By Wole Olujobi

His vision was clear. The mission, unmistakable. His spirit was effervescent with unwavering commitment and undiluted chemistry. And the willpower packed a mental energy to attain lofty dreams!

That was Mr Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji in 2021 when he declared to contest for the governorship seat of Ekiti State. Ekiti people had faith in him after demonstrating justice, love and generosity of the heart among the people. On election day, Ekiti people reciprocated him with their votes.

In his inauguration speech tagged “Let Us Keep Ekiti Working” on October 16, 2022, Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji had said: “My mission for Ekiti State is to be a land of prosperity, opportunity, peace and progress. A land in which transformed people and communities can reap the fruits of their labour in dignity, good health and safety. A land of honour where integrity matters. For this vision to be actualised, we need to focus on a roadmap to get there.”

With a fervent devotion, this roadmap is what he espoused in his six-point agenda, which he leveraged to transform Ekiti State in the last four years.

Drawing on the principle of a French West Indian political philosopher, Frantz Fanon, in his thesis that “each generation must discover its mission, fulfil or betray it,” Oyebanji in his inauguration ceremony speech latched on to Fanon’s philosophical ambience of the former, explaining in details that he understood his vision and assuring that he would fulfil it. His words: “The import of the mandate you have given to me and the responsibility I now bear is clear.”

In the last four years, the governor proved himself right and Ekiti people bore him witness.

Yet, besides grace speaking for him, Oyebanji brought to bear the intrinsic, personal leadership qualities that assisted him in power.

Just like the way he was brought up, he held discipline as a guiding compass, and embraced his Christian faith as an armour for the leadership arduous responsibilities in a homogeneous state with diverse political cleavages often couched in combustible, fierce partisanship that, in the past, accompanied bloody electoral contests.

But drawing on the corpus of philosophical studies of Confucius, a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period, to achieve his goal, Oyebanji, an urbane man of peace, espouses communal ethos, personal and governmental morality, discipline, harmonious social relationships, righteousness, kindness, sincerity and responsibility to lead by virtue.

He also held fast to the veneration of the elders and pious defences by the Holy Cross of his faith, which the governor regularly expresses in his favourite Yoruba hymnal theme rendition: “Igbagbo mi duro l’ori, Eje at’ododo Jesu; Nko je gbekele ohun kan, Lehin oruko nla Jesu; Mo duro le Krist’Apata, Ile miran, iyanrin ni….” (My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.”)

Deploying his moral appeal to build unity and amity among Ekiti people, Oyebanji also believes in Ekiti traditional values and considers himself a transmitter for these values of earlier periods, some of which have been abandoned in his time.
His creed, just like that of Confucius, is: “Do not do unto others what you do not want done to yourself.”

What he wanted done to himself as would be done to others was encapsulated in a Six-Pillar Strategic Development Roadmap
to drive Ekiti development; including Human Capital Development, which focuses on qualitative and free basic education up to Senior Secondary School 3 (SS3) and healthcare improvement;
Agriculture and Rural Development that aims at food security, empowering local farmers, and boosting rural economy; and Infrastructure and Industrialisation, which incorporates upgrading of roads, power supply, and public utilities;
Arts, Culture, and Tourism, which leverages cultural heritage sites at Ikogosi Warm Spring, Arinta Waterfalls, Fajuyi Memorial Park and Abanijorin Mountain and Cave, among others, for economic growth.

As we write, reports indicate that Ekiti State has earned a major international recognition, as the Developing-8 (D-8) Organisation for Economic Cooperation comprising Nigeria, Türkiye, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran and Azerbaijan is set to hold its Fifth Ministerial Meeting and Sixth Senior Officials’ Meeting at the Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort from October 28 to 30, 2026.

The international meet will further showcase Ekiti State’s economic potential to the international business community for the much-needed business and economic cooperation for international investments.

Others include Good Governance that emphasises and promotes inclusive participation through community-based budget preparations, and accountability; and, lastly, Industrialization and Job Creation, which focuses on creating economic opportunities and supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Four years after, Oyebanji, besides political exigencies, brought his personality to bear in government and recorded remarkable achievements to boot in all these sectors.

In Infrastructure and Power, for instance, Oyebanji, besides bringing Ekiti International Cargo Airport into its present functional state, also completed over 350 kilometers of roads across all 16 local government areas, including building two solar-lit ring roads that link Ikere-Ekiti to Ado-Ekiti and Ijan-Ekiti to the state capital that cut travel time, in addition to a 1.2 kilometres flyover named the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Flyover to reduce heavy traffic in the city centre, improve road safety, and support local business activities in the state capital’s busy commercial hub.

