The shameless conflagration of unbridled selfishness and egotist nature of man is in itself, a cause for concern for only the reasonable and responsible homo sapiens. It is not only humane and moralistic, but also Godly to think about others' wellbeing even as one strives to make life better for oneself. In contrast, to be subsumed in the dungeon of self and self alone is hellishly satanic. One of the major concept of a Yoruba omoluabi is the tendency, ability or readiness of the adjudged or acclaimed omoluabi to shed the self for the betterment of others and for the general good. None, and I repeat none, who falls short of this is ever robed with the omoluabi regalia in Yorubaland.
The drumbeats heralding the dance to the most exalted throne in Ekiti State have started sounding, and very many qualified sons (and daughters?) of our land are already putting on their shoes to showcase their dancing steps which they hoped would take them to the exalted Oke Ayoba.
The Nigerian Constitution, as amended, in its wisdom made room for Federal Character to allow equal (or near equal) representations at all levels at the uppermost level of governance in the nation. Equally in its wisdom, the Constitution also provides for the delimitation of each state in the federation into three; North, South and Central. This also is never a mistake, but an attempt by the writers to ensure that no part of the states is deprived of the coveted chance to become whatever in the political calculations of both their state and in the federation as a whole.
It is in the human nature to take docile gentility to mean stupidity. These first twenty years of Ekiti State's existence have seen five sons of both the Ekiti North and Ekiti Central take their turns on the most exalted seat in our land in the following order: Otunba 'Niyi Adebayo (Central), Mr. Ayo Fayose (Central), Engr. Segun Oni (North), Dr. Kayode Fayemi (North) and again, Mr. Ayo Fayose (Central). This has been the order in which turns have been taken by my brothers from the North and their counterparts from the Central. The BIG question then is: where is the South in this whole calculation? Or are the Ekiti Southerners slaves (in their own fatherland) who are not entitled to rule the state? Where is fairness, equity and justice in all these?
The time of bareface political hypocrisy is gone. Dirty, unthinking sycophantic genre of politics need make way for reasonable and responsible hegemonic democratic dispensations where the tenets of true democratic democracy is practiced. The world over, bearing the inherent intrigues of politics in mind, the tripod on which democracy stands are fairness, equity and justice. No society frowns at these and yet prospers. Rather, they continue to wallow in circles of very rich underdevelopment.
The forthcoming Ekiti State governorship election in the first quarter of 2018 should have it in mind to bring about the entrenchment of the tenets of true democracy into existence in our state. In my last write up on the subject of Ekiti 2018, I enumerated the hardship being faced by these Southerners in terms of the abundant scarcity of necessary amenities and infrastructures that could and do make life meaningful to humans in that area.
Even if we (North and Central) don't even mind them dying in their appalling infrastructural decays, but for the sake of the presently skewed political appointments and position holdings in the past, we all need to rally them. Presently, the only Federal Minister from Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, a former governor, is from the North. The only ambassadorial designate, a former Commissioner of Education in the State is from the Central. In APC, the Deputy National President of the Party (West), also a former governor, Engr. Segun Oni, is also from the North. The list goes on without a mention of anyone from the South. Where is fairness, equity and justice in all these? Where is our darling democracy in this, please?
Permit me to reiterate that I am from the North, but I am a firm believer in fairness, equity and justice, the tenets of democracy. That is why I am saying that the South be given a chance to rule the State, even if it for just one term of four years.
Let every self-acclaimed democrats, especially from the North and Central stand to be counted in this call for the entrenchment of true democratic practices in our land. We must be careful of once again propagating and nurturing the annihilating political skewness birthed in the nation in 1914. We MUST prevent it from festering in our state.
The unborn generations are watching us.
Let's give Ekiti South a chance to occupy Oke Ayoba!
