of becoming something tomorrow.”

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria!

*Komolafe wrote in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)

The post 2023: Let us pray for Nigeria! appeared first on Frontpageng.

Originally, in the secular world, the State comes before the Church, because, by its institutional characteristics, it is the custodian of all other institutions. In other words, the State is the behemoth institution; co-existing, but superior to other social institutions. And that has been established since 1648! Thenceforward, the marriage between the Church and the State has been at the mercy of the State. The only exception is Rome, where a State exists within a State because the papacy is a state on its own.

In the United Kingdom, the Church legitimizes the State. Succinctly put, the Church is the legitimacy booster for the State. That is why, while the powers of the State protect the King or the Queen, the Church legitimizes the State. The more reason the King or the Queen can do no wrong! Again, that’s why, immediately a Prime Minister is elected, he or she goes to Buckingham Palace for the blessing of the King or the Queen. And the King or the Queen will normally approve the appointment of the Prime Minister, because it is both symbolic and a symbiotic thing!

Basically, though the State is always there to protect the interests of the Church, the unfortunate thing is that, in the Nigerian circumstance, the Church is now representing a sectorial capacity of the religious sector.

Basically, though the State is always there to protect the interests of the Church, the unfortunate thing is that, in the Nigerian circumstance, the Church is now representing a sectorial capacity of the religious sector. For instance, the Islamic faith is as formidable as the Church. As it is, the Bola Tinubu/Kashim Shettima same faith joint presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has so made the powers of the two main religions in  Nigeria become so antagonistic to each other that it is now the test of religious influence!

READ ALSO: Politics, governance and nation-building, By Abiodun Komolafe

It is also interesting to note that former Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State did add the reality of ‘Isese’ (traditional worship) to the mix, which, of course, is still within the purview of religion. Gboyega Oyetola, the immediate past governor of the state, did not betray the trust! In Osun, for instance, ‘Isese’ now has a recognized annual holiday attached to it. Impliedly, the indigenous religion is also qualified to be a contender to the throne. While the Christians may put forward an advice, the Islamic world will be willing to add its voice. Ultimately, the ‘Isese’ adherents, who also have the recognition of the State, will also want to be heard! So, it’s no longer the Church, solely.

With a specific reference to the 2023 elections, there’s a lot of confusion in the definition of Christianity in Nigeria. And it is deliberate!

Where also lies the place of the atheists and others whose interests are not captured in the present picture? After all, Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians, irrespective of creed or race. What’s more? Elective offices in Nigeria are supposed to be secular. That’s what Article 10 of the Constitution says! Yes, the atheists may not have the population with which to push through their wishes, but, within the context of liberality, even the Boko Haram insurgents have a reason to make a demand in a democracy!

With a specific reference to the 2023 elections, there’s a lot of confusion in the definition of Christianity in Nigeria. And it is deliberate! Take, for instance, the case of Peter Obi. As governor of Anambra State, it’s being alleged that he never gave non-Catholics free access, or Certificates of Occupancy to build their churches in the state. Added to Obi’s purported sins was that he almost chased everybody, who wanted to build a mosque in the State, away. As a matter of fact, these allegations have been appropriately documented and any Nigerian with disagreeing opinions has been asked to come forward and open up. Now, Obi as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) is a regular face at Pentecostal churches and congregations. As Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:2-3, doesn’t being a Christian go beyond being a churchgoer?

The post Church, state and 2023 general elections appeared first on Frontpageng.

Obviously, the problem with Nigeria is that there was never a time when an idea came that was nationally acceptable. Not a single one! So, it’s either a policy came to favour the North or appease the South. In other words, there was nothing that the people identified with. And so, that Nigeria has not been moving in unison towards a goal has been her trouble. Of course, that’s why she has remained more of a factionalized society; nothing but a recipe for chaos!

The hood does not make a monk! Again, whither Nigeria’s dyed-in-the-wool Awoists? Besides the donning of ‘Awo cap’, what else have they done to replicate the late sage, or surpass him?

One funny truth about politics in this part of the world is that it is at times a product of tricks, intrigues, resurgent pedestrianism, incensed screeches and incurably incomprehensible extraterrestrial distractions. It also involves some essential concoctions of backbiting and missed bullets. In our clime, politics becomes more interesting when a tinge of godfatherism, hypocrisy, betrayals, complacency and complicity take a comfortable seat. In most cases, fake personality, unremorseful manipulations and collective thievery have continued to serve as the lubricant for the bogus political machinery of public administration, which has left the people so viciously and virulently divided.

The late Muammar Gadhafi was once quoted as saying that he would not give his father a house until all his peers’ portions would have been served. And he achieved it! Somewhere, somehow, the world became afraid of the man who loved his people and the only ‘solution’ to the problem was to get rid of him. And he was assassinated! Thenceforth, the seed of discord took a tap root in Libya, and the country has remained in turmoil ever since! At any rate, sincere Libyans would have by now found out that they were fooled! But then, why did Libyans allow the dream to die with the dreamer and why has Libya not been able to find her feet, years after Gadhafi’s murder?

READ ALSO: Revisiting Nigeria’s political trajectory, By Abiodun Komolafe

When former Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State reportedly told Nigerians that he was going to be greater than Chief Obafemi Awolowo, some people took offence! But, instead of asking what the man had to offer, he was shouted down. Talking seriously, ‘Ogbeni’, as Aregbesola is fondly called, ought to have been encouraged to be greater than Awolowo so that somebody else would someday come and aspire to be greater than Aregbesola!

