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Of Gov Daniel and paradigm shift
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 institution 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 this phenomenon because Otunba Daniel has committed himself
to championing a welfarist agenda just as the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo did in
the Old Western region.
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 Programme (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 considrable. 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 artisans 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
capita income, the literacy rate and the life expectancy are found to be
slightly higher than those of the national average.
•Elegbede is a former Chief Press Secretary and chairman
of a local government in Ogun State.
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