When my attention was drawn to the latest piece by Ismail Omipidan, former Chief Press Secretary to Ex-Governor Oyetola, it was expected to show scholarship, but instead it reflected disgruntled projection. What was read was not depth, but a man trying to run from the shadow of the, mal-administration he helped defend, now seeking cheap relevance.
Therefore, setting the following records straight is necessary:
1. On His Attempt at Intellectual Posturing
Mr. Omipidan wrote about the “Tragedy of the Commons” as though Osun people suddenly developed amnesia; as though the people have forgotten the era of his former principal, a sadist who inflicted salary arrears, abandoned projects, groaning pensioners, and an economy gasping for air; as though we forgot who spoke for that Governor every single day. Scholarship cannot erase lived experience.
2. On Claiming Innocence After Participation
Let it be clear, he cannot actively participate in an administration and then pretend to be an innocent bystander when it failed. Carrying the baggage of that era disqualifies him from claiming moral authority to judge the recovery process. Public rejection is not a license for moral grandstanding.
3. On Dignity and Reflection in Public Life
Dignity in public life matters. When you defended policies that hurt people, rationalised decisions that strained families, and stood firmly behind an administration eventually rejected by the electorate, humility should follow. Reflection should follow.
4. On What Governor Ademola Adeleke Inherited
Governor Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke inherited a state under immense pressure; wage obligations, pension backlogs, contractor debts, infrastructure gaps, low civil service morale, and a fragile economy. Recovery is neither magic nor theatre. It is methodical, deliberate, and work-driven.
5. On Foreign Investment and Governance Stability
Foreign investment does not arrive because someone wakes up from the wrong side of the bed in Iragbiji, boards a flight and takes pictures abroad. It comes when systems stabilise, when confidence is rebuilt, and when policy consistency is evident. Those who ran a government that could not inspire even local investor confidence should be the last to mock the rebuilding process.
6. On Revenue Reform and Transparency
On revenue, reform and transparency close doors that once benefitted opaque channels, political jobbers, and middlemen. Reform naturally unsettles those who fed on disorder.
7. On Budget and Economic Reconstruction
Recovery is not a one-year slogan. Economic reconstruction spans years, and continuity in policy direction is essential. You do not rebuild halfway and abandon the blueprint because critics are manipulative.
8. On the Emotional Tone of His Commentary
The tone of Mr. Omipidan’s commentary reveals anger, disbelief that the people moved on, and frustration that the narrative is no longer under his control. That is his real tragedy.
9. On What Truly Matters to Osun People
Osun people are not interested in literary sarcasm. They care about salaries being paid on time, pension obligations being addressed, roads being fixed, schools and hospitals receiving attention, and governance that is accessible. The Imole giantstrides are visible.
10. On Respect for the Intelligence of the Electorate
To crown a man previously labelled unserious, watch him stabilise governance, and then pretend nothing is happening insults not Governor Adeleke, but the intelligence of the people of Osun. Upholding history, participation in a rejected government removes the moral luxury of grandstanding. Speaking is a right, but applause cannot be expected when one’s own record remains unresolved.
Osun is not in tragedy; it is in repair, and the people are pleased with the process. Those who left the cracks should have the decency not to mock the rebuilding.
- Olaribigbe Monsur Olayemi is the Chairman of the Nigerian Youth Congress, Osun State Chapter.