I GOT to Abeokuta on Thursday, April 30, to prepare for what fans dubbed the double celebration of the former First Lady of Ogun State, Mrs Olufunso Amosun. She clocked 60 on May 2, 2026 and was, on the same day installed as Yeye Moremi Oodua by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi (Ojaja II). It was a weekend packed with many competing work-related tasks, at home and abroad, but I was not going to miss out on the opportunity of witnessing the big day of our pretty, respectful, supportive and amiable wife, in whom we, in Egbaland, are very well pleased.
I knew, right from the lounge at the Abuja airport, that we might be preparing for a carnival, having sat close to some dignitaries who were also going to Lagos, from where they would proceed to Ile-Ife, in Osun State, the next day for the celebration.
In Abeokuta, Ogun Central, the atmosphere was something else. It was as if politicians were mobilising supporters for a massive rally, only that there was no money involved in this. It was pure love for former Governor Ibikunle Amosun, fondly called Ajiri Omo Oye, a leader many of them regard as a consistent benefactor.
Ile-Ife was agog from Friday evening as dignitaries from all geo-political zones of Nigeria converged on the ancient town to honour the former first lady as she officially took the highly revered Yeye Moremi Oodua title after eight years of nomination and confirmation.
On the D-Day, former and sitting governors, past and present ministers, heavyweight captains of industry were struggling for seats at the elevated space for dignitaries at the Ojaja Palace Ground, just as the intimidating number of prominent traditional rulers from all over Nigeria passed a positive verdict on character rather than influence.
Moving out of the palace ground to the Ojaja Resort Event Centre, where the birthday reception held, was a herculean task as thousands of well-wishers had filled the stadium-like space almost beyond its capacity. The scene is better witnessed than imagined. I know that Senator Amosun is a perfectionist that checks whether all the boxes have been ticked before any event, but it is one thing to plan a wow event, it is another for the organiser to pull, not just the right crowd, but thousands of supporters that would not mind trekking from Abeokuta to Ile-Ife to stand by their own.
When the former governor was walking around the hall to thank guests, I could see a fulfilled man in between the obvious signs of sleepless nights-induced stress that culminated in that amazing outing. He stopped in front of me and I told him: “Your Excellency, I’m moved to tears. It is as if I should lift you up. This can only be God.” There were a number of things on my mind as I said so, but the most important was the thought that, unlike the widely held notion that the home of an elected official, especially a governor, becomes a “ghost town” right from when his successor is waiting to be sworn in, it is right to say that, in Amosun’s case, the crowd is growing, unusually, with the number of years outside direct power.
Amosun may mean different things to different people. Some may even prefer to call him the devil himself. But if being the devil allows you to touch the lives of your people in a way that triggers wild excitement once you’re spotted, no matter the event, or pulls the kind of crowd witnessed in Ile-Ife, about 200km from Abeokuta, the former governor’s hometown, then there may be a need for a world-roundtable to redefine that term.
Many Nigerian leaders prefer to build cocoons that firmly shield them away from those who supposedly elected them. This, most times, disconnects them from reality, makes them perform below par while in office and thrusts them into pitiable oblivion outside power. You can say Amosun is strong-willed, hardly shifts his stand, even in the face of an overwhelming case for a second opinion, and does not suffer fools gladly. These should even count as strengths despite critics’ “he doesn’t forgive” anthem. But he has left little or no room for anyone to doubt his love for his people, which they have also reciprocated loudly.
Socio-economic experts have said that leaders who remain popular outside direct power, more often than not, prioritised commitment to service, while in office, over self-interest. This, in the former governor’s case, is exemplified by his indelible footprints across key sectors of the state’s economy, as well as infrastructural transformation, especially in the Ogun Central Senatorial District, which cannot be faulted except by critics just “catching cruise” with largely unverifiable propaganda. This is, however, not to say that his administration was without blemish.
There are former governors who cannot walk on the streets of their districts without being booed or stoned; some are thrashed during elections like children, even in their own wards, while others have left no clue about their social status or mental state after disappearing into thin air.
But those who tried their best to put smiles on the faces of the electorate, especially the poor majority, while in office, usually have a different story to tell. No matter how unreasonable citizens may be, visible achievements, uncommon generosity and genuine grassroots presence form an indestructible post-office sustenance tripod for those who know it.
It may seem too late to re-route a political journey heading for disaster, but if outgoing governors remember that one additional day on seat is one day closer to acquiring the “ex” prefix, they will focus more on fixing what can still be fixed, in the little time remaining, no matter what the forgone alternative may be.
With the N2.016tn received by the 36 states of the federation in the first quarter of this year, and the tens of trillions that had been received since the beginning of the President Tinubu administration, any governor that cannot point at tangible, life-changing achievements, beyond the laughable projects currently being celebrated, is an executive gangster. But this is a topic for another day.
For now, let me specially congratulate the new Yeye Moremi Oodua, Her Excellency, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun, not only on her grand installation ceremony, but also on the rare virtues that have made her genuinely precious to us in Egbaland. We went with full force and Ile-Ife felt the unbeatable Egba solidarity.
- Dr Kolapo is publisher of The Point and her column, Compass, runs on the back page of the Punch newspaper on Monday. The column appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Tuesday.