Every generation of Oyo leadership inherits the same mandate and the same temptation: the mandate to lift the many, and the temptation to speak only to the few. The next chapter of our state's story cannot be written by the same old playbook. It has to begin with a new social contract - written plainly, kept faithfully, measured publicly.
Three promises, three mechanisms
First, a promise of transparency. I will publish every naira the state spends in a live, searchable dashboard, down to the line item. No excuses, no redactions, no "pending reconciliation." If a market vendor in Molete can track the rain, she should be able to track a road contract.
Second, a promise of proximity. Governance will not live in a government house overlooking Agodi - it will travel to your LGA, your ward, your unit. My administration will hold monthly citizen accountability sessions in every senatorial zone.
Third, a promise of performance. Every commissioner, every special adviser, will sign a public performance contract on day one. The targets will be known to every citizen, and progress will be reported quarterly - on time, in plain English and Yoruba.
What a social contract is not
It is not a press release. It is not a campaign jingle that fades with the rains. It is a set of enforceable promises that either get delivered or cost the governor his mandate. Oyo has had enough of government by slogan. It's time for government by receipt.
When I say "service, not spectacle", I mean a culture where the basics work - your street light is on, your PHC has drugs, your children's school has teachers - before any ribbon is cut. We will cut the ribbons too, of course. But only after the basics are in place.
This is the Oyo I grew up in, the Oyo I practised law in, the Oyo I want to leave to my grandchildren. It is within reach - if we are honest enough to write the contract, and disciplined enough to keep it.