OKE OGUN: EVERYTHING IS WRONG! THREE OUT OF 33 BOARD CHAIRMEN—AND A REGION STILL WAITING FOR ITS FAIR SHARE

OKE OGUN: EVERYTHING IS WRONG! THREE OUT OF 33 BOARD CHAIRMEN—AND A REGION STILL WAITING FOR ITS FAIR SHARE

 

When Political Appointments Become Rewards Without Power, What Can Oke-Ogun Really Gain?

An Ayekooto Media NG Special Editorial | Oke-Ogun, Oyo State, Nigeria

There comes a time when silence becomes complicity, when political loyalty must give way to critical thinking, and when a people must pause to ask themselves a fundamental question: What exactly have we gained from the political arrangements we continue to support?

For Oke-Ogun, the time to ask that question is now.

From the persistent concerns over inadequate infrastructure to electricity challenges, limited economic opportunities, uneven political representation and the apparent struggle to attract development commensurate with its size and potential, the complaints from Oke-Ogun are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

Yet, beyond the familiar complaints about roads, electricity, healthcare, education and employment, another issue deserves urgent public attention: the distribution of political appointments and the actual influence those appointments give Oke-Ogun in the governance of Oyo State.

The question is no longer simply whether Oke-Ogun sons and daughters are appointed into government positions. The more important question is whether those appointments translate into meaningful representation, influence over government decisions and tangible development for the people.

A title without influence may satisfy the ego. A political appointment without institutional power may provide temporary comfort. But neither can substitute for development.

And that is where the concern over the composition and operation of government boards in Oyo State becomes particularly troubling.

THE NUMBERS THAT DEMAND ANSWERS: 33 BOARD CHAIRMEN, ONLY THREE FROM OKE-OGUN?

According to information available to Ayekooto Media NG and the representation figures raised in this debate, approximately 33 board chairmanship positions are being considered, with only three reportedly occupied by people from Oke-Ogun.

If these figures are confirmed against the complete and current official list, they would raise a serious question about the region's share of political representation under Governor Seyi Makinde's administration.

Three out of 33 positions represent approximately 9.1 per cent.

That figure deserves scrutiny, particularly when the region's contribution to the political life, agricultural economy, human resources and geographical reach of Oyo State is considered.

However, the public deserves a complete and verified breakdown of the appointments, including the names of the chairmen, their local government areas, the boards they head and the criteria used in making the appointments. The figure should not be treated as a final official count until the government publishes or confirms the relevant list.

This is not an attempt to deny deserving individuals their appointments. Nor is it an argument that every region must receive precisely the same number of positions regardless of competence, institutional needs or statutory requirements.

It is an argument for fairness, transparency and an honest assessment of whether Oke-Ogun is receiving a reasonable opportunity to participate in the governance and development of the state.

If only three of 33 board chairmen come from Oke-Ogun, the government owes the people an explanation of how geographical balance, merit and inclusive representation were considered.

If the figures are inaccurate, the government should publish the correct figures.

Either way, transparency is the answer.

MARGINALISATION IS NOT ONLY ABOUT WHO GETS APPOINTED; IT IS ALSO ABOUT WHO HAS THE POWER TO DECIDE

One of the greatest mistakes a politically conscious community can make is to measure its influence solely by counting the number of its sons and daughters occupying government positions.

A person may be appointed to a board and still have very limited influence over the institution's direction. A representative may carry the title of board member but lack the authority, resources or political access necessary to influence decisions.

The real test of representation is not the announcement of an appointment. It is what happens after the appointment letter has been issued.

Can the appointee influence policy?

Can the person help attract projects to the communities represented?

Can the person raise concerns about neglected roads, inadequate healthcare facilities, electricity supply, water provision, agricultural development and youth unemployment and obtain a meaningful response?

Can the appointee influence the institution's budgetary priorities, subject to the law and the board's mandate?

Can the person secure a hearing for the people when government decisions are being made?

And, perhaps most importantly, can the community point to measurable benefits arising from that representation?

These are the questions Oke-Ogun must ask.

If the answer is consistently negative, then the region must reconsider whether its political participation is producing the results its people deserve.

Representation without influence is a political contradiction. Appointment without measurable public value is an opportunity wasted.

THE ₦300,000 QUESTION: WHAT IS THE REAL VALUE OF BOARD MEMBERSHIP?

