By Tola Adeniyi
Whatever side any one may be in the political equation in Nigeria today, no one can deny the awe-inspiring popularity which Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola enjoys throughout the Western state. When he visited Ogun state last year December, it was a tumultuous reception he received in every town on his way to Ijebu. People roared in unison as they shouted his name any where his person was sighted.
Rauf Aregbesola, despite his portable frame is a dynamo of a personality, and like similar powerful personalities in history, his presence conjures so much imagination and attention.
I was a witness to the frenzy that welcomed his visit on a project commissioning in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, the famed ancestral home of all Yoruba people. In an open roof SUV, Aregbesola drove the entire length and breadth of the city followed by tumultuous crowd, all hailing him in a way celebrating a triumphant entry. My mind went straight back to the Penkelemesi days of the irrepressible Adegoke Adelabu, whose popularity in Ibadan, the world’s largest indigenous city, has not been equalled by any politician since his demise over 50 years ago.
The crowd that heralded Aregbesola to the ancient city of Iwo, one of Nigeria’s listed 12 most populous towns in 1952, and which still remains a huge city, was said to be unprecedented in the annals of that famous city’s history. From the Oba’s palace where the visiting Governor went to pay homage to the city’s stadium it was a crowd incomparable and electrifying. Pictures of the event shown on television networks and in newspapers were beyond description. And Ogbeni Rauf virtually sat on the roof of his Jeep as he rode throughout the town followed all the way by cheering crowd made of people of diverse ages and religious persuasions.
It was the same experience at Ikirun, another heavily populated town in Osun state. Pictures splashed in the tribune and Vanguard newspapers among several others showed a crowd the type that usually gathers at World Cup sports festivities.
In all these, the most significant and certainly the most remarkable was the fact that Aregbesola was not clad in military fatigue or in head-to-toe bullet –proof vest. His popularity was his armour. And he displayed and received such love that many Nigerian politicians could not boast of. Only a few politicians in Nigeria today, including Chairmen of Local Governments could have the courage to walk the streets of their constituencies without heavy police protection.
Aregbesola walks freely, moves about freely, and shakes hands with tens of hundreds wherever he went throughout the state it has been his privilege to govern without any fear whatsoever.
The unmatched popularity which Aregbesola commands in his state of Osun and beyond must be due in the main to his personal character traits of which humility and humanity are captains. Aregbesola sees himself as just one ordinary person like every other ordinary person but whom it has pleased God to elevate. He considers himself as simply first amongst equals and relates to every human being that comes into his orbit with respect and listening ear.
While his towering record of performance in the last 4 years or so must be considered a leading factor in the overwhelming reception he receives every where he goes in the state, his style of service delivery must also be given kudos. His creativity and originality no doubt have combined to make Aregbesola a visionary leader. His Opon Imo educational tablet praised by the UNESCO as the FIRST in the world is a standing testimony to Aregbesola’s bright and brilliant thinking cap.
A workaholic of immense proportion, Aregbesola is said by close observers as some one who gives not less than 20 hours a day to the service of his people. Always at his desk even at 2 in the morning, Aregbesola is said to be total when it comes to facing and solving challenges facing the state. To him, ‘power is responsibility’ which incidentally is his motto. And he discharges that responsibility with all energy, vigour, and the big brain God has endowed him with.
He has transformed the vast landscape of Osun state, and every city, town and village in the state has been positively impacted by the ever present and visionary leader. And in spite of the ridiculously low subvention from the centre, and the medium level of internally generated revenue, Aregbesola’s administration has been able to perform wonders in the state to the joy and satisfaction of his people.
Education, roads, health care delivery services, agriculture revolution, sports, tourism, revolutionary job creation, and promotion of civil liberties and freedoms are some of the laudable achievements of Aregbesola’s 4 years in the saddle.
Aregbesola is a downright grass-roots politician. He is easily accessible, kind and considerate, he shares the pains and pangs of ordinary people, and he makes the problems of his people his own personal problem.
In a country where people have become disillusioned and sceptical of their governments and politicians, it is remarkable to find a few who are still loved and openly embraced by their people.
Aregbesola has energy and passion. And these qualities no doubt would continue to be at his behest as he continues to serve his people, both at the state level and certainly at the national level when he completes his God’s assigned role in Osun.
Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola has won the hearts of his people. And his people, old and young, men and women, Muslims and Christians, the adherents of African traditional faiths, as well as the elite and the plebeians are ready to swear by his name. They believe and trust him, and it is this view of him strongly held that continues to find expression in the overwhelming affection showered on him wherever he goes in the state.
In and out of office, the likes of Aregbesola, like Mallam Aminu Kano, Adegoke Adelabu, Herbert Macaulay, Zik of Africa, Mazi Mbonu Ojike and the immortal Obafemi Awolowo shall always remain relevant in the consciousness of their people.
