By Obi Ogadi, deputy editor-in-chief, www.xclusivenigeria.com, Nigeria's internet newspaper.

Osun state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is a man of the people: simple, urbane, and down-to-earth Aregbesola is a politician’s politician. He dresses simply, carries himself without the airs that many in his exalted position would, and speaks the grassroots language of the people. Aregbesola is so simple and down-to-earth that he can mix easily and effortlessly in a crowd without attracting any attention.  His simplicity and savoir fair are the secrets of his political success and huge popularity as a grassroots politician. He is a man who is very much in tune with the yearnings of his people.

Few politicians would match Aregbesola’s reputation as a grassroots politician. And even fewer state governors can match his popularity as a man of the people.  He is indeed in a class of his own, for he is well-learned in the politics of populism, which he seems to have cultivated over the years. As a commissioner in Lagos under the administration of Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Aregbesola carved a niche for himself as a man of hard work and excellence. But it was his reputation as a simple and humble man, who seemed humbled by the powerful position he occupied, and determined to serve the people and not make them serve him, that propelled his reputation as a man of the people.

Aregbesola dresses simply. He wears simple clothes and sandals. He seems to abhor the eccentricities of many high office holders who tend to find a need to show off opulence by wearing gold and diamonds and platinum jewelry. Aregbesola does not wear any jewelry.  He probably abhors it. Definitely looks like a man who would.  Neither is his wrist adorned by any expensive wrist watch. There seems to be a conscious effort on his part to dress down, to bring seriousness and high expectations to the exalted office that he occupies. Aregbesola is tall and slim built. Just as he appears to disdain flashy jewelry, he clearly comes across as a man with disciplined appetite, who is not given to ostentatious consumption. He appears to be like a man who eats only once a day, or perhaps once a week, if possible. There doesn’t seem to be pudginess to his cheeks or his built. He certainly does not have a pot-belly.

If anything, Aregbesola comes across as a man who is very Spartan, frugal, austere and disciplined in his tastes and desires.  In a country where opulence and ostentation are goals pursued by the high and low in society alike, these traits are rare indeed, and very admirable. They foster Ogbeni Aregbesola’s reputation as a self-driven man of purpose. It is no wonder he told the editors of www.xclusivenigeria.com, Nigeria’s internet newspaper, during a recent chat in Government House, Osogbo, Osun State, that what drives him as a person, a politician and state chief executive, was his desire to ‘offer service to the people.” According to him, “my desire to be of assistance, of benefit and value to my people, my state, my nation and to humanity drives me.”

It is easy to admire Ogbeni Aregbesola. He carries himself well, perpetuating his reputation as a populist politician who is well-grounded on the needs and aspirations of his people.  After many years of   the apparently rudderless administration of former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Aregbesola, who has been in power for under two years, appears driven by the gargantuan effort of cleaning up after Oyinlola, and bringing the dividends of democracy to his people.  It is no wonder that he told the team of editors from www.xclusivenigeria.com, that his dream for Osun State was “to make it a model of responsible governance in Africa.”

Aregbesola may have started well in his pursuit to bring prudence and discipline to the use of public funds in Osun State. For instance, he drives his own personal SUV, a cream-colored Toyota model, which appears well-used, and was said by aides, to be his personal vehicle. He must be the only governor in Nigeria who drives his own personal, well-used automobile as an official car. The reality in Nigeria is that most people in his position, both public officials and high-ranking executives in the private sector, seem to want to enhance their image by how expensive and rare their automobile is. By choosing prudence over ostentation, and discipline over gaudy consumption, Aregbesola has elevated himself as a politician with a difference.

Aregbesola used to be chairman, Aurora Nigeria Limited in 1986. He was born on May 25, 1957. He graduated from The Polytechnic Ibadan where he studied Mechanical Engineering. He is a Fellow of the following professional bodies: Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM); Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE); Nigerian Association of Technological Engineers (NATE) and Certified Marketing Communications Institute of Nigeria (CMCIN). He has received a basket of awards for his pursuit of excellence in private and public life, including  Ambassador of Goodwill for the State of Tennessee, USA; Nigerian Society of Engineers Merit Award for contribution to Engineering Discipline; and Best Commissioner in Lagos State Award. He was the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Lagos State, from 1999-2007.

