BAO2BAO: …and God Answered! (2) -By Abiodun KOMOLAFE

To begin with, the messages that flowed in after last Saturday’s publication reflect widespread public support for Oyebanji’s reelection. Virtually all the readers who flooded my inbox have never met the governor – nor are they even desirous of meeting him.

However, what they clearly espoused is a return to the foundational ethos of public service. They seek a revival of the standards we once had – standards that so positively uplifted the majority of families by creating a society where “life is more abundant.” In their considered opinion – with which I am in full agreement – BAO is setting a well-trodden positive path that makes the structural landscape of the state flourish like a classic painting, and he deserves to be encouraged to do so, his determination reinforced.

It is perplexing that, in my own seemingly insignificant way, many of those who wrote in alluded to a proposition that I had played a valiant part in contributing to the public enlightenment so needed for dispassionate analyses. Without sounding immodest, I was very happy to receive accolades that I am still not sure whether I deserve. My own position has always been that, in an atmosphere of unease and occasional discontent that had just had all the air sucked out of it, we should beam the light on the very best version of positive achievements. Indeed, this is no time to sing a lullaby of false comfort to a restless populace.

In the past, atmospheres of discontent as well as unease did not prevent the thoughtful and the discerning from giving positive acknowledgments to the endeavours of titans such as Lateef Jakande, Abubakar Rimi and Sam Mbakwe. This is crucial to guide a new generation and to show that, even in difficult situations, there will always be a persona who swims against the tide.

Once again, Oyebanji deserves our warmest congratulations.

That said, I have in the past argued in favour of Ekiti under Oyebanji borrowing a leaf from the success stories of the Netherlands, which has made it the second-largest exporter of food products after the United States of America. I have also commented on the advantages of cooperative movements and the role the Yoruba leadership played – or failed to play – during the Charles Soludo bank consolidation “ludo.”

Had the Cooperative Bank not collapsed to its feet through forced mergers, it could have been capitalized through the collective efforts of the Western Region to stand alone as the engine room of agricultural development in the Southwest. This is a path the governor is well-positioned to interrogate and pursue vigorously, if he has not already done so. To put it succinctly, a priority area for a second term lies in the transition of the sector in Ekiti from rudimentary, subsistence farming to commercial agriculture.

The next priority shall be education, where a revolution reminiscent of Awolowo’s Free Education Programme is urgently required. The very concept of learning inevitably needs to change, for in a world of artificial intelligence – a disruption akin to a day that stopped the world in its tracks – education can no longer be viewed as mere schooling, but as a critical socioeconomic catalyst.

The goal should be for BAO to exit his second term having positioned Ekiti State as foremost in attracting jobs within the remote economy, much like some subnational entities have so admirably and effectively done in India. Remote jobs in hard currency boost a state’s purchasing power parity, which in itself multiplies local economic impact, since these remote roles are remunerated in foreign currency that holds far higher value than the naira.

A worker in Ekiti State who is paid $600 is a massive cost-saving to a company based in, say, Atlanta, Georgia, London, or Singapore – where a local employee in that same position would command at least $3,750, inclusive of health insurance and pension packages. Oyebanji is therefore expected to reconstruct the state’s educational institutions from top to bottom to cultivate a formidable workforce capable of competing in this constantly expanding remote economy. This is a definitive legacy project, and history should remember him as the man who laid the foundation to position Ekiti State as one of Africa’s leading hubs for digital talent.

BAO has to use his relationship with Tinubu to ensure the state is prioritized for an accelerated share of the Federal Government’s very laudable, indeed epochal, fibre-optics initiative to wire the entire country and launch it into the Fourth Industrial Revolution. To achieve this, it is highly advisable for the governor to station an active officer domiciled in the Federal Capital Territory whose sole job would be to coordinate the lobbying for Ekiti State’s interest in this particular project.

For Oyebanji to make a powerful, irreversible, transformative impact, the ideal path is to revamp the administration of local governments in Ekiti State, in alignment with the structural blueprints so astutely put together by the Federal Government under Tinubu. This is fundamental for sustainability, as real development begins at the grassroots and community levels.

The local governments need to be restructured to become functioning, modernized administrative units. Technology should be the engine of this transformation, and the critical starting point – recruitment and selection – ought to be based on professionalism and the training of a developmental cadre, rather than serving as a conduit pipe for political patronage. These councils will actually drive the economy of the state, since they directly interact with the informal sector and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). They cannot achieve this if they remain mere vehicles for providing jobs for the boys and empowering political hags.

Historically, the Southwest maintained a proud tradition of utilizing local government as a rigorous training ground for higher leadership. Starting from the late 1940s, the grassroots administrative system attracted and featured a galaxy of budding stars who went on to national prominence and, indeed, enduring acclaim. Bode Thomas, an iconic figure of that era, became Chairman of the Oyo Divisional Council in his brilliant late twenties.

Remi Fani-Kayode – who had finished as the best graduating student in the England and Wales Bar Final Examinations – similarly stepped into leadership as Chairman of the Ife District Council at an astonishingly early age, alongside Thomas, his classmate and law partner. This same stellar pedigree defined Rotimi Williams, Adegoke Adelabu (Penkelemesi), Dauda Adegbenro, and Ganiyu Dawodu. Truly, the list is remarkably long.

What are we then saying? Until the Western Region goes back to the days of attracting individuals with great potential into the local government system, the very process of development will remain uneven. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and inadequate local governments will continue to dilute the region’s faith in authentic grassroots progress. The stakes are so high!

Overall, to protect his legacy, Oyebanji should establish a clear succession plan, because all things that endure are anchored on deliberate continuity. In effect, he is charting what should be a twenty-year development blueprint – an effort that will lose its rhyme and rhythm without a structured transition of power. Tinubu himself achieved great success with this model in Lagos State, which has executed its strategic master plans seamlessly across successive administrations.

As BAO shoulders the destiny of Ekiti State for the next four years, he needs to cement these programmes through a committed approach to institutional succession. Having secured a second term, it behooves him to deliver with a size, strength and speed that raw political muscle alone could never produce. He should remain magnanimous in victory, with a view to fostering the atmosphere of cordiality so urgently needed for long-term planning.

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

▪Concluded.

Email: ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk.

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