The Tragedy of Commons in Osun – By Ismail Omipidan

I have read and carried out extensive research on issues in the last 23 months than I have done in over three decades. And as I read , I come across issues and contents that perfectly fit our situation in Osun.

Just this morning, I stumbled on the Theory of the “Tragedy of Commons.” By simple explanation, the theory, conceptualised in 1833 by British writer, William Forster Lloyd, simply means an “economic and environmental science problem where individuals have access to a shared resource and act in their own interest, at the expense of other individuals.” This situation , scholars further argued, could result in overconsumption, underinvestment, and depletion of resources. Isn’t that our situation in Osun at the moment?

Despite their touted international connections and promises of attracting foreign investments to Osun, it is almost years now, no single direct Foreign Investments. Yet, they are on record to have traveled abroad in the name of seeking investors more than what one could imagine, since they were installed November 2022.

What about IGR? They claim to have blocked the leakages, yet, IGR is leaking. Their IGR for 2023 fell short of what they inherited. A single individual who is passionate about Osun, donated multi-million naira hospital equipment to the Ifetedo General Hospital. But for over a year now, the government is yet to find time to go inaugurate the equipment so the public can begin to use them. A government that has no time to inaugurate hospital equipment is regularly seen at parties and other not-too-important functions within and outside the state. What a tragedy!

How many of Osun citizens have seen the video clip of the governor presenting the 2025 budget? Did you hear him say anything? I was in Osun last week deliberately to witness the proceeding. I was taken aback 24 hours later to hear that the event took place. Yet, no journalist of note was invited to cover the event, simply because they deliberately wanted a cover-up.

Last year, the governor could hardly read coherently a one-page budget speech, the first in the history of Osun State. This year, to cover up the sheer embarrassment the governor has become, they refused to allow full coverage of the presentation. What a shame!

To show how lazy and incompetent the mediocre minds around the government are, they could not even scrutinise what they released to the public well, to realise what they presented to us as the theme and focus of the budget last year, was the same thing they passed on to us, this year. What a tragedy! Truth is, they don’t know.

See the samplers: “Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke on Thursday, presented an impressive sum of N273.9 billion 2024 Appropriation bill to the state House of Assembly.

“According to Adeleke, the “ ‘Budget of Reconstruction and Recovery’ is divided into a Recurrent Expenditure of N165.65 billion and a Capital Expenditure of N108.25 billion.

“The governor said that the budget’s primary objective is to rejuvenate and reconstruct the state’s economy, which was in a dire state when his administration took over. ”

Hear what they said last week too: “Governor, Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has presented a proposed sum of N390,020,277,740 Billon
as the 2025 Appropriation Bill before the State House of Assembly.

“The 2025 Budget proposal tagged ‘Reconstruction and Recovery,’ according to the Governor aims to reconstruct the damaged economy and infrastructure gaps in Osun State, including setting a fiscal stimulus against the impact of global economic recession.” Haa! O ma se o! How did we get here? Who did this to us?

In the past, no reasonable and responsible parent would want to identify with the child who is being alleged to be a criminal. But not in Osun under this current administration. Someone was found with a British Beretta, a pistol, only found in possession of Police Officers. And to be in its possession when one is not one, it is either the person in the possession may have killed the real owner or de-posses the real owner of it, in questionable circumstance. Rather than explaining to us how its appointee came about a police pistol, government is busy rationalising criminality. What a shame!

The saying that one cannot crown a clown and expect the clown to behave like a crown (king) appears apt in situating the happenings in Osun in the last 23 months or so. In fact, the contents coming from Osun on a daily basis, especially as they relate to the actions and inactions of the current administration, do not portray the state in good light. Sadly, some persons still see nothing wrong with the sad developments.

They came on board excited, but they had no clear vision of what they wanted to do with Osun. The first sign came when the Transition Committee was inaugurated by the Governor-elect, as he was then called.

Reading from a prepared speech, Senator Ademola Adeleke charged the committee to come up with projects that he would do in the first 100 days, six months, and so on. That was the day I concluded that the government had no idea of what it intended to do.

Twenty Three months down the line, I appear to have been vindicated. From the tragicomedy we have been treated to in the last 23 months, it is safe to conclude that apart from ‘dance craft’, the administration appears to have nothing to offer. If anything, the last 23 months or so have further exposed the administration as one lacking in character, content, and capacity. What a tragedy!

Omipidan, a journalist, writes from Ile Olorisa Compound, Eyindi, Ila Orangun