By Isaac Olusesi

As the governorship poll in Osun State inches closer, with electioneering campaigns fever pitched, the state is least expected to lose its equilibrium. Why? There’s no part of Osun, today, that could go for an epicenter of violence or exhibit potential combustibility to have any ravaging effect on the July 16 election. And there’s no action of Governor Gboyega Oyetola, considered as unsavoury to any part of the state which could imperil the election. 

Oyetola is a democrat in governance and administration, not one idling away. His progressive public policies, projects and services that even – spread across Osun, drive more meaningful developments by his propulsive force of visionary, discipline and courage, marked by decency, etiquette and decorum – the “no crisis, no rancour observed in his character,” by the management of the Vanguard Newspapers on how he particularly resolved the crisis in the education sector.The observational actualities about Oyetola’s governance and administration as empirically found out by the Vanguard Newspapers to be true and valid, reflective of him and the state under his nose earned the Vanguard Newspapers’ Governor of the Year 2021 for Good Governance Award vested in him.  

In the case of the Vanguard Newspapers’ core counts of “equity, fairness, integrity, excellence and service to humanity” Vs. Oyetola’s governance, he was acquitted on all counts, and found to have achieved accelerated transformation of Osun since his assumption of office as governor. He was ‘discharged to go home’ with the award that took place recently, in Lagos. Vanguard Newspapers, well known to have “a heritage of independence of political control, is most entertaining, refreshing, authoritative, detailed and reader friendly.”

The event, tagged “Vanguard Personality of the Year 2021 Award” was an outlet for independent apolitical external stocktaking of Osun government and its patriotic show of unassailable enthusiasm and zealous commitment to the prosperity of the state development economy to the acknowledgement of the management of the Vanguard Newspapers. Responding to the award Oyetola declared that “the reward for hard-work is more work to impact on humanity.” Apparently, he must be referring to the ends of democracy, justice and the rule of law in the expanded interest of Osun people, the end beneficiary of the award. In other words, the award bestowal provides for him, a new starting point and _”the sum of a man’s all day is just a beginning_ ,” paraphrasing *Lewis Mumford’s Transformation of Man* .

And me thinks of no greater honour than the blue ribbon Vanguard Award which gave Oyetola the citation for really enviable performance at work. He does not exercise unilateral thinking; he does not waste public funds; and he does not hoard public money. Rather, he plugs wastes and cuts costs. He’s a man who would not be stained by the temptations that exalted political offices throw at one. The award gave the viewing publics far reaching insights into his proven integrity, exceptional industry and distinctive courage with suchlike nose for strategy, wit, wisdom and zest for developments in all sectors, not inconsistent with the aspirations of the people of the state.

Oyetola indeed, is not undeserved of the award. He has consistently displayed open knack for the pursuit of utilitarian social justice wrapped in his Development Agenda, too gladly in the Vanguard Newspapers’ “unflinching commitment to the free enterprise, the rule of law and good governance.”

•Olusesi writes via  [email protected]