The hood does not make a monk! Again, whither Nigeria’s dyed-in-the-wool Awoists? Besides the donning of ‘Awo cap’, what else have they done to replicate the late sage, or surpass him? For instance, Awolowo died and the lofty ideals embedded in his ‘Free Education’ safety net went astray! He wrote books for posterity; yet, the so-called Awoists could not walk a man through his philosophy! And on Aregbesola, what eventually became the fate of ‘Opon Imo’ which, in saner climes, would have helped in revolutionizing the education system? Had the innovation been conceptualized and promoted by Awolowo, wouldn’t Nigerians have also allowed the ‘Tablet of Knowledge’ to die?

It is no longer news that Gboyega Oyetola also led an unusual government in Osun State. He did not borrow a dime to run his administration. He also did his best to block leakages, which no doubt made a lot of people very angry. Under Oyetola, life became something else for the kingmakers, the hangers-on and the entitlement syndrome promoters even as those who had been looting our common patrimony with demonic affection were sent back to the labour market to look for jobs. As we can see, the ark of Osun’s destiny has been moved into the house of new owners and controllers. So, Nigerians wait to see how events unfold!

When the veteran journalist, Dele Momodu, stated that anyone aspiring to become Nigeria’s president must have started at least 30 years ago, he was no doubt interrogating the attributes and the determination of a would-be Nigerian president. Momodu was referring to a man who must always be watching his investments even as he must also be watched by the people. Politics aside, Bola Ahmed Tinubu knew where he was headed. So, he started very early in life! The presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) knew that he’s a man to watch; as such, he started very long ago! He knew he would need money to realise his dreams and he created structures for making money! He knew he would need the people on his way to attaining that height and he has for long been building quality people!

Safe for some storms in a teacup which, in any case, cannot but be, it remains a fact of life that, while Tinubu was busy imagining the future that was to come, others were either sleeping and snoring, or, at best, “carousing in the midst of women of easy virtue and men of low morals.” When he was spending money to ensure that it’s well for dear fatherland, some men thought that the ‘Jagaban of Borgu’ was one rash, wasteful ‘money-miss-road’ individual whose financial contributions were only meant to serve the best interests of groundnut and popcorn. Is it any wonder that some 10-for-10k naysayers are now using shadowboxing to explain the strategies of the sturdy realization of the ‘Emi Lo Kan’ dream?

If we like, let the next president come with magical powers from heaven. The best feat achievable will be like the one achieved by Awolowo. But, immediately he leaves office, everything will fall flat like a pack of cards.

Nepotism! Favouritism! Federal Character! I have argued repeatedly that fixing the society, or the structures of the society, is not just about the structures of the society but about the society itself! Take for instance, how can an admission seeker into, say, Ahmadu Bello University pass JAMB entry examinations with high grades, yet he’s denied admission because he is from Lagos or Ekiti State; that he can’t be offered admission because a certain percentage of the admission seekers, whether they pass or not, must come from Kaduna State and other so-called educationally-disadvantaged states of the federation?

To deal with the challenge on our hands therefore, what Nigeria’s handlers need to do is identify the pendulum and the complexity of her problems; then, come attacking them at the same time. It’s only when all hands are on deck that the systemic approach can work. Since the weakest link in the chain is actually the de facto status of that very particular system, all one has to do to disrupt an entire system is to hit the weakest link; and the whole system will give way. In other words, until we strengthen the resolve for a central goal, to which every other part of Nigeria can subscribe, it is better we forget about development. If we like, let the next president come with magical powers from heaven. The best feat achievable will be like the one achieved by Awolowo. But, immediately he leaves office, everything will fall flat like a pack of cards. It’s like a vision dying with the visionary!

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria!

*Komolafe wrote in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)

The post Politics, governance and nation-building, By Abiodun Komolafe appeared first on Frontpageng.

On Tuesday, September 27, 2022, Governor Oyetola assented to the law seeking to upgrade the College to a full-fledged institution of higher education. According to the governor, the “carefully conceived as a thoroughly entrepreneurial and innovative” University of Ilesa was “not a product of fanciful effort” but “a thorough and rigorous interrogation, characteristic of the culture of deep engagement” which his “administration is known for.” According to reports, the assent was the joyful culmination of a journey straddling over-40 years.

Until we go back to the drawing board, Nigerians will continue to clap with one hand, even if one million ‘Emi lo kan’, or ‘Atikulated’, even ‘Obedients’ become Nigeria’s First Citizens!

Now that University of Ilesa has come to stay, what next? To start with, the southwest zone in the context of Nigeria is perhaps the foremost region to embrace western civilization, just as no region can compete with the Northern part of the country in the area of Islamic orientation and civilization. For the SW zone therefore, the idea of having a university and the longing for it could not have been lower than that of the other zones of the country. Impliedly, the agitation for, and the location of a university in the heart of Yorubaland, especially, in Ijesaland is long overdue. Let us thank God that there are neighbouring towns where our children can acquire university education; but then, that Ijesas have an enduring sentimental attachment to western education is as true as ever. It is like Ekiti purportedly having the highest number of academic indigenes occupying professorial chairs, both at home and in the Diaspora.

Yes, Ijesas might not have produced the number of professors like Ekiti but, sentiments apart, the former are unbeatable in terms of being socially immersed in the transformatory philosophy and enlightenment benefits of education. Take it or leave it, the average Ijesaman takes pride in the virtues of education. So, it is a good thing that the Oyetola-led government decided to give this sub-ethnicity of the Yorubas a befitting University. One can only hope that the promoters of the proposed Federal College of Agriculture in Ijebu-Jesa, my Native Nazareth, would also fast-track the processes leading to its establishment to complement Oyetola’s noble effort.

