~ Debo Akinbami, PhD
As is usual with this sort of broadcast, the message should have taken a rhetorical tone. The run of rendition should ordinarily follow a ritual; so that when time is spent, funds burnt and all is said and done, the gig eventuates as another routinal, insipid broadcast. But this was different.
This beats the typically monotonous message that must merely fill a void. It was, instead, a fair dosage of sobriety and sincerity that could be touched, beyond being felt; a daring, yet darling difference. A pleasant surprise altogether. It was not even a haughty brag about his tall achievements in a jiffy, but a meekly mention of a corporate effort that cut across.
Among other things, the governor’s avowal to the effect that his “administration will continue to be driven by a simple conviction -that governance must touch lives, restore dignity and expand opportunities for all- was a sturdy reassurance; but beyond it, it suggests an inkling into the fine public spirit that seats at the soul of a true leader. This, at any rate, should not be taken with a pinch of grain.
For a man who, by nature, does more than he says, the message reflects considered thoughts and not the regular remark of desperate power scavengers. Governor Aiyedatiwa has shown gravity well enough with governance to be taken seriously. His last ten months as governor reeked of courage capacity and conviction; his brief stay has laid a foundation that guarantees fertile yields in the near future.
As we hold the letters of these messages as instruments for seldom governmental review and basis to hold the government to account, it should be noted that Aiyedatiwa does not renege when he commits. In this instance, he recommits himself to good governance, promising inclusive growth, infrastructural renewal, enhanced security and empowerment of the people.
He invites all, irrespective of class or colour; he calls out to citizens of diverse social, economic, religious or political persuasions to join him in elevating the status of our dear state, irrespective, and to see more reasons for unity than disunion, to rise above prejudices and embrace collective pursuit of progress.
Standing tall, governor Aiyedatiwa spoke to the conscience of the state in the manner a worthy leader should, unambiguous and unpretentious. In the same tone of his clement preachment, the governor forewarned of divisive tendencies, of heinous heresies that put brothers apart, make foes of friends and weaken the walls of trust.
His words warm as he warn the heart. The same dosage of message for cynics and optimists, for hailers and critics alike. Aiyedatiwa did not talk to be liked; he didn’t address the state as an invitation to patronage. It is only true that he served those patriotic words as pure portraits of his good intentions for the state, even as another season begins.
The governor means well. This can be taken to the bank. He intends greatness for the state and that is what, daily, preoccupies his mind. Aiyedatiwa will not say what he will not do. For the few he said while he sought the mandate he got; the ones given as a new year offering, he can be trusted to deliver. The governor’s message wasn’t just a communication for its own sake. It is a commitment.
*** Dr. Akinbami is the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Ondo State on Strategic Communication.
