By Bola Babarinde
In 1955, the airwaves carried a message that would alter the destiny of a generation. The voice of Obafemi Awolowo, then Premier of Western Nigeria, resonated with clarity and conviction as he declared free education for over 400,000 children. It was the first initiative of its kind in any Black African nation. That broadcast was not merely a policy announcement. It was a moral declaration that governance exists to uplift the people.
Under his leadership, Western Nigeria became a beacon of enlightened administration. High quality roads connected towns and villages. Functional water works delivered potable water to homes. Schools were not monuments but instruments of transformation. Healthcare services reached the vulnerable. Fire services protected lives and property. WNTV became Africa’s first television station. Cocoa House rose proudly in Ibadan as the tallest building in West Africa, symbolising economic ambition and regional pride.
Western Nigeria was a pacesetter. Corruption was minimal. Public office was synonymous with public trust. Other regions looked on with admiration. The foundation was strong because it was anchored in discipline, prudence, and an unwavering commitment to basic amenities.
Today, that golden era feels distant. Some states carved out of that once first class region now struggle with rudimentary governance challenges. Ogun State, Osun State, and Oyo State were once beneficiaries of a robust regional legacy. Yet signs of administrative drift are evident. Leadership in many instances appears detached from the everyday suffering of citizens. The ethos of people centred governance has too often given way to pageantry and vanity.
Ogun State, strategically positioned as the gateway to the highly developed Lagos State, ought to be a thriving industrial and infrastructural powerhouse. Proximity to Lagos should translate into opportunity, synergy, and shared prosperity. Instead, the promise remains largely untapped. Governance must not be reduced to spectacle. It must be measured by water flowing from public taps, by roads free of crippling congestion, by schools that inspire excellence, and by hospitals that heal with dignity.
Across much of Western Nigeria, public water systems are either moribund or nonexistent. It is an indictment that in a region once celebrated for its water works, more than ninety percent of communities now depend on private boreholes and water vendors. The absence of this basic amenity is not merely inconvenient. It is unjust.
Equally troubling is the culture of opulence displayed by some elected and appointed officials. Convoys with blaring sirens disrupt daily life. Number plates are concealed. Escorts intimidate the very citizens whose votes conferred authority. Such displays erode trust and deepen the gulf between leaders and the led. Governance must be humble. Power must be exercised with restraint and empathy.
Even in Lagos State, widely regarded as relatively well managed within the region, urgent improvements are necessary. Traffic congestion is becoming a daily ordeal. Road maintenance and traffic management require sustained innovation. Yet governance is a shared responsibility. Indiscipline among motorists, including driving against traffic and disregard for established rules, compounds the crisis. Firm enforcement of traffic laws is essential. The revival of corrective measures, including mandatory evaluations for serial traffic offenders, would reinforce accountability. Citizens must support government efforts if progress is to be meaningful.
Encouragingly, Lagos has made visible strides in illuminating major roads and dark spots, improving security and public confidence. But Western Nigeria must aspire to more than incremental gains. In an era when subnational entities elsewhere are achieving power independence, it is unacceptable that much of South Western Nigeria remains shrouded in darkness. Energy sufficiency is not a luxury. It is the engine of industry, education, healthcare, and innovation.
The establishment of the Western Nigeria Development Commission presents an opportunity for renewal. Its leadership must embody humility and openness to learning. Experience matters. Institutional memory matters. The commission should draw upon seasoned administrators and technocrats who understand the developmental blueprint conceived by our forebears. Arrogance of power will only frustrate expectations. Collaboration, transparency, and a clear regional strategy can reignite progress.
The founding fathers envisioned a Western Nigeria defined by competence, integrity, and inclusive growth. They conceptualised, planned, and executed policies that benefited the majority. Their governance philosophy was simple yet profound. Provide education. Build infrastructure. Ensure healthcare. Guarantee water. Generate power. Protect the vulnerable. Eliminate waste. Resist oppression.
To make Western Nigeria great again is not to indulge in nostalgia. It is to reclaim a tested template of good governance. It is to insist that public office holders prioritise substance over showmanship. It is to demand fiscal discipline and measurable outcomes. It is to replace arrogance with service.
The elders and responsible leaders of the region must rise to this moment. Silence in the face of decline is complicity. Constructive counsel, moral authority, and civic engagement are urgently required to redirect the course of governance.
Western Nigeria once demonstrated that African regions could lead with vision and excellence. That history is not an accident. It is proof of possibility. The path to resurgence lies not in rhetoric but in restoring the fundamentals. Water must flow. Roads must function. Schools must educate. Hospitals must heal. Power must be generated. Citizens must be respected.
Only then will the dream proclaimed in 1955 echo once more with relevance and pride. Only then will Western Nigeria stand again as a beacon of enlightened leadership. Western Nigeria must rise again, not for the glory of a few, but for the dignity and prosperity of all.
