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•Now Fetes 2,000 People Daily @ Government House
•Kills 4 Cows Daily
•Kills 4 Cows Daily
Late High Chief Lamidi Adedibu and late Aare Arisekola Alao left enduring legacies. First, they were pro-people; and protectors of the weak, oppressed and hopeless irrespective of the social status of people, they were a fulcrum of support. Apart from their religious injunction which made them their brothers’ keepers and which charged them to do ‘Zakat’, they believed in the humanity law which says every human being is entitled to food, clothing and shelter. They provided food -’ cooked and raw’ to people and symbolically gave people money to meet their needs. They did physical, direct empowerment to people. What they had, they shared.
One who provides food, clothing and shelter for people in Yorubaland is seen as a benefactor. The South-West people see their benefactors as heroes because they protect them from shame, lack or anguish. They would rather take their cases to them for resolution. Their power is derived from the people, and in turn, they give uncommon leadership. People don’t value infrastructure and say, ‘I didn’t come to count bridges or roads. Direct benefits interest them’. They can only connect to people especially leaders they have direct benefits from. The magnanimity of these 2 leaders particularly in empowerment of the people, acting as genuine guardians or fathers people ran to with their myriad of problems – and they in turn provided succour and solutions – made them powerful.
On Fridays,in their lifetime, thousands of people were provided cash, food and other items in these 2 leaders’ homes; and every day of the week, they had access to meals. During Hajj, they made sure people were sponsored turn-by-turn and during Ramadan, they were sure of having enough food and provisions and money for the Holy month. For these and more, even in politics, they became more formidable. The people believed in them more than some ‘elected’ politicians. Late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu was considered a Feeder of the Massses. He sat with them every day. And late Aare Arisekola Alao took double portion of the crowd, feeding, caring, and attending to them when late Adedibu passed away.
Ironically, when late Arisekola died, over 20 trailers were in his compound – they contained food he wanted to share for people during Ramadan. Such was his magnanimity. The Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, and the Sultan of Sokoto, captured his death as end of an era. Unfortunately, nature abhors vacuum. Gov. Abiola Ajimobi rose to the task of feeding and providing for the people. Every Ramadan, even when he was a senator, and now as governor, he has always opened his gates for people to eat with him irrespective of their class. At late Arisekola’s house, Ajimobi was touched on seeing the trailers of food the late philanthropist, and he was inspired to continue the good works.
He enjoined all and sundry to come to Government House and his private residence as well as his family house, Ajimobi Empowerment Centre, and other designated centres in all the 33 LGAs for food. In all these places, there are always fresh meals, and the service is devoid of politics.In his media chat with NTA Ibadan on 8th July 2014 at 8pm, he was astonished at the number of people he fetes during the Ramadan. They are 2,000 daily and sometimes more. The menu is rich. Everybody including him partakes in the same menu of fruits, porridge, ‘amala’, rice, and what have you; all these with water and juice. There are takeaways for those who need. About 4 cows are killed daily and the turnout of people overwhelms him. The vacuum created by the death of Aare Arisekola Alao in Ibadan had to be filled.
The leader who has the empowerment to do that is Gov. Abiola Ajimobi. He is a devout Muslim – it’s the belief of Muslims to do ‘Zakat’ and help the poor and the less-privileged especially during Ramadan.Also with his political background, his father being a politician, he understands how to carry people along and he has learnt from the late Adedibu and Arisekola Alao – he understudied them on how they carried people along. And they had natural love for people who believed in them. Also, this adds mileage to the political aspiration of any leader. He is able to connect with them, interact with them and know what they want. He has direct contact with them. He also has a strong viable structure(as a party leader and governor) in the State.
Gov. Abiola Ajimobi is not all about providing enabling environment, peace, and bringing dividends of democracy to this people. He has provided good roads, agricultural development, structural development and urban renewal – infrastructure is the bane of his success. The success of the state and his governance is hinged on infrastructural development but he has gone a step further. His politics is liberal and fresh. He is respected for providing a level-field political playground. He abhors do-or-die poltiics or politics that is about people and not issues. He likes only development politics and also believes in the power of the people’s votes and he has taken Oyo State so far to another level. He believes in the social conscience of people to vote without inducement and has been able to achieve so much transformation with power.
In the Oyo State House of Assembly, despite having representatives from 3 political parties, there is peace, and no conflict. As a technocrat, Gov. Abiola Ajimobi’s background helps him tremendously in administration. For instance, the environmental laws were played down for a while when he saw and heard about the overzealousness of some officials of ‘Yes-O’. He is a governor who has a feedback mechanism and appraisal of his government policies – this shows he is connected with his people. He believes in the rule of law, strong family values, decency, and civilized behaviour. But is he “oyinbo,”as some ask. No, he grew up here, and had an average background. But with his vision and tenacity of purpose, he built himself into a brand in the corporate and political world. His Yoruba is as good as his English.
What do people love about Gov. Abiola Ajimobi? He thinks very deeply before acting, he is a master strategist. He believes in advancement of individuals and society and he corrects his mistakes in due appropriate time.What are the challenges the governor has to overcome? Politically, he has to be able to deliver the All Progressives Congress(APC) to government in 2015 despite 2 senators (Oyo Central, and Oyo South) defecting. Also, he needs to work hard on the psyche of the people so that the Ekiti tsunami won’t be misinterpreted as a general tornado to sweep away APC in the South-West. The people need empowerment, they believe infrastructure has been provided for the State and the people need to make money. Also being a godson of the late Arisekola Alao, he has to continue to build on the structure and goodwill of the kingmaker.
Be as it may, the 2015 election promises to be so keen and competitive in Oyo State. Another plus for Gov. Ajimobi is that so many godfathers have their children in his cabinet. This has mandated those stakeholders to work for him as they have stakes in the government. Whoever emerges PDP guber aspirant – be it Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, Senator Teslim Folarin, Senator Rasheed Ladoja or any of those in the race- will have Ajimobi to contend with. As for the governor, he has the last word, “Ibadans, they say, don’t serve people twice but I am going to serve Oyo State twice. I am the one to serve Oyo State not Ibadan to serve me twice”. Gov Ajimobi is set to demystify it. It’s not only him, Otunba Alao-Akala and Senator Rasheed Ladoja are asking for 2nd term? Will Ibadan serve them twice? Already, there are political meetings in Oyo State – elites, professionals and politicians are brainstorming and strategizing. The 2015 election will involve everybody and groups are coming together to act as support base to their favored gubernatorial candidates. As politics is a game of number, a lot of horse-trading is going on in the parties!
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