Why Osun said ‘o-yes’ to Aregbesola By Fola Ojo

“In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better”

- Harry Truman

The governorship election in Osun State has come and zoomed off. All the hoopla and hullabaloo in the media and by party people on both sides of the isle about who was going to be hacked and bombed to death became a mere musing.No drop of blood was shed as I predicted two weeks ago. I know some politicians who relocated temporarily from Ibadan to Ilorin and Lagos because of their envisaged spill-over of pandemonium to contiguous states. Many families who worked and lived in Osogbo escaped from the ‘belly-of-hell’ far away from a possible AK-47 attack that had been predicted would come without any shadow of doubt.

But there were still thousands of people who stood firm to have their voices heard. In the thick of it all, I too stood defying several warnings from my loved ones not to touch Osogbo. Many prayed with and for me as if it was going to be my last weekend on earth. Some thought I came all the way from the United States to die in a process from which I have never benefitted either as a contractor or a politician. I just believed that I was doing the right thing by my people in Osun, for this is my home. Here we are still in the guide of our God who alone has the power to kill and make alive. He is always our shepherd.

Now that the election is over, we should be able to express how we feel without any assumption of prejudice.My wholehearted belief is that Rauf Aregbesola, the man who won Saturday’s election, was born for this time, and it’s about destiny. Not all governors are leaders, and not all who occupy leadership seats can be called such. Many are dealers. Any governor who is able to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence is not just a governor, he is a leader. With him, it’s the people first.

The governor’s work is not just noticed outside of Nigeria, it is reverenced. No governor in the history of Osun and possibly in Nigeria has ever been invited to address the prestigious British House of Commons in London. In recognition of the O-MEAL food project in Osun, Aregbesola was asked to address the House in January. Is Aregbesola a perfect man? No. Has he been a perfect governor of the state with no errors and mistakes? No. Has he equally impacted every city and village in Osun? No! Is life in Osun State better under Aregbesola than it was in the preceding years? Absolutely yes!And voters remembered this last Saturday.

They remembered the free computer tablets preloaded with different tutorial notes, past examination questions, and textbooks on 17 subjects freely distributed to pupils to optimise learning. They remembered free protein-rich meals served to 300,000 elementary school pupils (Basic 1-4) which cost the government an estimated N3.6bn annually. They remembered N84,000 have so far been spent on each elementary pupil and N30, 000 on each secondary school pupil. They remembered 750,000 pieces of new uniforms that have been distributed free to pupils.They remembered the brand new factory producing computer tablets, cell phones, plasma TV in Ilesha that will offer employment to tens of thousands of unemployed youths and help them raise a family. Anyone can disagree with Aregbesola on personal style and mannerism, but voters agreed that he has achieved so much in so short a period that he easily passes as one of the best governors in Nigeria today. These are some of the reasons why he won last Saturday’s election.

Apparently, every word Aregbesola promised during campaign, Osun people believed. They have come to see him as the Messiah of their time. When people from this part of the country mark one as a liar, they are through with the one. When they certify that one fights their fights and fights for them, they will stand with the one. It was difficult for them to say ‘O-NO’ to Aregbesola, so also was it for the 800 displaced Osogbo train station traders.

I drove around town during the week and counted 27 groups of people with a minimum of 17 people per group shrouded up and scattered all over Osogbo with CD players and heavy loud speakers blaring into the streets in a continued celebration for the reelection of their governor. That’s why the people said “O-Yes’ to Aregbesola last Saturday.