As fate would have it, the few antagonists to the establishment of this new University are people outside the beautiful landscape of Ijesaland. Of course, there’s no doubting the fact that the spinners of insidious logic who are notoriously trying to destroy the threads of communal togetherness woven together over a long period of time are doing so for obvious crass negativism. It’s simply because the Pharisees who cry even when they don’t have tears must come up with something to catch their fancy.

READ ALSO: The Mafia paradigm, By Abiodun Komolafe

Of a fact, the funding of our education institutions in Nigeria remains problematic. Had it not been so, there would have been funds sufficient enough to train our brilliant students abroad and bring them back to the country. Singapore, under Lin Kuan Yew, did it! In the United States of America, General Motors once approached Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), over the problematic electrical circuit of one of its SUV type cars. General Motors funded the research and MIT demonstrated how the gown could be relevant and empirically useful to the town.  In the end, the world was better for it! When Yew was struggling to educate the Singaporeans, he was already an ex-Oxford. Unfortunately, here in Nigeria, the opposite always has its way. Isn’t it sad that the educational qualifications of our leaders are oftentimes questionable? Of course, it’s that bad! It is therefore time Nigeria’s universities thought along this inspiring line of problem-solving, not just gathering students in a classroom for the purpose of vomiting turenchi and savouring tales by moonlight that have no bearing on our communal survival.

Talking specifically, the sad truth is that the people are not weighing the enormity of the challenge before us. Gone are the days when, before one graduated from the university, the goodies of life were already at one’s doorstep, beckoning one to accept mouth-watering job offers. These days, parents sell their belongings to train their children up to the university level only for their graduate-children to return home to continue being fed by their parents. Those who feel uncomfortable with this pathetic arrangement simply embrace ‘yahoo-yahoo’ business scam, and the society continues to suffer crossness, even from foreign countries! In the midst of these, our leaders send their children to private schools in foreign countries. Imagine the children of the poor who have been at home in the last 8 months due to the avoidable industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Isn’t that enough to trap a country’s future in a darkroom of indistinctness?

It therefore behoves governments across board to make sure that education truly pays. Otherwise, people will no longer be motivated to study, but rather succumb to the social vices that guarantee survival. There and then, stealing, banditry, kidnapping and ritual activities will become a routine because people want money. Even, if the government decides to visit the celestial planes to hire angels to man our anticorruption posts, once ‘ise la fi n d’eni giga’ (work is the antidote for poverty) fails to achieve its aims, the society will be ruined and we will all live to regret it. If we ruin the legacy of university education and allow the thriving of ‘yahoo’ business; then, the importance of education will become totally repudiated. Why? A student who is in school must have a focus and a thrust at the back of his mind; that, one day, he must be able to feed himself. It’s the absence of this thrust that fuelled #EndSARS, especially, when the youth saw that they left school only to go back home only to become liabilities to their parents again. But, here we are, in the throes of a system that’s already been rigged against them.

Still on Ijesaland’s new baby, let it be in the consciousness of the Nigerians that, apart from just having schools, Osun State will also attain greater heights if only it has the intellectual capacity

Perhaps more importantly, it is the notion that we should not embrace education that has energized the presentation of rubbished school certificate holders as leaders. If we begin to rubbish education, we will continue to produce and reproduce nincompoops who will sooner rather than later aspire to become presidents of Nigeria. If we don’t reverse it – if we continue in our unwholesome art of thievery; if elections continue to be upturned by the courts based on technicalities rather than merit; and if our leaders prefer being Wikileaks-compliant to being of help to the downtrodden – we will only be postponing the evil days. Until we go back to the drawing board, Nigerians will continue to clap with one hand, even if one million ‘Emi lo kan’, or ‘Atikulated’, even ‘Obedients’ become Nigeria’s First Citizens!

Still on Ijesaland’s new baby, let it be in the consciousness of the Nigerians that, apart from just having schools, Osun State will also attain greater heights if only it has the intellectual capacity; and the intellectual capacity can only come from a well-funded and focused University, such as the new University of Ilesa.

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Osun State!

*Komolafe wrote in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)

The post The political undertone of Ilesa Varsity, By Abiodun Komolafe appeared first on Frontpageng.

Being a former British Colony, Nigeria had the political misfortune of being bequeathed with a public administration system that was based on ‘Migrated Social Structure’; and it could not have been otherwise. After all, it’s the only systemic public administration structure known to the British. Consequently, and right from the outset, the tools of public engagement at all levels, in particular, struggled with the norms and values of Nigerians. Absent the domestication of the intrinsic norms, ethics and usage of the colonial administrative system over a period of time, the emergent system acquired a life of its own; deformed, or, at best, a compromised caricature. And, despite intermittent and laborious attempts at reforming its bureaucracy, this compromised system and its attendant systemic anomalies have only continued to advance exponentially at the expense of the professed developmental agenda of Nigeria’s founding fathers.

Think about policy options that have turned the Nigerian state into a series of sociopolitical accidents and one will find out that the kind of leadership a country gets will determine how far it can go!

Put differently, although the gamut of the extant government machinery is said to exist to serve the public, in reality, it provides services for the privileged class and the well-connected members of the society through the determined pace, mercy and direction of the public and civil servants. Against this background, democracy as a form of government will still have to be interpreted and powered by the State’s bureaucracy as it deems fit. Beyond the definition of the concept of democracy, its interpretive understanding and the political orientation of the power elite, political gladiators and the power-brokers are the motivational factors driving government performance.

