Osun 2018: The Theory Of Protest And Sympathy Votes Vs Good Governance By Rotimi Makinde

Without any iota of doubt, Osun State electorate are caught in the route to decide whether to vote for continuity or the cross road to dance or swim in annex of welfarism and celebrate backwardness.

Meanwhile, good governance is not fair enough; it has to be pro-people and pro-active.

Good governance is putting people at the center of development process. lieutenants can work where there is good governance, and usually fail when government is unwillingly refusing to commit lieutenants to improve the lives of their people.

This, probably, sounds applicable to those who share in the view that to be so described as successful in governance is to be more proactive in equipping people and not projects. We recurrently forget that the way in which we can promote peace, is by promoting sustainable management of our resources, equitable distribution of these resources, which is the only way you can actualize the dream, having a political, economic system that facilitate the necessities.

Thereafter, you dilly-dally into the issues of human rights, justice, economic justice, social justice, and good governance or democratic governance. That is how things tie up and that is exactly the stereotype of Osun State and it’s people finding themselves at major cross road come 2018.

Sincerely, what we are witnessing today in Osun state is what I call the democracy dividend of today and and that of the future. The progress we are seeing, economic development are all part of  dividend of good governance, respect for human rights, rule of law.

The present government of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has created an enabling environment that allows not only non-indigenes to come in and invest but for us as as a whole to invest. It has created an atmosphere for our youths to be creative, innovative and productive.

Students of history would place on record the tremendous transformations and the geographical changes as it relates to the structural advancement of Osogbo, our state capital which  is not only a befitting environment now but it host the best of school structures in Nigeria of today. We know what it used to be and what it is at the moment.

The recent that happened in Osun State especially in the West Senatorial which has sent dangerous signal to the mindset of the generalities of Osun political class was nothing but mere protest vote; Protest Voting is where someone votes in an election to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the choice of candidates or a refusal of the current political system, or a particular anger at the policies of a political party, likely to be the one in Government. Often, this takes the form of voting for minority or extremist parties.This should never be seen as total rejection of the party for the opposition to record it as antecedents.

To foreclose the repetition of mistakes and to expect victory come 2018 is to ensure our party collectively choose a right and just popular candidate .

Indeed, this is another major challenge and  crossroad for all us that made  Osun State APC.

Neither is it for us to protest against the person of the governor, against the party nor against the governance.

To erroneously conclude at that as against the governor would not only be hypocritical but more as it will be wrong to say it’s against the party he belongs. It will also be unfair to affirm the theory of its relativity, admission of guilt to his administration when indeed Osun State is not operating in an isolated environment.

Granted that there could be cases of miscalculations in the choice of candidacy that resulted in calamity but steadfastness, loyalty is also the key to fair and just society in politics against egoistic and peacocking politics of favourites.

At this juncture, let’s now honestly ask ourselves- what do we want as a people? How exactly do we want this legacy to be preserved and protected?

Do we want good governance to build on this noble achievements of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola or we think we desire a new set of people or government who will turn our schools to disco-hall, jettisoned our plans and our very good plans to rejuvenate the state economy forward or backward? Do we want a complete new invention or intervention to restructure the payment of salaries that would begin with a reality to know the actual with the probability of whether to restructure or to retrench workers?

I can bet that certainly, not until when they  get to the bridge to discover how blinded they have gone in propaganda compared to reality or how unenviable the job of governing osun state ought to be to ignorant mind. It will be realized then that no miracle can clean the salary mess in a hurry. Planning to turn the airport to money-making machine may therefore become to be left in the hands of mediocre as state secretariat becomes training grounds for another next year’s to come.

Aregbesola and his government are not insane to think of so many projects for us; they are not satanically wicked to give us good schools, at the same time not hate us so much to give us good roads and social amenities; they certainly must have noble plans to turn all these to results oriented and this can only be made possible only if we reason well as a people and vote for continuity.

Let’s therefore, not protest with our future and against good governance or jettison our today to please our tomorrow in the hands of uncertainty

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