In all honesty, the unpleasant experience unfolding in the areas of governance, politics, and the overall management of our public system across various States in Nigeria should be a matter of grave concern to all of us, particularly the elite class, who ought to clearly understand the implications of these developments for sustainable nation-building.
What we increasingly witness are failed expectations and deepening disappointments in spaces where solution-driven engagement should ordinarily prevail.
With each passing year, the narrative becomes one of growing hopelessness in almost every sector, save for a few individuals who have demonstrated uncommon commitment as genuinely solution-oriented stakeholders.
Unfortunately, such examples remain rare among the many we describe as leaders, some of whom should, in all honesty, reflect deeply and accept responsibility for the state of affairs.
This then raises an important question: who bears the greatest share of the blame?
Beyond those in formal positions of authority, many of us especially members of the elite class must also accept our part.
Too often, we are content to merely pontificate, retreating into the comfort of managing our personal estates and enterprises within a chaotic system.
This attitude of apathy towards politics and governance represents a waiting disaster, one that will persist until we collectively change our disposition toward civic responsibility and public engagement.
It is often amusing when some assume, quite mistakenly, that personal benefits are the primary motivation driving certain individuals into political participation.
Such assumptions underestimate the capacity, relevance, and genuine commitment of those who seek to effect meaningful change within the system. Yet, this underestimation has become convenient for those who thrive on mediocrity.
We all know the loafers, the opportunists, and those whose stock-in-trade is praise-singing or mudslinging, ready to swing in whichever direction best serves their wallets and narrow interests.
As we look ahead to 2027, we are confronted with only one viable option: collective responsibility. Together, we must ensure that this ship does not run aground.
If the problems of Nigeria appear too complex to resolve at once, in my own perception President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is trying hard to fix the system at the National central government, bulk of the disasters in governance is with the sub nationals, the State and Local Government systems.
Then, I am of the opinion that, let us, armed with our collective intellect, competence, and shared heritage as true sons and daughters of Oyo State focus deliberately on building our state. Within four to six years, we can present a practical and verifiable template of good governance to the rest of the nation, if indeed we are truly the Pacesetters we claim to be.
It is time to put behind us the years of waste, the locust years marked by ego-driven and fragmented leadership.
We must instead find common ground rooted in collective commitment, where a servant-leader can emerge and all stakeholders work together to genuinely develop Oyo State.
To truly fix Oyo State is a collective task; it is not, and can never be, a one-man project.
I come in peace.
Written by Kunle Olatunji (KTJ)
Media Consultant and Public Affairs Analyst