As things stand in Nigeria, our democracy cannot but reveal certain and peculiar tendencies. For instance, though we identify our bureaucratic structure as a democracy, it doesn’t have to conform to what obtains elsewhere. Here in Nigeria, democracy is huge business; and only the rich and the well-connected run for elections into her critical public offices. Extant laws against excessive funding and spending notwithstanding, stupendous amount of money is always expended by our politicians and public office seekers on this four-year routinized exercise. Political participation is made attractive and possible through money, and only the moneybags are the authentic players. This is reinforced by the whet and insatiable appetite of political jobbers and party officials who are always out for pecuniary rewards. The masses respond to money and not manifestos, ideas, or political ideology. Yet, we call the system, ‘democratic’ even when a system which selectively disenfranchises participants cannot be said to be truly democratic. The major snag is that the so-called democratic institutions that are supposed to correct these anomalies are also part of the problems. So, who is fooling who?

Talking about deep pockets, there is no doubt that they possess the power to create their own pattern; and that pattern is called ‘entitlement syndrome’. For example, those delegates who became ‘accidental millionaires’ just because they served as delegates at the last party conventions in Nigeria might have learnt some lessons about politics to the extent that if there’s going to be another round of presidential party conventions in the next four years, the operational code will have been horned, since some participant-delegates already knew how lucrative it was to be a delegate. So, chances are that selection of delegates in 2027 will be a battle to the finish. Then again, the piper payers who have surreptitiously established – and are oiling – the syndrome will jerk up the rate at the next available opportunity. It is normal with human beings!

Be that as it may, the beneficiaries of the largesse are not likely to see it as if somebody has done, or is doing them a favour, but more of what they are entitled to. So, this creates a pattern which makes it difficult to have good governance, because the money that is expected to be used to promote it is already frittered away on other issues. Of course, once this is created, it has the means of creating a pattern; and, once that pattern is created. The society will only be shouting! It is what has led to vote-buying! So, when the electorate start accusing the government of negligence or incapacity, the reasons, in part, are as adduced above.

In development, one of the first things to look at is pattern formation. Had Nigeria been a serious country, the pattern of development she’s had was enough for development. Should anyone want to draw a chart, or compare stuffs about dear fatherland, all one has to do was to interrogate the pattern with a view to drawing informed conclusions. For example, successive military coups have come with a promise to curb the excesses as well as right the wrongs of the politicians. Looking back, how many of those wrongs have been righted? How many among their promises have been thwarted and how many of those excesses have remained with us till date? As if the gods are angry, successive leaders have merely succeeded in scratching the wrongs on the surface; nobody has uprooted anything. And that’s why we are where we are!

Events, as they unfold with each passing day have shown that, in a compromised democracy, corruption is a necessity. Once the system is no longer working the way it should, corruption becomes the driving force. It becomes the oxygen. The likelihood of even the rights activists succumbing due to intense heat from the fire abject poverty is very high. So, to think that those who have spent their life savings will not, on getting into political office, strive at recouping their expenses is to embrace the philosophy of the idiots. How can they truly afford to develop the society? Besides, it is not in their objective interest to develop the society, because, if they do, corruption will start waning; and when it does, their business can’t thrive again! After all, sustaining an amorphous system demands oiling the machine; and oiling the machine means accommodating more corruption. When a system works as it should, fraudsters won’t get work to do. But interestingly, the fraudsters have taken over. So, corruption has taken a sunken taproot. And, in order to sustain that corruption, one needs more money. Since those who are corrupt are also conscious that there will one day be a stop to it, they can’t but be aggressively in a hurry to make all the money before ‘kasala’ eventually bursts.

Ours is now politics of cliques and nuclear families. I doubt if any of us can be qualified to be amongst the extended relatives.

Think about policy options that have turned the Nigerian state into a series of sociopolitical accidents and one will find out that the kind of leadership a country gets will determine how far it can go! It is also sad that leadership in this part of the world has become more like a cult; a game for every Dick, Tom and Harry. Ours is now politics of cliques and nuclear families. I doubt if any of us can be qualified to be amongst the extended relatives. To borrow the late Obafemi Awolowo’s words, what we have is ‘ojelu’, no longer ‘oselu.’ We are where we are because our system allows the emergence of certain and preferred leadership to manage the affairs of the country. Again, that the Nigerian society has ebbed to the point of a home-grown anomie is no longer news. Hence the only way to arrest it is to truthfully arrest it; and by that, we mean a total overhaul, which starts even from the family.

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria!

*Komolafe wrote in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)

The post Democracy, deep pockets and their ramifications appeared first on Frontpageng.

However, the Osun State Chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to boycott the elections because they would “be wasteful” as well as run afoul of “the provisions of Section 28 of the Electoral Act 2022.”

From the look of things, Osun PDP seems to be a lone ranger as other political parties have concluded plans to field candidates for the elections. According to the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), the ‘umbrella’ party “is just one out of 18 political parties in the state.” As such, “its action … neither affects the integrity nor the credibility of the scheduled elections.”

From the look of things, Osun PDP seems to be a lone ranger as other political parties have concluded plans to field candidates for the elections.

In the events leading to the January 27, 2018 LG elections, I had written an article, entitled ‘Osun and the gospel of parliamentary democracy’, to comment on Section 22 of the Local Government (Administration) Law Cap 72A, Vol. 4, Laws of Osun State 2002 (as amended) which at the time constitutionally ratified parliamentary system of government for Local Governments in the state. The law has now been repealed to pave the way for a new law. ‘The State of Osun Local Government Areas Creation and Administration Amendment no 5 Law 2022’ has returned the presidential system to local government administration in the state. A new law, ‘The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2022’ was also enacted to allow OSIEC to “have its own law to guide and regulate its conduct.”

