Nigeria as a country is considered to be a developing country with a large population of people, arguably the largest in the continent of Africa, extending to three major ethnic groups scattered across the four walls of the country – Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. This formation further gave birth to different children forming as states under the federation. This is after the traumatizing experience of the country in the hand of the colonial masters, who out of self-conviction, thought it to themselves, to be superior than the black and infiltrated Africa to conquer both their assets and conscience and left them with little to brag about, until they were able to hijack their freedom from the colonizers. It is after this engagement, Fifteen (15) years after, specifically February 3, 1976, that Ondo State found its way to existence.
Located in the South West and endowed with agricultural values, the story of the state has been that of a bittersweet. The political trajectory of the state starting from the days of late Gov. Adekunle Ajasin, to the late Olusegun Agagun, has been undergoing what could be considered as a steady development in the right direction. The people experienced a bit of ease in terms of education, even though the exposure was still tardy in that regard, and that continues under the leadership of Gov. Olusegun Mimiko, who beyond maintaining the status quo in the accessibility of education by all and sundry, extends his initiative to the health sector and spearheaded a deliberate charge for the revolution of health sector in the state. This trajectory seems to have suffered a setback at the end of Gov. Mimiko’s era, after the Late Gov. Akeredolu ascended the throne as the fourth democratically elected governor of the state, he resisted any alliance with free education and increased the tuition fees of the students significantly, a move that sparked a wide protest across the state from not just the students, but also the parents who were principally saddled with the financial burdens.
This is not to say that the late Governor did not build his own legacy, he advocated aggressively for the establishment of state policing, the agitation that eventually gave birth to Amotekun corps. This initiative has thus been received and adopted by many other state in the South West, even though so many people will not forget the Owo Massacre in a hurry and that it happened during his time. After him, is the current governor, Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who inherited his unexpired tenure before seizing the opportunity of being the incumbent to fire himself into power as another democratically elected governor of the state. Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s emergence was a child of circumstance, he wouldn’t probably be in the conversation at all, had it not been the factor that played out in his favour, and that is why he’s considered by many as a leader who was not really prepared for the herculean task of piloting the affairs of the state, it was just like a situation where opportunities had failed to meet preparation. During the 50th years anniversary, I listened to the admonition of Gov. Mimiko to him, encouraging him to lead the state well. It was very easy to conclude that the former governor hasn’t seen much in terms of achievements for him to be able to talk about, he had to revert back to analyzing the significance of the name “Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa“. It was a great analysis nevertheless, as it described the tale of his ascension to power succinctly well.
This anniversary celebrations is not about the leadership of Gov. Aiyedatiwa. It goes beyond any discourse that has to do with performance of the incumbent, it’s essentially about interrogating the historical overview of the state, and charting a new course for a more progressive and productive Ondo State, that can stand toe to toe with any state in Nigeria. Firstly, we must eradicate the spirit of docile and lukewarm leadership, and this can only be attained when democracy is embraced as it should be, as opposed to what it is currently in Ondo State. What is more worrisome is that one party system is now prevalent in the state, it’s looking like the system has now been configured to accommodate only the ruling party. This has been the case for a long time after Gov. Mimiko made that decision to dump Labour Party for People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He wanted to join Former President Goodluck Jonathan’s team, hoping for the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan who was eventually defeated by the late President Muhammadu Buhari. That decision was a big turning point. It completely changed the political narrative of the state as opposed to what it would have been, considering the fact that he ascended the throne with a relatively unpopular political party in the state by that time, defeating the incumbent, the late Gov. Olusegun Agagu. Iroko was probably preparing for life after his eight years tenure, he wanted to build a structure by aligning with big powers and that backfired greatly.
Iroko did not stop there, he wanted to take over the leadership of PDP in Ondo State, which he was entitled to by the virtue of being a governor, but you don’t go to a new place and start enforcing everything on your host. There should be a mutual respect and a profound application of wisdom in your engagement with issues. This is what Iroko apparently failed to show when he decided to impose a candidate on the likes of Senator Jimoh Ibrahim. This orchestrated internal dispute that violated the momentum of the party and gave a big leverage to APC led by the late Gov. Akeredolu who eventually took advantage of that situation by handing himself a landslide victory at the poll. As a governor, Mimiko gave a good account of himself, especially in his first tenure in office, but his ambition and personal flaws killed opposition politics in Ondo State.
It’s apparent that democracy is defeated when the people are mortgaged into a corner where they no longer have a choice than to flow in one direction. The intent of democracy is to have a system that houses different options available to the people. The late Gov. Akeredolu sounded this warning before death took him away, he was particular about the fact that everyone can not be in the ruling party. Today, in Ondo State, PDP has been reduced to nothing. The major ring leaders of the party are now looking for greener pastures somewhere else, and this has been the song for many years. Labour Party on the other hand has not regained momentum after Gov. Mimiko dumped the party many years ago. They keep blowing hot and cold, accommodating frustrated candidates that are seeking to borrow the platform to ventilate their grievances against their masters in the ruling party. This is a fundamental problem; it is simply dangerous to run a government where everyone would be thinking the same way, without any genuine demand for accountability from the duty bearers.
The people too have a role to play, they must resist any temptation that has to do with commercialization of elections. The conscience of the people must not be easily bought with a stipend. We can’t possibly have too many bad leaders when there are no bad followers. It’s the complicity of the people that has given birth to bad leadership that are now bearing more unwanted fruits all over the state. The anniversary must not stop as a mere feast that the present government has made of it without any substantial project being commissioned for the benefit of the people. The anniversary should serve as a wake up call for the people to rise up from docility, and start demanding for good governance, from all political office holders, both the executives and the legislators.
Semiloore Akinsulure, is a Writer, and a Media Personality.
semiloreakinsulure@gmail.com
