Osun, Aregbesola And Street Credibility

Street credibility has for years found its way into the political dictionary of Nigerian politicians. Literally, the dictionary defines street credibility as “a convincing command or display of the style, fashions, knowledge, etc, associated with urban counterculture”.

Often shortened as street cred, street credibility is used in the political arena to refer to politicians who command popularity, crowd pulling, intelligence and oratory power. If a politician is said to have ‘street credibility’, it means the aggregate opinion of the people convincingly agree that such a person is loved, popular and always pulls crowds wherever he is. 

In Nigeria, only a few politicians have street credibility. Of the few, the immediate-past Minister of Interior and former Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, is among the first two or three, going by empirical fact. 

When Aregbesola visited Osogbo and by extension Osun, in June 2023 for an unusual homecoming after completing his tenure in the former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, many believed the huge statewide reception he had was because he just left office.

Seven months after, Aregbesola returned to Osogbo and this time around, with fanfare and a tumultuous crowd, across all junctions and streets, waiting to have a grasp of their man, who in eight years transformed the fortunes of the city.

Beyond transformation, they also celebrated and cheered a man who has never hid his love and genuine passion for the continued growth of the Osun State capital, even after completing his constitutional terms in office. It then reminds one of the famous quotes in the world – Power in Responsibility: “What outlives one is not the power and what such power is used to acquire in material wealth, but the impact in the lives of the many – the mass.”

The common statement on the lips of the majority people of Osun is that Aregbesola developed the state whilst he was the governor. Aregbesola has a progressive and socialist understanding of development. Asked what does development truly mean at one of the private parleys in Osogbo while he was still governor, Aregbesola simply defined development as Mass Prosperity. With further quizzes, the homeboy smiled and responded: “What defines development is not just the number of rich men we have or the beauty you see around in cities, towns and villages, it is when the mass majority of the people are prosperous.”

Taking it further, he hinged his position on the central idea of leadership, which is to serve as the beacon of hope for the masses.

Aregbesola, in his usual style adorned his signature blue agbada on Saturday, 20th January, 2024 to attend the four-in-one event of the Osun Economic Development Team OEDT. Apparently his first visit to the state in the New Year, it was a time to renew the lifelong bond with the people of Osun, especially with his die-hard lovers – the people of Osogbo. 

From his entry to the town through the Ilesa Garage end of the Osogbo-Ilesa road, the convoy moved through Sadiat-Oke-Ayepe-Oja-Oba where the train stopped at the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun, Larooye II, for royal homage. 

The team later proceeded to commission 90 solar street lights at the Ajegunle spare parts and Oluode markets both in the ancient town, before moving to the Olutimehin Grammar School, Osogbo, before doling out N48m in cash to various market groups in the state capital.

Expectedly, people trooped out from their shops, houses, markets and offices to catch a glimpse of their man, with words like “Aregbe is our man”, “We have missed this man, o,” “Eh! Five years later, people are still trooping out to receive this man, his charm with the people is strong, o,””Let Iragbiji people come and do this and see if they won’t stone them,””People still love this man,” among others.

The mood was electrifying and as usual, traffic built up around the prominent places in Osogbo like Station Road, Orisunbare market, Old-Garage leading to Ajegunle where the first commissioning of the solar streetlights was held.

The Chairman, Ajegunle Market Association, Alhaji Kamorudeen Azeez, described Aregbesola as a charismatic leader, who has supported the association, and tremendously boosted the fortunes of the market while in office.

He praised the efforts of the former Minister to champion causes that are geared towards benefiting the society maximally.

The Ataoja of Osogbo, who had earlier received Aregbesola and the Osun Economic Development Team and accompanied the entourage to the commissioning of the solar streetlights at Oluode and Ajegunle Markets lauded the team for its contributions to the development of the state capital.

Oba Oyetunji praised Aregbesola for his efforts at changing the fortunes of the ancient town, stressing that the people will continue to celebrate and honour his legacy in the town.

The frontline monarch also lauded the group for the “Symbol of Progressive Leadership,” as its Grand Patron, noting that he is happy to associate with a team that prioritises the development and all round emancipation of his people.