Of a fact, Nigeria’s political trajectory – from 1960 till date – is one that has culminated in the current chaos, lack of development and all sorts of social malady in our society. They are all the combined results of the kind of politics we have played. For instance, instead of preaching fire and brimstone sermons, condemning the Constitution-backed polls, why can’t Osun PDP work at putting its house in order? For God’s sake, it’s less than two months that the party arguably won Osun governorship election. So, what has suddenly changed? If it is that solid on ground; and, if it indeed won the people’s hearts, then, it shouldn’t be difficult to replicate the wining magic; except there is more to it than it is willing to tell the masses. It makes no sense that the party is anxiety-stricken simply because the incumbent governor, whom its candidate just defeated, is planning an election. What if at the end of the ongoing litigations, the court rules that there should be a rerun of the last gubernatorial election, does it mean that Osun PDP is not so sure that it will win?

As for the legality or otherwise of the polls, let Osun PDP stop its terrifying screams and allow a court of competent jurisdiction to adjudicate on the matter.  Essentially, instead of needlessly heating up the polity and expanding the frontiers of groundless rumours, it should tread the path of maturity. That’s how to make our democracy work!

While Osun PDP may be afraid of a woeful loss, should it partake of the elections, it is not in doubt that some members of the ruling party must have by now seen the folly of their contributions to the party’s uninspiring outing on July 16, 2022 and may want to tap into the anointing of the forthcoming exercise to salvage the situation. And we all know what that means!

Whichever way, Gboyega Oyetola remains the duly elected governor of Osun! Do the naysayers therefore expect him to sit down, idling away, without performing his roles as enshrined in the Constitution? If the PDP wants to willfully task the tolerance of Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution or insult the collective intelligence of the judiciary as espoused by the Supreme Court judgements of May 7, 2021, why not allow the sitting government to ‘commit the error’ and wait for an opportune time to ‘torment the error’ in the law court? If the party wins, the elections will be upturned and thrown into the trash can for new elections a la Osun PDP specifications to be organized.

READ ALSO: The Mafia paradigm, By Abiodun Komolafe

In any case, one can only hope that the government that’s planning the elections has also rectified the fault lines allegedly troubling the inner workings of the ruling party. Otherwise, let it be known that, even the Ogedengbe Agbogungboros of the ancient times would never go to war without consulting the oracles and plotting the maps. Wake Benjamin Franklin, Max Weber, even Aristotle up from their graves and one will be surprised that these philosophers would wish to learn at the feet of our revered Yoruba legends. It is rather sad that there are no vital documents detailing the war exploits of these brave and wonderful warriors. Otherwise, one would have realized that their prowess bellied the Franklins’. Sadder that their achievements died with them as a result of the level of civilization at the time!

All said, there is something about elections, and it is that they either bring along with them new orientations or entrench existing ones. In Nigeria, for example, once there is an election, expectations of assured benefits to the participants are always high. Matter-of-factly speaking, such stuffs not only encourage political participation but also give the participants a sense of belonging. The understanding or lack of this essential feature is usually a factor in winning or losing elections. For example, yours sincerely was in the Osun APC Media Situation Room for the governorship poll on August 9, 2014 when former Governor Bisi Akande phoned me to express appreciation for my little efforts even as he advised on new tasks. It is therefore a statement of fact that the systemic management, accommodation and collaboration of efforts of all political functionaries go a long way in engendering significant cohesion.

Finally yet importantly, the nature of elections in Nigeria is one in which the people become hyperactive because they understand the game to the extent that, even, recruitment into the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as ad hoc staff has now become an issue.

If there’s no internal harmony, trouble looms! If the flow that gives the people a sense of belonging and encourages participation loses its rhyme and/or rhythm, then, success may be on a long trip. If cohesion is on strike, professional politicians will be on the prowl. One of the prominent features of such people is that they are neither permanent friends nor permanent enemies but agents of permanent interests. And those interests are for the sustenance of their respective families!  Since nothing in our democratic settings or political practice points towards patriotism, they are propelled more by lust for power than by quest for service. They also depend more on dints of luck than instincts of gut.

Finally yet importantly, the nature of elections in Nigeria is one in which the people become hyperactive because they understand the game to the extent that, even, recruitment into the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as ad hoc staff has now become an issue. Even, university professors are now part of it! So, who will tell a professor not to cut corners, especially, when he or she realizes how Sections 65(2)(a), 106(c), 131(d) and 177(d) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) have been tormenting the destinies of elections, even appointments into political offices in Nigeria?

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Osun State!

*Komolafe wrote in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)

The post Much ado about Osun LG elections, Abiodun Komolafe appeared first on Frontpageng.

To those who have been asking for my views on the last Osun governorship election, let me confess that the keenly contested election is a story worth telling. Deservingly so, yours sincerely will give a bird’s-eye view at an appropriate time. Soon! Surely!

That said, there is something about political orientation in Nigeria, which is also affected by the level of civilization. Inside that civilization are the levels of literacy and standard practice of the people’s norms and values. Whenever we mention politics, what is in the mind of an average Nigerian is an abstract phenomenon, yet, critical to public administration; it sure means different things to different people. To some, politics is just about how to grab state resources in a legitimate manner. So, people seek politics for the sake of power, and the only way to go about it is to play politics; that is, being involved in the structure of politics. To some people, anything goes in politics; even, rules and standards, by not obeying them, is politics. So, apart from its standardized definitions, politics is what the player or the political gladiator calls it, as long as it is soothing and convenient to his or her interest.

