Safe to say Oyo State administration is for Ibadan alone || Minkail Olaitan
pannigeriannews
3 min read
By Minkail Olaitan
I start this comment with no ulterior intent against Ibadan’s political terrain, nor do I have any personal aversion towards the wonderful people of Ibadan. Most of my friends are from Ibadan. Over the years, I’ve admired the vastness that attracts global attention and the cultural heritage of the land, as well as the political frontiers that inhabit it. However, this note should be treated solely as a redress to administrative concentration in certain areas of the state, while the rest of the composite areas are left unattended, undeveloped, and neglected behind in the fast-moving world where social and infrastructural development are two prominent fronts to boost both economic and social-political growth.
One thing this unpolitical attitude and unfair treatment inevitably leads to is the infliction of a wide berth between townships and people. This is followed by the psychological impact, which began a long while ago and has become ingrained in the people. Young leaders have now been indoctrinated into the notion that their community should benefit from their leadership more than other communities. This premeditated bias and simmering stereotype are the reasons why the capital city is extensively developed, while subordinate cities are left behind.
In case you’re wondering why, the logic is simple: to ensure a comfortable environment for the leader in power and to impress visitors from around the world, while the people whose public funds are used to develop the state office are left in squalid conditions, deprived of basic amenities, and stripped of their dignity.
Another reason some cities are pressed into abject poverty is the intentionality of the leader to punish certain communities for not demonstrating support for their ambitions while vying for office. It could be as simple as punishing groups for opposing policies or seeing through administrative manipulations. Some time ago, one of the past leaders of this state was apprehended by a certain township for not voting for him. Another senator stated that certain groups of people didn’t buy into his ambition, so he’s committed to those who did.
Using Oyo State as the primary focus, our politicians are deeply saturated with divisive ideas that breed hatred, large-scale insecurity, and intolerance. A true politician is a statesman by definition, which echoes the unification of mind, spirit, and idea. It means a statesman fights, defends, protects, develops, inspires, and empowers the state, not just a select few.
In other words, development in the state capital should be extended to every nook and cranny of the state. It’s understandable that there are long-standing mathematical differences, predicated upon the numbers of voters from composite cities and townships. Without mincing words, this idea combats parallel progress and fights collective development across all communities. Some, considering the numbers of electoral participation, bully others into accepting they matter in the whole narrative.
The order prejudges the true value of leadership, waylaying all possible attempts at true, faultless, human-minded democracy. Recently, I visited Ibadan and marveled at the incredible infrastructural development ongoing – the roads, fledgling orders, community building, and noticeable improvements in several sectors. However, before the excitement waned, a question arose: “Why isn’t there a similar critical revamp going on in other parts of the state?”
As I reflected on this, I began to see the dilapidated minor roads in Ogbomoso, which have never experienced government attention since the departure of local government executive authority. Despite being aware of the impact of the governor’s repression of local government authorities, I choose to fault the local government chairmen for selling out their people, keeping them unrepresented, displaying cowardice, and betraying them for salaries.
This is merely laying bare what transpired and giving it a name. There are too many things to address, but until I find the fortitude to give them names, read the headline.
