A #FRIEND #IN #GOVERNMENT #IS #A #FRIEND #LOST ? #NOT #REALLY- THE #GOVERNOR #BIODUN #OYEBANJI #EXCEPTION.
Nigeria is nation where the saying that absolute power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Now we are not talking about corruption in material or monetary terms only , rather corruption of values, the “#Omoluabi ethos”, a situation where ascendancy to a political position immediately becomes a case of “ I don pass these people”,
Situations where the person who either was your friend or beneficiary of your goodwill suddenly acquires a new sense of self discovery and everybody who they used to relate with now are deliberately cut away from .
They now have new friends that befits their new found status , mostly these are the ones Yorubas call “#omo #oju #airolari” meaning someone lacking the pedigree of wealth or literally a person whose eyes has not seen wealth before or “#omo #aijobe #ri #to n ja #epo #saya “ translated to mean , someone who has not eaten a good soup before and now spilling the soup while eating on his clothes being not used to eating good soup hitherto.
Everyone must have at one point or the other lost someone to power from Councillor to President. It is a pervasive reality typifying our climes.
Our society today reeks of Persons who are egomaniacs ,whose only claim to fame did not ride on integrity or character rather crass opportunism and sheer scheming capacity otherwise known as “manafiki “
This post is actually inspired by two situations all stemming from encounters this weekend and of course my numerous personal experiences with these sudden noveau riche whose heads go into the skies and get power drunk as soon as fate or fortune smiles on them, albeit momentarily living like they have the world at their feet, only to be woken up rudely to their follies with shock when the aphrodisiac that power is wears out, and they go limp like the penis after the effect of “gbogbonise Agbo jedi “ wears off.
So the first, I was at an event over the weekend and an argument ensued near me between a man who had supported a sitting Senator to win his election by reason of his own father’s goodwill , my friends’s father’s goodwill collaterised the votes from his community.
Cut long story short, this friend of mine needed a simple reference letter for his daughter, Oga Senator was not able to assist and one time , the wife needed some assistance I think after the shop got demolished by government, the wife approached Oga Distinguished, he kept saying he would until he blocked them .
So they met at this party and Oga Senator came by our table and wanted to greet my friend, then the outburst, where my friend was forced to recount how many times he came through for the Senator, even as a civil servant, yet bluffed till that moment
My most recent near close experience was the case of a former colleague that up until his appointment was always coming to my cousin for steady urgent N50k and as soon as he settled in this new post, my cousin told me he had not even seen his calls like before not to talk of seeing him.
It is often said you don’t know a man until you have tried him with power particularly political power! That’s when the real identity will come out like a sore thumb , they won’t take their calls anymore, switch off their previously known lines and dump their former friends and colleagues.
I have my personal experiences, too numerous to enumerate in this post but someday i will share, persons that I thought were people I could give my life for and all , but who had duplicitous identities. Men of shallow minds !
They are the ones who trample on their juniors ,look down on those trying to get by in life , disdain their past friends, colleagues,classmates, or contemporaries and to them the only persons who are deserving of their attention or association is anyone in their new found classes or that sustain them in their new positions, otherwise their former associates are as good as used tissue papers!
To every rule there is an exception it is said, and without doubt , I am speaking about what I know, I think the exception to this oddity of men who forget that they are still ordinary men inspite of the transient power that they wield is Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State.
I have known Governor Oyebanji for about thirty seven years now, we attended thesame University from mid Eighties , and we have struck a fraternal relationship that dates back to those days with neither of us not knowing that this day would come.
For circumstances beyond my control and as known to many discerning persons, I was unable to be a part of his emergence as Governor, ostensibly drawing from the fact that the man we both served diligently and very closely on his strategy team for Seven years had acquired a different identity, or revealed his true identity by the way he treated me and many others and I did not have a choice than to break ranks with him .
