SEYI MAKINDE: THE CASE AGAINST REVOLUTION.

By Ugonna Utulor

Those who clamour for political revolution in Nigeria consistently express a displeasure in Nigeria's democracy. They are unhappy with the direction Nigeria is going, they're unhappy with the current leaders. They want a quick change, a political and probably ideological change. To them Nigeria has no hope. The future is bleak. The future will be worse than the present.

Others who oppose revolution but also wish for a tremendous improvement are caught in a web. This web, political and economic, is old. It's the question of evolutionary change versus revolutionary change. Slow and steady versus quick and immediate. These set of people ask for caution. They want the revolutionaries to rather get involved in the political process and as one bad leader is replaced with a better leader a time will come when only good leaders will have power. Their theory is simple: rational voters cannot vote in a bad person to replace a good person but can vote in a good person to replace a bad person.

What is cirrently happening in Oyo state is what the antirevolutionary commentators have in mind.

Not long ago Oyo had a "constituted authority" headed by former governor Abiola Ajimobi. Under Ajimobi the state wasn't working so perfectly. The state-owned university, LAUTECH, was on a protracted strike. State civil servants were not getting paid. Roads were bad, crimes were rife and corruption was welcome.

But just within months of ascending the governor's seat, the new governor Seyi Makinde has almost rewritten the story of Oyo State and has repositioned Oyo as the nation's pace setter state.

He started first of all by showing his love and believe in the youths. He supported the ambition of 32-year-old Adebo Ogundoyin to be speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly and topped it by appointing 27-year-old Seun Fakorede as a commissioner. All these at a time when youths are only considered for SA, PA, bag carrier or boy-boy. This inclusion of youths in governance, as well as many the women he appointed, is a clear evidence that Seyi Makinde is not your typical Nigerian politician.

But that's just a tip of the iceberg. In in a state where workers are used to being owed salaries for months, he has consistently paid salaries five or more days before the month ends ever since he got into office.

LAUTECH has also resumed academic activities. Crime have been checkmated. He's on course to settle some high profile disputes in the state and has already kick-started a people-oriented agenda that will leave all citizens of the state better, richer and more educated.

Seyi Makinde, however, was not produced by a revolution. He's a product of an election. Without question, therefore, that's enough proof that if we can support the right candidates revolution against democratically elected governments would be unnecessary.

Ugonna Utulor is a Public Affairs Researcher.