Don’t betray youths – Adeyanju writes Ademola Adeleke

A socio-political activist, Deji Adeyanju, has cautioned the Osun State governor-elect, Ademola Adeleke, ahead of his inauguration on Saturday.

Adeyanju cautioned Adeleke against betraying youths and the people of the state in the running of his government.

He reminded Adeleke that youths and people of the state used their platforms to resist the attempt to thwart his emergence “through rigging which led to your eventual emergence.”

The Abuja-based lawyer described the governor-elect as a “man in touch with the realities of the time and one committed to doing right by his people and state.”

He stressed that Adeleke can “build a transcendental legacy, train the leaders of tomorrow and sustain the trust of the young demographic who are now driving political portends and conversations more than at any other time in our political history.”

The activist maintained that no government bereaved of quality youth representation can be taken seriously.

Adeyanju stated this in an open letter to Adeleke titled: “Open letter to Governor Elect Adeleke as history beckons on him.”

Read the full letter below…

Dear Governor Adeleke,

Mr. Governor-Elect, in a few days time, a moment in history will be made with your swearing-in ceremony as you officially transit from a Governor-Elect to the sitting and serving Governor of Osun state. I must extend my congratulations once again to you for the uncommon feat of unseating an incumbent even as your emergence epitomizes a victory for democracy and a reflection of the preference of the good people of Osun State.

This is a testament of your grit, resilience, forward planning and clinical execution over the uninspiring leadership of the outgoing governor. The people of Osun state spoke in one resounding voice and rewarded your resilience with the highest stewardship in the land. It now behoves on you to reciprocate the support of the people by justifying their choice at the poll through people-driven governance, accountability and accessibility by those who have invested their trust and confidence in you.

The task before you is one of great enormity but not impossible with the right team and political will. It will exert on you the usual temptation of the glitz of public office that overwhelms those with a simple mind and those given to the hubris of their whims. But it is, however my belief, one shared by the overwhelming number of the people of Osun state who gave their votes to you, that you are a man of focus who will not betray the aggregate hopes of those who have put their confidence in you and that you will not renege on your campaign promises nor stray from the noble path.

In particular, the young men and women of Osun state were at the forefront of your campaign and emergence, overcoming the pecuniary temptations of the opposition to hand you a resounding victory. The measured metric of any government is largely how it carries its young populace along not just in tokenized gestures but in entrusted positions of authority as parts and parcel of government. I will strongly advise that you make young people the cornerstone of your government.

This is how to build a transcendental legacy, train the leaders of tomorrow and sustain the trust of the young demographic who are now driving political portends and conversations more than at any other time in our political history. Indeed, no government bereaved of quality youth representation can be taken seriously in these times.

One can vouchsafe that Osun state is blessed with youths of uncommon competence who have proven themselves in public or private service. It is your job to discover them and give them roles to rebuild the state. The choice of such youths must not be made lightly, and much must be taken into consideration, such as ideology, personal competence, popular acceptance, and capacity and integrity. It is to these ones that the overwhelming young men and women of Osun state will look up to in a measure of their relevance to you and your government. I have no doubt that you will act right by them as this is at the heart of the support you enjoy amongst many of us in the civil society space.

To betray the people of Osun state, particularly the youth population would be to betray the trust of people like us who have used their platforms to resist the attempt to thwart your emergence through rigging which led to your eventual emergence and one which will regrettably catalyse a reversal of that wide trust and support. We, however, stay avowed to your government as we share the conviction that you are a man in touch with the realities of the time and one committed to doing right by his people and state.

Congratulations once again, Your Excellency, the In-Coming Governor of the Great State of Osun, may God’s wisdom and knowledge guide your path.