BAO-Mania: How Governor Oyebanji Reset Ekiti Politics

You would think the Bard of Avon had Ekiti in mind when he penned those memorable words as they fit us so uncannily, looking like a clarion call to every Ekiti, young and old, to take our destiny in our hands and blow off the shibboleths that have stuck to us like ‘Amutorunwa spots’.

The time is not now to ask how we got here. Rather, it is a time for total reconciliation: first, with our God, and then amongst ourselves, Ekitis.

The appropriate questions for us now are: What is the way forward? How do we rediscover, hold, cherish and nourish again, those pristine and immaculate Ekiti cultural traits which have served generations of Ekiti so splendidly?

How do we get back that bonhomie, that espirit de corps that total strangers saw in us and thought we were all born of one mother?

How do we begin to re-discover those economic traits that galvanized and enabled the poorest of our fathers to see his children and wards through College; how do we begin to seriously contend with the multi-faceted problems that today confront all of us, Ekitis, but especially our youth, educated thousands of them, who are paving the streets of Abuja, Lagos and Ado-Ekiti in search of non-existent jobs?

How do we take Ekiti back into the main economic artery of our nation? How do we get our respectability and honour back?

Where do we go from here?”

These are the questions, though unknown to him, I imagine that Governor Abiodun Oyebanji has, these two years, been  answering with aplomb; and in ways that have greatly endeared him to Ekitis across board.

It is my intention in this article, to examine what factors assisted him in breaking what can be described as ‘the circle of crises’, not only in our politics, but in everything pertaining to the state; a crises so all-encompassing we had a one-day governor, recorded, unlike any other Nigerian State, an inchoate impeachment and witnessed series of politically motivated assassinations.

I shall try to unearth how the Governor birthed a paradigm shift from Ekiti’s atavistic politics of many decades.

Come 16 October, 2024 Ekiti state will go agog for Governor Abiodun Abayomi Oyebanji whose nickname, BAO, and the way the people rhapsodise it, reminds one of the old ACB advert: ‘ACB, e dey for every corner’.

BAO is everywhere on the lips of literally every Ekiti, man or woman, young and old –thanks to an Omoluabi Governor who, within two years, has done everything to re-set the state’s highly divisive politics; an achievement so compelling two of his predecessors, from other political parties, namely, Governors Ayo Fayose (PDP) and Segun Oni (SDP) have already endorsed him ahead of the state’s next governorship election which is not due until 2026 – a complete rarity in a state where politics used to be played on the basis of ‘Bo ba o pa, bo ba, o bu lese’ – that is, extremely dangerous politics.

As if in confirmation of the above, and to show that notice is being taken of this ‘BAO Phenomenon’, even beyond Ekiti State, the management of Marketing Edge, Nigeria’s leading Marketing and Advertising Magazine, foreshadowed this article when, this past week, it named him winner of its 2024 ‘Most Outstanding Governor of the Year in the Inclusive Leadership and Grassroots Development category.

According to the magazine, “Governor Oyebanji was unanimously voted winner of the coveted category after painstakingly evaluating his approach to governance, development and leadership, alongside other Nigerian governors.”

The award, the magazine further noted, “was in recognition, and celebration, of his not only impacting the people of the state with laudable projects and policies, but for also using his exalted position to redefine governance by promoting peace, and uniting leaders, in the state irrespective of their political and social background”.

Within two years, Governor Oyebanji has demonstrated the truism in Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s categorical assertion that the ‘raison detre’ of government, qua government, is the welfare and happiness of the governed.

His two years has reduced bile, and enmity, from within the people, especially from amongst politicians who, before now saw politics only as a slugfest, thus ensuring that Ekiti was always in the news for the wrong reasons.

Truth be told, politics in the state had not always been that terrible or dangerous.

While that is not to suggest that there were no fierce inter, and intra -party contestations, especially during the UPN vs NPN days, politics in Ekiti was a lot more friendly as elders, the likes of Chiefs Babatola, Akerele, Akomolafe, Dr. N.F Aina, Professor Banji Akintoye, Chief S.K Babalola and other leaders of the UPN, and their counterparts in the NPN, ensured that.

Things, however, changed rapidly for the worse from around 2003 for two main reasons.

One of these can loosely be described as ‘sibling rivalry’, while the other, and much more virulent one, was the intrusion of busybodies from outside the state, spearheaded by none other than then President Olusegun Obasanjo, whose one consuming ambition was to undo, and supplant Awo’s esteemed position in Yoruba land.

This past week, former Oyo State Governor, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, whose illegal impeachment the former President engineered, gave a no holds-barred interview on President Obasanjo’s involvement in Oyo State politics; a near replica of what he did in Ekiti.

Regarding what I describe loosely as sibling rivalry, it was a question of a good intention turned awry.

E-11, a socio-cultural group from which a slew of Ekiti State Governors subsequently emerged, was an ensemble of highly regarded, and well-educated young Ekiti professionals who had started out intending to positively impact the State’s politics, and economic development. That was until there was a collision of ambitions. The group thus floundered very badly, and its members headed into the two major political parties, and ferociously fought one another.

E-11 was a group which, had the members remained ‘ad idem’, would have taken Ekiti to great heights.

It was a missed opportunity.

That fluid situation was what, together with external intervention, dominated the brigandage that engulfed the State House of Assembly when the two parties had equal number of members.

