MY GROUSE WITH GOVERNOR MIMIKO
BY ORIMOLOYE, Ifeoluwa
Let it be known for the umpteenth time, that I bear no grudge against Governor Olusegun Mimiko, neither do I have any enmity towards him, because politically speaking, anyone who stands against a sitting governor or anyone who relentlessly pursue a public display of disaffection for a sitting governor should be termed an enemy of the state and that alone is in fact a ‘treasonable’ offence. Therefore, I’m reiterating that I am not an enemy of the state for the fact that I bear no animosity towards the people’s governor. I must in fact stress that on the contrary, I admire Governor Mimiko discreetly for his political gallantry. Believe me, if that man tells you that he is an Awoist, then you should all believe him. In some ways, I can honestly affirm that our own Governor Olusegun Mimiko is a die-hard follower of Chief Obafemi Awolowo in relation to (some of) his thoughts, did and actions. I challenge those who have a contrary view about this to freely take me up in an argument through a rejoinder or any other means of expression.
However, the Axiom, “you can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time” applies to Governor ‘Segun Mimiko. As an individual, one cannot think that he can be smarter than the estimated 3.4 million residents of Ondo state, yes, I make bold to say that! If you think that you can play on the intelligence of all the citizens of the state all the time, then, you really need to watch your back! Thus, by implication, as a leader one cannot undermine the intelligence of the people he governs and get away with it. How best can one explain the behavior of a governor who is always active the most only during periods preceding elections? Or how best can someone term a governor who is known for periodic projects which only comes at periods preceding elections and has deceit written over it?
To be candid, if the only achievements that Governor Mimiko has to show in return for all the allocations and 13% derivation he has received throughout the eight years he spent as a governor is bus stops, fountain, neighborhood markets, a dome, mother and child hospital and mega schools and a huge debt which is being serviced with a huge portion of the state’s allocation, then those projects aren’t worth it… If this state is plunged into a debt all because of these cosmetic endeavors, then Governor Mimiko definitely has a confession to render to the people of Ondo state.
The global system of governance has gone beyond mother and child hospitals and mega schools, rather, it entails the ability to expand the revenue base of the society within the ambits of the limited resources and then deploying it for more income-generating endeavors which will meet or suit immediate or long-term priorities, viz projects which will influence the lives of the residents of the state. What the residents of the state have witnessed in the last eight years are simply misplaced priorities, this was in fact made manifest in the manner in which politics stole the better part of the present administration. This, I explained elsewhere as a situation whereby the governor became so engrossed in politics that he had simply left what needs to be done. Also, the trend around the globe suggests that governance is about embarking on income-generating projects and not the capital intensive projects embarked upon by the people’s governor. Although, if the person at the helm of affairs is bent on providing these mega schools, mother and child hospitals and fountains, the global system of governance calls for the sustainability of the projects, such that the services they offer will not suddenly be put on hold for any reason, as such, they should be able to in fact stand the test of time. But, on the contrary, we only get to see some legacies of the present administration in Ondo state function during electoral seasons. For instance, the traffic light, the fountain and some other similar projects functions like a stillborn. Years after the first set was erected, they were allowed to work only for a certain period of time and jettisoned until now when the 2016 gubernatorial election is drawing nearer. In whose interest is the project(s) if it is only meant to appeal to the ‘electoral’ consciousness of the people of the state?
In the midst of economic uncertainties, what is expected of a governor in the 21st century is the ability to prudently manage the monthly allocations in such a way that one can save for precautionary reasons. It is such that one does not in the midst of implementing the projects, fail in the quest to satisfy the major driver(s) of the economy who, in this case, are the civil servants. It is unfortunate that in our state, the debts accrued from the implementation of these cosmetic projects is so much that presently, we always have to wait for several months before paying salaries because the largest portions of our allocation is always directed towards servicing the debts which came into existence due to a heavy mismanagement in the guise of implementation of projects which are cosmetic.
Quite a number of people will agree with me that there is more to governance than all of these cosmetic projects, therefore, what is expected of a governor in the 21st century, is not just the provision of these infrastructures, but equipping them to world-class taste. All these only proves that the governor’s insistence on ‘working’ for the people of the state is a façade of true governance. These are the objects of my grouse with Governor Mimiko.

Photo credit: Sahara reporters

Hmmm