Author: Abiodun KOMOLAFE

In 2018, I wrote a piece on the then governorship candidates of the leading political parties in Osun State. In the article, entitled ‘Osun: Picturing into the future’ (ref: The Nation, September 18, 2018), I tried to showcase each candidate’s quality as well as what his candidature meant for the peace and progress of the ‘State of the Virtuous.’ The election took place on September 22, 2018. Evidently, a lot has happened within the last four years: one of the candidates eventually became the state governor and he is almost completing his first term in office while another has gone…

In a matter of weeks, voters in Osun State will again cast their ballots to elect a governor who will run the affairs of the state for the next four years. With governorship candidates drawn from different political parties fighting hard to occupy ‘Bola Ige House’, July 16, 2022, promises to be a battle of wits between diverse contenders: the incumbent with experience on the one hand, and the political greenhorns, on the other hand, all jostling for the highest office in the state. Without a shred of doubt, it will most certainly be a clash of supremacy between unpretentious…

The political formation, which eventually secured Nigeria’s independence, was powered by the ideals of independence, and Nigerians expected that the country’s domestic affairs would be wholesome. However, immediately after the independence issue got sorted, her internal socio-political contradictions and grey public administration dynamics became manifest. To put it mildly, things that were hitherto not so observable, even by the political gladiators, were evident to the public, especially the educated Nigerians. The transfer of power was just a ceremony; the government’s policy contents and implications on the nitty-gritty of the day-to-day administration became dawned on the people onto whom the power…

The Osun State APC Governorship Primary, won by the incumbent Governor Gboyega Oyetola, has come and gone; a winner has emerged and losers have also started licking their wounds. So, the rest, as it is often said, is history. But, just like any other contest, there are lessons to be learnt. First is the issue of crisis management in political parties. In fairness to posterity, the structure and the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State deserves commendation for its ability to prevent the feud from escalating. That Osun APC showed firmness and leadership skills in…

The strategic engagement tour, recently embarked upon by Governor Gboyega Oyetola, to all the Local Governments Areas (LGAs) in Osun State, was a veritable look-back mechanism, which afforded him a rare empirical assessment of the public administration journey so far. It was a good opportunity to have a peep at the status of his performance profile. Also, it was an assessment of reality, very robust and truthful interaction with the people, and a sociological opportunity to evaluate, first-hand, and undeniably, the impact of his administration on the governed. It is sociological in that the electorate would remember that the governor…

Of a truth, Nigeria’s major predicament is that those who occupy the driver’s seat in her public administration have masked their interest to appear as if it is the public interest. Of course, the pursuit of this interest is to the advantage of those leaders and their cronies while the led bears the brunt. Regrettably, this informs the types of policies being churned out by the leaders which, in turn, inform the outcome of our peculiar public administration and … our brand of politics. As the saying goes, the wrong we see are oftentimes symptoms of a deeper ailment! Well,…

In the last three years, the alleged hostilities between Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State and Rauf Aregbesola, his predecessor in office, stayed only in the realm of speculations. But, a week or two ago, the cat was eventually let out of the bag when the Minister of the Federal Republic openly confessed that there ‘are now two factions in the State Chapter’ of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Thenceforth, the battle line seemed to have been drawn. But, while the shadow boxing lasted, it is on record that Oyetola has remained focused, unmoved by the display of inanities by…

On September 29, 2021, the Governor of Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola clocked 67 years on Planet Earth. It is therefore fitting to congratulate him on this significant milestone. As we have seen over the years, one defining attribute of Governor Oyetola is that he is quiet. Of course, this rare-but-much-coveted attribute of leadership, which has become somehow emblematic of his persona, has gone a long way in affecting public administration in Osun. The shrewd administrator is also patient, attentive and meticulous. Beyond the shadow of about, his penchant for details makes holistic planning feasible for him. He is a compassionate…

Politics, ultimately, is about the people. Policymakers always allude to the interest of the masses as the raison dètre of their policy contents. It, therefore, goes without saying that all policies appear to be people-friendly until their implementation when the real and intended beneficiaries are exposed. At the outset, every administrator tells the people that the policy he or she is making is tailored towards the betterment of the lives of the citizens. So, we are familiar with the expression, ‘on behalf of the masses.’ Due to the peculiar nature of politics and public administration, especially, in Nigeria, policies are…

Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and Olugbenga Babatunji are two leaders in their own right. While Oyetola is the Governor of Osun State, Babatunji is the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Osun. Through their talents and efforts, they are also two of a kind. While the former, representing the State, superintend the public administration of the State as well as political needs of the good people of Osun, the latter, a Religious Authority of the Christian Clergy, ministers to the spiritual needs of the adherents of the Anglican faith, in particular; and the Christian religion, in general. Recently, the paths of…