His Excellency,Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji
Governor, Ekiti State
Oke Ayoba,
Ado Ekiti.
Your Excellency,
#NOW #THAT #THE #JINX #IS #BROKEN..#VERSUS #THE #BURDEN #OF #DESTINY.
On this day, four years ago,at about 7.13pm, I was at De-Rennaisance Hotel, Ikeja with three of my friends and your call came through.
The phone rang the first time, i did not pick it , having not been a part of your journey to this Inauguration day four years ago on the account of the frosty relationship between me and your predecessor and not you as a person, of course I did not work against you but was simply not involved.
I still chose to respect our relationship of about four decades, i am sure you know that our relationship was not just nominal one, so I was restrained by the weight of our relationship while the campaign that heralded you to Oke Ayoba lasted the first time.
My decision not to pick the call the first time was due to two reasons, first, i thought it was probably a mistake because we had not spoken for a while and secondly i thought maybe you wanted to do “ntorrr” since you are now Governor inspite of my zero involvement.
When you called back, it showed that you really wanted to call, and i said even if you wanted to do “ntoorr”, i should let you, so i picked. .
And I said Your Excellency, the Governor of Ekiti State, you smiled, and said Awe bawo ni? I said fine, and you replied “je ko tan bayi o, emi ko lon ba ja o”, i.e my friend let it stop now, i am not the one you are fighting, I smiled, then you fired the next question, where are you? I said Lagos, then you asked when are you coming to Ekiti?
I replied that I am thinking of coming and that the only obligation and business that I had in Ekiti were my Old man [now late] and my diehard supporters.
You said, Awe you have to come back and that it was a new dispensation and you are now in the saddle, cut long story short, i accepted because I truly wanted and still want you to succeed.
It was a humbling call that a brand new Governor would remember me on a day like that, and i said to myself that I will do everything to ensure that today becomes a reality
With that humbling call, our relationship was re ignited and that was the turning point and justification for plunging myself into the desire to see that this day will come to pass, to God be the glory it has.
From my little corner and space, I worked assiduosly alongside others for this day, joining many of your supporters and well wishers to see this day realised, from the innumerable posts and presence in your defence and advancement of your administration on social media that earned me many sobriquets from the banal to the obscene, like S.A Media, to “senior databoi”, i was undeterred.
The many conviction informed and driven appearances on Radio and Television talk shows, interviews in major newspapers etc
Of course not forgetting the ubiquitous health and fitness programme titled the “BAO WALK” deliberately named after you to deepen connection with your brand and to further get the brand to resonate more within and outside, the once in a month excercise took us to fourteen local government areas of Ekiti State, like none ever before it.
I am happy that today has eventually come to reality to the great delight of many of your well wishers and to the glory of God.
Today was certainly not like a hot knife through butter experience, were there testy and uncertain moments on the way? Sure bet.
But alongside a few men and women of conviction, we stood sure and firm, ultimately are grateful to God we are here, your Inauguration day for the second term in office as Governor of Ekiti State back to back.
Unlike four years ago, that i was disinterested and absent, by the grace of God and for good reasons and perfect justification, I hope to be at this Inauguration as a mark of fulfilment of our desire, hardwork and the continuity of the dictate of destiny that has earned you the sobriquet “the jinx breaker”
As a matter of historical fact, None of your predecessors had had the fortune of standing before Ekiti Kete twice in direct self succession as fate has so granted you and I extend my profound congratulations.
Mr Governor, there is no doubts about the truth that over the last four years, under you, our State has made some progress, by continuing the projects of your predecessors and initiating some new ones.
One of the most cherished for me is the 80 bed multidisciplinary hospital, leading other investments in a critical sector like health.
Personally I believe in the health first truism, without good health every other thing pales into insignificance.
It is instructive that this brand new project is coming fifty something years after Late General Adeyinka Adebayo planted what used to be known as State hospital back then and today has become a flagship tertiary health facility.
The fact is that you must have been intentional to know that what is now Ekiti State teaching hospital deserves a modern day complementary facility like the one you just added within that facility. Kudos to you.
