Oyo: Why all hands must be on deck

IT was a herculean task for the supporters of the incumbent Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State to persuade the naysayers that it was not cast in stone that a state governor cannot rule for two terms of eight years. Interestingly, not once was Governor Ajimobi accused of incompetence or any other reason adduced on why he should not or could not be given another chance to be at the helms of affairs of the state.

Here was a governor who was on top of sundry challenges facing the people of the state in every area of human endeavour, resolving some and ameliorating the effects of other harsh developments in the socio-economic terrain of the Pacesetter state which he inherited.

When Senator Abiola Ajimobi mounted the saddle in the Agodi Government House in 2011, the capital city of Ibadan soon began to take on a clean and orderly look that a report actually branded Ibadan as one of the cleanest states in Nigeria! Almost everything that had become chronic negative attribute of the ancient sprawling city began to fade away. From inappropriate parking of vehicles along roadsides which created traffic logjams to criminal activities of notorious and unruly National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to dumping of wastes which formed mountains that were an eye sore, all disappeared.

It was a sharp departure from the situation his administration met on ground more in particular in the area of security where criminals nearly ran law abiding citizens out of the streets of the sate. Apart from the menace of commercial drivers, mounting robbery incidents turned the previously peaceful state to a lawless society with lives increasingly becoming short and brutish.

The governor had to deploy his experience in the corporate world with his humble disposition, deep intelligence and good human relations to tackle these and other problems in the state. No doubt, there was a formidable contest from opposition parties, but Ajimobi broke the jinx of second term on the governor’s seat in Oyo State.

While other contestants have accepted their fate, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, a former governor of the state, who contested on the ticket of Accord Party challenged the result at the Election Petition Tribunal but came back a loser. The rugged politician refused to let go even though he lost again at the Court of Appeal, he has approached the apex court with the same prayer that Ajimobi’s victory be upturned and he Senator  Rashidi Ladoja be declared governor.

On the other hand, another former governor, Otunba Christopher Alao-Akala who contested in the same election on the platform of Labour Party to which he defected from PDP has taken a bold step which many observers have applauded as the best thing to do in the overall interest of the people of the state. The Ogbomosho born politician has tugged his personal interest underneath to join hands with Senator Ajimobi to work for the peace, progress and development of the Pace Setter State.

In all of this, the state chief executive has been credited to remain his simple self, efficient, focused and strategic in the pragmatic way he administers the state since the new mandate by the people of Oyo State. For Ajimobi’s style of governance to percolate to every sector, there is need for all stakeholders to get involved rather than stand aloof or continue to criticise everything government is doing. Many citizens want much more from government. Unfortunately, these expectations, legitimate as they may be, do not often reflect in the responsibilities the people themselves are willing to embrace.

Many people look at government as a machine which is primed only to dispense what they want rather than a system to co-ordinate and provide what the majority need and which require their own input as well. They will rather imagine that they only oblige a leader with their votes and do not see it as an investment in which they have a part to play. What the electorate must know is that they are a critical part of the democratic process from which they expect adequate dividends.

Or where do affordable healthcare, good education, clean and healthy environment, food and social security come from? These indices of human development are the often quoted benefits of the synergy between a people and their government. After all, governments come and governments go, it is the people that remain. As government works at providing good governance even in the face of dwindling national resources due to global economic distress, the need for support from the people cannot be over emphasised. They must be ready to accept the new paradigm shift in view of the reality that it can no longer be business as usual even though this may sound unpalatable to some people. The citizens are being encouraged to appreciate that it would naturally take some time and their co-operation especially in the area of income taxation for government to do such things that make life and living meaningful.

There is the need to let people know that government can only have the resources to do more for greater number of citizens if public infrastructure are collectively protected from plunderers and vandals, if every community imbibes the spirit of volunteerism and learn to offer useful, constructive and genuine criticism with patriotic and non-sinister motive.

Finally, one category of Oyo State residents that cannot afford to abstain from the shared responsibility for development is the youth. This is because they are the natural inheritors of the good days ahead if government succeeds in providing good governance. They must not allow their spirit to sink even in the face of evident challenges of unemployment, disappointment in today’s leadership or other hindrances, but they must reinvent, deploy the advantage in new technology to take their place in their respective spheres of influence and take the state to the height of their dream.
In all, everybody must endeavour to bear the inevitable moment of hunger while the soup cooks properly,  especially when the mother, in this case the state government, is not unconcerned about their plight.
• Morakinyo writes from Ibadan.