In the Nigerian context, the way leadership emerges is in itself problematic. It may appear seemingly democratic but, if it is stripped of its niceties, it will be discovered that leadership emergence in our clime has very undemocratic principles.

Again, politics already domesticated carries other attributes and these attributes can only be located within the context of the culture of where they are domesticated. For instance, if politics is defined by the ancient fathers as ‘who gets what, when, how’ (Harold Laswell, 1936); and the ‘authoritative allocation of value’ (David Easton, 1965), still, it has its own attributes. After all, politics enables one to get certain things done subject to certain intrigues. It also helps one to bend the rules, especially, if one plays it right. In that context, people make peculiar choices and induced policies are also churned out. The summation of all these things is exactly what is now happening in Nigeria.

In like manner, governance is administration, and administration itself is hinged on leadership. Impliedly, the type of leadership we get is the kind of government we have. The kind of government we get is the kind of administration that will be given to us. Obviously, it boils down to leadership. In the Nigerian context, the way leadership emerges is in itself problematic. It may appear seemingly democratic but, if it is stripped of its niceties, it will be discovered that leadership emergence in our clime has very undemocratic principles. Take for instance, for anybody to emerge as a presidential flag-bearer of a political party in Nigeria, he must fulfil some conditions. To put it mildly, these conditions have already disenfranchised millions of other Nigerians. In other words, what is required, when one looks at it, is not a level-playing field at all.

According to Amartya Sen, poverty becomes prevalent where there is ‘unfreedom’ on the part of the individual citizen to make a free choice of economic or political activities, which is independent of the State’s influence. In Nigeria, political choices are seldom free. Oftentimes, choices are made by the mass of citizens from the system-restricted options. A system-structured political party produces a restricted option of candidates, making the probability of outcomes purposively known and predictable! Invariably, the outcomes of the people’s choices are fairly and predictably known because the people are given guided options. While the systemic control makes the idea of an ‘independent candidate’ alien to Nigeria, the systemic restriction in Nigeria makes it impossible for certain classes of citizens to attain the privileged status of being voted for in the general elections.

As things stand, Nigeria’s political space is populated more by accidental democrats and opportunistic contractors, and they have been shown the way to riches. The powerful people have structured political emergence in such a way that it will perpetually fit their profile and those projected to become leaders! For example, it is they who organise the delegates and it is they who feed them. Since it is they who ‘settle’ them financially, they also direct the delegates with regard to the direction of their (the delegates’) votes. As we can also see, ability to understand and process issues will always be central to the choices that are made. For God’s sake, how many people can afford N100m just to pick a presidential form and how many people can service the delegates in terms of reality?

READ ALSO: Revisiting Nigeria’s political trajectory, By Abiodun Komolafe

Yes, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) provisions stipulate a certain amount of money to be paid to each delegate as an honorarium. Even at that, how many people can boast of it in a domestic economy with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) currently standing at $440.78B? How can an individual pay that kind of money to, say, 1000 delegates? To be more attractive, and to edge out other competitors, the demands of delegates have even become enhanced, and ostensibly dollarized. Just think about it: can yours sincerely afford such a luxury. Who dash monkey banana? Yours sincerely who, despite his life struggles and commitment to nation-building, still has no roof of his own over his own head? Anyway, that’s a discussion for another day!

Undeniably, these stumbling blocks have not only rendered the process undemocratic but also inexplicably maniacal. At the end of the day, what it means is that the societal system has already selectively determined those whose ‘birthright’ it is to lead this fractured microcosm. That’s why ‘papa’ leaves office and puts his ‘pikin’, because it is only the son who has grown all the features that can make him an heir to the throne. Of course, that is why democracy in Nigeria is graphically defined as ‘government of the rich to favour the rich while perpetually keeping the poor in hopeless unfreedom’.

Going by the last party primaries in Nigeria, when one takes a cursory look at the number of people who wanted to rule Nigeria, one then begins to wonder where the country is truly headed. No thanks to the subtle political elimination culture which, more often than not, disqualifies qualified persons from standing for elections due to the State’s inbuilt inhibitions! The system would have so incapacitated them that their voices cannot be heard. Even if such people have noble ideas, the only place they can gestate will be in the ‘other room’. The tragedy of it all is that it’s a system which gives Nigerians limited options. So, it’s either one queues behind ‘Emi lokan’, or get ‘Atiku-lated’, or simply become ‘Obi-dient.’

As things stand, Nigeria’s political space is populated more by accidental democrats and opportunistic contractors, and they have been shown the way to riches.

When trust between the late Obafemi Awolowo and Ladoke Akintola came under severe strain, until it got to a climax during the First Republic, Awolowo’s position – that he was after development – was clear to everybody. But what was Akintola’s excuse? Well, it was more of a battle for survival and prominence. In other words, politics was reduced to the level of ‘who’s the superordinate’ and ‘who’s the subordinate’? If it were to be that SLA wanted a certain development plan implemented and Awo was opposed to it, the story would have been different.

The question now is: even after most of the political gladiators of the First Republic have died, has Nigeria been able to climb out of the morass into which she was sunk? Till tomorrow, some things have remained central; and they are the sin, sinfulness and the insatiable smartness of the political class. Sad that what we now have on our hands are appropriate errors of empty spirituality wrapped in the exhibition of ecstasy.

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria!

*Komolafe wrote in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)

The post Nigeria, political choices and consequences appeared first on Frontpageng.

