How are you doing?

As we head into the last quarter of the year, it is a great time to reflect on our decisions so far and think of ways to consolidate the good so that we finish the year strong. Those of us who made resolutions for the year 2024 should check our records to see how well we have kept them. We still have three months to change that habit that we promised to drop at the beginning of 2024.

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I have been reading George Stephanopoulos's book, "The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis." One thing that rings true in this book is that many stories shared online about situations and events in politics are simply not true. People who share these stories are either too far away from the seat of power to know the truth (but they want people to believe that they do) or they are trying to create a narrative that would suit their own agenda. This is why well-researched and factual documentation of our political history is very important. Facts are an antidote to lies and misinformation. 

This is also why leaders must always maintain channels for clear and transparent communication between the government and the citizens. Here in Oyo State, we have maintained the Oyo State Government Feedback platform, the only such platform in Nigeria, and we encourage the good people of Oyo State to reach out to us and ask us questions on governance issues, and we will answer.

George Stephanopoulos’ book is definitely well-written and provides useful insights for both leaders and followers. The book also reveals that world leaders are still essentially human. No matter how powerful a leader might appear to be, they have moments of weakness and need prayers so they don’t make difficult decisions when they are distracted by personal issues, like Nixon was during the Watergate scandal.