The Gbenga Daniel Example
Perspective
By Yemi Ogunbiyi
Let me start with a confession. From the outset, I had not given Gbenga Daniel a chance. When, very early in the life of the previous administration in the state, he informed me of his intention to run for the office of governor, I did not think he could pull it off because of the huge mandate his predecessor in office had enjoyed during the 1999 elections. And even after Otunba Daniel had won the 2003 elections, I still had lingering doubts that he could make an impact in so difficult, even if resourceful, a state like Ogun.
So, when, on the eve of his first anniversary as governor, he invited me to visit the state and see for myself what 'modest' achievements he had made, I gladly accepted his invitation. And so it was, that for two days, I traveled around the state, spending some time in Abeokuta, talking to just about anyone I could find, civil servants, the 'buka' proprietress who fed me on my first day, agricultural extension workers, petrol station attendants, a road-side mechanic, a retired school teacher and many others. I spent long hours with the governor at work, observing him as he held private meetings with his cabinet members and received a retinue of visitors from within the state and even outside the country - traditional leaders and rulers, business men who had come from Lagos, angling for a partnership with the state in one business deal or another, a US-based Nigerian team with a housing project in mind and a host of others. Taking his time, and skipping his dinner, I observed as he met each of them until about 3 a.m. in the morning in a business-like atmosphere of candour, civility and sometimes, brute frankness.
After spending close to two days in Abeokuta and its environs, I reached one inescapable conclusion: that Ogun State was undergoing a massive transformation. There is ample evidence, even to the least discerning that Governor Gbenga Daniel and his dedicated term of colleagues are committed, not only to changing the entire landscape of Ogun State, but also the quality of life of the people. So impressive are the achievements of the Daniel government in so short a time that it is almost impossible to capture its full import in a single piece such as this. Therefore, I will attempt to summarise.
In making a quick interim assessment of the Daniel administration, three areas stand out - the radical and programmed pursuit of concrete developmental projects, an unparalleled sense of commitment, dedication and zeal and a style of governance that is subsumed in candour and humility. In the area of projects, (and here again, I am forced to summarise), three areas, in my view, dominate, namely, the massive job creation scheme, under the newly created Ogun State Employment Generation Programme (OGEGEP) and its direct links to the revamped Agricultural Programme, the almost unprecedented infrastructural development and the radical, bold industralisation agenda.
Driven, presumably, by a desire to redeem an electioneering campaign pledge to create some 50,000 jobs within his first four-year term, Daniel quickly created an Employment Agency that was designed to create jobs for predominantly young people by empowering trainee beneficiaries with relevant skills in various trades and disciplines. After the initial inventory of the unemployed was taken state-wide, the first batch of 5,000 beneficiaries were split into the choice of agricultural and non-agricultural fields and trades. At the end of their training, the beneficiaries were provided with working tools and capital to enable them establish their own businesses in such wide-ranging areas as carpentry, hat-making, chalk-making, painting, electrical works, saw-milling and various agricultural disciplines. It is instructive to note that some of the beneficiaries of this scheme were erstwhile street urchins and 'area boys' who now own their own businesses. This scheme has since become a model, one that the federal government and a number of NGOs have sought to learn from.
As it turned out, the agricultural agenda received a major impetus from the job creation scheme, since the first 1,000 graduates, with bias for agricultural discipline, formed the nucleus of the 8 resuscitated farm settlements in the state. The best known of these settlements is the Odeda Farm Institute, which was declared open by Chief Obafemi Awolowo in January 1960 and had been virtually abandoned for thirty years! Barely weeks after opening up Odeda, Daniel provided about 500 hectares of land to some Israeli farmers for the production of potatoes, vegetable and fishery services. He also acquired 11 rice mills for the use of rice farmers in the state. By the end of 2003, now barely six months in office, a Rice Research and Seed Multipli-cation Farm has been established at Mokoloki, in collaboration with world-famous Veetee Rice Company, which produces, among other varieties, Uncle Ben's Rice. The projection is that by the end of 2005, rice grown and packaged in Ogun State should be sufficient for the entire national consumption, with some more left for export.
While I was being taken on an inspection tour of the Rice Research Farm last week, a permanent secretary in the state civil service said to me - and this is a verbatim reproduction of what he said: "I studied Agriculture and I have been in the Ogun State Civil Service all my working life. I have never experienced this pace of work since I joined the service. The achievements of this administration in one year in Agriculture, surpasses what we did in the previous twenty-five years!"
As I write this, I am reminded of the stunning parallels between what Chief Obafemi Awolowo did successfully in the old western region, between 1952 - 1959 and what Gbenga Daniel seeks to achieve now, even if on a smaller scale. While assessing his own record, first as Leader of the party in power (February 1952 - September 1954) and subsequently as Premier (October 1954 - December 1959), he said: "In the field of economic planning, I gave pride of place to the development of agriculture. ... In 1959 alone, 176,000 pounds was given out as loans to farmers producing food crops and to fishermen. Apart from helping individual farmers in the manner already described, one of the first acts of my regime was the establishment of thirteen cooperative farm settlements and three farm Institutes. ... Here, young, educated persons are taught and made to practice the science and technique of modern farming, with a view to their standing on their own as successful cooperative farmers after a short period of pupilage". This could have been a speech by Gbenga Daniel in 2004!
