Veteran journalist and public affairs commentator Laolu Akande has urged state governors to prioritise addressing critical issues in their states instead of constantly following the president on ceremonial trips.
Speaking on the “My Take” segment of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels Television, Akande called for governors to focus on their constitutional responsibilities and the needs of their people.
“While it’s ok for governors to accompany presidents on official visits once in a while, because that shows some kinds of unity. And so, you can’t say it is entirely inappropriate,” Akande stated. “But, it is important that state governors remember that their job is in the states. And they have every pressing, urgent issues. There are issues of public education and healthcare in many of those states that require urgent attention.”
Akande expressed concern that instead of focusing on these challenges, some governors were acting more like presidential aides than state executives.
“Instead of showing greater concern about some of those challenges, and showing a firm resolve to deal with them, some governors are turning themselves into members of the presidential entourage,” he noted.
He challenged governors to emulate former Lagos State governor and current President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who, according to Akande, stayed rooted in his state during his tenure rather than chasing federal limelight.
“I challenge any of them to tell us how many times did the then Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos was seen tagging along with the president for commissioning in other states?” he asked pointedly.
Akande cited a recent presidential visit to Kaduna, during which a number of governors abandoned their states to tag along. Quoting presidential spokesperson Mr. Bayo Onanuga, he listed Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Mohammed Yahyah (Gombe), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq (Kwara), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Nasir Idris (Kebbi), Mondoy Okpebholo (Edo), and Umar Namadi (Jigawa) as governors who joined the presidential entourage.
“What are they looking for?” Akande asked. “They left their states.”
He argued that effective leadership demands a governor’s steady presence at home, actively engaging with their people and responding to their challenges.
“Leadership often requires presence, sitting down and working hard at your desk listening to the people and making timely interventions,” Akande declared.
He drew inspiration from one of Nigeria’s most respected statesmen, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, quoting him:
“It was Chief Obafemi Awolowo that emphasized the importance of leaders sitting at their desks, spending quality time to discover solutions to problems when he said ‘While many men in power are busy with women of easy virtue, I, like a few others, am always at my post working hard at the country’s problems and trying to find solutions for them.’”
Akande argued that governors trailing the president around the country was not a new phenomenon, but warned that with the current crises facing many states, the practice had become unacceptable.
“State governors tagging along with the president which didn’t start today, this is a cumulative behavior,” he said. “With the kinds of problems that we are facing in those states, we can no longer afford such luxuries. That is if those governors and our leaders are very serious indeed.”
