November Twenty Seven -By Adebayo Adedeji

Just like yesterday, it is now two years that Governor Gboyega Oyetola mounted the rostrum of leadership in Osun State. Last  Friday, November 27, made it exactly two years he was sworn-in as the 5th Executive Governor of the State of Omoluabi. And the two years, patently, have been eventful. From education to health; from agriculture to wealth creation; from capital project development to labour matters–it is all good stories of giant strides of a government superintended by a man earlier vilified and projected as a vicious viceroy of a shylock feudal lord.

Oyetola came in the saddle at a time conversations around  workers salary and pension payment had been elevated to the abyss and twisted to gain political traction. But today, the narrative has changed.

Since inauguration, Oyetola has been paying pensions and salaries promptly. Half salary, modulated salary discussion has fizzled out. Not only that: he has also shown serious commitment to defraying pension and salary arrears owed by previous governments. He has released over N14 billion to settle pension and gratuity obligations. Besides Lagos, Ogun and, probably, Rivers, no governor in the annal of the country has provided as much as N14 billion to settle gratuities and pensions in his first two years in office.

Adding feather to Oyetola’s cap . . . the N30,000 minimum wage, which many state governors have been avoiding like plagues, has been approved for implementation, starting from November 1. With the new minimum wage implementation, the State is now expected to cough out, every month, extra N1 billion–to the existing bill– to cover the increases in wage bill and 8% government contribution to workers’ pension purse. Hard but good decision a responsible and responsive government, whose ‘raison de vivre’ is the welfare of its workforce, would do. Expectedly, the pensioners and workers are now more at home with him than before because they reckon him as a bond keeper who, despite economic difficulties, has prioritised their well-being over other considerations.

In the health sector as well, Oyetola is etching his name in the heart of the people. He has built/renovated, and equipped with drugs, primary health centres in nearly all the 332 political wards in the State so the health facility users could have a proximity relief. Before, you would need to travel distance to get a befitting health centre. He, additionally, has built befitting quarters for health workers, fully implemented the CONMESS and CONHESS agreements for health workers and made working in the state more meaningful for health professionals.

Just recently, the State was ranked by a firm of health sector researchers, WellNewMe, as one of the states with the most efficient healthcare services in the country. Osun ranked second. The pleasant rating was not achieved by coincidence rather it was a deserved outcome of the government measured efforts in the sector.

In Oyetola’s time, also, the State has become a construction hub. Ada-Igbajo road, Aagba township road, Ejigbo township road, Ara-Ejigbo road, Osogbo-Iwo road are some of the roads with enduring architecture that are receiving Oyetola’s midas signature.

There is no lover of progress that would see the construction going on at the 17.5Km Osogbo-Kelebe-Iragbiji road, started just four  months ago, that would withhold a word of prayer for Governor Gboyega Oyetola. Before now, there existed no asphaltic road linking Osogbo and Iragbiji. That is one of this government’s achievements that no coordinated and sustained propaganda of the naysayers can vitiate.

Additionally, to commemorate the second-year anniversary of the current administration, no fewer than 15 roads–15 quality, durable roads that every Osun person would be proud of– have been lined up for commissioning. Among the roads are those of  Osogbo township, Yakoyo – Asipa – Ife/Ibadan Expressway, Ereja roundabout – Isaare – Oke Oye – Irojo -Ilesa/Akure Expressway and Modakeke township.

Governor Oyetola, not resting on his oars, has also promised to embark on the construction/

rehabilitation of other roads to boost trade and draw posterity to the doorstep of our people. Among these roads are of Ejigbo township, Ido Osun township, Gbongan township, Ile-Ife township, Kuta township, Inisa township, Ila-Arandun and Ikirun township.

Under this government, road projects are not only undertaken, they are delivered in record time, say 8, 9 months. Roads are embarked upon, batch-by-batch, based on the resources at the disposal of the government, and not on some weird and unrealistic financing. The commendable methodical approach adopted by the governor to only embark on high priority projects, identified through the World Bank survey and assessment report, is expected to be sustained.

In the area of education . . . the state government is implementing policy that has been conscientiously conceptualised and formulated for total and functional mind moulding of the students. Specifically, and based on public and expert demand, his government has re-introduced the rested Early Childhood Development Curriculum, ECDC and reversed, from 4-5-3-4 to the 6-3-3-4 education system. The ECDC is necessary for remarkable brain development of the pupils. Many education and development experts have saluted the state government for these particular bold moves. One of these experts is Dr. Tushar Rene, the country’s field officer for UNICEF. The state government has been rated nobly by the  UNICEF leadership.

Still on Education . . . The headhunting process, aimed at replacing the retiring teachers with fresh and young educators, which began some months back, will soon be rounded off. At the fullness of time, the recruitment would improve the teaching standard and enhance learning in our schools.

While most political leaders have often come up with decently articulated policy paper for the education sector, the fund to activate the policy has always been the challenge. To beat the pitfall, the state government has consistently voted reasonable allocation to the sector. In the 2021 budget estimates submitted to the Osun state assembly some weeks back, the education sector, alongside health, would gulp the lion’s share of 36%: 18% apiece. The huge spending on education would afford the government to finance and drive home its policy in the sector.

Money! Money! Money!  Without money, the best of idea would suffer defeat. The current government would have suffered humiliating fate had it not devised a robust plan to generate needed fund to execute its ambitious projects. The storied  achievement of this government would not have been possible without a purposeful and aggressive enlivenment of its IGR drive. The State’s internally generated revenue is moving up steadily to the admiration of every one. Based on the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics record, Osun’s IGR was N17.9 billion in 2019 as against 2018 performance of N10.4 billion–2018 when he came on board. That is 72.6% leap. A 72.6% IGR growth, by all measurements, is commendable; especially when this is also juxtaposed with the IGR of 2010–when the progressive party took over from PDP. The State’s IGR under the PDP then was N3.9 billion, at best. That is 450% increase, if my calculation is accurate!

In all of this IGR success story, the good news is that while the state tax administrators have buckled down to bring more taxable adults to the tax net, they have done this without inflicting pains on the taxed citizens. The finance commissioner, Bola Oyebamiji and head of Internal Revenue, Ademikanra Adegbite are two of many Oyetola’s lieutenants who deserve honourable mentions in the State’s drive for sufficiency and prosperity. The duo, like many Governor’s men, have put their experiences and networks to work for the State.

Further to its effort to improving its IGR, the government is partnering with investors to establish cottage and large scale industries in the State. One of this partnership has birthed Osun Ethanol Bio-Refinery Factory situated at Ayekale, along Egbeda-Iragbiji. When completed, the factory will be operating on over 21 hectares of land which the state government has contributed to the venture as equity. On full operation, it is expected that the venture will attract nearly N30 billion to the State and generate 10,000 jobs for the people.

Irrefutably, Oyetola’s reputation is firmly fixed by his admirable competence in managing the affairs of the government and politics of his party. He carries himself with gracing authority and mystifies the political space with enigmatic presence. He has justified the pre-election rating of him being a boardroom guru, a man with remarkable experience and deep knowledge of the private sector, spanning four decades. His social-capital has amounted to something since he assumed the mantle of leadership. As he steadies on into the third year of his administration, it is hoped he will continue to live by a ferocious ambition in the rightness, as creative writer William Faulkner would say, of his action.

ADEDEJI is a media researcher from Ilesha.