Nigerians have been known with failed political leadership for many years. There is no doubt that part of our country’s numerous challenges has been lack of effective leadership at every level of government — Federal, State and Local. Politics in Nigeria has not delivered so much in terms of democratic dividends to the people, and no thanks to the kind of politicians that the nation parades.
Apart from making promises whenever elections are approaching, a typical politician in Nigeria simply disappears once he or she has won the election, until the next election cycle when they come to solicit again for votes from the people, using all manner of gimmicks and tactics to buy their way into power. This has been the trend, and the trust that any politician can deliver on his or her promises during campaigns has dissipated from the minds of an average Nigerian. Expecting that a Nigerian politician would deliver on his or her promise is like that Biblical question of “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Many Nigerians have learned to move on afterwards.
But it appears that there is a beam of hope as to the fact that not all politicians are the same. Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State is showing how and what political leadership entails. Barely some few days before his first one hundred days in office as the Executive Governor of Oyo state, Governor Makinde has proven to many Nigerians that it is not going to be business as usual. Although, many critics have countered the narrative that what the Governor is doing are merely cosmetics, and that he may not be able to sustain it; as all politicians are the same. But it seems that the Governor is already proving to be somewhat different.
With a number of moves and political decisions already, Governor Makinde is warming his way into the hearts of many Nigerians, especially young Nigerians who have for long craved for good political and democratic leadership in the country. The older generation of Nigerian politicians haven’t had so much impact on the younger generations no doubt. Even with the signing of the “Not too young to run” bill and all of those moves of President Muhammadu Buhari to gain the attention of Nigerian youths in the last general elections, it is still shocking to see that the number of young people in the newly inaugurated cabinet of the president is nothing to write home about or say is representative enough of the youthful populace.
But just yesterday, the news broke that Governor Makinde nominated a 27 year old Seun Fakorede, an Obafemi Awolowo University graduate for a position in his cabinet. This absolutely is nothing short of some good news. If as a young Nigerian this news does not give you any goose bumps, I don’t really know again what can. In just three months in office, the governor has consistently paid workers salaries even before the workers blink their eyes, paid outstanding pensions of retirees, gave free education by cancelling the N3,000 education development levy on the state’s secondary schools, declared his assets publicly et cetera.
Emerging from a political party that was known for its notoriety in corruption and embezzlement of public funds, the Oyo state governor is proving to many Nigerians that it is possible for a saint to emerge from a group of sinners. For the first few months so far, Governor Makinde has shown that he has come to serve the people who elected him. He has placed his integrity on the line and he is doing all he can to deliver the dividends of democracy to the good people of Oyo state.
May the Lord God uphold him.
