Public Service Celebration of Trophies (I)

Excellence, the hallmark of the Osun State public service is well stating the obvious. Away from that, in the quick-sands of years since state creation, is a curious paralysis of will, decrepit, and despondent amidst opulence of the past. The paralysis infringed on the state workers and kept them in fits and starts at fast, dizzying pace, tragically marginalized in the throbbing arena of irregularity of statutory entitlements.

Today, the Osun public servants have got a kiss of desirable life and living with Governor Gboyega Oyatola’s private sector initiatives committed to firing up the state labour force for sustainable quality service deliveries. A man of appreciable private sector stature, aura, strides and accomplishments before his foray into politics, read by me with perfunctory interest, his magic is hinged on his government’s veritable relationships with the state workforce, adjudged the best and brightest across the nation’s federated states. More than that?

Of course, yes. Winning is a way of life for him, not winning at all costs as rule. There’s something congenital that he’s wont always, in the habit to appreciate and motivate workers for excellence, dedication, courage, and zeal requisite for increased public service efficiency. And that’s Oyetola’s tonic, driving his All Progressives Congress (APC) government to get on smoothly and consistently, bold and simple minded, with the state workers.

Excuse me! I did not launch out, writing on the state’s sterling car awards and other numero uno, peachy prizes to the state superlative civil servants. I had assigned myself writing on Osun APC, Heading for Implosion when suddenly, I thought, it would be a remiss if I should look away from the state Public Service Celebration of Trophies that hunted me like a ghost in the night, and the ghost is now being laid to rest in the day as you read this piece.

With Oyetola, good times have been here in Osun, there years plus now. He has taken mindful care of the strata of the state, bottom-up. And what? One, the economy gets strengthened with statewide infrastructure developments, education, health as well as tourism, culture and mining, their industrial outgrowths, other horizontal, vertical linkages, reducing state dependence, unemployment, poverty or hunger and inducing micro technology and businesses.

The state under Oyetola is fair that provides conducive atmosphere for legitimate ventures, other acceptable enterprises. His monthly 50kg free food for the vulnerable in the state acknowledges that the pain of hunger is a personal torment, much more appreciated by him who also knows that hunger harbingers such behavioural issues as discordant homes and crimes, undesirable just as he has never made hunger, that dire symptom of what’s paradoxically the masses’ concern, a laughing matter. It is gladdening that in Osun, the story of youngsters, mistaken for happy—go-lucky fellows, accosting you with a plea, “please, help me, I need money,” is no longer a common scenery.

Two. Public politics and politicking in the state? They get managed in a way that stimulates the growth of the polity, generating energized environment for all to realize their potentials for self-development and offer all refinement, all satisfaction at the reprieve of intrigues of furry, rage, panic and anxiety. Osun under Oyetola’s watch is not a frightening place and Osun populace, not a frightened people.

Three. Governance as democracy of comfort? Governor Oyetola’s foresight has identified with the destiny of the state with the profundity of his deep instincts for the Osun development, situating him always in the contour of the people of the state. And that’s the stabilizing factor in the evolution of democracy in the state, the most tangible and lasting democracy of comfort for the governed you cannot take away from him.

Likes it or not, Oyetola’s could not have been otherwise: he’s treasured for his superb felicity for the rhythms of the governed, away from the top-bottom tendency, the tendency unbiasedly too selfish, too restrained, and too shy of the identified or listed thoughts, wishes and interests of the masses by the masses. The governed pay dear prices for the top-bottom governance that ought not to be.

And four. In Osun, governance is a simplified art even for the infant to act a Day-Governor. Oyetola’s politics after politics, policies after policies, programmes after programmes, and projects after projects have shown simple relations between governance and life, governance and vision, governance and mission, and governance and strides so much that the myths of rigidity or hard stance governance is debunked and detached.

