EDITORIAL: The Progressive At 68
MEN do not make history in a vacuum; they do so under circumstances and in situations over which they have hardly any control. We have this in mind as we give the former two-term governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, sixty-eight hearty ‘Gbosas’ on his special day.
He has actually made a profound historical incursion. In the opinion of the Italian philosopher, Antonio Gramsci, “the main essence of politics is to shift the territory of debate in the direction of your own position”. Ogbeni Aregbesola since he entered the political terrain as part of the NADECO brigade has been instrumental in redirecting the alignment of political thought and action in a progressive direction. This has been a herculean task in view of the attempt to discredit the progressive position by both the military and especially, the implementation of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP).
Aregbesola has not been just an arm chair theorist or pundit, circumstances gave him the opportunity to turn thinking into praxis. He did so very astutely as the Commissioner for Works in Lagos State.
The big stage was provided when he was elected as a governor of Osun State after a long battle to recover his stolen mandate. Aregbesola re-invented the progressive ethos long associated with the Social Democratic Movement of an earlier decades such as the Action Group government in the Western Region of Nigeria in the 1950s, the Congress party in India and the Labour party of the United Kingdom.
The main thrust of this position is to always put the interest of the overwhelming majority and their families FIRST. This is not easy in a rent seeking state riven by what is known as State Capture.
Aregbesola’s structural redefinition of Osun State was remarkable within the context pointed out above that he had to work in. The transformation cut across the social as well as the physical infrastructure. He did so within very tight fiscal constraints. Nevertheless, it was profoundly transformative. To paraphrase what was said of Christopher Wren, a Architect of modern London, “If you seek to know what he has done, look around you”. Under Aregbesola, a new lease of life was breathed into economy and society in Osun State. They have proved difficult to dismantle.
Nigeria itself is now at a critical juncture. The country appears to be in a state of flux. It is our hope that the Aregbesola tendency woven around and propelled by Social Democracy will be at the forefront of the determination of the choice to be made in the months ahead. The country at the moment is facing a very debilitating cost of living crisis, indeed, cynics allude to it as a cost of existence crisis. We expect a man like Aregbesola as he has done in the past, to help to provide an “Alternative Perspective” to the crisis. Such a position will be realistic and provide a compass to navigate the country out of the present situation.
In saluting the foresight and courage of the indomitable Ogbeni, we state here that he still has a lot to contribute drawing upon the institutional memories of the past of which he is a custodian. Man wonderful returns to the symbol of the progressive ethos in Nigeria.
