For Osun: A new era beckons

THE founding fathers of Osun State and those that built it from the scratch meant well for it. They worked day and night to sustain its growth. They were selfless, patriotic and organised. They are men and women of great virtues, who put the state before their individual interests. In fact, it may be said that their personal interest or ambition was that Osun State should have accelerated growth.

I have been following in the footsteps of these truly great Osun indigenes by offering my little services whenever I am called upon to do so since 1980, when I started putting people up for political offices. I am never tired of offering my services and will never be. This time, in the history of our great state, calls for sober reflections and thought for the way forward, to make it many steps ahead of others. We need men and women, who are sincere, pure, thorough, indigenous and non-sentimental to take Osun to the next level.

I share in the present pains of our people for the past six years plus, occasioned by projects that are absolutely non-beneficial to and do not put food on the tables of the down-trodden masses. Though, each government/administration with its own style, hence, I am not apportioning blames. For each man his own time with posterity to judge us kindly or harshly through our action or inaction.

But we cannot continue in Osun to be an appendage of another state, which today, is the alleged beneficiary of our collective patrimony, in the name of capital flight therein. Before our own very eyes, aliens, people who neither toil nor have any affinity in whatever forms with us the indigenes came, saw and parted and continue to part, with our hard-earned resources, without batting an eyelid. We all looked aghast, whilst the avoidable stance of politics of gbajue continues unabatedly. Whither the acclaimed “international” airport at Iddo-Osun, where billions of naira was sunk? It is now overgrown with tall shrubs and now a den for men of the under-world. Heaps and heaps of laterite and heavy stones dumped at the different locations of the airport are its gains. All that is visible on the environment of the proposed airport is badly constructed perimeter fencing.

The situation in Osun todays calls for the dawn of a new era which will soon set in, an era when we shall all sit down at a round-table and discuss heartily, and if possible bitterly, about how to move our dear state forward. The atmosphere of brotherhood shall be restored. The theme of our new orientation in Osun from 2018 will be unity and development.  No individual or group of people, no matter their worth is greater than the peasants in Osun who indeed own the state.

Workers and pensioners are groaning for survival through “HAFSA”- a coinage for half salary. This needs not be, if we had learnt to cut our coat according to our cloth in the past six years without cutting corners. For those in control right now, their best is just not good enough. Let us continue to learn to support those who are home-grown democrats; who sincerely know the terrain and where the shoe pinches the people of the state.

To err is human and to forgive, divine. We shall readily forgive those who have mortgaged the future of Osun for a pot of porridge for many years to come. Where re the good men is the question that will be asked if we allow status quo to continue. God, give us men and women who are ready to offer our genuine services to redeem Osun from its present inertness; the grace for me to get to the governorship seat and take Osun to greater height. For now, it is no retreat, no surrender.

Also, let me reiterate that much against what some of my traducers would want to feed the unsuspecting public, I am not a recycled politician or a ‘political harlot.’ I pitch my tent with any political party with my own personal resources, wherever I feel my political interest will be best served and protected without let or hindrance. I am above pettiness and will not allow those who are far behind me in politics to dictate to me how to map out my political career. I remain at the service of Osun people for the rest of my life. My present governorship ambition is not a matter of do or die, but rather an avenue to prove that I am not a push-over in Nigeria politics not to talk of Osun, where I am a prominent stakeholder.

I implore people of like minds like me from whatever political parties to join the crusade to rescue Osun and make it a pride of us all. Evil thrives where people of good disposition keep quiet. We shall have no cause to complain again, if in 2018, we allow ourselves to be governed by people, whom we cannot look straight in the face and tell the truth. We should not allow ourselves to be arm-twisted once again by emperors masquerading as democrats and political leaders. The waiting in Osun for a true government of the people, by the people and for the people is very near. Osun people’s government is around the corner.

• Ogunwale writes from Iragbiji, Osun State.