*ÒKÈÒGÚN PEOPLE — IT IS TIME TO WISE UP!*

*Favour Adéwọyin,*

January 26, 2026

To “wise up” is to awaken — to become conscious, discerning, and properly informed after a season of naïveté, carelessness, or deception. It is the point at which one stops acting foolishly, having learnt hard lessons from experience and discovered uncomfortable truths.

By every reasonable measure, the people of Òkèògùn must, by now, "wise up." 

Enough of political innocence. Enough of allowing ourselves to be treated as expendable commodities — bought cheaply, traded easily, and discarded carelessly in the political marketplace. We must stop submitting to manipulation through the familiar baits deliberately set by those who benefit from our continued vulnerability.

They will come with money — because poverty has been weaponised against us. Hunger, unpaid bills, and economic hardship have been turned into tools of political conquest. If you must, collect their money; but do not sell your conscience. Do not mortgage your future at the ballot box. This is the moment to rise above desperation and embrace true patriotism.

This is the time for deep reflection. Ask yourselves honestly: When last did our region produce a Governor? Has Òkèògùn ever produced one? When will Òkèògùn produce a Governor? Will Òkèògùn ever produce a Governor — if we continue on this path?

Likewise, when last did Òkèògùn produce a Senator? Are we content with perpetual exclusion, or are we ready to change the narrative now?

They will also come cloaked in religion — some striving to appear holier than the Pope or more pious than the Sheikh wearing religious toga and counting religious rosaries. Do not be deceived. They understand our religious sensitivities and have exploited them repeatedly, yet religion has never delivered political justice for us. It is time to "wise up" and tell them clearly: religion is meant to unite us, not divide us.

In Òkèògùn, we are bound by blood. There is no family without Christians, Muslims, and adherents of traditional faiths. We live together in peace; we are comfortable with one another; and we will not allow religion to fracture our unity. Brothers may disagree, but brothers do not fight to the point of destruction. Differences are natural; division is a choice — and we reject it.

They will also attempt to divide us through partisan politics. Party loyalty, in itself, is not wrong. But when loyalty becomes party blindness, when it consistently works against our collective interest, wisdom demands a rethink. Others have played identity politics to secure advantages for their regions — why must Òkèògùn alone cling to a political ideal that perpetually disadvantages her?

Identity politics may not be the ideal path to development, but is Nigeria truly ripe for pure party-based politics? Experience has shown that Òkèògùn has paid dearly for playing politics without regional consciousness. Has the time not come to wise up and play politics that deliberately uplifts our own — politics that places the band of leadership on wrists of our brothers and beads of leadership on the waists of our and sisters?

They will also deploy divisive tools — political spanners and hammers — under the guise of townism — town patronage or patriotism — elevating loyalty to individual towns above commitment to the entire Òkèògùn region. Loving one’s town is commendable; but on critical matters such as governorship and state creation, regional interest must come first. Had Òkèògùn seized past opportunities for state creation, our story today would have been different.

Sadly, some insiders have consistently collaborated with external forces for selfish gains and stomach infrastructure. As the elders say, the insect that eats the vegetable lives inside it. Without internal cracks, the lizard cannot enter the wall. The activities of sycophants, bootlickers, betrayers, saboteurs, and sellouts have deepened our wounds and prolonged our marginalisation.

Once again, this is the moment to "wise up." 

We have suffered enough. Our prayers have been heard. Now is the time to listen to one another with understanding, to close ranks, and to move forward as one united force — determined to place one of our own in the Secretariat, Agodi, come 2027.

Come 2027, Òkèògùn ló kàn!

*Pst. Favour Adéwọyin,*

National Secretary,

Ẹgbẹ́ Àjọṣepọ̀ Fún Ìtẹsiwájú Gbogbo Wa.