Between People Centric Performance, Humane Nature and Regard For Cultural Sensitivity
Congressman Bimbo Daramola
I have been around on the Nigeria political stratosphere for a bit, and I can say a few things and in clear terms I will be willing to put a bet on that. If my experiences and real life witnesses thatt dates back to twenty one years are not too short for informed judgement.
I know the street a bit. I can profile the street, i can read and decode what we call “igboro” in Ekiti.
One of the things that I know, matter of fact about “the street” is that it does not lie! “It” gives you a verdict of your person and acceptability as informed by who you are, what you do and don’t do, not who you are perceived as.
The street is where local and native intelligence resides, and you most likely cannot “borrow garb” on the street, if you are a pretender, the street knows.
It is the level of bonding and acceptability that heralds you, generate and inform the reactions that the street gives you, if there is no bond, the response on the street will be as cold as the “Oku Eko” i.e the iced Titus fish from the cold room. This was the reality of a former sitting speaker said to be throwing a packs of 100,000 Naira at people and the Street still rejected him at the polls days later. That’s the street for you, you cannot hoodwink the street.
Let me briefly say what has informed this write up.
As it is my practice, before I turn in, I just scroll a few social media platforms just to keep up with happenings, and so last night while at that, an amateur video, popped up, and in it was Governor Biodun Oyebanji wearing a red top and a face cap on an inspection visit of a road under construction, I would think it’s the “Abiku” Ado Ekiti to Ifaki road that many administrations, at least four before Oyebanji had struggled with and all of them left the road in different stages of “completion”, but which Oyebanji has now promised to deliver to real completion the way Ekiti will so want it.
I must say that is a “Federal Road” one that is like the “aorta” among the network of arteries running through our body. Every science student of biology and indeed knows what the aorta is.
Unfortunately the huge traffic of heavy duty articulated trucks 🚚 plying our inter state roads also contributes majorly to why the road has remained largely an “Abiku to nso Oloogun di eke”..but Governor Biodun Oyebanji has said this time, this “Abiku child like road” will be buried permanently now and the parents will take their deserved rest from the recurrence of still births.
So I think while the Governor was at that impromptu inspection of this road, a small bus conveying passengers was going pass on the other lane, and the occupants of the bus went into ecstasy and hysteria as soon as they sighted the Governor, the way Whiz or Burna gets the crowd excited while appearing to perform in a concert.
The driver of the bus was forced to halt that trip, and the passengers spilled out of the Bus and broke through the
relaxed security cordon [ another Governor Oyebanji reality, which the Street likes ] they ran to hug the Governor, with him too offering his open outstretched arms to give them a warm embrace.
The passengers at least i noticed about three of them, were jumping excitedly the way people behave when they bump into their musical rock star idol, pronto, they brought out mobile phones and started clicking away, to think the Governor was even backing the other road as the vehicle drove pass.
That is the real street verdict. It is real, infectious, instantaneous and not staged, that cannot be bought.
I have witnessed the Governor Biodun Oyebanji street verdict expressions, a number of times, and I will share just two more.
One time I had landed in Akure and was heading to Ado Ekiti through the Ilawe Ekiti route, as we were approached the capital, i noticed a moderated convoy ahead, and i had to trail the convoy, not an unruly convoy, but i did not want to take chances, so i followed it.
I observed that at every town enroute, from Igbara odo to Ilawe to Odo and then to Ado Ekiti, the people were just spilling on to the road in their numbers, many running out of their nearby farms and houses, some from their frontages and nearby stalls, huge people pouring on the streets waving excitedly and shouting BAO, BAO, BAO, that was how I knew it was the Governor’s convoy and guess what, there was no blaring of siren!
At different times, I could see the Governor stop briefly in some places, in other places, the convoy will slow down, and he will wind down his side mirror and wave excitedly at them.
Some people will bring trays of bitter cola , some will shove vegetables at him, all of them thunderously shouting BAO BAO BAO and the security operatives had a hard time stopping them particularly those bringing their wares to him, that was the spectacle that added another 30 minutes to my travel time.
Because I could not overtake the convoy, painful a bit as it was, but a great delight to see a Governor get this street verdict, a mark of acceptance, validation and the regular people’s judgement on the man and his leadership in Ekiti State in only two years five months!!.
Another time in Ayedun Ekiti, at the funeral of Chief Mrs Titilayo Ojo’s funeral, after the interment, the Governor who hardly stay for a long time at party receptions was constrained to on this day because the crowd had gone hysterical with the shouts of BAO! BAO! BAO!! when he stepped under the Macquee.
It took a different turn when the surge of the people screaming BAO BAO BAO, 4+4 etc was almost going to shake the macquee out of place, the Governor kept waving to them and the selfie people were struggling to get a good view and shot, I was there , i saw it life!
The Governor’s security operatives had to go quieten and stop people spilling into the tent, it was a herculean task for them indeed, it made me teary to see the people this excited about a man who only just turned two years in the saddle.
Now these are regular people, that defines the street.