Ayekooto Media NG has also received a troubling account from an individual who reportedly serves on a government board in Oyo State and who spoke on condition of confidentiality.

According to this source, some board members receive approximately ₦300,000 monthly but have limited opportunities to contribute meaningfully to the work of their respective boards.

The source alleged that, in some instances, board chairmen do not convene meetings regularly, leaving members with little opportunity to participate in deliberations or influence institutional decisions.

These are allegations from a confidential source and have not been independently verified across all the boards concerned. They should not be interpreted as a description of every board or every appointee in Oyo State.

Nevertheless, the allegations raise important questions that deserve answers from the relevant authorities.

If a board member receives ₦300,000 every month but is rarely called upon to perform substantive duties, what exactly is the public getting in return for that expenditure?

If meetings are not held, how are policies reviewed, decisions considered, institutional performance evaluated and the interests of the public protected?

If members have no meaningful opportunity to contribute, how can they use their positions to influence the delivery of services or advocate for communities that have been left behind?

And if the situation continues until the government eventually dissolves or reconstitutes the board, what would have been achieved during the period of appointment?

These questions are not personal attacks on board members. They are questions about public accountability.

A government appointment is not merely a privilege to be enjoyed. It is a responsibility to be discharged.

Public money must produce public value.

The government should therefore clarify the remuneration arrangements for board members, the frequency of meetings, the responsibilities attached to each position and the mechanisms used to assess performance.

Where boards are inactive, the appropriate authorities should explain why and take corrective action.

IF BOARD MEMBERS CANNOT INFLUENCE PROJECTS, HOW CAN THEY DEVELOP OKE-OGUN?

This is the central question confronting the region.

Suppose an individual from Oke-Ogun is appointed to a state board. The community celebrates. Political associates congratulate the appointee. Photographs circulate, goodwill messages follow, and the appointment is presented as evidence that the region has not been forgotten.

But months later, the community is still asking for basic infrastructure.

The road remains in poor condition. Electricity remains unreliable or unavailable. Healthcare facilities struggle with essential resources. Young people continue to search for employment. Farmers face inadequate processing facilities and weak access to markets.

What, then, has the appointment achieved for the community?

Of course, not every board has direct responsibility for roads, electricity or every other development need. The duties of each board differ, and no single appointee can personally guarantee a project.

However, a functional board member should be able to perform the duties of the office, participate in institutional decisions, raise legitimate concerns and help ensure that the institution's resources and programmes serve their intended purposes.

Where the board has a relevant development mandate, an active and capable representative may be able to help identify local needs, communicate community priorities, scrutinise project proposals and advocate for fair consideration within the institution's lawful responsibilities.

That is the difference between an appointment that merely exists on paper and representation that performs a public service.

If a board member is unable to participate because meetings are not held, if the institution is inactive, or if the position offers no practical avenue for advancing its statutory responsibilities, the community must ask what benefit it can reasonably expect from that arrangement.

Oke-Ogun cannot afford to confuse political appointments with development achievements.

The region needs functioning institutions, effective representation and measurable outcomes—not merely names on government lists.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: OKE-OGUN AND THE POLITICS OF PERMANENT EXPECTATION

Oke-Ogun is not an insignificant corner of Oyo State.

It comprises ten local government areas: Atisbo, Irepo, Iseyin, Itesiwaju, Iwajowa, Kajola, Olorunsogo, Oorelope, Saki East and Saki West.

The region has agricultural resources, human capital, commercial communities, educational institutions and significant potential for rural industrialisation, food processing, livestock development and other productive activities.

Its communities are part of the economic and political fabric of Oyo State.

Yet many residents continue to express frustration about the pace of development, the distribution of opportunities and the level of attention given to their communities.

The problem is not necessarily that every appointment or every government decision has deliberately targeted Oke-Ogun for exclusion. Such a sweeping conclusion requires evidence.

The more urgent issue is whether government decisions, taken together, are producing an equitable distribution of opportunities and development outcomes.

A region can be marginalised through the cumulative effect of decisions that repeatedly leave it with inadequate infrastructure, limited access to influential offices, weak institutional representation and insufficient investment.

This is why the discussion must go beyond individual appointments.

Oke-Ogun needs to examine the pattern of public investment, the distribution of projects, the quality of roads, the availability of electricity, the strength of educational and healthcare institutions, access to agricultural support and the presence of its people in positions where decisions affecting the region are made.

