Open letter to South-West governors BY BAYO OLUPOHUNDA

Dear Sirs, I hope this letter meets you all in an atmosphere of renewed commitment to the promises you made on oath to deliver democracy dividends to the people in your different states and the planned integration of the South-West zone.  To begin with, let me first congratulate you on being among the lucky crop of second generation leaders of the zone beginning with your predecessors in 1999. In spite of your enviable positions, you will all agree with me that it is indeed a rare privilege to be counted as successors to visionary leaders such as the cerebral Bola Ige; the meticulous Lateef Jakande; Bisi Onabanjo; Adekunle Ajasin; and even the revered patriarch himself, Obafemi Awolowo. These legends are known to have bequeathed enduring legacies of development to the zone. They are the famed architects of a region known to have long set governance and development benchmarks for the entire country.  Their selfless performance created healthy competition among the regions. Given their almost unbeatable legacies, there is no doubt that you are all still in the shadows of their larger than life image; their shoes too large for you to wear.

To have been given the opportunity to lead your different states should come with a deep sense of responsibility and commitment to the common good. Thus, the resolve to provide the kind of leadership that will positively impact on the lives of your people must guide your governance decisions. This letter is first an attempt to beam the searchlight on your stewardship which is coming at an important time in the political and economic history of the zone.  It will also be an aggregate of public perception of the leadership your party has provided since 1999. This has become necessary given the inherent potential of the zone. It is also about the need to project into the future and chart a course for a zone that has long shown the potential to provide the leadership that can drive development in other parts of the country. As I write this letter to you, several thoughts run through my mind.  First is the lesson that can be learnt from the post-independence success story of the Western Region of the First Republic. Second is how the visionary and pragmatic leadership of the zone’s past leaders can be replicated to turn the fortune of your states around. This has become important given the huge human, financial and material resources at your disposal. It is against this backdrop that I commend the planned integration of the zone to tap into its vast potential. This will rub off on other parts of the country.

As I take a historical look at both eras in history, one cannot but draw some similarities and differences that will place the performance of your different administrations in perspective. The similarities have become more germane when one considers that the development that stood the zone ahead of others took place in the short-lived First and Second Republics. How did the infrastructural, economic, agricultural revolution of that period happen given the short lifespan of both republics? How were they able to achieve such groundbreaking development given the limited resources at their disposal as compared to huge revenue being generated in your states today? How come many years after the demise of these republics, the current leadership are still struggling to match the feats of those eras? Awolowo’s leadership as premier of the Western Region still reverberates today. Prominent among the achievements of that era was the Universal Primary Education. The initiative drove the educational development of the region and ensured that no child was left behind. His visionary leadership also provided much of the infrastructure development that made the Western Region an example in development. The development of the region continued in the Second Republic under the governments of Jakande, Bola Ige, Adekunle Ajasin, Olabisi Onabanjo and Ambrose Ali. That era also witnessed the harnessing of the region’s agricultural endowment. For example, palm plantations were cultivated throughout the entire region. This led to the establishment of industries which generated employment opportunities for the teeming youths. Many of the companies have since folded up. As far back as 1983, a Metro-line project was planned for Lagos by the Jakande administration.  Even though the project was later politicised and scuttled, the vision behind the idea was unprecedented.  Now, 22 years after the demise of the Second Republic and several decades after the collapse of the first, how well has your zone fared? Can your parties proudly say they have delivered the dividends of democracy?

While I acknowledge your present efforts at transforming your states, a lot still needs to be done. There is the need to pursue a comprehensive infrastructure transformation in your states. For example, there is no reason why the roads in Lagos should be this bad. Apart from works done on major roads, many of the inner city roads are in a complete state of disrepair. Governor Babatunde Fashola should devote his remaining term to putting these roads in good shape. The government gives too many excuses. This is not acceptable. The dilapidated state of inner city roads in Lagos is a dent on the government’s image. The menace of miscreants known as “area boys” must be addressed. The perennial water shortage in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State should give the government of Abiola Ajimobi concern. The roads in Ibadan also need an urgent attention. Ibadan needs an urgent urban renewal befitting its historical status. Governor Kayode Fayemi’s educational revolution in Ekiti State is commendable. The effort in educational development makes it one of the states that got the World Bank education grant recently. Much of the funds should go into revamping decayed infrastructure in Ekiti schools to make them conducive to learning.

This brings me to the condition of the public school system in the zone. The buildings in many of the public schools are so dilapidated that you wonder how learning can take place in such conditions. This situation cuts across all the states. A visit to any of the schools will reveal conditions worse than detention centres. In Lagos for example, many of its public schools are in state of disrepair.  Many of the structures that pass for schools are disappointing and disheartening. That is certainly not the legacy you all inherited. Many of you are beneficiaries of qualitative education from some of the best public schools. But now I doubt if any of your children can attend your Alma Mata today. There is the need to increase investment in education, especially to improve on the eyesore that is public education in the South-West zone today.

Finally, the South-West integration project is a welcome development. But much of the development should be grass-roots driven. Developments have been largely concentrated in the urban areas to the detriment of the rural poor.  Several communities still lack good roads and access to basic health care. I implore you to focus on delivering the dividends of democracy to your people, beyond sloganeering. To do otherwise will be a betrayal of the legacy handed down to you by your predecessors. The judgment of history lies in wait.

•Follow me on twitter: @bayoolupohunda*