President Obasanjo’s role in Ekiti politics, for instance, was completely deleterious. Together with Bode George, a PDP Chieftain, and OBJ’s armour bearer, when they were not rubbishing PDP’s primary election results, picking the third placed contestant as candidate instead of the first, they were scheming Governor Fayose’s impeachment which would later turn out inchoate. All these eventuated in massive instability in the state. There were, for instance, cases of politicians within the same political party who, for years, did not exchange greetings. I should know because I intervened in one or two of such. Things were that bad.

The above was the state of affairs in Ekiti politics during the very contentious primaries that saw Oyebanji emerge as APC candidate for the 2022 election -contentious only because of the fallacious story which claimed that the incumbent Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, was determined to impose him on the other candidates.

I remember interviewing Dr. Fayemi on this and subsequently reported my findings on this column.

What then are the factors that informed Governor Oyebanji’s decision to attempt a paradigm shift to the debilitating situation?

Oyebanji has been a long-term observer/participant in the affairs of the state, and there can be no doubt, he must have many times belly-ached over the state of permanent crisis, and its negative consequences on the state’s economic development.

He had probably wished he could be part of the solution.

With his, probably, unanticipated election as governor, he had probably thanked God for the opportunity to try bring peace to this very unique state amongst Nigerian States. For those who may not know, Ekiti State is the only mono-lingual State in this country. We speak the same language just as we eat the same Iyan (pounded yam).

What personal factors then played a role in achieving his ambition? I’d like to summise that the following must have helped:

The highly perceptive Yoruba have this saying: ‘Ile lati nko eso rode‘, meaning that good upbringing underpins good manners. Therefore, without a scintilla of doubt, Governor Oyebanji has a solid home training to thank for all he has been able to do. This is sure to be an upbringing rooted in very strict discipline, respect, not just for elders, but for everybody he may interact with, just as loving your neighbour which Jesus Christ taught us, must have been a key part of it.

I also feel certain that his loving parents must have schooled him in the essence of contentment.  How do I know these?

Governor Oyebanji demonstrates them in his interactions with people, no matter how lowly they are.

In spite of his high office. I have not, for instance, once seen him angry, or raise his voice and I didn’t know him yesterday.

Concerning contentment, my WhatsApp chat with him on 30 June, 2021, regarding why I think he should contest the state’s 2022 governorship election, and his reply, about which I once reported on these pages, show not only an inner contentment, but his implicit confidence in God as his Guardian. Not in him any hint of unrestrained ambition

As a young man, Chief Deji Fasuan had tapped Oyebanji as Secretary to the Committee For The Creation of Ekiti State. That was, however, only the beginning of his always being in vantage positions to know the state probably far more than his peers.

In the course of his service in the state, he was privileged to have worked with two of the most consequential Ekiti State Governors, namely Governors Niyi Adebayo and Kayode Fayemi.

He also served in the following positions: As Special Assistant (Parliamentary Affairs) to Governor Adebayo to whom he later served as Chief of Staff.

He was Commissioner for Integration and Inter-governmental affairs; Head, Office of Transformation, Strategy and Delivery (OTSD); Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning; and, later as Secretary to the State Government (SSG).

Apart from the leadership and managerial qualities these positions require, to be effective, he must have many times seen the Governors he worked with seriously agonise over the terrible state of Ekiti politics, just as he must have seen how all these were not helping development in a state that has offered him so much.

He must have decided, therefore, to attempt to use his lofty office to change the direction of politics in the State.

The one other factor which must have heavily facilitated his efforts must be the critical role being played by his wife, the First Lady –a humble, respectful and solid University Professor off whom, he must, have bounced everything to get the most honest advice, at every stage of the business at hand.

Her greatest contribution towards achieving the goal has, however, been how, energetically, she has ensured the empowerment of women, widows and the youth in the state, an agenda which has ensured the success of the Governor’s programme and acceptance across the length and breath of the State.

Thanks to her efforts, Governor Oyebanji’s government enjoys the pride of place as about Nigeria’s most gender-friendly administration. This is because the government has been relentless in “investing in the well-being of women, advocating for better policies and programmes that target widows, youths and women, with the goal of fostering economic independence and reducing poverty level across the state”, as Her Excellency Olayemi Oyebanji once perspicaciously put it”, adding that in “Ekiti State today, we have a Deputy Governor who is a woman, just as the SSG, the Head of Service, the Accountant General and Auditor General are women. There are six women in the House of Assembly, 33 councilors who are women, 15 Vice Chairmen of LGs and seven that are chairmen”.

The Governor’s modus operandi was simple. He started off by jettisoning partisan politics and extended a genuine hand of friendship to all his predecessors from other political parties. He showed them a level of respect that was absent even between Governors who were of the same party.

For instance, Governor Ayo Fayose once told me that he values nothing more than respect, and that he fought his successor, Governor Oni, the way he did because he extended none to him. Opposition party members also came to accept and respect Governor Oyebanji when they saw how he was treating their leaders with respect and decorum.

By acknowledging, and respecting past Governors from other parties, Governor Oyebanji killed more than two birds with one stone as the decibel of Statewide political antagonism became significantly reduced; meaning that the simple act of respecting his predecessors, acted like a magnet in enhancing his acceptance by the teeming members of other political parties as well as the citizenry in general.

The Governor also turned attention to the welfare of the people, ensuring that nobody is left behind. He made sure that  workers, as well as the long-suffering pensioners, women and the youth are all appropriately factored into governance.

Concluding, there can be no better reset of politics, anywhere, at all, than these because once the people are happy, fringe politicians, capable of fouling the air, would have nobody to recruit into their asinine mala fide.

As the Governor begins his 3rd year in office this week, I wish him well, and pray that the good lord will keep him and his family and continue to give him the enablement to positively impact our lives in Ekiti State.