The evidence must be examined carefully, but the questions must not be suppressed.

A people cannot solve a problem they are afraid to discuss.

GOVERNOR MAKINDE MUST ANSWER THE QUESTION OF FAIRNESS

Governor Seyi Makinde has the constitutional responsibility to govern Oyo State in the interest of all its residents.

Political appointments are among the instruments through which an administration organises institutions, assigns responsibilities and pursues its development agenda.

The governor is entitled to appoint people he considers competent and suitable for the responsibilities involved. Competence must remain central to public appointments.

However, competence and geographical inclusion need not be treated as enemies.

There are capable people in Oke-Ogun. There are professionals, administrators, academics, entrepreneurs, community leaders and public servants whose knowledge and experience can contribute to the progress of Oyo State.

The issue is not whether Oke-Ogun must be favoured above every other region. It is whether its qualified people receive fair consideration and whether the region has a meaningful voice in the institutions that shape its future.

Ayekooto Media NG therefore calls on the Oyo State Government to provide clarity on the following matters:

1. The complete list of board chairmen: How many substantive board chairmanship positions are currently occupied, and which local government areas do the chairmen come from?

2. Regional representation: What is the verified distribution of these appointments across Oke-Ogun, Ogbomoso, Oyo, Ibadan and Ibarapa?

3. The criteria for appointments: How does the government balance competence, experience, institutional needs and inclusive representation?

4. Board performance: How frequently do the boards meet, and what mechanisms exist to ensure that members discharge their responsibilities?

5. Public remuneration: What are the approved allowances and remuneration arrangements for board members, and what duties and performance expectations accompany them?

6. Development outcomes: What measurable contributions have the relevant boards made to the communities and sectors they are mandated to serve?

These are legitimate public-interest questions. Providing clear answers would help dispel speculation, strengthen confidence in public institutions and enable citizens to assess the administration on evidence rather than political sentiment.

OKE-OGUN MUST ALSO EXAMINE ITS OWN POLITICAL LEADERSHIP

While the government must answer questions about representation, the people of Oke-Ogun must also be willing to examine their own political conduct.

It is convenient to blame the governor, the political party in power or the distribution of appointments. Sometimes such criticism is justified. But a serious regional conversation must also ask what Oke-Ogun's own political leaders have done with the opportunities available to them.

Have they developed a common agenda for the region?

Have they consistently presented evidence-based demands to the government?

Have they worked together across party lines when the region's collective interests were at stake?

Have they monitored appointments, budgets, projects and government promises?

Have they demanded public explanations when expectations were not met?

Or have political divisions, personal ambitions and the pursuit of individual advantages weakened the region's collective voice?

These questions must be asked without prejudice.

Oke-Ogun's challenge is not simply to secure more appointments. It is to develop a stronger system of political engagement that makes every appointment, every elected office and every government promise answerable to the people.

A representative should not be celebrated indefinitely because of the office occupied. The representative should be assessed by performance, access, influence, integrity and service.

The people must move beyond the politics of photographs and congratulatory messages to the politics of results.

2027: THE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION MUST BE ABOUT MORE THAN PARTY LOYALTY

As Oyo State moves towards the 2027 governorship election, Oke-Ogun has an opportunity to reconsider the questions it asks candidates seeking its support.

The region should not be satisfied with campaign visits, temporary promises, political slogans or assurances that development will arrive at some unspecified time.

Every serious candidate should be asked to explain what they intend to do about Oke-Ogun's development priorities.

What is the proposed plan for improving electricity access?

Which roads will receive attention, and under what implementation timetable?

What investments will support agriculture, food processing and rural enterprises?

How will healthcare and education be strengthened?

What will be done to improve youth employment and economic opportunities?

How will appointments be made transparently, and how will fair representation be pursued without compromising competence?

What institutional arrangements will ensure that board members perform their duties and that public money produces measurable benefits?

What mechanisms will allow Oke-Ogun communities to monitor progress and hold the next administration accountable?

These questions should be put to every candidate, regardless of political party, ethnicity, personal relationship or previous alliance.

The objective should not be to dictate whom every resident must support. Democracy gives citizens the right to make their own choices.

The objective is to ensure that those choices are informed by evidence, policy commitments, performance and the long-term interests of the region.

A vote is more than an expression of affection for a political leader. It is an instrument through which citizens choose the direction of government.

Oke-Ogun should use that instrument thoughtfully.

