Olurin
The people of the South western region of Nigeria called Yorubas has to reinvent itself in order to take full advantage of the current election victory of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is the President Elect of Nigeria today. On the other hand, we all know that power is a form of energy, in regards to the incoming government; it needs to flow constantly through the length and breadth of the society, because positive or negative energy is determined by the quality of relationship forged by leaders.
If the new leaders are open to the wisdom of others and choose to appreciate their creative contributions, a synergy of epoch proportions will take place, and the dreams of the erstwhile Western Region led by late Chief Obafemi Awolowo will once again begin to blossom.
When the President-Elect chose to contest the presidency, he was fully aware of the scope of governance challenges that would confront him if he were to win. He knows how sick the nation has become and also know how ethnicity and religion had been ‘weaponised’ along the line. But as of fact, he is the most experienced and best prepared among the major contenders to face the present challenges.
Now, according to this plan, Tinubu will drive a major transformation agenda using World Benchmarked Practices and an assemblage of the most competent human resources to take on the challenges frontally. As a seasoned, savvy politician, he knew how to handle himself in tough and rough situations {there had been plenty of those}, and he knew that to have visible success, he needed to create a huge shift in governance which had been primarily driven by power and control, dominance through turf wars and silo mentality.
At the home-front, there are no shortages of sages, prudent persons, specialists, experts, professionals, consultants and other human resources needed for early wins and quick transformations. And, since he has spoken of forming a government with competent and right persons, most Nigerians believe him haven done same in the past.
Meanwhile as I write, God in his mercies has handed to Tinubu some of the most important ingredients he will need to set the context for change.
By this, I mean the removal of the railway and electricity distribution from the exclusive control of the Federal Government. President Buhari had on Friday the 17th of March 2023 signed 16 bills passed by the National Assembly 2022. The bills were dully affirmed by State Houses of Assemblies for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution. The beauty of this development is that we are inching towards true federalism. It means every state or cooperating regions can develop at their own pace. This is the motivating factors for this article.
It is a fact that Tinubu will serve as the president of the whole Nigeria, yet people like me are excited that he has come into the situation at this auspicious time; knowing that he will not be a hindrance to the fast pace of development of a cooperating Southwest.
Leaders of thought who had governed in the Southwest and are alive are still vibrant and prescient. Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Olusegun Osoba, Chief Olusegun Mimiko, Kayode Fayemi, Raji Fashola, and Ibikunle Amosun readily come to my mind as great drivers of development. They have abilities to put tough issues on the table and are bold in debating and discussing decisions that will elevate the Southwest region. The prayers here is that these leading leaders makes themselves available as a community and a powerful link between the state governments in the Southwest and the federal government led by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the people of the Southwest region.
Meanwhile, the incumbent governors in the Southwest region should understand that when a new ‘boss’ arrives on the scene, he brings a new way of working. He brings new strategies, new ideas and initiates new processes. Also, they must understand that they are the real lynchpin to a rapid development of the entire southwest, through engagement, cooperation and partnering consistently to create unprecedented growth.
There is no doubt as to their preparedness to lift the Southwest beyond the work and dreams of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. For example, and according to the Director General of Development Agenda for Western Nigeria [DAWN], Mr Seye Oyeleye, the Governors of the Southwest region are ready to take advantage of the recent Constitution amendments to actualize The Great Western Rail project. We know that the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria Commission has begun discussions with some foreign partner over plans to link at least 44 cities and towns in the Southwest region by rail.
Furthermore, laser focus should be beamed on the Ikere Gorge Dam which was initiated during the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo and was started in 1983 by the administration of late Alhadji Shehu Shagari but was abandoned almost immediately. The Ikere Gorge Dam has a total capacity of 690 million cubic meter and was initiated and planed to generate 37.5 mw of electricity and to supply water to local communities and even to Lagos for irrigation of about 12,000 hectares of land based on sprinkler system. Located in Iseyin local government area of Oyo State, the earth-fill dam when completed will be a game changer for the entire Southwest not only in term of electricity generation but also for agricultural production.
The other area of importance which was not touched in the Constitution amendment is state and community policing. However, it will be recalled that as far back as 2003, Tinubu had been an advocate of State Police. And more importantly, in 2022,Tinubu while addressing leaders of the Northern Region in Kaduna said ‘‘…..State police to tackle insecurity can only be achieved through a Constitutional amendment that will require the collective support of all stakeholders including the National Assembly and Socioeconomic organizations’’. He said if elected into office as President in 2023, his administration will give top priority to state Police and ensure that more booths are put on the ground to be able to deal with banditry, terrorism and other violent crimes bedeviling the country. Here, his work is already cut out.
Indeed we are in a hopeful and exciting period in the history of Nigeria. What is needful is for Tinubu to create atmosphere of collaboration and trust. The leading leader in politics, business and in other spheres of life in the Southwest should think about uniting behind BAT. They should encourage collaboration and insist on sharing Best Practices and building challenge networks into the culture of governance especially in the in Southwest.
If indeed Lagos is the fifth largest economy in Africa, imaging what a cooperating Southwest region with a population of over 40million people and resources covering agricultural production and information technology potentialities will become! This is why the Yorubas both at home and in the Diaspora should endeavor to be strategic this time around and not to be hot mad by pronouncement and activities of some ignorant minions. Also, all parallel agitation for independent Yoruba nation should at least give BAT a chance to prove a thing or two. You will soon see clearly that if Tinubu leads Nigeria for the next 8 years, he would be the last ‘’all powerful’’ president of Nigeria. The center would be weakened by more Constitution amendments to come, and the mad quest to become the president of the most populous black nation on earth would diminish.
