LEGENDARY J.O.E@LegendaryJoe
MY WORRY OVER OUR DEAR OSUN STATE - 4 YEARS OF DANCING, NO INDUSTRY
His Excellency Governor Jackson Adeleke assumed office sometime in November 2022, abi? He is now clearly knocking on the door of his fourth year at the helm - and the door, it would seem, has refused to open to anything of industrial consequence.
My worry is this.
Within that same stretch of time, every state surrounding our dear State of the Living Spring has attracted at least one major industry. Either freshly planted into fertile soil, or those whose accelerated growth was watered by the deliberate hand of visionary leadership.
The Yoruba say, Ilé tó bá dára, àjèjì ló máa ń gbé ibẹ̀ - a house that is well-kept attracts even strangers as tenants. The neighbours of Osun have been keeping their houses well. And the tenants - industries, enterprises, billions in investment - have been arriving at their gates with luggage.
Lagos - within the same window, welcomed:
Dangote Refinery & Petrochemical Complex
Imota Rice Mill
A billion-dollar Port & Logistics Infrastructure
Isimi Tech Valley
Livespot Entertarium… among others.
Ogun State:
• New Industrial Parks & SEZ Expansion
• $2 Billion Garment Factory (Arise IIP)... Among others.
Oyo State:
• $538 million Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ)
Osun:
• NONE. NOT ONE. ZERO. NIL. RARA
Except ofcos if the upcoming BRED concert can be counted as an industry, afterall the ultimate goal of the people is to be happy and I guess the show offers that, though momentarily.
I say this as a man who schooled in Osun. Who served as a teacher on its soil. Who carries in his chest a genuine tenderness for its people - people of industry, of ingenuity, of deep cultural pride - people who deserve far more than the recurring invitation to dance away their sorrows.
They deserve infrastructure. They deserve factories. They deserve the kind of investment that outlives political seasons and plants prosperity in the soil their children will inherit.
But to every carpenter, every challenge is a nail to be hammered in. To a man whose only talents and experience is dancing, every of his solutions will surely revolve around entertainment.
Osun deserves a true leader
And entertainers should relish what they know best by remaining on the stage, in the clubs, and at carnivals. The microphone, however golden, is not a blueprint for development.
Good Afternoon Severally...
