ISSUES/POLICY: A Commendation From The African Union

The commendation giving by the African Union, Economic, Social, and Cultural Council (AU-ECOSOCC) to the Osun State government for meeting the requirements set by the African Union Agenda 2063 for infrastructural development is more than significant. It goes straight into the dilemma of the policy options in the developing countries arena.

In this election season, there are already vacuous postulations promising the ephemeral, things which cannot be delivered. The position of the African Union (AU) should be sobering. The AU in honouring Governor Rauf Aregbesola with an award of excellence in good governance and physical infrastructure, capital and human developments, noted that each of the Osun Social protection projects is in-line with the four critical sectors like education, transport and road networks, information and communication technology of the African Union. It is worthy of note and must be stressed that the organisation commended Osun for its infrastructural development, pointing out that it is second to none in the country.

The negative campaigns currently been assiduously waged has to be seen from the backdoor of tight fiscal restraints and the stultification of Nigeria’s negative quasi-federalism. Osun State is landlocked and does not received special derivation funds because it is not an oil producing state. Inspite of this, tremendous landmark achievements have been made by slimming down on the costs of the machinery of governments, increasing internally generated revenues and generally creating and adding value.

The balancing act has come with a cost in terms of getting the message through. The Action Group government of Chief Obafemi Awolowo faded a similar situation in the 1950s. The issue of how to defer immediate gratification to plan for the future of succeeding generations. The verdict of history on the initiative, its legacies enduring. Ditto for that of Governor Aregbesola and his team. The positive verdict of history is assured. For if you seek to know about the positive effect of the Aregbesola intervention in the State of Osun, you only have to look around you.

The last words goes to the independent assessors of the African Union  – “The State of Osun has justified the essence of governance in all aspects of the economy be it roads, schools, hospitals, security, agriculture and other social intervention programmes.

“With what we have seen in terms of infrastructural development which encompasses roads networks, state-of-the-art schools, ultra-modern health facilities, state-of-the-art security hardware and apparatuses, support for the elderly, among others, are testimonials to difference Osun government had made in governance.

“Though we are here on inspection tour to confirm, understudy and assess the performance of the present administration in all areas of the economy, but so far, we are convinced by the monumental achievements made by this administration.