Oyetola’s governance style, noted for its social answerability and populist gravitas has exposed the chilling brutalities of the top-bottom governance, abrasive to the feelings and interests of the governed. In brevity, his governance, bottom-up empirically is more simplified, more mellowed, more meditative, more diversified, more pleasantly rich, and informally adventurous.

With governance demystified in Osun, Mr. Governor’s personae get mythologized. How? His rule of constitutional engagement or governance has not ridden roughshod over the governed. His kind of mind Nigeria should look for and harness for national development. He’s quietly principled, consistent, courageous, dependable, urbane and kind-hearted Nigeria of Olympian reputation.

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) and APC National Reconciliation Committee (APC NRC) are not on the horn of any dilemma of own making but on the dilemma brought about by the Osun APC self-generated contradictions, sharpening knives with entanglement of rife- rage -and -cracks to declare war on itself, an evil triumvirate, now almost the state APC’s home style. All is not well with the party; asides the insincere few party acolytes, followers, prospering on the crisis, the genuine lot, prodded persistently by the party’s familiar peace, unity and progress, are not proud of the party, trending in dissonance with democracy ethos, often much vaunted.

And the official oppositions in the state, ever so perceptive and truculent, stand akimbo, and watch the Osun APC’s divides, investing precious energy, time, other invaluable in confusion that pull the party’s legs in different directions, the head as metaphor, too big, yet too split to retrace self and the body groans under its brazen split weight of feuds between the party’s two brasses. This is too noxious, unhealthy for the party.

The truth to the rescue.

The Osun APC-Oyetola government has always opened itself up to close scrutiny of approved commendations and again, this early January. For the state public service, it is the month of egrets and their good tidings of the harmattan’s quickening chill of torrents of coveted car awards and other stellar, prime prizes in the full glare of the Osun publics. The 5-star car awards and other 4-star prizes struck a carefully satisfactory balance of Oyetola’s vision and pageant renewal of the state workers’ commitment to increasing productivity with the harmattan, the new guest in town as witness.

The astounding event, a penultimate Tuesday in Osogbo, state capital, at the Bola Ige House state government secretariat, held in thrills, public servants and capacity assemblage of others, in and out government for the 2021 Inter – religious Prayers, by tabula rasa at the slicks of blue-chip cars, other blue-ribbon prizes lined up, understandably as gifts to the state workers. Why?

Listen to Mr. Governor: “Your passion, discipline and conviction in our Development Agenda constitutes the wings upon which our administration flies in fulfilling its sacred mandate.” He added, “Indeed, the journey of the last 3years plus since our assumption of office cannot be told without taking stock of the invaluable support we have enjoyed from you.” Meaning, the state civil servants’ doggedness, selfishness and excellence at work gave the state an edge in the success story of the year 2021, just ended.

Not every civil servant coasted home the first-string car awards and other gilt-edged prizes. There is nothing more to the criteria used than meet the eye: no closet dealing, no power play that is akin to any hide and seek game, no nepotism or favouritism, and no frosty relationship or animosity as aftermath. Implying, all extranets or extrinsic, accidental influences were removed that made the search for the beneficiaries of the boss car awards and other dandy prizes.

The beneficiaries must have come under watch over time and made the work-related assessment for exceptional industry, exceptional diligence, exceptional dependability, exceptional resilience, exceptional partnership with the government’s “focused quest for the transformation of our dear state,” abridging Mr. Governor’s speech at the event.

The entire state workers, all had a good eventful day as a pat on the back of one is a pat on the back of all, with Mr. Governor’s “unreserved appreciation to you all for serving and laboring to build the economy of the state.” The day’s evening was more colourful, a-washed with praises of Mr. Governor as well as feasting, dancing at the recipients’ behest as colleagues joined and shouted full throated hurray in celebrations.

“We dedicate our trophies to our colleagues at work and other invaluable admirers,” one recipient of the car award quipped.

(Continues)

OLUSESI writes at the Foot of Most Merciful. Most Gracious. All-knowing