Osun: Long Live Edenisation! -By Abiodun KOMOLAFE

With the prospect of a Second Term – whether deserved or not – on the table, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State now needs to do critical thinking about what his legacy should be. Barring an overturn of the results by the courts, he has another four years to redeem himself. That act of redemption should not be for himself alone, but for the people of Osun State.

Adeleke must debunk the perception, rightly or wrongly, of “Edenisation.” The dividends of democracy must now be spread across the three Senatorial Districts of the state. Every state is hard-pressed financially and will continue to be so. This means that key economic projects must be decided on the basis of opportunity cost, trajectoried on rigorous cost-benefit analysis (CBA). Unless this is done, the state will eventually have a litany of either abandoned, or unsustainable projects. This will injure his historic legacy.

For the records, Edenisation is not just a perception, it appears to be real. For example, it is not political point-scoring to ask questions about the rationale of relocating the airport project to Ede, the governor’s hometown. Was this done on the basis of rigorous economic, even political, analysis? Why was the original historic site abandoned, and what particular economic benefit does siting the airport in Ede bring to Osun State?

The fact of the matter is that N30 billion of Osun State funds, and we must not rule out the possibility of cost escalation, is at stake. There are projects which can be sited in Ede in which the town has undisputable locational advantages. This can be done but an obsession with a particular domain is indefensible and it has to stop.

In 1959, and again in 1979, Chief Obafemi Awolowo correctly stressed that an election has a resonating effect far beyond the immediate podium, rallies, banners, political advertising and mobilization. The key question is, or should be: What happens the day after an election? An election should not just be about booty sharing of the spoils of victory. It should be about how to solve problems in the immediate, short, medium, and long-term – for all of Osun, not one town.

It is particularly disturbing in the case of Osun because the state, like many other subnational entities, is clearly underperforming. This is partly due to the structural deformity caused by a quasi-federalist constitution. Yet the old adage holds: heaven helps those who help themselves. What should be learnt from Osun is the need to develop a cadre of political activists within the established political parties who would be focused on programmes and philosophical thrust rather than on booty sharing.

From the look of things, it is as if critics crying nepotism over Adeleke’s administration are out of sync with a fundamental premise: the dynasty may have invested heavily in the 2018 and 2022 campaigns. Having bounced back from a 2018 narrow defeat to win in 2022, the unwritten rule of Nigeria’s patronage politics seems to be that heavy political investments demand a return, with plenty left over for a rainy day. Given that mindset, his governance style, which forecasts the rainy day only for Ede, comes as little surprise.

Long live the Government of Ede, by Ede, and for Ede! It describes a dynastic/nepotistic governance where multiple members of the Adeleke family hold positions or influence in government. It is also one where no less than 72% of Osun State resources has allegedly gone to Ede alone, accounting for 8 of 20 major projects worth ₦260.5bn out of ₦362.3bn. With Adeleke winning the election despite Edenisation, it is clear the philosophy has come to stay. It also means that whoever becomes governor subsequently can do everything for his hometown, and nothing will happen.

Edenisation reminds one of Frantz Fanon’s observation that “Every generation has a mission which it must either fulfill or betray.” It would amount to a clear betrayal of opportunities and complicity in the “Development of underdevelopment” if we do not rise above pedantic elections. With Osun in mind, we must raise the electoral cycle into an outpouring of alternative ideas. These ideas should provide a trajectory towards long-term socioeconomic viability and bring out millions from underdevelopment and multidimensional poverty.

With the victory clear, there must be the political savvy to rally the state around a common purpose. Not everybody can be persuaded to come on board but the overwhelming majority would show understanding and a belief that they should put the past behind them and face the future as a road to redemption. It will be ill-advised after the post-election period to become triumphalist. Statesmen do not behave like that, as Nelson Mandela so very commendably showed after coming to power and dismantling the apartheid state.

Mandela created a very good atmosphere by not waging a vendetta. Edenisation is a geographical vendetta. Such an action can scare away investors. Without a sober post-election atmosphere, the state cannot attract patient capital. What’s more? Patient capital is at variance with free-wheeling investors and contractors. It is also at variance with pre-zoned projects. To build a productive base, Osun needs long-term capital which has an extended gestation period in order to create factories and the sought-after modernization of agriculture. Patient capital cannot coexist with an atmosphere of fear and retaliation. We must be very conscious of this.

History is a guide! If we look back some seventy or so years, it was precisely the ability of the regional governments to attract and retain long-term capital investments that led to the establishment of industrial concerns from which generations have continued to benefit. History must be a guide for those in triumphalist mode. They should stop it, because four years in the life of a state is a lot! Four years of Edenisation is a lifetime for towns left out!

In closing, “Cleanliness”, according to John Wesley, “is next to godliness.” Even the most undiscerning Nigerian will agree with yours sincerely that Osun is currently wearing an unclean look. It is dirty, very dirty! Unfortunately, it wasn’t like this eight years ago – nor was it a sore sight even four years ago. Today, go round Osogbo, the state capital, and you will find every nook and cranny littered, unkempt and neglected. This represents the texture and the structure of Edenisation outside Ede.

Across the state, the weeds, which ought to have been cut and/or trimmed, are having a field day. Overgrown weeds, especially on the road medians, will always conveniently serve as breeding grounds for venomous reptiles. So, something needs to be done – and, urgently, too – to fix this eyesore. Anything else, to quote Professor Oladejo Afolayan, “is nothing but a drag.”

Carl Sandburg in his 1918 poetry collection, ‘Cornhuskers’, famously remarked: “The past is a bucket of ashes.” However, others like W.G. Sebald argued that “the past is what we carry along with us into the future.” The raw reality is that the 2026 Osun governorship election has come and gone and a winner has been declared. Those who lost out can only live to fight another day. C’est fini! 

Therefore, as the people live through the arithmetic of their own ballot for the next four years, posterity demands that Adeleke governs Osun “with commitment and sincerity of purpose, not slogans”, and that he shies away from feigned, unattainable promises and “populist politics” that do not glorify “the core issues of development.” For the opposition, “iyán ti di àtúngún, obè ti di àtúnsè.” It’s time to retrace its steps, fix the flaws and set things right.

May the Strength of Israel give us a governor for all, and not a section, of Osun State!

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

Email: ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk.

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