EDITORIAL: Waiting For Oyetola

There is a wave of anticipation as we count down to the governorship of Gboyega Oyetola on November 27, 2018. A new era beckons.

In his declaration of intention to contest for the post of the Governor of the State of Osun, Oyetola declared that “I believe I am the man for such a moment as this. I have the experience. I have the pedigree, I am dependable, accessible and most of all, I am that person that will voice your concerns and represent each and every one of you at the right places. I will serve you diligently. I will work for your progress. I am a loyal party man and most of all, a true and committed son of this great state”.

We believe that the incoming governor, an accomplished technocrat fits the age old adage, “Cometh the moment, cometh the man”. Demonstrably, the experience, expertise and pedigree is there to provide a trajectory for the continuity agenda. This will stand the state in good stead as it walks into the maelstrom induced with the implementation of a new minimum wage. This will clearly stress the culture of ambitiousness, inclusiveness, equity and excellence, the template with which the incoming governor has anchored his position. He will no doubt be up to the task.

This perception is confirmed from the perspective of key stakeholders in the state. For example, in the opinion of the Honourable Commissioner for Information and Strategy,  Hon. Adelani Baderinwa, the high expectations will be justified because “Oyetola has been a strong member of the outgoing administration, he played crucial roles at crucial points in the life of the administration. When he wasn’t initiating steps forward in the transformation agenda of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, he was there to diligently execute policy thrusts of the government. He was definitely a great contributor to the humongous success recorded in the last eight years. Now that he will be in the drivers seat, he will undoubtedly add greater value to the foundation already laid and indeed commence the work of building a great future for the State of Osun”.

The incoming Oyetola-led administration will have to hit the grounding running. For in less than a hundred days of assuming office, there will be the presidential election as well as legislative elections. Both will be vital. In the case of the legislative election, pivotal. The new governor must secure a solid legislative majority in order to avoid gridlocks and bifurcation. Not only Osun Defender, but the majority of the well meaning citizens of the State of Osun await with positive expectations, the age of Oyetola.