For man that some say is busy buying and paying support, particularly those dubbed high level personalities, so how come he has also been able to buy this level of support from the regular people on the street in their hundreds of hundreds in this manner.
I have given three instances from different locations, situations, instances across Ekiti state, yet the spectacle is thesame, none from these that I have seen and cited here could have been staged or bought granted the uncommon spontaneity and these open expressions.
Now to the initiated, particularly in Ekiti State, and as a matter of fact, by the year two mark, any Governor who gets this reaction from the people is deemed to have found a place securedly in their hearts and it is always a difficult task to get the people to back off this train.
Street credibility and positive verdict is earned and not a product of fleeting cajoling or conjecture or “sakamaje”, it is more like “ireje o si ni photo bo ba se duro lo ma barae” even when you phototreat, there is always the root picture!
It is interesting and refreshing to know that Governor Oyebanji, in just two years and five months has this level of approval rating among Ekiti people, and it does not appear to be dropping in the octane pitch level that it is today.
There are basic things that I think have made all these ubiquitous scenes and spectacles possible, i.e what has endeared Governor Oyebanji to the people, first, I think it’s the mearsure of his people centric performance, the human relations and connections, connectivity and interconnectedness of Governor Oyebanji with the people.
I will give examples, today going by the books, there is no Governor in Ekiti State before Governor Oyebanji who has paid out more gratuities and pensions in two years if not in a four year term like Oyebanji.
What Oyebanji has paid to liquidate the State’s exposure to our senior citizens in two years, many did not pay in four years, that way a lot of succour has been brought not only to the senior citizens themselves as primary beneficiaries, but these payouts will flow to their relatives as secondary beneficiaries and of course to the Ekiti economy as the tertiary beneficiaries, the increase in sales in Oja Bisi ,Erekesan , Oja Oba are tied to this economic source which flows downstream. Of course, there is the comfort and reassurance that comes with these among those still in service.
Secondly, for instance in December last year, before Christmas, while many civil servants were expecting a bleak Christmas, many had gone to collect new loans or restructured existing ones from loan sharks like “Lapo”, “Gbomule lantern” , because of the low pre existing minimum wage, while other states were still negotiating, Governor Oyebanji rose to the occasion and acted timeously, he concluded the negotiations, and paid our civil servants their wages well before Christmas not only wiping away the tears from insensitive interests from loan sharks as already incurred , but also putting them on a clean slate going into Christmas and new year. That’s a demonstration of sensitivity by the Governor, the street notes that.
The street never forgets . The street has a huge memory.
Recently, an old woman of about Seventy three years of age, who used to jump on the streets anytime Governor Oyebanji was passing lost her house to the heavy first down pour of the year.
Now rendered homeless, dislocated and unable to jump out to greet the Governor anymore, the Governor noticed that he had not been seeing the woman as it was her tradition, which propelled the Governor to ask after her. The street accords a great regard when any shows that one of them is recognised, because recognition of one is recognition of all, that’s a rule on the street.
He was told that the elderly woman’s house had been washed away, the Governor quickly made a temporary arrangement for her comfort and promised a lasting reprieve. The street has respect for anyone who is genuinely concerned about others. Oyebanji has demonstrated that.
In fulfilment of his promise, Governor Biodun Oyebanji delivered a three bedroom bungalow well finished and furnished to this woman in two months, making him the second Governor to demonstrate such a humane nature to a citizen, an uncommon reality in this country in recent times.
The first being Governor Umoh of Akwa Ibom who built a house for a struggling father who managed to send her daughter to University and the daughter returned to the father’s decrepit house to honour him with a parade after her completion of the one year National Youth Service.
The Street has a heart.
One good thing done for one lowly person is deemed as done for everyone in that social class, the street knows and never forgets.
Another factor that a few people are disturbed about is the Governor’s open respect and regard for elders and his unassuming nature, no airs, no garrulity just been his simple self, this is a non negotiable factor that a culturally conscious people like ours hold very dear, Governor Oyebanji has remained true to this cultural identity which comes to him effortlessly as a well raised Ekiti boy.
Ekiti people detests haughty people. Everyone knows that Oyebanji is respectful to a fault and this is not been pretentious, infact that’s one of his offences according to those who have issues with him, but regular Ekiti people cherish that.
Lastly, the street will forever warm up without prodding to any leader who has demonstrated that he cares genuinely about them, anyone who has identified tangibly with their challenges, pains and struggles, the street knows.
This is the Governor Biodun Oyebanji reality.
Oh the street also feels it owes anyone who has brought succor to them and made their lives less harrowing, in the provision of roads, renovation and rebuilding of hospitals and schools or building of entirely new ones, just as Governor Oyebanji has manifestly done in these two years and five months, the street will not keep quiet , the street cannot be muffled, the credibility on the street is a people’s referendum of a believable variant, it is earned by real people with real impact on the regular and never conjured.
This is the Governor Biodun Oyebanji testament and this will surely speak louder in the days ahead, because street verdict and credibility is not cooked or doctored, it is earned.
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