Anyways ,the then “Abbey city” that’s what I used to call him , and he calls me “Awe” to the fulfillment of divine purpose,manifestation of grace and his sheer credibility and reputation emerged the candidate of the All Progressives Congress , unfortunately and painfully too with his brother caught up in the hailstorm unable to be a part of the process.
Subsequently, the journey of fate continued and by heavenly election through the hand of God, he emerged the Governor of Ekiti State.
It is on record that every opportunity I had not one time did I pull my friend down ,I said it openly that Abbey is my friend, in fact his posters in my grandfather’s house was a spectacle, when some young agitated persons wanted to rip them, I stoutly resisted it.
A few persons can attest to our relationship and one is my beloved, extremely cerebral Egbon Distinguished Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi.
At our meetings, Abbey and Senator Adetunmbi were the closest persons to me, we either ride in my car or Abbey’s or Bro Olu’s car to or from meetings all through those seven years.
So on Inauguration Day , I congratulated him and offered one line advice “ #Abbey #Jo #Ma #Yi #Iwa E #Pada O.. and listen to Madam, as the adviser of last resort meaning Abbey, please now that you are Governor, please do not change your character or personality. And he said Awe by the grace of God nothing will change .
To the glory of God today, I can say and attest to the fact that Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji has very reasonably to a very large extent remained who he had always been, a relatively quiet, warm and RELATABLE PERSON.
To succeed, a leader MUST BE SINCERELY RELATABLE , that’s a sure way to remain in touch, feel the pulse of your people and to know almost first hand what is going on and to be able to rise up to deal with issues.
When you are relatable, chances are that your sensitivity quotient will increase, and that is why I am not surprised about many things that have manifested in his near two years in power as Governor, he has manifested the hallmark of of #Omoluabi and fulfilled the dictum of “ Bi a bi ni , Ko da bi ka tun ara eni bi” .
Whatever Governor Oyebanji does today is in tandem with who he had always been, when a lot of people were surprised that he prostrated for Baba Afe, I was not, that’s just who he is, and I said I will be surprised if he had acted differently, the truth is that if power had taken a hold of his brains, Baba Afe may also be reduced to nobody to him, as it is to some persons, we must not forget that he had become Governor when that event occurred and could call anyone’s bluff. He differed!
From that , let’s take a look at the under reported cases of Ekiti persons that he had personally intervened in their physical challenges, most of them he had not met, it will take a man with a relatable heart to continue to undertake these interventions.
Someday I will tell the story of one of our leaders who had given a reasonable part of his life as a party man during our days of struggle, when the night was dark and dreary, and had been in the throes of pain from a life threatening medical situation for two years before Oyebanji became Governor, when I raised the matter, before I knew it the man had been rescued through the intervention of the man Biodun Oyebanji.
Today the man is on his feet from the wheel chair that he had been confined to for all those years pre Oyebanji and the associated pains and torture and strains on his immediate family.
I just read a report of many of such interventions running into hundreds of millions , just as the administration is doing what it can to improve Medicare and making it affordable, but no matter how affordable, some situations will demand intervention and thank God he is alive to that. It takes a man who is relatable to commit to this acts many unreported.
Lastly, Just this weekend, Governor Oyebanji attended physically the events of personalities that he had known even before he became Governor, he did not switch on his relationships, I saw him at the funeral for our Mummy, Engr. Chief Mrs Titilayo Ojo of Odo Ayedun, he was present physically not represented, attended the church service and waited for the greater part of the reception and later I saw the Governor’s pictures at the 60th birthday ceremony of Mr Dipo Akinwunmi a.k.a Kosovo, a long standing associate and party man from Irepodun Ifelodun, and later at Tope Adebayo in Ado Ekiti.
Now to the undiscerning, they may not understand that relationship is therapeutic, sometimes having regard for relationships is worth more than money. “Aponle lounje ore “. In all these cases he may as well have opted to send any form of support which he is not obligated to, but he showed up!