Aregbesola, the mechanical engineer, prefers the simple title of ‘Ogbeni’, which is Yoruba for Mister, apparently to foster his image as an ordinary and humble man disinterested in creating airs about himself. He ran for Osun State governorship in the 2007 elections on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria, of which he has become a quintessential activist and a true hero.  Then Osun State governor and candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Olagunsoye Oyinlola, was declared winner of that controversial election, spurring Aregbesola to appeal the election results.  After a lengthy and labyrinthine legal tussle, the Federal Appeal Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, finally declared Aregbesola the winner of the disputed Osun State 2007 gubernatorial election, ordering that he be sworn in as governor on 27 November 2010.

In the pursuit of recognition for his victory at the disputed 2007 gubernatorial election in May 2008, “Aregbesola called over 100 witnesses and tendered 168 exhibits in his petition before the Election Petitions Tribunal, alleging violence and ballot boxes stuffing in the election. In an October 2008 interview, he described Oyinlola as "a bully who came from a reactionary military arm", stating that Oyinlola had done nothing for the people of Osun state. He also claimed that 12 people had died in the election violence.^”

Aregbesola told www.xclusivenigeria.com, that he is committed to transforming Osun State and bequeathing a legacy that will become a reference point for others to follow.  He spoke about his multi-faceted efforts at the socio-economic transformation of the State which includes such programs as the ‘OYES’ or Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme, ‘OREAP’ or Osun Rural Enterprise and Agriculture Program, ‘O-Clean’  also known as the State’s Environmental Project,  and O-Tours otherwise known as Osun State Tourism Development And Revival program. Aregbesola said his government has done well, and that “except for the skeptics and the mischievous-minded section of the populace, few people will disagree with the fact that we have done well.”

About the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme, he said: “There has been a huge out-pouring of appreciation in the state and beyond for our unique social welfare scheme called ‘OYES’.  What we have tried to do is to establish a program that will give our youths not only a sense of belonging, but also a leg up in life. We feel it is important that people feel they are working hard to put food on their table in an honest and diligent way. The OYES program is not just a loan scheme.  What we have done is to help people to earn a living through active deployment of funds in our social welfare program. We are not just giving money to the recipients of the program. We are actually empowering them, so that they can contribute actively to society and in turn empower others and give back. It has been very fulfilling for me.”

On his government’s prioritization of farming as a critical government policy, the governor said: “Farming is the main occupation of our people. We have chosen food as the main focus of our government program. We want to be in a situation where we can feed ourselves and our people easily, and to also export food to other states of the Federation. This way, we can build a healthy and happy society, and help our country to reduce the huge amount we spend yearly to import food.”

On his government’s active policy to make Osun the nation’s No 1 Information and Communications Technology State in Nigeria, Aregbesola said: “What we want to do is to popularize the use of computers and the internet in our State.  We want to deploy internet hotspots across the state, making the World Wide Web accessible to all and sundry.  The internet is the hottest platform in the world today for business, education, social networking etc. Our school children for one will be able to update their knowledge, connect with information and educational resources across the world and keep abreast of developments in the world of education.  That will give us a real boost. There is a whole world of information and resources available out there on the internet, and we aggressively want to be a part of it.”

Aregbesola’s government has placed priority on worker’s welfare, and last year the government paid the 13^th month salary to civil servants, to make life easier for them, and to reinforce its determination to ensure that the state’s workers were duly rewarded for their hard work and diligence.  There have been other such pro-workers welfare policies put in place by the government. The governor justifies his administration’s attention to workers’ welfare, saying: “There cannot be wealth in any society without active productivity. We want to encourage our workers to be more productive. “

Aregbesola was asked how he has been able to find funds to implement many of the laudable policies he has launched, given the fact that he reportedly met a near-empty treasury upon assumption of office.  Has he done this through increased taxation? The governor said his government has not increased taxation, and did not have any such plans: “No, we have not increased taxation, nor do we have any such plans. The tax regime we have in the state is pretty much the same it has been.  What we have done is to block leakages in the revenue generation system. For instance, we have discouraged the payment of taxes and fees and other such levies by cash, and encouraged the use of banks for these purposes. This has helped us to block several leakages in the revenue generation system, and to increase state revenue. “

Aregbesola said beyond that, the government has shown creativity and inventiveness in revenue generation efforts.  Among such efforts he revealed, has been his administration’s resort to “the use of leverage with banks to reduce the burden we inherited with regards to loans and other such debts.  But perhaps more than anything else, our prudence, discipline, sacrifice, denials and strict financial management of state resources have enabled us to have surpluses to invest in provision of social services and infrastructure.”