Monday, January, 26, we mark another milestone in the life of an illustrious Nigerian nay one of the brightest gifts of Ogun State to the country, Senator Ibikunle Oyelaja Amosun, the man whose sobriquet ‘the architect of a modern Ogun State’ encapsulates his unassailable developmental strides, as the fourth executive governor of Ogun State, between May 29, 2011, and May 29, 2019, and also serves as an attestation to the fact that not a few people believe that the most accomplished Governor Ogun State has had thus far is the celebrant.
He did not earn this status through some underhand PR stunts but through the many accomplishments he recorded while he was the helmsman of the Gateway State. Chief among his achievements was the over 700 per cent increase in the internally generated revenue of the state in just seven years (from a meager N10.84B in 2011 to N84.5B in 2018, his last full year in office).
Ensconced behind these incredible figures was a great deal of diligent planning and tireless policy execution aimed towards shifting the pre-2011 civil-service economy of the state to one predicated on commerce and industry.
Expectedly, the impressive IGR positioning facilitated the development of many infrastructural projects across the twenty local government areas of the state. So impressive was his performance, reinforced by his ‘Mission to rebuild’ slogan, that it could take eons to witness a government that would match his performance.
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This is neither due to Senator Amosun being the sole repository of ideas nor because Ogun State has a dearth of equally talented people but principally on account of his rare combination of the gifts of vision, intellect, zeal, dedication, focus, and inexplicable physical energy he showcased in working tirelessly to seeing his vision to fruition.
As the incumbent Senator representing the good people of Ogun central senatorial district at the Senate, Senator Amosun has proven to be a good representative of his people. In just over a year and with more than 14 bills to his name, he is building a reputation as one of the most prolific Senators in history.
One of these bills, The Federal University of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Abeokuta, Ogun State, is a 42-page bill that specifically seeks to establish a medical university in his senatorial district, another testimony to his foresight and love for knowledge. It is partly on account of some of the bills that Senator Amosun’s pan-Nigerian credential could also be gleaned. There are about thirteen of those- on his sponsorship with a national focus, cutting across different fields of endeavours.
Perhaps, one should also state that this tribute, not being a voyage into sycophancy, would challenge Senator Amosun to deploy his legislative office to commence work with civil society groups, and then leverage his contacts at the Senate, towards kick-starting a total rewriting of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is on the reality that the various amendments since 1999 have not brought meaningful improvements to the lives of ordinary Nigerians, we are now even reputed as the poorest people on earth.
True Federalism, cantered on resource control, would be the first step in making Nigeria truly productive for its people. A constitution, akin to the one of the aborted first republic could easily facilitate this.
To the father of a new Ogun State, the trailblazer, the quintessential leader whose public service record remains a legacy for several generations to emulate, the man whose life is an enduring lesson in the incredible possibilities in vision, hard work, and endurance, the one we fondly call ajiri omo oye, I wish truly distinguished Senator Ibikunle Amosun many more years in good health and prosperity.
Olaleye writes from Ogun State.
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