I have variously stated that when Ekiti Kete agreed with destiny to give you a second term in office, it must be described as from “continuity to consolidation”
Now that that has come to pass, my brother, destiny has fulfilled her duty, “Alagemo ti wa bi omo e tan, aimojo ti wa di ti Alagemo “, what destiny did not give your predecessors, destiny has given you.
Over the last four years , our state has witnessed uncommon peace, contrary to what we were used to have.
Mr Governor you succeeded in bringing together contending personalities across the realm from politics to opinions, you got almost everyone into the room, wether driven by pristine expediency or primordial sentiments of self survival, the truth is that you got that right, the reason why I gave you the title of “unifier” and Fiwalopo of Ekiti State, because the peace that became a by product of that conscious effort ultimately rubbed off well on our people and the State.
For the first time in a long while in our political history, for the years between [2022-2026] there was no politically engineered uprising, all forms of unrest disappeared, cult driven gang wars became something out of our past, even the constant war of attrition among our brothers in NURTW and RTEAN fizzled out , just as industrial actions vaporised.
Mr Governor nobody can deny you your flowers on these and more.
Now that the jinx is broken, there is now the compelling necessity to be conscious of the burden that this momentous moment has put on your shoulders.
As you put your hand on the bible to swear to the oath, please do not let the ululation of today keep your eyes on today and all the pomp and pageantry associated with this day alone.
Mr Governor, I want to plead with you as take the oath, look at this day in the context of another four years and ask yourself what will you want to be remembered for on this day four years from this day.
Let me say that destiny has brought you to this defining day and point, but the opportunity that this day provides you the uncommon vantage placement to write what posterity will say about you and what the judgement of history will be in four years from today.
As you take in the effusive congratulations in their thousands and the handshakes coming in torrents, please my brother remember that the journey of the next four years is less than one day today.
This day heralding the next 1,460 days therefore present you the opportunity to become a hero or villain by reason of what you put into the service of the good people of our State and destiny both of whom have jointly agreed to hand over the fate and fortunes of over three million people into your hands.
Now there is a strategic advantage that you have, you have had the first four years, by reason of which you come into this second term with experience and more exposure, in the days ahead, demand will be placed on both.
Mr Governor, let me share with you the sneak preview into this day, in another four years from today, God giving us good health, you will be stepping down from that podium, you will not be returning to Oke Ayoba, where today your room and things are intact, but in four years, on this day, you will be on your way to Ikogosi Ekiti.
On that day, the verdict of history will begin.
How do you want Ekiti to send you back home?as a hero or villain? With our eyes misty from tears because we will miss you or with bye bye without emotions?
The Your Excellency title will still be there but it is the life in that title that would matter.
Mr Governor, destiny has provided you the opportunity to consolidate on good works of the past four years and ensure that you take Ekiti State and our people to a dizzying height of development, from human to physical like no other administration has in the thirty years of our history, from youth development, job creation, to Agriculture and more security for our people as you did over the last four years.
This day, four years from today, there won’t be tenable excuses of any kind, and you won’t have time again then what posterity will put before us will the cumulative report card of the “Oyebanji years” all put together, no other person will be blamed for any mistakes or shortcomings that may occur over the next four years, those ever present “friends of the office” both within Ekiti and without will shift their allegiance to the new occupant of this same seat that will be sworn in four years from today and only the old friends will be remaining, the fair weather ones will find the next habitation.
I believe you will also do well with some deep reflections and introspection as the basis for the projections for the next four years, and this should be an all encompassing effort from your relationships to other formal and non formal endeavours.
As it is said and trite, the farmer that is aware of the compelling necessity and imminent arrival of day of harvest never wastes the planting season.
I hope and pray that these few words of encouragement will find accomondation in your thoughts as you celebrate the beginning of another administration as the jinx breaker Governor, but while you celebrate, please remember the burden of this new identity.
I join your well wishers to wish you well and pray that God will lead you every step of the way.
Please accept my warmest affectations and let me use the medium to congratulate your wife, our dear first lady and the entire family on this day that history is made.
God bless you.
Best Wishes Always,
#BimboEkiti #nitoriojoolawa