[The Discourse] A Tale Of Legacy Destroyed: The Shame Of Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo
![[The Discourse] A Tale Of Legacy Destroyed: The Shame Of Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo](https://osundefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/freedom-park2.jpg)
- Fanika Azeez Oluwadare
Under the visionary leadership of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Osun State witnessed transformative urban renewal. One shining example was the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park in Osogbo — a once-derelict plank market and garage transformed into a sprawling beacon of beauty, recreation, and tourism. Trees were planted, gardens flourished, sitting areas were created, and the park became a pride of the state capital. It hosted major events, including thanksgiving services with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and symbolized progress, order, and people-centered governance.
Fast forward to today. What Aregbesola built with purpose and pride now lies in ruins — overtaken by weeds, goats, stagnant water, dust-covered chairs, and general decay. Reports from years back already painted a sorry picture of abandonment, and the situation has hardly improved. The park that once added aesthetic and economic value to Osogbo has become an eyesore, a painful monument to neglect.
Yet, in a display of breathtaking audacity, the current administration under Governor Ademola Adeleke has no shame in converging there for rallies, endorsements, and political jamborees. Artisans, market women, and supporters are mobilized to the same dilapidated site for grand events and re-election flag-offs, as if the park’s glory remains intact. They celebrate “achievements” on grounds they failed to maintain.
This is not governance — this is hypocrisy of the highest order.
- You Inherited A Beautified Park And Allowed It To Rot
- You talk of Infrastructure But cannot even sustain a simple recreational facility in the state capital.
- You hold rallies amid decay, turning a symbol of legacy into a venue for political theater while residents lament the loss.
Osun people deserve better than a government that destroys through negligence what predecessors built through vision. Governor Adeleke, the people see through the optics. Fixing roads elsewhere does not excuse the rot at the heart of Osogbo. Restore the Freedom Park. Honor the legacy. Or continue exposing the hollowness of your administration with every rally held in its ruins.
The contrast is clear: One administration built and beautified; the other neglected and now shamelessly exploits. Osun is watching. History will not be kind to those who turn pride into embarrassment.
#FixFreedomPark #OsunDeservesBetter.
- Fanika Azeez Oluwadare, writes from Ward 10, Oriade Local Government
The opinions expressed in this publication are solely those of the author. It does not represent the editorial position or opinion of OSUN DEFENDER.