Taking Osun APC as a case study, even a fool in the party would know that the outcomes of the elections did not satisfy everybody. And the truth is: there’s no way it could have satisfied everybody! But then, this is where we will know the difference between a party man and a passerby; between real members and mere wannabes. Therefore, since the party’s interest and ‘will’ are superior to that of any individual, all conflicts must be resolved to its advantage. Members must ensure that they close ranks; for that’s the only way the party can be strengthened. This becomes important because, once the party exists, it provides the needed platform through which political agitations can be articulated and appropriately channelled. Besides, whatever it is that agitators don’t, or can’t get now, subsequent elections will provide it. But, if they ruin the party, it becomes weakened and the process of rebuilding it is not a Tea Party! What’s more? There may be no platform upon which to contest again. So, it is not just about fighting for the soul of the party in the present, any untoward stuffs will be tantamount to running its future.

Bluntly stated, those who won the elections at various levels must learn to be humble. They must learn how to be magnanimous in victory so that it doesn’t hurt the other man who lost.

Still on Osun APC, to say that it doesn’t have a lot of work to do is to be economical with the truth. To this end, every issue that is pending and contentious must be resolved before the governorship election, either at the party level or caucus meetings. Since accruable political benefits to members, induced loyalty and associational spirit of members to the party help sustain the notion of party supremacy, it therefore implies that, no matter how small, or apparently insignificant a grievance may be, the leadership of the party must not run away from resolving it, amicably. At this point, any aggrieved member must be settled and he who believes he has lost something significant while running after the party’s interest must also be assuaged in a way that’ll show that the party is fair to all. If this is not done, chances are that it may be difficult to bring non-committed members on board on the day of the election. Predilection for distancing themselves from the polling units cannot even be ruled out, if they don’t see their matters as being effectively handled.

In politics, little things count! A good politician is always regarded as a man of the people. While seasoned utterances and matured mannerisms are virtuous attributes, humility must also not be too far from him or her. Bluntly stated, those who won the elections at various levels must learn to be humble. They must learn how to be magnanimous in victory so that it doesn’t hurt the other man who lost. If a man is not mature, it may be difficult for him to reconcile with anybody. What it therefore means is that the aggrieved should be persuaded for peace to reign. One should become a sheep even if the other is proving too difficult to handle, rewardingly. Anything short of that can only lead to more troubles.

Take for instance a petition written against Seun Odofin to the National Working Committee of the party by a group of people in Ijesa North Federal Constituency in the heat of the primary election. Well, whatever the situation, that a petition was even written against his candidature was a hydra-headed palaver which, if not efficiently and effectively dealt with, might lead to thorns and thistles on the way forward. Until stumbling blocks are effectively removed, the cynics may never find anything good in the victorious candidate. Yes, Odofin has done a lot in the upliftment of the living conditions of the people of the Federal Constituency! Yes, he has facilitated hundreds of solar-powered light panels to its rural areas! Yes, he has paid school and examination fees for indigent students and done empowerment programmes for the constituents more than anyone else! Yet, ‘ota eni kii pa odu oya’ (to one’s enemy, every success is always a futile attempt). Since the horse of an enemy is never adorable, those who have already made up their minds won’t see anything good in that labour of love, unless fences are mended. The more reason it is essential for the aforementioned issues to be addressed in the overall interest of the party in particular and the state in general. The other possibility may be better imagined. If it’s too late, damage control may no longer work.

By the way, what can we say of the political misdemeanor of posters removal currently tearing Osun apart? Well, it’s not that it is entirely new but the troubling truth is that it is moving towards a frightening dimension. Overnight, before people wake up in the morning, posters of candidates of a political party have either been defaced, or removed altogether. This is amateurish in the practice of party politics and whosoever is involved or guilty of this misbehavior should desist.

Political parties must come up with manifestoes that are sellable. They must come up with ideas and programmes that will endear them to the hearts of the people. The capacity to attract votes, seriously speaking, does not really lie in posters. For the records, the involvement of posters in political campaigns was an invention of psychologists. It came at a time the people didn’t rely so much on research. To the inventors, when a prospective voter keeps seeing a picture every time, it registers after a while. And when such a person gets to the polling booth, he or she is most likely to remember that face and vote for that person. That’s the argument behind posters. They simply don’t have any other serious defining implications on who wins what in political lexicons.

Opposing aspirants are also said to be uniting behind the party’s prime interest and working for the re-election bid of Governor Gboyega Oyetola. This is good for democracy. It can only get better!

Where politics is practised, based on issues, nobody will remember a poster. The funny part of it is that it has become a subject of counter-accusations; allegedly a product of tit-for-tat! In the interest of peace in the state, whosoever is responsible for posters defacement in Osun should stop forthwith! It is giving the State a bad name!

Lastly, reports from the nooks and crannies of the state are pointing in the direction of neighbourhoods, communities, wards and constituencies, one after the other, and Local Governments in their numbers coming together, reconciling and pledging their loyalty and support to the party. Opposing aspirants are also said to be uniting behind the party’s prime interest and working for the re-election bid of Governor Gboyega Oyetola. This is good for democracy. It can only get better!

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Osun State!

*KOMOLAFE wrote in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)

The post Osun guber, APC primaries and other stories, By Abiodun Komolafe appeared first on Frontpageng.

In 2018, I wrote a piece on the then governorship candidates of the leading political parties in Osun State. In the article, entitled ‘Osun: Picturing into the future’ (ref: The Nation, September 18, 2018), I tried to showcase each candidate’s quality as well as what his candidature meant for the peace and progress of the ‘State of the Virtuous.’ The election took place on September 22, 2018.