In power supply, for the first time in Ekiti history, the state’s power supply increased from 25 megawatts to 130 megawatts through private partnerships. Many communities that were in darkness for years were reconnected to the national grid to boost the state’s economy and social life, including strengthening the state’s security architecture that was recently revved up by the provision of over 100 operation vehicles to the security agencies to protect lives and properties.

In the healthcare sector is a premier Ulerawa Health Insurance to provide free care for pregnant women, children, sickle cell patients, and other vulnerable groups.
Neonatal deaths were cut by 57 percent and under-five mortality by 54 percent.
Upgrades of medical facilities and construction of new ones were commonplace, including upgrade of Ikole Specialist Hospital to a Federal Medical Centre and a partnership with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) to host the Southwest Zonal Health Laboratory, among other health schemes upgrades. Others are provisions of medical facilities across the state to take care of the health needs of Ekiti people.

The milestone in agricultural production is heartwarming, so much so that recent report entitled “2025 Wet Season Agricultural Performance in Nigeria,” produced by the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) and certified by the National Technical Committee on Agricultural Statistics under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security placed Ekiti State in the top rank in agriculture.

Specifically, the report says Ekiti State recorded increases in the production of rice, maize, cowpea, tomato and okra, among others, and the state is among the states with largest cultivated areas for major crops; the development that has reflected in the crashing of food prices in the markets.

In Education and Human Capital was AGILE Project, which drew investment of over ₦14 billion via the World Bank-supported Adolescent Girls’ Initiative for Learning and Empowerment to improve digital access and infrastructure in all 203 public secondary schools. Scholarship scheme was expanded to accommodate more brilliant and indigent students.

Over 2000 youth artisans benefited from Supa Artisan Programme in partnership with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) in addition to the Vocational Training and Apprenticeships for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) that targeted training in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), tailoring/fashion design, hairdressing, shoemaking, catering, and business management. This is in addition to BAO Digital Academy / Digital Skill Academy in partnership with global tech heavyweights, such as Meta and Tech4Dev, that equips hundreds of youths per cycle with specialized training in cybersecurity, UI/UX design, web development, data science, and digital marketing.
Other components of the scheme include Agribusiness Skills Programmes that provide specialized training to 1,000 youths annually, while over 500 youth entrepreneurs were engaged in broiler production.
In governance ranking, Ekiti State was propelled to a top position in the Governance Performance Index and fiscal responsibility rankings through prudent management and transparency. Oyebanji also approved the recruitment of young people into the civil service, local governments, teaching service and Hospital Management Board, including primary health centres to take young and qualified people from the labour market while also prioritising local contractors for the first time in Ekiti State in government businesses.

The trophies that have headlined Oyebanji’s uniquely inclusive and people-centric administration that drew widespread institutional recognitions included: Leadership Newspaper’s Governor of the Year (2025); Vanguard Newspaper’s Personality of the Year for Good Governance (2024/2025) Leadership Newspaper’s Outstanding Governor of the Year for Inclusive Leadership; Marketing Edge Magazine’s Grassroots Development (2024); Silverbird’s Man of the Year (2024); Energy Times Magazine’s Energy Governor of the Year for power infrastructure upgrades, reconnecting communities to the national grid, and deploying independent power plants; Daily Independent’s Governor of the Year (2023) for laying a stable administrative and fiscal foundation; and New Telegraph’s Governor of the Year for Infrastructure (2025).

By far the most remarkable landmark is the unification of the diverse political class by his rare gift for the pursuit of peace in the hitherto fierce and toxic political landscape. This generous spirit for communal peace, which led to a united front among the hitherto combustible political class, set the pace for other Oyebanji’s landmark accomplishments in the last four years. All these coalesced to produce the historic and historical first back-to-back election victory by the ruling party, actively supported by the opposition parties, to succeed itself, as Oyebanji, a lover of justice and peace, for the first time in Ekiti history, rewrote Ekiti political history in his own image.

It was for these reasons that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hailed Oyebanji’s transformative leadership, including his sterling performance, pledging stronger federal backing for Ekiti’s development.

So far, Ekiti State has seen that Federal presence, which Oyebanji acknowledges and praises everywhere, pledging to ensure massive votes for Tinubu in his second term election, even as Ekiti State has become a beacon of hope and a model for good governance in Nigeria owing largely to Oyebanji’s transformative and impactful leadership backed by the President’s support.

In the last four years, Oyebanji has proven that achieving success despite challenges requires a resilient mindset, adaptable strategies, and a focus on continuous learning rather than the obstacles themselves.