The frontline traditional ruler stated: “We are always delighted to have Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in Osogbo. Throughout his tenure, he worked tirelessly for the face-lift of our town and that he had pursued vigorously. He is also passionate about anything that will see to the uplift of the community.

“For us, we will continue to support everything that you (Aregbesola) represents. Osogbo is behind you and will forever be grateful to you.”

Justifying why the team decided to go into the effort, the Chairman and Vice Chairman of Osun Economic Development Team, Engr. (Dr.) Kayode Adegbulugbe and Asiwaju Olusegun Ayoola, said group wants to continuously fulfil its agenda of boosting the local economy of the state.

Stressing that the motive of the team is purely apolitical and development oriented, Adegbulugbe and Ayoola noted that the team will not rest on its oars in lifting people out of poverty, especially during this precarious economic situation.

“We are not political jobbers. Aregbesola changed the face of Osogbo as a capital city. We made him our Grand Patron because of his enviable legacy, which cannot be erased in the history of Osogboland.

“If anyone wants to rubbish his legacy, what will be rubbish is unquantifiable. By the grace of God, we will continue to support him. The major reason we chose him is because his legacy is unrivalled in the history of Osun. We are behind him in every regard”, Adegbulugbe and Ayoola emphasised.

The duo thanked Aregbesola for his guidance and support for the group, which emulates his social welfarist and humanist oriented ideology.

Thrilled by the continued display of love and affection by the people of Osogbo, Aregbesola said, “I will continue to cherish and appreciate the warm and enthusiastic accommodation given to me by the good people of Osogbo till today. They continue to honour us with their unflinching support.”

Recognising the economic situation of the country, the former Governor was quick to mention that only democracy is capable of fixing its own mistakes, urging Nigerians to keep their heads high.

He said, “I will like to admonish us all to keep our hope alive. Things are very tough now, making many have doubts on democracy.

“Whatever mistake we make in democracy will also be corrected through democracy. In the end we shall triumph and will have cause for gladness and rejoicing.

Aregbesola also used the opportunity to seek the cooperation of all stakeholders, particularly good spirited individuals in complementing the government’s efforts at driving the wheel of development for the mass of the people.

While lauding the group for the efforts, the immediate-past Minister was optimistic that the projects and empowerment programme would go a long way into impacting the lives of beneficiaries, the programme is reminiscent of the social investment and people impactful interventions of his administration between 2010 and 2018.

He stated, “When we were at the helm in Osun, for eight years, we made human and infrastructure development our priority. The reason for this is not far-fetched. Development does not occur in a vacuum. Humans drive development. These humans must first be developed with the cultivation of their intellect through education and sound moral instruction.

“Then, the right and proper environment in the form of infrastructure must be created for them to be able to function optimally. The combination of the two would definitely bring about development, God willing!

“When we came to Osun in November 2010, it was apparent then that Osogbo as the capital city was not befitting. It was a throwback to the colonial era. But by the grace of God, we pledged solemnly before God and man that we would change it, and we did.

“Our human development programme covered the entire state. We built state of the art schools that are still a reference point all over the nation five years after we left. Our education programme lifted Osun from the bottom performance in external examinations that we met to top performance by the time we left.

“Our empowerment programmes lifted not less than one million people out of poverty and cut unemployment to near zero, according to the best rating agencies. We unleashed prosperity across the state whose impact reverberated all over the country. In our time, Osun was one of the most peaceful and secure states in the country.

“We embarked on urban renewal across the state, including road construction and rehabilitation which featured five bridges, two of which are clover leaves. By the time we left, Osogbo was wearing a modern look that we could all proudly look to as our state capital. I am therefore grateful to God that we have been vindicated by history as our good works live after us.”

No doubt, last Saturday, like the other moments of renewal of the lifelong bond, is another moment where “Oranmiyan” renewed his age-long bond with the people of the state, showing that they are fully behind their man. It further re-echoes a fact that nothing can change a people’s love for a man who strived to reposition and place Osun on the map of modernity with enduring legacies.