UNDERSTANDING THE OGUN PROJECT; BETWEEN COMPETENCE AND WISHFUL THINKING. The Yorubas believe that when a man tells you that he killed six men with his bare hands at the war front (which you did not witness), but you can see the lifeless bodies of six fowls that he trampled to death as he enters your domain barefooted; it suffice to conclude that his claims to valour stands validated. As 2015 elections draws nearer, it is pertinent at this juncture to carefully scrutinise the personality and antecedents of the major contenders to the Ogun State governors office at Oke-Mosan. This may not be too daunting a task because from all indications, it appears obvious that the race is clearly between the incumbent governor Senator Ibikunle Amosu and former Speaker of House of Representatives Honourable Dimeji Bankole. But one might still wonder on what common ground to judge an incumbent governor, one that has been adjudged by some people as the best governor in the history of the State, and a former speaker whose tenure as Senator has mostly taken him farther away from his immediate community in Abeokuta South Federal Constituency to the remote Capital City of Abuja, removed for the better part from his people. Yet, a common denominator is evident in the fact that the two men have both served at different sensitive capacities of elective positions of public service. Amiable, phlegmatic and methodical, Dimeji Bankole’s understanding of politics attracted both the serious minded technocrats, some few politicians of like minds, and a large following of the usual political opportunists who perceived his genial nature as a sign of weakness – some free lose money for the picking. These were the praise singers who sang his praise the loudest when the going was good, same people who castigated him the more when the storm gathered around him, the very same jobbers now making the loudest noise against him for fear of reprisals if he should ascend office as governor of Ogun State. If only they knew better. But they should know. At the time, Dimeji Bankole may have been relatively fresh as a politician. But he was anything but naïve to the avarice of men around the corridors of power. He grew up seeing their likes in his father’s compound; singing the man’s praise in the morning and sneaking under the veil of the night to hobnob with his political adversaries and denounce him with equal zeal. Yet, in his usual methodical approach to life, Dimeji Bankole factored them all into his plans and tried to make the best of all variables within the purview of managing a project. And that project he identified primarily as giving his constituency and political pedigree the best representation in a National assignment – a call to duty. A staunch party man, he yet was able to navigate the turbulent currents of strong and sometimes conflicting interests within the ruling PDP against the compass of the Nation’s best interests. This informed his alliance with other progressive elements within the House in a concerted effort by the integrity group that ousted the then House Speaker Patricia Etteh over her roles in a ₦628 million naira scam, a move that was much against the general interests of the party leadership who stood by her till she was removed by pressure from the integrity group. To those who know politics well enough, that dexterous move could not have been hatched by a naïve political greenhorn. In fact, it struck such deep chords of anger, frustration and awe in several high placed figures within the party – including the then president Olusegun Obasanjo. An ominous chord that later resonated in the media trial of the Speaker on trumped up charges of financial impropriety – a political vendetta that was eventually exposed for the phantasm that it was by the court of competent jurisdiction after due investigations. However, his political dexterity prove to be only a secondary attribute in the skill set of a man with a good understanding of the political trimmings as well as a rich intellectual depth that his job as a lawmaker demands, in line with best international standard practices in more developed societies. In a keynote address as chairman at the National Project Management Conference held in Abuja on the 8th of September 2009 with the top echelon of the Project Management Institute of Nigeria, he highlighted the simple and effective systemic approach of Input-output-outcome Corporate Governance Strategy that the House, under his watch as Speaker of the House of Representatives had adopted in the management of the Nation’s finances on budget allocation – a strategy which saw the improvement in the effectiveness of the national budget from 35% previously, to 45% under his leadership of the committee. A very simple strategy that identified the key priorities of ensuring that funds were judiciously allocated to meet strategic developmental goals through projects that actually impacts on meaningful development to the people. The mechanism also ensured that unspent projects are returned to the national coffers, a practice that was unheard of before Dimeji Bankole’s time in office. In tactfully and effectively balancing his three major constituency responsibilities of Representation, Legislation and Oversight functions, it is most remarkable that Dimeji Bankole always had his priorities consistently focused on judiciously allocating and monitoring State’s resources for projects with greatest real impacts on the people. He horned in on the health care infrastructure in the state because as the saying goes –“health is wealth”. Thus, it is not surprising that today, as he makes himself available to once again serve the people of Ogun state, his mission, as always, still remains as ever before – to build the people. To be contd…
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 12:39:13 +0000
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