THE DANGER OF CELEBRATING ACCESS WHILE DEVELOPMENT REMAINS OUT OF REACH

One of the most difficult realities in politics is that a region may have individuals who enjoy access to those in power without the region itself experiencing corresponding progress.

Access is not the same as influence. Influence is not the same as policy implementation. And policy announcements are not the same as completed projects.

A political appointee may have a cordial relationship with the governor and still be unable to secure a meaningful intervention for a neglected community.

A board member may receive a monthly allowance and still have little influence over the institution's decisions.

A community may produce loyal party supporters and still struggle to obtain essential public services.

These possibilities should compel Oke-Ogun to redefine political success.

The question should no longer be merely, "Who from our area has been appointed?"

The more important questions are: "What can this person do within the office? What responsibilities will the person discharge? What results can reasonably be expected? And how will the public know whether the person has performed?"

This is not an argument against political participation. It is an argument for more meaningful political participation.

Oke-Ogun must insist that public office is a platform for service, not a substitute for development.

ENOUGH OF SILENCE: THE REGION NEEDS A DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

The answer to perceived marginalisation cannot be anger alone. Nor can it be the endless exchange of accusations between political supporters and opponents.

Oke-Ogun needs an organised, measurable and publicly monitored development agenda.

Community leaders, traditional institutions, professional associations, youth organisations, civil society groups, business owners and political representatives should work towards a common set of regional priorities.

Such an agenda should identify the most urgent infrastructure deficits, rank projects according to need, establish clear expectations for elected representatives and require periodic public reporting on progress.

It should also promote cooperation among the ten local government areas, ensuring that the interests of one community do not become the reason another is ignored.

Where government institutions fail to perform, the region should demand explanations. Where appointments are made, their responsibilities should be understood. Where promises are issued, their implementation should be monitored.

Where the available evidence contradicts a claim of marginalisation, that evidence should also be acknowledged.

A serious regional movement must be strong enough to demand accountability and honest enough to confront its own assumptions.

The goal should be development, not perpetual grievance.

THE SCRIBE'S BOTTOM LINE: OKE-OGUN MUST DECIDE WHAT ITS POLITICS IS WORTH

Let us return to the question at the heart of this discussion.

If the reported figure of three Oke-Ogun board chairmen out of 33 is confirmed, what does it say about the region's representation?

If a confidential source's allegation that some board meetings are rarely convened is substantiated, what does it say about the effectiveness of those institutions?

If board members cannot meaningfully perform their duties, what public value is being delivered?

And if political appointments are celebrated while communities continue to demand basic infrastructure and development, at what point must the people reconsider the standards by which they judge political success?

These questions are not directed at one political party alone. They are directed at the entire political establishment and, ultimately, at the citizens who determine its future.

Oke-Ogun must not demand appointments merely for the satisfaction of counting its sons and daughters in government. It must demand appointments that come with responsibility, functioning institutions, fair opportunities and measurable public value.

It must not assume that every development challenge is the result of deliberate exclusion. But neither should it accept repeated neglect without demanding evidence, explanations and corrective action.

The people must distinguish between loyalty that advances their collective interests and loyalty that asks them to remain silent while their legitimate concerns go unanswered.

As the 2027 governorship election approaches, Oke-Ogun must think carefully, question every candidate and examine every promise.

Which candidate has a credible development plan for the region?

Which political platform offers a realistic path to better infrastructure, stronger institutions and greater economic opportunity?

Which leaders are willing to make commitments that can be measured, monitored and enforced through public accountability?

And which representatives have demonstrated that they can place the collective interests of Oke-Ogun above personal political advancement?

These are the questions that deserve answers before the next vote is cast.

The future of Oke-Ogun cannot be built on silence, sentiment or the celebration of political titles. It must be built on evidence, organisation, responsible leadership and the courage to demand better governance.

Enough of silence in Oke-Ogun. Enough of confusing appointments with achievement. Enough of measuring political success by access to power while the people wait for the benefits of governance.

The region's future must be decided by the quality of its choices, the strength of its demands and the willingness of its people to hold every leader accountable.

The next governorship election is approaching. Oke-Ogun must decide what it wants from the next chapter of Oyo State's political history.

And this time, the question must not be merely who gets the vote.

The question must be: WHAT WILL OKE-OGUN GET IN RETURN?

— David Alani Ige, The Scribe

Ayekooto Media NG