Governor Oyebanji turned up for his relationships, some of these events are very dear to these people , and they may not happen twice in a lifetime, so he showed up to be a part of events that these people hold dearly.
Before these two instances, I had seen news report of Governor Oyebanji ‘s sudden visit to Egbon Ogunleye’s office one time during one of his visit to project sites.
Egbon was our State Secretary at one time, imagine the fulfillment that comes with that recognition, sometimes some things are worth more and endure more than money.
Everyone will recall the visit to the shop of the tailor who used to make his clothes when he was still in the University, and he even renovated and equipped the Old tailors office, here talking about the man who made his clothes way back in 1985 to 1988/9!!!!
Let’s imagine what this will do to the psychological well being of this septuagenarian and his family.
I also saw the pictures of his visit to several other persons that he could have chosen to ignore and hide it under the busy schedules of the Governor, and it would have been understandable.
But going out of the oddity of disregarding relationships as many are won’t to do marks and singles him out and positions Oyebanji differently.
We have seen his visit to his old classmates , the recent one being Taiwo in Ifaki, the one we used to call “Sakute”. I know how a Governor treated his closest associates from whom he had support and rose from shoe string situation of life.
How many Governors have this presence of mind to remember and reach out like Governor Oyebanji?
Anyone can say anything, everybody wants that soothing feeling that comes with sustained rapport with someone you have gone through bad patches of life with, particularly when the sun now shines on your former buddy, nobody likes that abandonment.
When people talk about his visits to Governor Fayose, and read all kinds of vacuous meanings to it, I just wonder how we can truly move beyond our shallow understanding of contemporary realities that recognises and admits that development is not a one man show, rather through the combination of the strengths of everyone over and above our weaknesses, challenges or threats.
Whoever thinks Governors Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Dr. Peter Ayodele Fayose, Oshokomale, Dr. Kayode Fayemi or Chief Segun Oni would not have quantum of experiences to share with anyone who is in Oke Ayoba presently or in future will be someone of diminutive understanding of what it takes to lead a people to the next level .
If we want an Ekiti that can truly be set firmly on progressive pathway we need a Governor who is not haughty, not an all knowing Sisyphus god, someone who is teachable{ the Bible talks about teachable spirit} and relatable, and that is who Governor Oyebanji has been to date by his association with all these persons who have gone ahead of him.
In addition Ekiti needs someone who would not and doesn’t look down on Ekiti people, that’s the spirit behind some of these human recognitions, someone who believes that Ekitis must work together and that disposition starts from the value and premium placed on relationships not only with his past associates or friends but by extension every Ekiti person, the spirit behind giving a few appointments to some persons who are first and foremost Ekitis before their partisan preferences, the salaries these people earn will be used to pay house rent within Ekiti, buy ponmo and pounded yam in our local markets. It takes deep understanding to do all these.
Interestingly at the funeral of Mummy Chief Mrs Ojo, I saw how comfortable the Governor was with regular persons coming around to shake him and asking for “selfies” and he gladly obliged everyone, he must have stood up to take selfie pictures with regular persons not less than ten times!
Every time these regular persons came around , he would direct the security guys to relax the cordon around him , and pronto the persons would bring out their mobile phones to take pictures with him.
I believe this is one of the ways to earn the respect of the persons you lead , who voted for him in the first place and deepen citizen’s confidence in their leaders and promote citizen ownership.
A leader who remembers the transient nature of power can not do otherwise, unfortunately many do not but Governor Oyebanji has demonstrated that in or out of office, he is not intoxicated by the allures of power and the soporific effects that comes with it
This may just be another confirmation of the “Tiwantiwa “ identity of Governor Biodun Oyebanji and definitely he has become one exception to the rule, that a friend in power is a friend lost.
Truly good persons don’t get lost to power rather they live and relive the identity of who they really are before the allures of momentary and fleeting power voltages.
# bimboEkiti
#nitoriojoolawa