Politics and governance are like oil and water in Nigeria. Fun fact: mix them at your peril. The problem here is that we don’t know how to balance the two and ensure people are properly served while politics hum from the background. In the build-up to the 2015 Presidential elections, former President Goodluck Jonathan momentarily suspended governance and relocated to the Southwest precisely Lagos where he held high-level political meetings and engagements with various support groups, and organizations. In addition, GEJ also seized the moment to appealed to the aggrieved PDP members in the zone to sheath their sword and work for his re-election.
Typical of any Nigerian politician, he was also reported to have doled out cash in hard currency to his visitors with a view to winning them over. That could as well be tagged the beginning of ‘money na water’ era. While GEJ was in the Southwest, governance in Abuja took the backseat stage as politicians across the spectrum had their gazes fixed on power grab, leaving the people to suffer. Surprisingly, the dollarization of that election couldn’t stop GEJ from becoming the first Nigerian President to suffer defeat in the hands of the opposition. He was beaten black and blue by the rampaging opposition party that saw the coalition of birds of different feathers flocking together. Throughout President Buhari’s eight years in office, he had the likes of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as political mobilizers and deal breakers. Despite spending more time outside Nigeria than any head of state in history, Buhari went about politics in his usually unassuming ways, pulling surprising strings where necessary and hitting the opposition party with the cudgel of power.
In Oyo State, the last time we witnessed an unbelievably scary political power play was in 2011 when the gubernatorial contest had nearly all the gladiators rooting for a candidate against the sitting governor. Late Adebayo Alao Akala of the PDP, and late Abiola Ajimobi of the defunct ACN went neck to neck in one of Nigeria’s most breathtaking political contests. I was a very young political observer at that time and it was incredible to witnessed one of the most stunning political events of this era. Of course, I recall with nostalgia how the political climate in the state brought the true color of the people in full glare. Till today, nowhere in the country has a gubernatorial contest been so closed, tensed and contentious. The fact that late Ajimobi was declared winner after scooping roughly 36% of the total votes was instructive and indicative enough. Prior to the 2011 guber contest, there was also the political smackdown between late LAM Adeshina and Senator Rashidi Ladoja. The memory of that colorful campaign has stayed with me as well. As the race towards the 2027 election gather steam, politicians and their acolytes appeared to have woken up from their deep slumber. I found this elevation of politics and relegation of governance quite nauseating. Nigeria has a lot of work to do across all sectors. Whether at the federal or state level, this culture of putting politics above governance must stop. It is true that politics excites the political hangers-on because that is where they feed off, however, we must resist the urge to always have everything politicized including our welfare and wellbeing. Back to the Pace Setter state.
In Oyo State, we have not been able maximize our potential in agriculture. That has affected our capacity to feed ourselves. When China decided to lift close to a billion people out of extreme and multidimensional poverty, it set a roadmap that started with feeding the people. While the state government under Governor Seyi Makinde has made appreciable imprints in the agricultural sector, like Oliver Twist, more are still needed. A few days ago, one of my friends on Facebook posted a picture of himself and a tractor on a vast hectare of farmland with a caption appreciating the governor for subsidizing the tractor for him and other farmers. He added that the gesture was part of the 2025 SAfER tractorization subsidy giving to farmers across the state to have their farm ploughed for half the payment. He added that the gesture will enable more farmers and youths to venture into farming. While tractorization subsidy is commendable, efforts must also be made for irrigation. We cannot depend on seasonal planting to feed ourselves or address the perennial food insecurity. While the national political scene appears to be gaining momentum, we must be mindful in the state not to sidestep governance for politics. Although, I reckon that changing that attitude will take more than legislation or lamentation, we would need a seismic cultural shift to move past the politicization of everything.
OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion about issues affecting the Oyo state and is published every Saturday. He can be reached via @Upliftnuggets on X, muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com, and 09065176850.
