Stop Hiding Tinubu’s Light Under A Basket, Oyebanji Tells APC Leaders: ‘Hype His Achievements Loudly’

Akahi News gathered that Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has issued a passionate call to the leadership of the All Progressives Congress in the Southwest. He wants them to stop being shy about President Bola Tinubu’s achievements. Instead, he urged them to provide massive publicity for all the programmes and policies that have improved the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians.

The Governor specifically mentioned the President’s economic reforms, infrastructure development, and efforts being made to stabilise the country. He said hyping these achievements at every opportunity will provide the needed enlightenment for the people, especially those at the grassroots. But here is the uncomfortable question: if the achievements are so visible, why do they need so much hyping?

Governor Oyebanji spoke on Tuesday when he received the APC Zonal executives led by the Zonal Chairman and National Vice Chairman for the Southwest, Dr Isaac Kekemeke. His message was direct: the party’s leaders must become information desks for the populace. They must explain what the government is doing. Because apparently, Nigerians are not seeing it for themselves.

‘People Listen To Leaders More Than Anybody Else’ — Oyebanji’s Strategy

Akahi News learnt that the Governor argued that Nigerians attach more seriousness to whatever they hear from their leaders than from other sources. In other words, a word from a party chairman in a ward means more than a thousand television adverts.

He stressed the need to activate the party’s structure at all levels. Every ward meeting, he suggested, should devote two or three minutes to explaining what the government has done. That does not sound like a lot. But multiplied across thousands of wards, it becomes a powerful enlightenment machine.

However, one cannot help but wonder: if the government’s programmes are truly touching lives, why do party members need to be reminded every two minutes? Should the results not speak for themselves? Perhaps the opposition’s noise has been louder than the government’s signal. And Oyebanji wants to turn up the volume.

Akahi News had earlier reported that the President’s economic reforms — including the removal of petrol subsidy and unification of exchange rates — have brought severe pain to millions of Nigerians. Inflation has soared. Living costs have exploded. Oyebanji is now asking party leaders to sell the long-term benefits of short-term suffering. That is not an easy pitch.

‘Six Months Of Hell’: How Tinubu Saved Ekiti From Collapse

The Governor painted a dramatic picture of the pre-Tinubu era. He described the six months he spent in office before President Tinubu’s inauguration in May 2023 as a “very tough period.” His words suggest that things were so bad, the state was staring into the abyss.

Then came Tinubu’s decision to immediately free resources to sub-national governments. According to Oyebanji, this turned the situation around. It rescued the economy from collapse. It enabled him to achieve more for Ekiti in terms of infrastructure development than he thought possible.

“The story is the same across the states,” he declared. “President Tinubu’s programmes and policies have impacted positively on the people. While the opposition elements would do everything to rubbish the gains of the reforms, leaders should counter them with verifiable facts.”

But are the facts verifiable? The Governor offered some evidence. Out of the six federal roads in Ekiti State, two have been fixed, work has commenced on one, and two have been awarded. The state has also been linked to the new rail line project of the federal government. That is progress. Whether it is enough to outweigh the pain of subsidy removal is another matter entirely.

Perhaps the most striking claim from Oyebanji is this: his administration has not collected any loan to finance infrastructure projects in the last three and a half years. He said he has been able to properly utilise receipts from federal allocation and the state’s internally generated revenue to finance all projects. And this, according to him, was made possible by President Tinubu.

If true, that is remarkable. A Nigerian state government operating without borrowing? That would be a miracle in any era. But Oyebanji insists it is real. And he wants party leaders to shout it from the rooftops.

“If a state as small as Ekiti has this kind of federal government presence, then you can imagine what will happen to other big states in the country,” he argued.

It is not a child’s play to govern a state without taking loans. But it is also not a child’s play to convince hungry citizens that their pain is worth it. Oyebanji is asking party leaders to be the bridge between Tinubu’s policies and the people’s patience. That bridge may be tested severely before 2027.

‘We Are All Ambassadors Of The President’ — A Call To Arms

Governor Oyebanji reminded the APC zonal leaders that the party is on a rescue mission through the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He called every leader an ambassador of the President in their respective zones and states.

“We have every cause to be proud of the achievements of our party, and the only way we can get this done is through you, because you are the closest to the people at the grassroots level,” he said.

He appealed to party leaders to make explaining the President’s achievements paramount. “Because you are credible leaders, people will listen to you more than those in government,” he added. That is an interesting admission: even Oyebanji believes that party leaders have more credibility than government officials. Perhaps that says something about public trust in politicians.

Earlier, the National Vice Chairman for the Southwest, Dr Isaac Kekemeke, heaped praises on Governor Oyebanji. He described him as an emerging party and national leader based on his humility and astute leadership quality. Kekemeke said the zonal leadership intends to strengthen the party’s structure across the region.

They were in Ekiti for their first executive meeting after their inauguration last month. And they left with a clear assignment: sell Tinubu’s achievements. Sell them hard. Sell them everywhere.

But here is the philosophical reflection that lingers: if the achievements are genuine, should they not sell themselves? And if the people are not buying, is that the fault of the sellers or the product? Tinubu’s second term ambition, if he chooses to run, will depend on the answer to that question. Oyebanji is not waiting to find out. He is building the sales team now.

Key Summary Box: What Oyebanji Wants APC Leaders To Do

• The Message: Governor Oyebanji has urged APC Southwest leaders to aggressively publicise President Tinubu’s achievements, including economic reforms, infrastructure development, and efforts to stabilise the country.

• The Method: Activate party structures at all levels. Devote two to three minutes at every ward meeting to explain government programmes. Use credible party leaders as information desks because people trust them more than government officials.

• The Context: Oyebanji described the six months before Tinubu’s inauguration as a “very tough period.” He credits the President’s decision to free resources to states for rescuing Ekiti from economic collapse.

• Ekiti’s Testimony: Two of six federal roads fixed, work on one ongoing, two awarded. State linked to new federal rail line project. No loans taken for infrastructure in three and a half years — made possible, Oyebanji says, by federal allocation receipts.

• The Bigger Picture: The Governor argues that if small Ekiti has seen this level of federal presence, larger states have even more reason to be grateful.

• The Opposition Factor: Oyebanji acknowledges that opposition elements are trying to rubbish the gains of reforms. He insists APC leaders must counter them with verifiable facts.

• The Call to Action: “We are all ambassadors of the President in our respective zones and states. Make explaining the achievements paramount.”

• Kekemeke’s Response: The Southwest APC chairman praised Oyebanji as an emerging national leader and said the zonal leadership is committed to strengthening party structures across the region.

• The Unspoken Question: If Tinubu’s achievements are so evident, why do party leaders need to be mobilised to hype them? And will Nigerians buy what the party is selling, given the economic pain of subsidy removal and currency reform?

• What to Watch: How effectively APC leaders translate Oyebanji’s call into grassroots action. The 2027 election cycle may depend on it.

— Akahi News will monitor how APC structures across the Southwest respond to Governor Oyebanji’s challenge. The people, as always, will have the final say.