Dear Governors, Council Chairmen, and All Elected Leaders,
The story of Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin reminds us that public office is a position of service, not a chance for personal enrichment.
When his four years in office ended, Ajasin stood before the people and said something very simple but very powerful. He said:
“I came into office in October 1979 with a set of my own rich native dresses and left office in December 1983 with the same set of dresses. No addition and no subtraction. I had two personal cars when I became governor. I left with none. One car got old and stopped working. The other was borrowed by a political friend and never came back.”
Think about this carefully. A man was governor for four full years. He had every chance to take money, build houses, buy cars, and fill his pockets. But he left office with nothing more than what he came with. Only his clothes. No new cars. No new houses. No foreign bank account.
During his administration, his government invested in education, healthcare, roads, agriculture, industries, water supply, electricity, and other projects that directly benefited the people. His legacy continues to be remembered by many Nigerians.
Now look at today. Look around you. Look at our governors, our senators, our council chairmen. How many of them enter office with two cars and leave with none? How many of them can say they did not add even one new dress to their wardrobe after four years in power?
The answer is painful. Most of our leaders today do the opposite. They come with little and leave with plenty. They build mansions they cannot explain. They buy cars their salaries cannot afford. They send their children to schools abroad with money that should fix our own schools. They travel to foreign hospitals with money that should fix our own hospitals. They stash money in foreign banks while the people who voted for them suffer.
Ajasin showed us the way. He showed us that it is possible to serve the people without stealing from them. He showed us that a leader can build great things for the public and still go home with nothing but his good name. He showed us that integrity is not foolishness. It is the highest wisdom.
So I ask again, and I ask every governor, every chairman, every politician in Nigeria today:
Can you stand before the people and say what Ajasin said? Can you open your books and show us what you came with and what you will leave with? Can you look the tax payer in the eye and swear that you have not taken one naira that belongs to him?
If Ajasin could do it in 1983, with less money and more problems, why can you not do it today?
Nigeria does not need more rich politicians. Nigeria needs leaders who care more about the people than about their own pockets. We need leaders who understand that public office is a trust, not a business. We need leaders who will build schools, not buy private jets. We need leaders who will fix hospitals, not fly abroad for treatment. We need leaders who will leave office poorer in wealth but richer in honour.
Learn from Ajasin. Stop stealing from the people who trusted you. Stop using public money to build private empires. Stop treating government as a chance to get rich quick.
Otunba Ademola Akinnola
Opinion Columnist
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