In his broadcast address to the State last Saturday, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State used his catchphrase “Omi Tuntun” to refer to Oyo State government buses. In his words “the Omi Tuntun Bus service will be extended to cover inter-city routes from Ibadan to all other zones of Oyo State.”
Naming government property after a governor’s catchphrase has become a norm in this part of the world. Personalisation of state property after a governor’s catchphrase is an insult to the state and its institutions. Government property belongs to the state, the property is not built from the governor’s pulse, but the state
The pioneer of the bus in Oyo State, the late Abiola Ajimobi, started the personalisation of the buses with his catchphrase: “Ajumose”. Had it been the former governor, Ajimobi had named the buses after Oyo State, maybe Governor Makinde would’ve maintained the status quo.
State property is not just a property but an identity. Naming a state property like buses after the state would enhance a sense of community and responsibility among the people of the state. We’ve seen this in Lagos where BRT brings a sense of community among Lagosians. They call it with pride. When you mention BRT anywhere in Nigeria, most people would say Lagos. BRT has been seen as a symbol of Lagos.
Most of the time, politicians normalise abnormalities and absurdities. The nonchalant attitude of the people gives them wings to fly. The governor, like his predecessors, knows the right thing to do and does the opposite. They do this because they know that no institution would neither challenge nor hold them accountable for ridiculing their offices. The institutions that are responsible for holding them accountable have become executive appendages. And those who ought to tell them the truths are sycophants.
When the late former governor Alao Akala was in power, his catchphrase “Oyato” was imprinted on government property. He got away with impunity. The late governor Abiola Ajimobi whose catchphrase “Ajumose” was also imprinted state property. He, like his predecessor, got away with the personalisation of state property. Governor Makinde is also acting the script of his predecessors.
People themselves will question your sanity for an issue they would tell you is not even an issue.
Who will tell Governor Makinde that it is inappropriate for him to publicly call government buses after his catchphrase: Omi Tuntun? Who will tell the governor that having Omi Tuntun imprinted on Oyo State buses is one of the features of tyrants who want their faces and names on every government property? Who will tell Governor Makinde that the catchphrase shouldn’t be synonymous with state property? Who will tell the governor that Omi Tuntun shouldn’t be a continuation of the past, but a reflection of the future?
It is not when he is about to leave in 2027 that he would then name the state to create another naming chaos for the next administration after which millions would have been spent on design and posters.
The buses are not Omi Tuntun buses, but Oyo State buses. Maybe Oyo State Bus (OYB) is better, I don’t know. Like Dr Joe Abba would say, “Think am o”.
Afeez Lasisi,
Lasisiafiz@gmail.com
08052305667
