Of the 25 commissioners recently picked by Osun governor, Ademola Adeleke, most I know through past political activities and media coverage, including himself, the new Commissioner for Works. He possibly didn’t trust anyone enough to handle projects that may define his legacy. But isn’t the portfolio also the juiciest? Imagine being governor and signing contracts to yourself as Works Commissioner.
Anyway, I’m familiar with two of the commissioners. Both lawyers. Barristers Dosu Babatunde and Jola Akintola are proudly Ijesa and commonsense politicians with grassroots appeal, street credibility and community value. It isn’t a surprise both ended up in the same cabinet, after sharing same chambers in Ayeso area of Ilesa (actually Dosu Babatunde’s chambers) at a point in their practice, before the passion to serve their communities took them to different council areas; DB, to Atakunmosa West Local Government, Osu, as secretary and chairman at different times and JA to Ilesa East Local Government as secretary. Both are men of great capacity, even if not loud.
Their portfolio allocations, however, shocked me a bit, especially Jola’s, the same way it should any average-thinking fellow. DB has been taken to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, which should be a fair deal, for those expecting the seasoned lawyer to man the Justice ministry. In fact, despite being a lawyer, DB has always been a grassroots person, though debonair and cosmopolitan in his own way. That ministry should be like a homecoming for him. But not Jola’s. Sending the brilliant lawyer to man the Health ministry is very curious, to put it mildly.
That doesn’t mean he won’t make his mark in the new assignment, though he would still likely not talk much and do more of his trademark laugh and salutation. And there is this argument about lawyering being a multi-purpose calling. I agree that a lawyer who knows his onions must know something about everything. That reminds of a crude joke in the early part of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, when he was still chummy with his then Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, a professor of Law. A front page picture had shown the president, his vice and then Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, himself a lawyer, in a sea of papers, reportedly working on the first budget of the administration. A cruel cartoonist had captioned it, “two lawyers and an illiterate” determining the country’s economic fate. He was lampooning the fact that the two senior lawyers, despite being legal eggheads, were handling a brief beyond their calling, and being led by someone whose foundational education is doubtful and not provable.
Well, it must be noted that not being educated in school settings isn’t tantamount to inability to use one’s brain, despite the deliberate definition of literacy by those who fashioned education, as the ability to read and write. Famous inventors who changed the world without formal education include Thomas Edison (light bulb, motion picture camera and stock ticker), Wright brothers (airplane) (they read in the Bible that those who wait on the Lord will soar like eagle and heavenly inspiration came upon them), Michael Dell (computer), Paul Allen and Bill Gates (computer software), among others.
In fact, Edison was a famous dropout, who was taught by his mother after he was expelled from school because his teachers concluded he was incredibly dull. If President Buhari had been outstanding in presidential deliveries and deliverables, the Edison argument would have availed him. What the retired General obviously lacked in formal education would have been cured by a fecund and creative mind. But it seems his lack of self-development and mind-enrichment in and out of office plays perfectly into the perception of him as a rounded illiterate, when added to his public communication disabilities.
But even for a mind conditioned for outstanding results, there are sectoral peculiarities that require insider leadership to produce desired results. No doubt, Osinbajo and Udoma are two of the well-educated men of their era, within and outside the legal community. Both had been markedly brilliant in their public engagements and public office outings, until they yoked with President Buhari, who threw them into uncharted and unsuited territories. The results are out there for all to see, despite the arguments that such senior officials in unfamiliar terrains, are meant to be guided by aides who are experts as well as consultants.
Raji Fashola had “expert” aides to shepherd him through the Power sector. What became of his four years tendering the sector, with the so-called experts, playing from behind? Who wants to be in the shadow forever if the man who will take the glory is “unlearned”? What is the guarantee that the experts would do right by an “uninformed” Minister or Commissioner?
What if there is an outbreak of health concern in Osun today? What can Jola do without the civil servants of the Health Ministry, especially the Permanent Secretary and Directors, who would play god because their Commissioner no sabi?
What exactly is the governor playing at? Did he find something extraordinary in Jola in the course of their political interactions before becoming governor and decided to tap deep into it? What could that be, that would make him set the seasoned lawyer up for possible failure or redundancy in office.
Yoruba will say “a ku ku joye” (it is better to be without title than being ineffectual). For someone who has always been a lawyer all his adult life, where does he start with General Medicine, Public Health, Primary Health, Maternal Mortality et al, and being at the complete mercy of civil servants, styled evil servants, by OBJ?
I know the governor has been widely panned for alleged nepotism and cronyism in his appointments, but hey, if his family members can deliver optimally for the people of the state to genuinely laugh again, why not. Appointed family members may even be more passionate on their assignments than political associates and godfathers/gatekeepers’ recommendees, because the family name is at stake, if the governor, God forbids, fails. The down-side is that the governor may also be constrained by filial advisement and the stain that may come upon the family name, when errant serving family members should be sanctioned. This will lead to loss of moral authority to sanction the rest of the field. Family affairs all the way.
It is also a common practice to reward saboteurs who helped you sink opposing captain and ship, so Aregbesola’s men in Adeleke’s cabinet is in political order. Even the moral question is debatable. Their anti-party during the election that sacked APC in Osun could be explained with this song, “bi won ba fe wa nile yi, a gbale ibo mi lo” (we went to where we were valued!). It would even be grossly immoral for Osun APC to point out the log in the eye of the Oranmiyan camp, when it was PDP sabouteurs that practically retained presidency in the hand of the ruling party. In politics, you win some, you lose some, they say.
But I doubt if the strange assignment placed before Jola is winnable, even with his best effort. And since I am still torn between congratulating and commiserating with him, I have decided against calling him. I wish him well.
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