Opinion: Waiting for 'Home Boy' Wole Oluyede by Gboyega Adeoye

Opinion: Waiting for 'Home Boy' Wole Oluyede by Gboyega Adeoye

As controversy surrounds recent primary elections of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr Wole Olumayokun Oluyede, medical doctor and astute politician, continues to receive dissent politicians, student union leaders, youth and sundry labour groups in his Ikere, Ekiti State, country home and promises to create an upset in the 2022 governorship election

Wole Olumayokun Oluyede, is a medical doctor and politician with assets that represent the yearnings of many Nigerians for those seeking political office. At 59, he still looks very young and energetic. And he is passionate about reinventing Ekiti, his home state, so he is deploying his abilities to this project.

But Oluyede is also liberal, articulate, accommodating and generous. Though paternally from Ikere Ekiti, his mother was from Ogun State and are both Christians. In fact, his wife, Kemi, also hails from Abeokuta, an Egba speaking town in Ogun State.    

Since his decision to join the race for the office of governor in Ekiti State, the brilliant medical doctor with specialization in Emergency cases, has been making waves, converting new members to his new party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), smashing long-held views and redrawing the political map of the State. 

Only yesterday, Ogunniyi Oluwaseun, led a group of students of tertiary institutions, comprising students’ union leaders and youth, to pay solidarity visit to the suave politician, who not only welcome them, but nurtured them on the path of self-help that would galvanise them to self-discovery and reliance. 

Oluyede’s magic lies in the fact that he is fully prepared and ready to square up with anybody confident enough to challenge him ideas for ideas, particularly on issues of government and development. He told the gathering of students that he has all it takes to rescue Ekiti State from the grip of extreme poverty, joblessness, idleness, extremism, underdevelopment and maladministration.

He also spoke on his understanding of power and his strategy for optimum utilization of the authority that comes naturally to the office of a governor. “Power gives resources, mobility, energy, security, opportunities and more. As a student of power, I know the limitless opportunities and the impact I will make in my state if given the opportunity to serve”, he revealed.

According to him, “our major problem is that people are not just prepared and ready for leadership. It takes determination, and I have the will. I have the passion; I have the training and exposure. And I also have the temperament. I will turn Ekiti State around because leadership is essentially our problem”.

The governorship aspirant also decried the under-development and economic downturn in the state, describing these as unacceptable. He revealed that the roads, buildings and public utilities he knew as a young boy in primary school many years ago are still unreplaced: neglected, abandoned and dilapidated.

But he is promising his people a new life, even as he remains confident of victory.

He revealed that before now, he did not fully appreciate the meaning of political structures because according to him, ‘I am not your politician next door”.  All that is now changing, a development he links with his regular visits to Ekiti State and interaction with his people.

For the medical doctor turned politician, the most interesting part is the overwhelming acceptance and the daily decamping exercise from the All Progressives Party, APC and the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP by those who believe in his mission.    

However, part of Oluyede’s success political story, which is still unfolding in leaps and bounds is also connected to his father, a man well known for his compassion and good nature. The elder Oluyede who was fondly called ‘Olu-Shenko’ was a staunch follower of Late Obafemi Awolowo and a strong member of the then Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN)

Today, Oluyede is reaping bountifully from the legacies of a devoted and considerate father who saw good in people, no matter their social status.

But the governorship aspirant is always quick to remind people around him that aside his father’s good name, he is also bringing to the table, his integrity, consistency, unblemished record as a medical doctor, politician and manager of people.

“I was pleasantly surprised and shocked to discover that I was being scrutinized. I never really knew that I was monitored. They said I never worked for government and that I am consistent and true to the things I believe in. The over two dozen groups that interfaced with me in the last couple of weeks harped on the fact that they are tired of people without principles and pedigree. They said they have tried many politicians who failed them, so they are staying with me because I promised hope and a new beginning. They are therefore dumping their parties for a better and all-encompassing future that guarantees hope and a better tomorrow for them and their children,” he said.  

So far, the dissenting voices, mainly from the camp of his opponents and those threatened by his dramatic entry into Ekiti politics, focus on his so-called absence from home. But Oluyede is providing answers and countering their deliberate falsehood and diversionary narratives. “I stay in Australia where I found the kind of practice I am trained for. I came in 2018 for the service of my people. They say I don’t come home regularly and I asked them:  what is my profession? They said medical doctor. And I asked, where is the hospital in Ekiti that requires my kind of service, that will make it possible for them to see me all the time? In my entire working career, I took salary last when I was 27 years old. I have always been upgrading myself and building my businesses. In all, my presence in Ekiti can always be measured by the presence of my businesses here, my interaction with the people and the number of my followers,” he said.

As the countdown begins, Oluyede obviously has advantages that would yield instant dividends; especially in a State like Ekiti, where leaders are largely ignorant about real development and wealth creation.

With part of his education in Nigeria, a wife, who is energetic, very resourceful and intelligent and a wide network of friends across various divides, the aspirant knows he is already on course.