The next four years is an opportunity to improve on the current momentum to achieve the vision espoused by Oyebanji in his development mission in Ekiti State.

Indeed, Oyebanji not only stood on his Ekiti mandate for support to achieve success; he also relied on the protection and guidance of God as a primary source of commitment in his initiatives to grow Ekiti State, to thrive in shared prosperity among Ekiti people.

Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji has proven himself as a lighthouse and inspiration for progress in the dialectic of Ekiti history. The first term is the celebration of legacy leadership and promises fulfilled. The next dispensation that begins in the next few hours is for the consolidation of the energy that lights the path for more prosperity for Ekiti people.

*Olujobi, a journalist, served as Deputy Director in the Media and Communications Directorate of BAO Campaign Organisation

By Habib Aruna

Pa Anthony Enahoro, the late great nationalist who symbolically moved the motion for the country’s independence in 1956 agreed to be interviewed by this writer shortly after he came back from exile. By that time, maximum military dictator, General Sani Abacha had died, in a manner that is still controversial, and General Abdulsalami Abubakar had successfully organized a transition programme that led to the emergence of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as the first President of the current democratic dispensation.

So, Enahoro and other activists who were in exile, like Professor Wole Soyinka, Dan Suleiman, Dr. Kayode Fayemi were implored to come back home by the military regime. Enahoro, in the course of our interview, told me about an incident that happened in Ondo in the then Western Region. He said when the nationalists were going round the country to argue for a case for independence they had a stop at a town in Ondo and he was approached by an elderly man, who asked him if the country was indeed ready for independence.

Enahoro said he was shocked and surprised by the question coming from the old man and wanted to find out what prompted the skepticism. He said the man answered that from the look of things he was not too sure that Nigeria was ready to be freed from British rule and that we should give the colonialists more years in the country so that Nigerians will be fully ready to take over. Pa Enahoro said many years after independence, the old man’s concerns and doubts about the readiness of the country for self-rule always agitates his mind whenever he looks at the state of things in the country. From political instability to an economy that is still largely dependent on a single commodity export for the elusive foreign exchange.

There is no doubt that situation in the country has gotten worse and degenerated than that cool evening at Enahoro GRA, Ikeja residence, just few months after the birth of this dispensation, when the great nationalist and Esan High Chief was lamenting to this writer about the worsening state of the nation. Of course, he should be concerned because this was not the country he and other founding fathers dreamed of when they forced the British to lower the Union Jack at the Independence Square, now known as Tafawa Balewa Square.

Even though not all First Republic politicians wanted independence in 1960 for obvious reasons, North and South were divided, it was nonetheless granted by the British, but after the country was structured in a way that favoured them, both politically and economically. The parliamentary system we practiced was inherited from Westminster, while the economy was meant to produce raw materials for their industries in the United Kingdom. And even though politicians in the First Republic were more nationalistic, patriotic and less corrupt, it was cut short in 1966 by a military coup.

The military ruled for more than 13 years and within that period, more states were created from the four regions, the period witnessed oil boom that was wasted because of lack of pragmatism and foresight by our leaders, who were more concerned about what to do with the petro-dollars than building lasting infrastructure and diversifying the economy so that we will be less dependent on oil. The military were forced to go back to the barracks in 1979 when the Second Republic was born. The Parliamentary system was however replaced with the more costly Presidential system. And even though some of the politicians like Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his United Party of Nigeria (UPN) governors were more prudent, progressive and visionary, politicians in the ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN) were careless and living like there will be no tomorrow and spending irresponsibly.

At that time, it was evident that the country was going down the slope. The economy that still relies on one major commodity was now increasingly becoming monolithic and vulnerable to vagaries in the world market; corruption was at the highest level without accountability; hospitals became mere dispensaries, we had decaying infrastructure and general lack of effective leadership. It was therefore not a surprise that Khaki boys again took over in 1983. Then in August 1985, power exchanged hands between General Muhammadu Buhari and General Ibrahim Babangida.

Even so, the Babangida regime took the country for a ride with its endless transition programme. It was during this transition that the June 12 presidential election was held. An election widely regarded as the freest and fairest in the unenviable political history of the country. After the election and Chief Moshood Abiola, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) was heading to victory, the military suddenly annulled the result. The annulment threw the country into an endless crisis, leading to the death of hundreds of Nigerians, imprisonment of dozens of others, while many went into forced exile. In the process, Abacha died and Abiola, the winner of June 12 elections also died in detention.

