The recent statement issued by Governor Ademola Adeleke, in which he dismissed the economic blueprint of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Asiwaju Muniru Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO), deserves a sober, fact based, measured, data anchored, objective, and policy grounded response. Public discourse thrives when ideas are debated on their merits, not caricatured for political convenience.

Governor Adeleke’s condemnation of AMBO’s proposals rests on three claims: that the blueprint is “outdated,” that it threatens “capital flight,” and that it seeks to “reverse current gains.” A closer examination shows these assertions are neither substantiated nor reflective of the document in question.

1.⁠⁠ Innovation is not measured by incumbency
Governor Adeleke repeatedly labels AMBO’s ideas as “old school.” Yet innovation in governance is not defined by novelty, but by effectiveness. If AMBO’s blueprint contains elements similar to existing initiatives, that is not evidence of backwardness; it is evidence that certain reforms are universally recognised as necessary.

For example, who dares dismiss Awolowo’s blueprint on education, health, rural integration, and industrial development as obsolete in contemporary Nigeria, when those ideas – crafted over seventy-five years ago – still surpass many modern policy proposals in clarity, coherence, and national relevance?

And if we must linger on this tired accusation of “old school” thinking, it must be stated that the foundational assets, institutions, and economic philosophy that later crystallised into the Oodua Conglomerate in 1976 were the very pillars erected under Awolowo’s visionary premiership in the 1950s and early 1960s through the Western Nigeria Development Corporation (WNDC) and other regional enterprises – pillars so robust that they were merely inherited and consolidated twenty six years later without anyone daring to label them “old school.”

Besides, economic planning is not proprietary. Tax harmonisation, industrialisation, digital expansion, and public private partnerships are standard pillars of modern subnational development. To suggest that only the incumbent administration may speak on these issues is to misunderstand democratic competition.

2.⁠⁠The Lagos corridor argument is a misrepresentation
Governor Adeleke’s claim that AMBO intends to “tie Osun’s economy to Lagos” misrepresents a well-established economic principle: regional integration drives growth. No state in the South West can achieve optimal development in isolation. The Oodua framework itself rests on interdependence, shared markets, and coordinated infrastructure.

Its intellectual foundation dates back to the 1940s, when Awolowo reinterpreted Yoruba civilizational values into a modern political ideology that championed true federalism, regional autonomy, education as liberation, welfare-based governance, and industrialisation with rural integration – ideas that became the ideological backbone of Yoruba political consciousness.

AMBO’s proposal to leverage the Lagos–Osun economic corridor is not a call for capital flight; it is a call for capital attraction. Lagos is the commercial nerve centre of West Africa. Tapping into its value chains, logistics networks, and investment pools is not a betrayal of Osun; it is a strategic advantage. States like Ogun have successfully used this model to expand their industrial base. Osun should not be denied the same opportunity.

Awolowo’s Western Region thrived because it embraced inter-state economic corridors, linking Ibadan, Lagos, Ijebu, Ondo, and the cocoa belt into a single productive ecosystem. This was the hallmark of Awolowo’s economic genius – local strength, regional reach, global relevance. AMBO’s blueprint reflects this same balance: strengthen Osun’s internal productive capacity while connecting it to larger markets. Prosperity grows when states connect their markets, not when they isolate themselves.

3.⁠⁠Criticism should not replace accountability
Governor Adeleke lists a catalogue of achievements – some commendable, others still unfolding. But achievements do not exempt an administration from scrutiny, nor do they invalidate alternative visions. Describing AMBO’s blueprint as “imbecilic” lowers the tone of public discourse and avoids the real question: Are Osun people better served when multiple economic pathways are debated, or when dissenting views are dismissed outright?

Democracy flourishes when citizens are confronted with competing visions of the common good, not when one side seeks to shrink the public square through labelling, name calling, mischaracterizations, misrepresentations, distortions, distractions, smears, or the quiet poison of subtle sabotage.

4.⁠⁠ AMBO’s Blueprint addresses structural issues the current administration has not resolved
While the Adeleke administration highlights progress in digital economy initiatives, tax digitisation, and cooperative financing, Osun continues to grapple with deep structural challenges – including a narrow industrial base, high youth unemployment, underutilised agricultural potential, weak inter-state trade linkages, and a private sector whose confidence remains too fragile for sustained growth.

AMBO’s blueprint seeks to confront these challenges by expanding Osun’s economic footprint beyond its borders, strengthening value chains, and positioning the state as a competitive player in the regional economy. These are not retrogressive ideas – they are forward looking strategies grounded in economic reality.

Conclusion
Governor Adeleke’s criticisms of AMBO’s economic blueprint misrepresent the intent, content, and strategic logic of the proposals. Osun deserves a campaign season defined by ideas, not invectives and innuendos. By drawing from the Awolowo template, AMBO’s blueprint stands on a foundation of tested, historically successful economic principles. It is not a retreat into the past; it is a revival of the only subnational development model in Nigeria that has ever delivered sustained prosperity.

Good ideas do not expire. The Awolowo model remains relevant because it is built on fundamentals that transcend political cycles. AMBO’s blueprint is not a copy of the present administration’s policies; it is a continuation of a legacy that predates both parties and has proven its worth across generations. Osun’s future will be shaped not by who shouts the loudest, but by who presents the most coherent, sustainable, and inclusive plan for prosperity.

• Dr Bode Babatunde, a legal practitioner, lectures at London South Bank University, London, UK.