Need for Innovative Governance in Osun

Olawale Oladele stresses the need for Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun state to sustain the tempo of developing the State of the Livingspring since he assumed office last year.

Osun state Governor, Ademola Adeleke is daily showing the nation how to truly serve the people. His supersonic delivery in service of his people has continued to thrill and excite people from far and near. What is unique is the width and depth of policy innovations which have the people at the center of implementation and benefits.

Few days ago at the lounge of the Transcorp hotel here in Abuja, three friends from North and East hijacked me to talk about my State Governor from the famous Adeleke family. I was shocked with their tracking of happenings in the state, especially their in depth analysis of the state. For almost two hours, they picked one policy or the other with questions on how the Governor is governing with such ease and dedication.

I left with a determination to actually put up this piece. I talked to my team on issues of innovative governance and we agreed Osun is emerging as the best laboratory for good governance in Nigeria.

When people tagged Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun state, the dancing senator as the performing, working governor, it is like a mere hype. But a close scrutiny of the last one week revealed a systematic, structured policy focus which variously address the needs of the people and tackle headlong basic aspirations of the populace. 

The last time I read a piece by the Governor’s spokesperson focussing on innovation for people’s aspirations under his principal, I almost took it for a public relation stunt. A follow up to pronouncements and actions of the state government confirmed the Governor’s genuine urge to fulfill electoral promises and attend to needs of the moment. I can confirm a studied determination by the administration to deliver. The facts and figures are out there and cannot be disputed.

In the last one week, it has had a stream of policy actions which at times overwhelm even the beneficiary citizenry. The endless reeling out of policies accompanied by implementation actions raises many questions about how the machine of the administration works. At one point, you see the Governor singing “Emi nikan loye”, at the other end, you read of two or even more key pronunciations. Before you digest one state action, you are bombarded with implementation actions.

Is the administration operated by AI? Or how do you explain in one week, three or even more policy outputs with the Governor directly on the driver’s chair? 

Are they not sleeping within Adeleke’s caucus?

Early in the week, the grant for the poor was rolled out with almost 20,000 beneficiaries and another 60,000 being enrolled for ATM in furtherance of a widening for beneficiaries. Then, a technical implementation committee was put in place. Then came the food security committee focusing on key aspects like food security, food transportation, food access and expansion of food production. 

Before that settled down, free medical surgeries for the state’s 29,000 pensioners was launched with almost 100 surgeries done in the presence of the Governor at the Asubiaro hospital. The pensioners had earlier been fully enrolled in the state health insurance scheme.

Then, a surprising three zone launching of cooperative loan programmes totalling almost four billion naira for the phases was actualised. The Governor within a day supported three elders namely Dr Olu Alabi, Chief Faseru and Baba Alago to flag off the multi million naira loan scheme at Osogbo, Ilesa and Iwo. The three events witnessed an unprecedented turn out of people and mass enthusiasm among the citizenry.

Then upscaling of actions on the upgrading of the state mining licenses saw a stakeholders’ forum where key decisions were taken to upgrade the state mining licenses. The Governor had earlier operationalised the state shareholding within the Segilola Mining firm, deepening the state revenue base.

Four critical policy actions within a week- this is an unprecedented show of leadership seriousness and deliberate focus on the people as the reason why the government exists at all. I am impressed as a citizen that a Governor widely underrated can deliver such outputs with such ease.

Beyond the above, reports confirm that the Governor’s multi billion naira infrastructure programme is ongoing. Several flyovers bridges, road dualisation, schools and health centers upgrade are ongoing despite the increasing inflation rates. Our team was at Osogbo and other work sites. The people handling Adeleke infra projects are working so efficiently.

And to imagine the Governor achieving all this without taking a single kobo as loan is tremendously applaudable. This is pace setting at its best.

No wonder, everywhere the Governor goes, the mass show of affection is overwhelming. At the Church service for the burial of late Rotimi Akeredolu, Osun Governor stole the show. 

On his way to Lagos, people practically, spontaneously blocked the road at Ibadan, shouting his name-Imole.

Our counsel to the Governor and his team is to sustain these marvelous records. If top rating can be sustained weekly and monthly, overall performance rating will be quite unbeatable. The Governor must uphold the tempo with his team of super performers. He must however not lose guard.

His records so far are unrivaled. But he must keep up the good work. Innovations must continue. Thinking out of the box must be the goal. 

Reward of hard work is hard work. 

Well done, Mr Adeleke.

•Oladele writes from Abuja.