Evidently, a lot has happened within the last four years: one of the candidates eventually became the state governor and he is almost completing his first term in office while another has gone to ‘acquire’ a university degree somewhere. Some have gone a-shopping for greener pastures elsewhere while others have simply returned to the mundane routine things of life – politics of the belly! In all, while some hold the notion that politics globally is a by-product of permanent interests, not permanent friends, to others, vying for governorship office in this part of the world is akin to a ceremonial ritual. Whichever option, life continues!

As another round of governorship election draws nearer, a section of Nigerians is already of the view that, since Governor Gboyega Oyetola has been at the helm of affairs in the state, his governance profile makes him a sellable candidate

As another round of governorship election draws nearer, a section of Nigerians is already of the view that, since Governor Gboyega Oyetola has been at the helm of affairs in the state, his governance profile makes him a sellable candidate; that, mutatis mutandis, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate has the experience of 4 years as the state governor; plus 8 years as Chief of Staff under the immediate past government. To them, if anything, the next four years could only offer him an opportunity to improve on the extant enviable delivery records of the goods of democracy, because it won’t be his lot to start learning the ropes again.

Frankly, it is easier for somebody to propose that he’ll pay salary arrears, if elected as governor. It is however a different ballgame when he is confronted with, say, the state’s monthly Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), placed, side-by-side, the overheads of one or two Ministries. These are some of the things to be considered by the electorate before they mortgage their votes, because it will take another four harrowing years before it can be changed.

Also on the ballot is Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Words on the street refer to him as a compulsive giver. But, to the larger majority, the administration of a state is beyond being a nice man. Having won his party’s renomination, the ‘Dancing Senator’ was recently quoted as boasting that he would be going into the election to spend ‘not only naira but dollars, pounds and euro”; and that, “this time around”, it would be “fire-for-fire.”

Well, while the unwritten implications of Adeleke’s outburst are frighteningly nauseating, what remains unclear is what he is hoping to reap when he gives those hard currencies. More than that, Nigerians are interested in knowing what the candidate is investing in, sources of the funds and the rate of returns. They are also wondering who subsequently owns the state treasury; and with what will the state be run? In a word, Adeleke’s statement suggests that politics and elections in Osun State are run by money; that victories in elections are secured with big bucks; and that the prize goes to the highest bidder.

Next is Akin Ogunbiyi of the Accord Party (AP). A businessman and an Insurance magnate, the 59-year-old Agricultural Economist-turned-politician is the Group Chairman of Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc., which commenced operation in 1995. Among other things, Ogunbiyi has promised to “ensure full industrialization” of the State, if elected as governor.

Again, it is not in doubt that the AP candidate will be going into the contest with a rich experience. He also has the international clout, which is an added advantage to governance matters any day. Neverthelesss, the touching truth is that governance goes beyond fantasizing. For example, to industrialize a state like Osun, the people must buy into the vision, which feelers from the State reveal he hasn’t done much about. Will it not be suicidal if, at the expiration of, say, 3 months in office, there are no tangible things to show to the electorate as the industrialization of the State?

On good authority, the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Yusuf Lasun is an acknowledged mobilizer who understands the essentials of street politics. Jokes apart, the Ilobu, Osun State-born politician and the immediate past Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives is one of Nigeria’s nouveaux riches with the resources to actualize the dream of a governorship status. Even so, the stain on his ambition is a function of the solidness of his influence. Needless therefore to repeat that Lasun is living in old glory! He is banking on his past popularity profile. Yes, he was asked to negotiate his way out in the 2018 Osun APC governorship primary election; but the former Federal lawmaker insisted on going for the exercise. At the end of the day, it only revealed his popularity a dismal fourth or so on the ballot tray. Now that he is contesting again, he will need to work hard to swing any surprise.

Goke Omigbodun of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) is an architect and a priest of the Anglican hue which, as God would have it, is also my denomination. In fairness to posterity, the former chairman of the Osun State Property Development Corporation has a nice pedigree and appears a gentleman. He is brilliant and a church person. But, much as these qualities may help tame some of the known excesses of the average politician, managing a state as complex as Osun is not something that can be achieved from a wishful thinking. It goes beyond merely enriching one’s personal career profile.

Without being a prisoner to sentiments, Omigbodun is well-known in Osogbo, the state capital. But then, that there is not much about his legacy in the public domain is a statement of fact. Whether he will also perform in office or not is presently unknowable, empirically.

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant the governorship flag-bearers the wisdom to uphold the ‘Omoluabi’ ethos for which Osun State is renowned!

In the merits of the above, one can only wish the gladiators in the forthcoming election, slated for July 16, 2022, the best of luck. It is hoped that they would shy away from acts that are inimical to the creeds of democracy and good governance

On the whole, the central rule of democracy is the voter turnout, neither the wads of cash nor wattages of lies with which covetous politicians are always tempted. Besides, leadership structure in civilized democracies is pre-planned: you cannot just go and pick an imbecile from the street and ask him to lead a country or state. Yes, such a ‘candidate’ may be popular and … have deep pockets. He may well extemporaneously speak and arouse the mass of the people easily. To the uninformed, those are sufficient qualities of leadership. However, they would have forgotten that diplomats would one day decide to pay courtesy visits to the national or state government. Regrettably therefore, it is the classlessness of the society in this part of the world that has damaged the reputation of leadership. It is the reason the system has found it difficult to breathe. The unrivalled artificiality and unmistakable lack of creative vitality among the handlers of Nigeria’s affairs are the reasons we are like children who squandered hope. The truth of the matter is that only God can save us from our pretentious ways!

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant the governorship flag-bearers the wisdom to uphold the ‘Omoluabi’ ethos for which Osun State is renowned!

*Komolafe wrote in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)

The post Who wins Osun governorship election? appeared first on Frontpageng.