But while the job creation and farming projects might well turn out to be Daniel's most enduring achievements to date, the most visible is obviously the infrastructural scheme, particularly the rehabilitation, through direct labour, of close to 150 roads across the four major zones of the state. The State's Road Maintenance Agency (OGROMA) is literally everywhere in the state, including my small and once strategic town, Ipara, which has enjoyed no meaningful state presence in decades. OGROMA is also working hard to finish work on the dualisation of the 36 km Abeokuta-Kobape-Sagamu road, which on completion, will be the first fully lit trunk 'A' road in the country. To this picture, add the completion of preliminary work on the establishment of an international port at the Ogun Waterside Local government, the completion of the Light Rail Scheme linking Sagamu to Lagos, and the completion of the design for the establishment of an International Cargo Airport.
The list seems limitless - the effective computerisation of the public service for smooth and efficient operation, the bold Tourism drive, designed to transform the Olumo Rock and other sites, to major attractions, the improved welfare package for workers, including the payment of the arrears of four-year leave bonuses, the proposed Housing scheme along the Lagos-Sagamu express road, designed to complement the new industrial layout along the Lagos-Sagamu-Abeokuta axis, the remodeling and modification of the State House, (again, through direct labour) at a fraction of quoted costs, and other programmes in the Health, Education and Sports sectors.
But how does one explain this phenomenal achievement in so short a time considering the limited resources at his disposal? Why is it that at a time when some state governors are being accused of pilferage and impropriety, Daniel stands out as a reminder that even in the midst of all the filth, corruption and degeneracy, there is hope yet for us? Or to use a more modern political parlance, how do we explain the political efficacy of Daniel?
Several factors combine to provide answers to these questions, not the least of which is the amount of preparedness that went into his quest for the job of governor. Using his Gateway Foundation as a springboard, and accompanied by a crop of youngmen and women who shared his vision (and who were to form the nucleus of his future cabinet), Otunba Daniel visited, over a three-year period, practically every local government in the state, indeed every ward, humbly asking questions and learning, first -hand the problems, the pains, aspirations, hopes and dreams of the rural poor. This was a neglected rural community whose memory of "life more abundant" terminated (aside from a brief intervention by chief Bisi Onabanjo) with Obafemi Awolowo forty-five years ago. From out of those tours and months of brainstorming, a blueprint was fashioned out, one which formed the bedrock of the government's current programmes. This level of preparedness is virtually unparalled in modern Nigeria history.
But there is also the question of style, of a cultured background and education. It does not require an expert to see that a mechanical engineer who has run and managed his own business successfully would run Ogun State as if it were another business, where profit dividends must be declared to shareholders at an Annual General meeting. As I sat with the governor in Abeokuta and listened in at his private meetings, I was left in no doubt that he and his team are conducting themselves and the affairs of the state in accordance with the best traditions.
Without question, Gbenga Daniel has done very well and therein lies a part of his problem. For, by setting such a high standard by which he would now always be judged, he cannot afford to fail. Having now laid the foundation, he needs to actualise his many dreams, because the rural population remains largely poor and neglected in so endowed a state like Ogun. Even the urban centres such as Sagamu, Ikenne, Ijebu-Ode and even the capital city of Abeokuta are merely urban in name. The task of transforming the state into a modern state will require time, dedication and commitment. Such a transformation might also depend on how quickly he is able to get Ogun State added to the list of oil producing states. Ogun State can do with some more money. Dynamism alone and the best of programmes cannot in themselves transform the state; resources will be needed for the job to be done.
There is an interesting sub-text to the unfolding political saga in Ogun State, vis-�-vis Gbenga Daniel's success story. A few vain, atavistic ideologues of the Awoist School have never forgiven Gbenga Daniel for venturing from the Alliance for Democracy (AD) fold, and joining what, in their view, is "not a progressive party"! But Daniel's achievements compel a redefinition of the progressive toga. Because, put in proper perspective, the key lesson of Gbenga Daniel's achievements is simple, namely, that you can embrace Awo's philosophies, actualise them and use them to run an inclusive government that is free of rancour, bitterness, sectionalism and greed, while not belonging to what is considered, whether rightly or wrongly, to be Awo's party. For, as Awo himself said, the party machinery is a mere tool for achieving the greatest good for the greatest number, bearing in mind that (and these are Awo's words) "the aim of a good government is the welfare of the entire people under its jurisdiction". In this regard, Gbenga Daniel is, in certain respects, the quintessential Awoist, the true inheritor of Awo's dreams.
Dr. Ogunbiyi is former Managing Director of Daily Times
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