Kazeem Akinleye: Brain Box of State of The Living Spring By Tope Abiola

In Osun State, just like in others created at the same time was, development and people oriented policies are main challenges. But over time, the people have made changes. The current government in the state is another change made. “The Dancing Senator” was what many Nigerians used to qualify Governor Nurudeen Jackson Ademola Adeleke when he was making efforts to become the governor of Osun State. Many people of the state, nay, Nigeria saw him as a politician that had done his utmost best as a politician in the Senate and might not do well as the leader of the pack in the executive; To the pessimists, he was a dancing senator.

But as it happened, Senator Adeleke had a joker up his sleeve; he had plans before contesting to be governor of Osun State. He had his goals, missions and visions. The dwindling educational nature of the State, the abject poverty biting the inhabitants of the state, poor roads, neglect of the grassroots, poor health delivery and environmental saga were the concerns of the Ede- born divinely elected governor. Though, he went through hell to enable him climb the ladder.

To the surprise of many, Adeleke, in very few months in government, has been able to stabilize the security situation in the state. He has been able to restore the confidence of the people of the state in government. His government has not only restored the hope of the agrarian people of Osun State in agricultural entrepreneurship, but also restored their confidence in the trade the state is widely known for. Adeleke has sunk boreholes in about 332 wards of Osun State, even with generators to power them. This is a major fillip for rural and agrarian dwellers. Getting deep to the grassroots, but not concentrating to only the major cities is indeed unprecedented in the history of the state.

The current government in Osun State has put paid to payment of sickling salaries and non-remitance of workers contributory pensions and cooperative savings The deductions of contributory pension scheme are now been regularly remitted. Civil Servants now receive their salaries as and when due; pensioners no longer queue to get whatever is due to them monthly.

It was Adeleke that restored Osun State, The State of The Living Spring, to the sanity of what is considered a state in the Nigerian nation when he collaborated with the state House of Assembly to revert the State to Osun State from the former obnoxious ‘State of Osun.’ We got our groove back.

In a short time, the current government constructed 20 kilometres of roads across the nine Federal Constituencies in the state. The NYSC is not left out by provision of thousands of mattresses as at last week. He has presented N518 million to 40 communities in the state for infrastructural developments. It did the Imole Surgical and Medical Outreach with 2,000 persons as beneficiaries in each of the Nine (9) Federal constituencies in the state, He put smiles on a total of 18,000 beneficiaries who received free surgeries for cataracts, Hernia and some swellings on the body.

It was noted that other medical conditions served by the intervention were hypertension, diabetes, malaria, cough, tuberculosis and other diseases.

Adeleke has also engaged in rural electrification projects across Osun State. He has provided transformers and other electrical materials to ensure that communities without electricity could have light.

These and many more are the trajectory of the governor since he assumed office a few months ago. But, my readers, do you know what? Apart from the support and mandate of the almighty God, Governor Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke has a magic wand; he is a leader that think deep to take note of the minute details. He chose the right Chief of Staff (CoS), who does not only knows the onions of governance in Osun, but understands the mission and vision of the Governor.

Governor Adeleke looked for a person that understands the terrain as much as the concerns of the grassroots, the agricultural, infrastructural and economic needs of the people of Osun State as the engine room of his government. His CoS, Kazeem Akinleye, is the Brain Box of the success of the current administration in Osun State.

Akinleye, former Chairman of Ede North Local Government Area of Osun State, is a thoroughbred grassroots politician, administrator and philanthropist.

People who are close to Akinleye said though he is unassuming, he has a very good grasp of the workings of the civil service, local politics, agrarian life and infrastructural needs of the nooks and crannies of Osun State, having been close to the grassroots in the state all his life; he is home-bred and home-grown, cool, calculative and methodical. A devout Muslim who is guided by Islamic tenets, doctrines, cultural and social justice .
These are said to be the qualities that Governor Ademola Adeleke considered in picking his CoS, a decision that is currently paying off for Osun State. Akinleye has maintained a robust relationship with diverse government departments, acting as the link between the state government and the people of the state. He has proven to be a technocrat of no mean repute by galvanizing the state government’s policies to the best of Osun State.

There is no gainsaying that he is the driving wheel and the key factor in the government that has brought succor to our beloved Osun State.

Dr. Abiola is an Osun State Based Media Practitioner, Journalism Teacher and Public Affairs Analyst.
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