Bimbo Daramola And The Pursuit Of A Working Society

The development trajectory of any nation is determined by the level of commitment and resolve by the leadership and the people themselves to make things work. There is no automatic and easy path to Eldorado. While good men, on the one hand, must consistently step forward to make sacrifices and act, if evil must be defeated or stopped from prevailing in the society, the people, on the other hand, must make conscious efforts to search out men and women of strength and wisdom who can add value to their lives and fight for their interests.

Nigeria’s biggest challenge still remains putting round pegs in round holes. The leadership recruitment process is awkward and until thais crooked path is straightened out, the nation may never get value for leadership. Not everyone is passionate about nation building, not everyone is perturbed about the challenges facing a country. And even amongst the passionate, not everyone is imbued with the capacity to solve problems. Not everyone is as concerned and passionate as Honourable Bimbo Daramola in the quest for a working society and nation state.

There is a Biblical account that Gideon had to reduce a crowd of 32,000 men to able and purposeful 300 men under the guidance of the Almighty God to be able to defeat the Midianites. The Gideon’s manual has been a consistent guide across generations for major victories. One can never crowd-solve problems and succeed; only a committed few can conquer challenges. Ekiti and Nigeria should search out men like Daramola who had, over the years, demonstrated exceptional capacity to achieve a society that works.

The President Muhammadu Buhari administration has been consistently tasked to search out the best of Nigeria to help his government. It is a similar task that all governors too, must do, by getting the best hands to assist them. The incoming governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, is also invited to study the Gideon’s model and select the best for his administration. Nigeria is certainly in possession of committed individuals who can do great things. No problem is insurmountable.

The exploits of Daramola in the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2015 have put him in the limelight as a man with foresight and wisdom. If Nigeria had agreed to establish the Department of Homeland Security in line with his 2011 famous motion: “Emerging Threats to Nigeria’s Internal Security and the Need for the Establishment of Department of Homeland Security,” we could have fared better security wise. We must admit that it takes understanding and knowledge to make compelling submissions.

From Ekiti, where he hails, to his many strides in Lagos, Abuja, within and outside the country, he has been consistent in seeking a society that works. This has, unarguably, defined him as a man with vision and purpose. Seeking a just society is the hallmarks of noble men. That was why Daramola moved a motion to investigate claims by the Asset Management Company of Nigeria that N140.9 billion (about US$1 billion), owed by Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited and Forte Oil Plc, as a result of fuel subsidy scam, had been paid. He never looked back in exposing corruption.

His zeal to ensure that the parliament tackled graft at the time was strengthened with his appointment by the House of Representatives to head the ad hoc committee to probe the allocation of plots of land to companies and individuals in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and to establish possible cases of fraud in the process. Daramola, gave a good account of himself and his committee. It is the duty of the parliament to do its findings and turn in its reports to the executive, but most times, the executive does not act on them (reports and resolutions).

Daramola contested the governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to continue to offer leadership, but he did not succeed. But as a team player that he truly is, Daramola put the election disappointment behind him and worked for the success of the candidate and the party. He gave his unflinching commitment to the process and ensured that the APC won in Ekiti.

Such a noble effort deserves does not only deserve some accolades but also deserve to challenged with greater tasks in governance. His capacity for solving problems, for multi-tasking, for innovating, et al, must be harnessed for the utilitarian public good. President Buhari and Fayemi should look in his direction for special assignments. He has demonstrated capacity for service delivery. He has also shown passionate commitment to the party on which platform his public service exertions will be made and appreciated.

Soneye is the publisher of Per Second News.