These were the promises made and these are the promises we kept.

The Road Ahead

According to the wise words of the ancients, “A righteous man lays up an inheritance for his children.” In all our moral traditions, the ideal of rectitude and righteousness is entwined with a perspective mindful of the future. Our ancestors understood that planting a tree in their time was an investment in the nourishment of their children who would reap its fruits. As progressives, we did not just promise the practical betterment of society today; we recognize that prosperity and posterity are bound together. True prosperity occurs when we look beyond the next election and the horizon of self-interest and begin to address the fate of the next generation.

As I end my term, my gaze is thus cast to the future. I pray for a bright and good one for our people. Yet, I would be remiss if I do not voice my trepidation at the way recent events have unfolded. Let’s be frank, there are agents of retrogression who want to dismantle our advances in social justice and public welfare because what profits the general public does not profit them. It is our duty to confront these forces and protect the gains of the past few years from those who seek to spread a new darkness over the land.

Our region has already suffered firsthand the terrible toll the culture of political violence can wrought. Just a few years ago, Ekiti State endured instability and anomie such that our people forgot what it meant to have peace of mind and basic security. Our administration pierced the darkness of those days to end the delinquent politics that threatened to dehumanize us. The people of Ekiti learned to live without fear.

Recent events tragically remind us that democracy and good governance are delicate things that must be nurtured and protected. The good that took years to build can be wasted in an instant by the depravities of the few who are intent on plundering the state and upending the common good.