“My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” – Jesus, as historically archived in the Christians’ documentations.

“The destiny of science was not only to enlarge the human knowledge, but also to improve the life of men on earth”; proclaimed an English philosopher, Francis Bacon. It was also on this notion that it is believed that one of his protégé, Destutt de Tracy, introduced the term ‘ideology’, as a science of ideas.

The Encyclopedia Britannica also explains ideology as “a form of social or political philosophy in which practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones; a system of ideas that aspires both to explain the world and to change it.”

Political Ideologies shape a major aspect of running any state or geographical location, and the economy of such locations.

Though it seems most unlikely, considering unrestricted and licentious defections from and to various political parties in Nigeria; Ideologies exist in Nigeria, but it has been characterized mostly by the mood of the different persons in office, which is translated through the pragmatic activities on economic, social and cultural policies. However, most importantly, politics as every form of leadership, requires meting out appropriate measures to various and different situations as they arise; but these ideologies are meant to serve as the template of response to these various instances.

Meanwhile, there is an obvious constant declining rate of political ideology in Nigeria, as we have been electing leaders less likely considering the ideologies of the parties, the persons, and how these ideologies may even suit the present state of the country to solve crisis and to develop the economy; but most political office holders incessantly migrate to different political parties just to clinch the party’s ticket, or maintain their political appointments or relevance. These various parties only merely capitalize in words, on the woes that betide the Nation, to thrive on it to gain political scores against their counterparts; without having a particular templates themselves with which to tackle the said woes.

Prior his ascension as the Governor of Oyo State, Eng. Seyi Makinde was not differently caught in this peculiarity, as he jostled from the now defunct ANPP to PDP, and then to SDP, and back to PDP; though these divides weren’t rivalries if there were ideologies; but I would rather complement my benefit of doubt of him(as earned by his present administration as Governor) by the present end(product of his ambition since emergence as Governor) which justifies the means; as his ongoing administration has posed so far a ‘principles and results’ approach.

Eliminating ‘godfatherism’, this 8^th Civilian Governor of Oyo State has he would become, trailed this political odyssey on his eventual successful attempt, winning the primaries with 2772 votes at the Liberty Stadium on September 29, 2018; and little did we know that it was truly the beginning of a new dawn in the State as claimed in his manifestos, as he went ahead to win the major rivalry political divide, which happen to also be the incumbent party in the State, with a margin of 515,621 to 357,982 on March 10, 2019; the rest they say, has been the penning down of history, thus becoming the leader of the Party in the State, whose characteristics become the reflection of the Party in the State.

Adulations like ‘God Sent Man’, ‘The Messiah’, ‘The People’s Governor’, ‘Good Governance’ amongst several other descriptions have been attributed to him in his going to four years tenure as the Governor of the State; and these attributes are not peculiar to his political divide just like some other Governors, but as we have earlier stated, are characterized by his own person, as they are being translated through his own pragmatic activities in the State.

“We will do what we can do to ease the hardships of our people, and what we can’t do, we will not make worse”; this very statement of the Engineer sounds very similar with that which was earlier quoted at the beginning of this article; “My yoke is easy and my burden is light”; and can be likened as the same philosophy; little wonder the Engineer is regarded as a Messiah.

People centered, and unpopular amongst most political peers, this Governor works with feedbacks from the people he governs; listens to their complaints, and mete out necessary responses both in actions and in soothing words as should be of a democratic system; appealing to the people where necessary for support, cooperation and partnership.

There has been geometric growth in the Internally Generated Revenue of the State, significantly resulting from his administration, which ranked the State as one of the top five in the country with such significance; and a recent broadcast of the Governor marking his third year in office reveals that the State has been able to secure over 23billion naira investment in agriculture; there has also been a significant increase in the development of the State, earning the State Capital a ranking as second fastest growing city in Africa by United Nations Human Settlements Programme(UN-Habitat) research, on the metrics of urbanization, industrialization, population and job opportunities.

And these are all in alignment with his envisioned roadmap for accelerated development of the State. Apparently, these aren’t just stumbled on results or some trials and error; but the application of result based principles that are geared towards the promises of his manifesto, and which are conveniently centered around the masses and the entirety of the people of the State.

This is obviously principled on ‘a Government crested with the responsibility of helping the people manage the resources of the State, for the sustainable use, betterment and development of the people and the State”; the true government of the people, by the people and for the people; and not some dictatorship or authoritarian government.

This is a Governor who urges other politicians across political divides to shun the politics of bitterness and maintain unity of purpose for the progress of the Country.

This is a Governor who has potential joints projects of infrastructure with another State and the Federal Government who wields a rivalry political divide; this is a Governor who was able to negotiate outside his political divide to secure a tertiary institution that was under crisis by being joint owned by two States(LAUTECH); this is a Governor who makes sure that the State he governs accommodates all other ethnic groups as they so wish, except criminal elements.

This is a Governor, who after overthrowing the government of the day for his ascension, still kept in touch with his predecessor, and discussed policies of the previous administration and built on some of these policies that were in alignment with his roadmap.

This is a Governor whose praises have even been sung by several political leaders of the rivalry divide, because his acts and contributions to governance have indeed transcended such hypocrisies.

Even the presently embattled Deputy who defected to the rivalry political divide surprisingly pointed out in a recent interview that it was easy for him to accede to him to Deputize him because there were no conditions slated to him except GOOD GOVERNANCE.

These attributes shouldn’t necessary be feathers to Seyi Makinde’s cap, but be that as it may, they are unconventional and untypical of a Nigerian political leader, and they distinguish him from several of his peers; setting him as a standard.

Without labelling or boxing these ideologies of Seyi Makinde into the existent Liberalism, Progressivism, Libertarianism, Environmentalism, Socialism and the likes, it is evident that this visionary and principled leader has employed the positivity in most of these various existing ideologies to effect his template for the State, and hence cannot be boxed into one of any of the existing.

This is the characteristic of a leader as required by Fred Fieldler’s Contingency Theory of Leadership; where balance and understanding of variables are expected; knowing what should be appropriately meted out at different instances, but guided by some particular focus, which so far here has reflected THE PEOPLE

This can be regarded as the advent of a new political ideology.

The Seyi Makinde’s Political Ideology is something philosophers should study and write about.