Daily Independent Online.
*
Thursday, July 01, 2004.
Media
as agent of paradigm shift
By Wole Elegbede
It is apparent from all indications that
the policies and programmes of the present government in Ogun State are based
on a new model of development. I could see the institutionalisation of a
multi-dimensional approach to development, with a focus on the people as its
driving force. You may wish to tag it a "living development model".
It seems to be saying: Develop the people first, and the people would develop
the society.
The flurry of development activities in Ogun state
might have kindled the interest of some writers there. Recently, one writer
entitled his piece: Is Ogun ready for paradigm shift? This question may have
been answered elsewhere by Ogun State government officials. But my own poser is
this: Has the media any role to play in the paradigm shift?
Undoubtedly, any paradigm shift requires an enabling
democratic space to be successful. A constructive media, as witnessed in this
country since the inception of the current democratic experiment, could provide
an avenue for the expansion of the democratic space. Consequently, the media
could give fillip to the process of development and the transformation of
society from one level to another.
I think that Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga
Daniel, is reckoning with the role which the media could play in the
development of the State. Aside his empowerment of individual Journalists in
the State, and in some cases outside the State, the government acknowledges the
power of the media as an institution that could provide the momentum in agenda
setting for the society.
It is therefore not surprising that the government
brought the media to the fore as part of activities marking his recent one year
anniversary in office. For the first time in the history of the state, an
executive governor would embark on an extensive tour of media organisations in
the country. More importantly, this tour is unique because the governor did not
discriminate by visiting selected media organisations: he visited virtually
all.
With the media tour, the government has shown
readiness to be accountable, and to run an open and transparent administration.
Openness and transparency are essential attributes of all true democracies. The
implication of any government that has imbibed the spirit of openness and transparency
is that it has nothing to hide.
I have watched keenly Ogun State Government's
programmes in the past one year and it appears to me that the government has
been trying to do things geared towards improving the development indices of
the State. If the administration maintains the current tempo and consolidates
on the achievement of the past one year, Ogun State could take the lead in
Nigeria's development graph. This would not come as a surprise to other keen
watchers of the phenomenon.
During his recent tour of media organizations, Otunba
Daniel spoke of his agricultural input modeled along Chief Awolowo's programme.
Before May 29, 2003, all the nine farm settlements built by the late sage in
Ogun state had already collapsed. Today, all the nine farm settlements have
been resuscitated by Otunba Daniel's administration. Moreover, his government
is working on the development of 12 new farm institutes so that the benefit of
good governance could spread across the gateway state.
The important thing is that this agricultural
programme has created employment opportunities for thousands of unemployed
young men and women in the state. To the beneficiaries of this agenda, the
immediate feeling is that of relief, followed by appreciation for a fulfillment
of promise by the governor.
Fortunately, the agricultural sector is not the only
area where employment is being generated. Under the Ogun State Employment
Generation Proramme (OGEGEP), close to 10,000 people have been employed in
diverse areas such soap, paint, poultry, animal husbandry, animal feeding and
fish industries. There is no doubt that the impact of OGEGEP on the economy of
the state would be considerable. It translates to an increase in the purchasing
power of the beneficiaries.
Invariably, an opportunity is created for farmers and
market women to sell their products. To use an economic parlance, it would
create a "multiplier effect" on the economy of the state.
The governor has changed the way and manner of policy
formulation and project execution in the state. Here, the age-long management
adage, "whoever fails to plan is planning to fail" has become part of
the new thinking in government. Before this time, there was nothing like policy
formulation. The actions of government were the products of the whims and
caprices of a single individual or the privileged few. Now, every business of
government is open to debate, whether at the village square meetings,
constituency gatherings, consultative forum or the weekly cabinet meetings.
It is in the area of infrastructural development,
especially road construction that the government has aptly demonstrated it
could break from the usual manner of conducting government business. Since
assuming office last year, Otunba Daniel has constructed and rehabilitated
hundreds of roads without awarding contracts. What appears like magic in the
eyes of many people in the construction of new roads and the upgrading of old
ones is the application of a simple economic sense that focuses on the use of
our own engineers and artitisans in Ogun State to achieve the desired results.
It is important to observe at this stage that the
on-going development phenomenon in the state is traceable to the first Ogun
State Economic summit, which was held shortly after the assumption of power by
Otunba Daniel. Since then we have seen how the ideas encapsulated in the
blueprint of the summit are translated into action. With the economic summit,
Ogun State has taken a cue from the Federal Government in the area of proper
economic planning and project implementation.
These developments have a tendency to improve the
living condition of Ogun people.
Then, it may not surprise anyone if, in the next few years, the
development indices of Ogun State like the Per Capital Income, the literacy
rate and the life expectancy are found to be slightly higher than those of the
national average.
• Elegbede was a Chief Press Secretary to former Ogun State Governor
Segun Osoba