The Obasanjo administration that came in the aftermath failed to cure the ills that he met on ground and still failed, before he left office, to put the country on a sound footing for growth and development. It will be recalled that the military and their civilian counterparts did not hide their disposition to install Obasanjo as the new helmsman. The late Admiral Mike Akhigbe, who was the vice to Abdulsalami, was indeed sent to Lagos to meet senior journalists a few weeks after they took over. Akhigbe told the media executives that the military was interested in the transition. He said their desire was to see ‘Obasanjo as Nigeria’s own Mandela’.

The assumption was that with his vast experience, exposure, influence, and history, Obasanjo has the capacity to change the country for the better. Every nation at a critical juncture of its history needs a strong, visionary and selfless leader who will make sure that enduring institutions and templates are planted to secure the future of the country.

It is doubtful if that was done. Instead, what we see are ruling elites who are more parasitic, capricious and insensitive to the plight of Nigerians. Hence, at 66 Nigerians cannot, with the benefit of hindsight, be pumping champagne. It has absolutely been a case of arrested development. We are not where we should be as a nation!

By Tunde Rahman

To some, especially in the opposition camp, it may seem like a brewing political storm, but the brouhaha in Abuja over Nyesom Wike’s Rainbow Coalition and the Progressive Governors Forum’s pushback is not a crisis. It is a sign that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political architecture for 2027 is active and working.

To fully grasp this, you must understand the President and why many see him as a master strategist.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has been unambiguous. He has not asked to join the All Progressives Congress. He has not asked the APC Governors for an alliance. As a People’s Democratic Party leader serving in an APC government, he is building a Rainbow Coalition- a platform of PDP, APC, and other party members whose sole mandate is to deliver votes for President Tinubu’s re-election.

In Rivers State, the APC itself has endorsed this model, perhaps because Wike controls both APC and PDP structures in the state. The APC in the state has laid bare a convincing premise for its embrace: all politics is local, and the coalition is needed to protect President Tinubu’s votes.

Many may dislike him for his guts, style and the controversies he seems to cultivate, but in my view, the FCT Minister is not weakening the APC. He is broadening Tinubu’s base beyond the APC, into places the APC cannot ordinarily reach the way he will do.

As former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche, rightly called it, it is a “political masterstroke that is broadening the President’s support base”.

Conversely, the APC governors led by their Chairman, Senator Hope Uzodimma, have also declared that their commitment is “exclusively to all APC candidates”. They emphasised that they would not support any arrangement that undermines President Tinubu’s re-election.

They are right. As party leaders in their states, their job is to protect the APC ticket from Governor to House of Assembly. But they are worried that a coalition that helps President Tinubu at the top but fields PDP candidates against APC candidates at the bottom could confuse voters and put APC candidates in jeopardy.

That is a legitimate organisational concern. It is not anti-Tinubu. It is pro-party discipline. Both are right to want to protect their turfs and galvanise their respective interests. This is where President Tinubu’s genius comes in.

This situation can be aptly described as two legs of one body. The APC Governors are the first leg, the official party structure, delivering the party vote in 31 states. Wike’s Rainbow Coalition is the second leg, the extra-party structure, delivering votes from PDP strongholds, from Rivers to Oyo to parts of the North.

Does it imply the president shouldn’t care less about what fate befalls candidates of the APC at various levels? By no means! As the APC national leader, he should.

But President Tinubu does not need to choose between the APC Governors and Rainbow Coalition. He needs both. In 2023, he won in Rivers without Wike’s coalition structure fully formed as it is at present. In 2027, he will have both the Progressive Governors Forum and the Rainbow Coalition mobilising for him in different territories.

As Bolaji Adebiyi argued in an article in Thisday on Friday, Wike has demonstrated organisational capacity by fielding PDP candidates in 26 of the 28 states where elections will be held in January, even in several states where opposition parties like the African Democratic Congress and Nigeria Democratic Congress cannot field candidates. The essay noted that such an individual cannot be shoved aside. His support is as important and strategic as it was in 2023.

This rift will not hurt President Tinubu as the opposition may expect, because what matters is whether the coalition will deliver votes for the President. In my view, it can. Those hoping the disagreement will cause a political rift in the Villa should perish the thought.

The President is on vacation in France and is expected to broker a truce himself when he returns, because he is the only leader both sides listen to.
This is not a house divided. It is a big tent that allows mutual accommodation.

The APC Governors will run the official campaign. Wike will run the coalition campaign for non-APC voters who love the President and want him re-elected. Both tendencies report to the same Commander-in-Chief.

In the end, the Rainbow Coalition and the Progressive Governors Forum have one overriding mission: the election of President Tinubu for a second term. Both will have one communique and it will be titled “For Tinubu’s Reelection.” This is not brouhaha. It is a winning strategy.

*Rahman is Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Media and Special Duties.