Probe him! Yes, probe Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji immediately. But For what crime, you ask? For the outrageous, unpardonable, and most scandalous crime of being too prudent in a country where leaders compete in the Olympic Games of waste!
How dare a whole State Governor and his Deputy plan to build a befitting Governor’s Lodge in Abuja for only ₦1.8 billion? What an insult to the Federal Capital! What a slap on the face of the cult of wastefulness!
In a Nigeria where ₦3 billion is budgeted just to renovate a sitting Governor’s Lodge in one state, Oyebanji’s modest ₦1.8 billion to build from scratch in Abuja should trigger a National Day of Shock.
It is indeed an act of treason against the gospel of flamboyance!
The man should be tried — not for corruption, but for committing the rare offence of fiscal modesty in a nation where excess is a badge of honour.
Oyebanji’s Act of Courage in a Culture of Waste
In a country where painting a minister’s office costs more than ₦2 billion, where “budget padding” is an art form, and where ₦1.8 billion can barely buy a decent duplex in Banana Island, Oyebanji’s figure sounds like a budget descended from heaven through the angel of thrift.
Maybe the critics believe the Ekiti Government should build the lodge in Chinkoro Junction or Lugbe Slum, beside a kerosene stand and a suya joint.
Perhaps they expect the Governor and his Deputy to squat with friends in Jabi and queue for bathroom turns with random tenants — just to prove they are humble!
Let’s be serious. ₦1.8 billion in Abuja’s real estate market is the architectural equivalent of a handshake at the gate of modesty.
That sum will barely buy land, fencing, security infrastructure, and basic furnishing. Anyone familiar with Abuja knows that ₦1.8 billion is what some politicians spend on interior decoration alone — just curtains and chandeliers!
So yes, let’s probe Oyebanji — for having the courage to think responsibly in a country where madness is marketed as governance.
Probe him for saving Ekiti from the annual ritual of squandering millions on hotel bills. Probe him for building an asset that will serve generations of governors after him. Probe him for shaming the apostles of recklessness who measure governance by how much is wasted, not how much is saved.
In fact, the anti-corruption agencies should come with medals, not handcuffs.
Governor Oyebanji should be interrogated for frugality, detained for thrift, and convicted of wisdom.
Let the Economic and Financial Appreciation Commission (EFAC) open a file and award him for sensible spending in the face of national extravagance.
While others are renaming looting as “legacy projects,” Oyebanji is building enduring value. While others spend billions to repaint existing lodges, he is using less to create a permanent presence for Ekiti in the heart of the Federal Capital.
So, if ₦1.8 billion truly builds this lodge, it is not an expense — it is a statement.
A statement that prudence can still build palaces, that accountability can still wear agbada, and that integrity still has a seat in Ekiti governance.
God bless the day Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji was born, the day Ekiti people chose him, and the State that raises men of conscience.
Because in a time when leaders build ₦3 billion fences, Ekiti’s Governor is erecting value.
That’s not corruption — that’s BAOism.
And BAOism means Building Across Opportunities, Building Accountability, Building Among Others — Best Among Others.
BAO! 4 + 4 = 8. O ti Certain! Prudence is the mantra.
Ekiti, the land of honour, has once again proved it breeds men of sense in a nation gone senseless.
*Barrister Ojo-Lanre, Esq., sent this piece
