Public Office Holders Vs Public Office Matter By ‘Tunde Olatunji

PUBLIC OFFICE HOLDER vs PUBLIC OFFICE MATTER

In my senior secondary school days, Chemistry, Physics and Futher mathematics were my favourites. I love them so much that ranking the best among the 3 remained a big challenge. Till date, I can still give a very lucid account of my learnings in those classes. I thank my teachers!

One beautiful bright morning,our physics teacher asked us to define “matter”, some of us attempted to give a layman’s definition of “matter” using all manners of grammar.

Then he said, in physics, a “matter” is defined as anything that has weight/mass and occupies space.

Take away capacity from any public office holder and what you have is a public office matter.

My experience in public office in the last 41months,15days has further reinforced my belief in the agelong saying that Governance is not a mere Tempest in a Teapot, It is a very Serious Business. Every passing day is a test of competence and capacity in the public office and what a man lacks,he can not give.

Among other core values, it requires the INTEGRITY to govern, the COURAGE to lead and the CAPACITY to act right with patriotism in the general interest of all.

From campaigns to debates, from social media to traditional media platforms, there are potential public office holders and obvious public office matters in the race already. Some of us are seeking re-election and some first mandate. When candidates dish out beautiful manifestos and plans without any or with faulty economic/planning assumptions and variables, when candidates start to seek mandates with promises that has no correlation with the offices they intend to hold, when we begin to put communual,religious,ethic sentimemts ahead of the right qualities of leadership. They are all red flags and warning signals. Let us put on our thinking caps!

As the opportunity for Nigerians to elect public officers for another 4 years approaches, I sincerly hope and pray that we will priotise the right values and elect/re-elect competent public office holders and not just vote public office matters accross the country.

I wish all Nigerians the very best.

God bless my country.

‘Tunde Olatunji
Ife North State Constituency