A former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in South Africa, Bola Babarinde, has called on South-West state governments to return to the governance principles of Nigeria’s founding fathers to achieve meaningful development.
Babarinde made the appeal in a statement on Sunday in Lagos, saying the region’s revival depends on restoring the vision and pragmatism demonstrated by Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his contemporaries.
Recalling Awolowo’s tenure as Premier of the Western Region, Babarinde highlighted the 1955 declaration of free education for over 400,000 children, a first of its kind in any Black African nation. He said the policy exemplified governance aimed at uplifting citizens.
“Western Nigeria once demonstrated that African regions could lead with vision and excellence. That history is not an accident. It is proof of possibility,” he said. “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 Western Nigeria stand again as a beacon of enlightened leadership.”
Babarinde noted that under Awolowo, Western Nigeria was a pacesetter, with minimal corruption and public office synonymous with public trust. Today, he said, that golden era has faded, with many communities facing basic governance challenges.
He highlighted the decline in public amenities, pointing out that over 90 percent of communities now rely on private boreholes and water vendors, contrasting with the region’s historical emphasis on public water systems. “The absence of this basic amenity is not merely inconvenient. It is unjust,” he said.
He also criticised opulence among elected and appointed officials, noting that even Lagos, considered relatively well managed, requires urgent improvements. He described energy sufficiency as essential, saying the lack of reliable power hinders industry, education, healthcare, and innovation.
Babarinde pointed to the Western Nigeria Development Commission as a potential avenue for renewal, stressing that its leadership should combine humility, technical expertise, and institutional knowledge. Experienced administrators and technocrats, he said, are essential to executing the developmental blueprint of the forebears.
“The founding fathers envisioned a Western Nigeria defined by competence, integrity, and inclusive growth. Their governance philosophy was simple yet profound: provide education, build infrastructure, ensure healthcare, guarantee water, generate power, protect the vulnerable, eliminate waste, and resist oppression,” Babarinde said.
He stressed that restoring the region’s greatness is not nostalgia but reclaiming 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,” he added.
Babarinde urged South-West governors to act decisively, warning that silence in the face of decline amounts to complicity. He called for constructive counsel, moral authority, and civic engagement to redirect governance toward service, accountability, and citizen welfare. “The region must rise again, not for the glory of a few, but for the dignity and prosperity of all,” he concluded.