22/05/2025
WHY OGUN WEST MUST PRODUCE THE NEXT GOVERNOR OF OGUN STATE
BY
Ajiroba Dapo Oke II, FCIA,fisn.
Today, the political conscience in Ogun State is that power must shift to the west to complete the cycle of rotation among the four major ethnic components and the three Senatorial districts that comprise the state. The fact that there is no other section of the State that had not tasted the seat of power twice for two terms each is enough to convince every discerning mind that the People of Ogun West deserve exclusive consideration for the position at the expiration of the tenure of the incumbent administration in 2027.
Ogun west still remains largely a wilderness that has not been significantly modified to modern cities,towns and villages in terms of provisions of modern infrastructure and human capital developments. The district is till date the least developed in the State; its road networks are better described as being the pits of a hell throughout the State and probably in the federation. Our immense gratitude goes to Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola Yayi and his other brothers in the National Assembly whose divine intervention in less than two years representation of the district in the two legislative chambers had fetched the district a new lease of life in infrastructural renewal and development such that we have never witnessed since the creation of Ogun state 49 years ago.
The entire Yewa division up till now has no share from the State educational Institutions of higher learning, thus being the only Division out of the gour Divisions of the state without State institution of higher learning. The State Civil Service is till date dominated by other sections of the State to their own advantages while Federal appointments notably Ministerial and Ambassadorial positions which ought to be shared by rotation among the districts have also been regarded to be exclusive right of the other two Senatorial districts. Thanks to the present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who appointed Dr.Isiaq Kunle Salako from Ogun West as a minister to change the historical narratives of the appointment of Ministers from Ogun State.
Our inability to achieve power shift since 1979 despite our repeated competitive struggles means that there is something tactically and fundamentally wrong with the operational and methodical models in the state political game structure. Is it about inadequate capital resources, is it about certain deficiencies in our candidates, is it about the much tainted divisive nature of our people, is it about the party structures and state of affairs in the political parties each time we were running, is it about leadership problem in the state, is it about wrong strategic alliances or other related constraints. These are some of the classical ambiguities that we need to address
Irrespective of the answers we may get from the above posers, the fact that there is still a section of the State that is being deprived of equitable share of power 48years after the creation of the State is a clear manifestation that Ogun State has failed in promoting principles of participatory democracy despites its leading roles in history of civilisation and nation building. The fact is, democracy will be real if sharing of power and responsibilities is achieved by all the sections of the people rather than pursuit of power by the dominant sections alone.
Ogun State, since its creation, has had nine transition elections, which had produced six governors from two out of the three senatorial districts or three out of the four traditional divisions, with each spending two terms. We have been in the saddle since 1979 that’s about 46 years ago, we have made major entries six times, and we have lost three times at the preliminary stages and thrice at the poll. The main reasons for our failures in the past in my deeper reflections were precisely among other factors due to the imbalances of state political structure and largely as a result of conspiracy and compromises of some state actors which had failed to give instructive bulk voting support for Ogun west candidates in those elections with some individuals hiding under group and personal interests to create strategic crises that often rob the district of deserved victories.
It is therefore evident that the inability of the district to produce a Governor since the creation of the State has largely affected the opportunities to develop the Senatorial district to bring it at par with other two districts in the State. One may have seen how the industrial and economic activities are being diverted from the region due to government inactions to fix the bad road networks in the industrial axis of Agbara among other factors. Obviously, the new industrial drive is towards the Lagos – Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode and Abeokuta- Siun axis with lots of housing estates growing up along the Mowe – Ibafo – Ofada – Obafemi Owode axis. One would have perhaps seen this as a laudable development creating new development in the state if not that the development in Agbara-Igbesa-Ota axis which had for long been the major provider of the State internal revenue are being outrightly neglected. The Government that did not see the need to create good enabling environment for further growth of the existing industries in the Otta –Agbara area has deemed it fit to now facilitate expansion of road projects in other areas to accommodate the industrial growth initiative in those axis. This is simply a story of killing the goose that laid the golden egg.
Students of literature will remember this brief illustration in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice when Shylock asked for justice against Antonio by demanding for his pound of flesh. The opinion was that to the best of his knowledge and conviction, Shylock was proving some points on equity, fairness, and justice. His views were that if Venice laws allow contractual agreements to be made among two or more parties, it should be in its interest to also allow fulfillment and enforcement of the terms. In his view, if on the contrary the agreements are not pursued with necessary compliance, businessmen will not come to Venice to do business, and this will affect its prosperity as a city of merchants. But the Court jurists also have the view that if the contract is carried out in that manner, and Antonio loses his pound of flesh, he may as well shed his blood and lose his life which was not part of the contract. Venice in the wisdom of the jurists will get a name for barbaric practices and will do greater damage to its integrity and credibility of its great men hence the landmark judgment against the selfish and devilish intention of Shylock which highlights themes of mercy, justice and complexities of the law.
In the light of the above literary exposition and interpretation, I wish to appeal to the conscience of political managers of Ogun State to adopt the wise wisdom of the Judges in the Merchant of Venice in putting the issue of governance in the State beyond the parochial personal interest of some political gladiators in order to prevent public outrage that may damage the integrity and credibility of Ogun State as a State of heroes and heroines in the history of democracy in our nation and in the continent of Africa.
Ogun state can only be on a renewed path to greatness if all the three senatorial districts are given equal attention for infrastructure development and power sharing. We all contribute to the state treasury, hence, the drawer's cheque must be jointly signed and proceeds mutually shared. Every administration must be seen to promote equity and fairness as the hallmark of democracy is in the spirit of togetherness and collectivism.
Those who created a highland in the sharing and development of the state infrastructures in the past must have seen their follies that all now amount to nothing and ends in vanity. Or anyone please tell me what has become of the greedy dispositions. All the schools are bad, all the roads are not in good shape, water is not flowing anywhere and poverty is a common issue while all the health facilities have become bad if not worse.
He, who thinks others should not HAVE, creates nothing for HIMSELF. The hands can only be properly washed clean if the two are put in the basin.
