Oyo State and The Evil of Sectionalism -By Oladele Ibrahim

Look back and get experience;
Look forward and see hope;
Look around and find reality;
Look within and find confidence;

So shall we look back and know where we are coming from. In Marcus Garvey’s word, a generation without a sound knowledge of where they are coming from is like a tree without a root. It is a known fact that our dear state Oyo State of “blessed memory”-the glorious days have since become an illusion, is the most politically complicated state in the country. This is not so,but because the disunity in our diversity that has enveloped our socio-political atmosphere have not only affected the political arrangements of the state, it has also amount to grave underdevelopment in major parts of the state.

The contributions made by our forebears in ensuring the political independence with the spectacle of national unity in shaping the greatness of our beloved country is not a child’s play. Let us not dig deeper,the stories and their respective achievements no matter how huge or small is still very much alive for every sane mind to glimpse at.

In the Pre-independence days and notably the first republic, Oyo state as it was then the capital of the defunct western region was the bride and toast of all and sundry. The pace at which unprecedented monuments and developments were experienced in those days have never been replicated by subsequent regimes. In those days Oyo state is well revered as the seat of thoughts and ideas,where people of different strata relates in their quest for knowledge and to engage leaders of thoughts.

Questions to be asked is, How did we got it all wrong,and at what point did we got it wrong?

The answer is not far-fetched,one fact that is peculiar to the good old days is the kind of Leaders we had and the harmonization of thoughts and ideas they shared in actualizing the common goal of ensuring the welfare of the populace is well taken care of. Bring up their names in public discourse and everyone far and wide will give a well deserved respect to their memories. The stellar ideological and democratic values they displayed in the course of giving governance to the people resonates directly with the yearnings of the teeming populace.

What Has Changed? 
Nothing has changed albeit Osun state being carved out of the Old Oyo state, but that is no reason for the excellent leadership lacuna experienced in the Agodi government house.Leadership position can never be empty. This is not to distance away from the fact that we’ve had men that distinguished themselves in their own capacity,the contemporary preference for political survival which in the real sense should be premised around the people they led still remains the reason why excellent leadership has evade us here in the pacesetter state. Give the people what they deserve and you remain in their memory till the end of time.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo is being remembered today not only because of his political sagacity,his governance style and his exemplary relationship with the people he led are the necessary materials that are lacking in the genre of leaders of today. The leaders we have today are more concerned about the affluence they command,they give zilch damn in how the kids on the street will get to school,how the health care system will be fixed,how to improve the welfare delivery to better the lots of the helpless in the society. It saddens one’s heart to realise that most of the monuments-feeling a bit nostalgic, left by the first generations of leaders we have are been left to decay by subsequent governments,and those that are still standing are in pathetic state.

The present set of leaders rather would place their selfish interest above the welfare of the people they lead and turn themselves into 21st century Emperor unlike the first republic leaders that jettisoned their personal interest at the behest of the well-being and social-upliftment of the teeming populace.

Relevance can not be bought but earned. Dr Tai Solarin once said “Leadership means suffering”,give the people good governance,and they will sing your name to high places.

The main point is in those days,excellence prevail over sectionalism,Unity prevailed over nepotism,and common goal comes before bigotry. It doesn’t matter where you come from or which party you represented,so far your antecedent breeds excellence and you have an affable character. Example of such occasion was when Chief Adisa Akinloye of blessed memory led the Ibadan People’s Party delegate to support Chief Obafemi Awolowo led Action group in the election of 1951 against a Dennis Osadebey who was projected by the NCNC having an Ibadan Man as the opposition leader in those days.

This same reason was what made Chief Busari Adelakun of blessed memory to vouch for Chief Bola Ige in 1979 as Governor of the Old Oyo State. All this people were legends of there time and have their names in the history book not because of their person but because they promote unity among themselves and were on course for a common goal which is no matter where you are coming from,so far you are capable of doing the job,you have their support.

However,in recent times we’ve let go of the common goal in actualising our projected pacesetting prowess for lies,bigotry and farcical sectionalism that was created by some set of selfish and good-for-nothing politicians in our state.

My curiosity led me to ask people around me a salient question which I know many people out there will be interested in. For the records,while Lagos state was the federal capital, Oyo was the capital of the old western region. Then the question is why has Oyo remain stagnant while Lagos is cruising at  the speed of Light? The cogent reason is not far-fetched, “Lack of Visionary Leadership”.

While Lagos enjoyed successive excellent leadership,Leaders that tapped into the resources of their state for the benefit of the people and the state,while they were boosting Lagos economically,while they were developing Lagos to a formidable state that compares with first-class cities around the world, My people,I repeat my People were busy fighting over where the Governor should come from, they were busy fighting themselves on how to share the spoils,they were busy digging holes for themselves, before we could even say Jack Robinson, Lagos is head and shoulder above Oyo state.

The Case of Misplaced Priority
Sectionalism can be said to have erupted in Oyo State as far back as 1983. The scenario that played out between Chief Busari Adelakun and Chief Bola Ige who were once Political lovers gave birth to the thought of “Ibadan Must Be Governor”. Let it be known that the fallout was never for public interest but a matter of personality and interest clash between the two which led to the fracas and subsequent political intolerance in the state. Let the historians take up the rest for another day!

My reason for pinpointing this fact is that as a student of history,we owe ourselves and our generation the duty to always get the facts right at all times. The records are everywhere to be cross-checked by anybody,we shouldn’t because of our selfish interest play to the gallery to masturbate our ego at anytime.
Back to my earlier point,my take is this, which is very essential,after the separation of Osun state from Oyo State,Oyo state is left with Five Geopolitical Zones,our priorities should not be where the Governor or whosoever comes from,rather the best person,with an excellent antecedent and a visionary mind should always be encouraged to lead us at all times.

Placing Sectionalism above excellence will only continue to draw us back and our situation will be like that philosophical thought that said “doing the same thing the same way,and expecting a different result is the highest point of insanity”. In 1979,it is safe to say that Bola Ige came from the Osun State of today,but his regime still stand as one of the best ever experienced in the history book of Oyo State.

The oldies of this generation have nothing but sheer selfish interest in promoting the Logic of the Governor must come from a particular place at all times. When a society is undergoing this kind of political imbroglio like ours with misplaced priority,the safety valves of the society is reposed in the youth,youth that are ready to wrestle their future from the claws of the old tigers. The mind of a typical youth is like an open blank book where many things could be written. As a youth we are undoubtedly a stakeholder in the system. As Cassius observed in Julio Ceaser “We are the master of our fate,the captain of our soul” are we ready to be the decision maker in what happens in our dear state? are we ready to take up the task of “GRABBING” our fate from the clutch of the fable that was created to serve sectional interest and not our collective interest? The time to take an holistic approach to governance and the issues surrounding our development is nigh.

The perspicuity in negativity of placing bigotry above excellence have been the bane of development, in Madiba’s words “sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great,we can be that Generation”,we owe our generation to correct this notion or the greatness we so much crave will continue to be an illusion.

The Change We Need
Times have come where we let go of those oldies that constituted themselves as an unchallengeable autocrats and an unrepentant emperor, in the nearest future which is 2019, Oyo State must go for a man whose viable antecedents speaks more of him than his words,who cannot be bought,whose word is his bond,who put character above wealth,who possesses opinions and will,who do not hesitate to take chances,who will not lose his individuality in crowd midst,who will be honest in small things as in greater things,who will make no compromise with wrong doing,whose ambitions are not confined to their selfish desires,who will make the interest of the people of the people of the state his priority,who is not afraid or ashamed to stand for the truth when it is so unpopular.