By, Olawale Ogunbusola, Ibadan

The recent protest by pensioners in Lagos, during which the police reportedly deployed tear gas to disperse elderly protesters demanding their entitlements, should make every Nigerian pause and reflect. More importantly, it should make the people of Oyo State look inward and appreciate the difference that responsible leadership and a responsive government can make.

The Lagos pensioners were reportedly protesting over pension arrears, pension adjustments, wage awards and other outstanding benefits. These are people who have spent the productive years of their lives serving the government and contributing to society. At retirement, they should be enjoying the dignity and security that come with years of service, rather than taking to the streets to demand what they believe they have already earned.

The incident is painful, but it also provides an opportunity to examine our political history and the way we judge governments.

Oyo State is not unfamiliar with pension-related protests. During the administration of the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, pensioners repeatedly protested over unpaid pensions and gratuities.
In 2017, thousands of retired primary-school teachers reportedly protested over pension arrears that had accumulated to as much as 56 months. Similar complaints and protests occurred at different times during that administration.
We must not erase this history simply because political circumstances have changed.

Today, the people of Oyo State have a reason to appreciate the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde for the relative peace and improved relationship between government and organised labour that the state has experienced.
Governor Makinde has not solved every problem in Oyo State, and it would be dishonest to claim that everything is perfect. There are still areas where his government must do more. There are still citizens with legitimate complaints, and every government must remain open to criticism.
But good governance requires us to recognise progress when we see it.

The welfare of workers under the Makinde administration deserves commendation. The relative industrial harmony in the state is not something that should be taken for granted. It is particularly important when placed against the background of the history of labour disputes and pension protests in the state.

We should also acknowledge the administration’s interventions in education, infrastructure and other sectors. The upgrading of colleges of education to universities, investment in roads and other developmental projects are among the areas where the administration has sought to leave its mark.
There is nothing wrong with praising a governor who performs well.

Unfortunately, Nigerian politics has become so partisan that some people believe praising an achievement means surrendering one’s political independence. It does not.

We can praise Governor Makinde today and criticise him tomorrow if he does something wrong. We can oppose his party and still acknowledge his achievements. We can support another political party and still admit that an opposing administration has performed creditably in certain areas.

That is political maturity.
What is disturbing is the selective outrage displayed by some of our political and Yoruba leaders. Some people who are extremely vocal whenever Governor Makinde is involved in controversy suddenly become silent when similar or even more serious problems occur under governments controlled by political interests they support.
Where are those who claim to be the defenders of Yoruba interests when elderly pensioners are tear-gassed while demanding their legitimate entitlements?

Our concern for the Yoruba people should not depend on which political party controls a particular state. The welfare of pensioners in Lagos should matter to us just as the welfare of pensioners in Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti or Ondo matters.

Leadership must rise above party politics.

This also brings us to the popular political language that a particular party came to “deliver Nigerians from Egypt.”

The metaphor was powerful. Nigerians were told that they were in bondage and that the political movement would provide the Moses that would lead them to the Promised Land.

But today, ordinary Nigerians have the right to ask: where is the promised deliverance?

If pensioners are still protesting for their entitlements, if workers are struggling with economic hardship, if young people are desperately searching for employment and if families are battling the high cost of living, then the political class must answer the question honestly.

Where is the Egypt we were promised to leave?

A political slogan cannot feed a hungry family. A campaign promise cannot pay a pensioner’s medical bill. Political propaganda cannot replace good governance.

This is why the people of Oyo State should appreciate whatever progress has been made under Governor Seyi Makinde.

The issue is not about worshipping a governor. It is about acknowledging performance.

If Makinde has done well in workers’ welfare, let us say so.

If he has improved industrial relations, let us acknowledge it.

If his administration has contributed to the development of infrastructure and education, let us commend those efforts.
If there are areas where he has fallen short, let us demand improvement.

That is the standard by which every government should be judged.
We should stop allowing political bitterness to destroy our ability to recognise good governance.

The Lagos pensioners’ experience is a warning to every government in Nigeria. Pensioners deserve dignity. They deserve respect. They deserve timely payment of their legitimate entitlements.

A pension is not a political favour. It is not charity. It is an obligation arising from years of service.

When elderly citizens have to protest repeatedly before receiving what they have earned, something is fundamentally wrong with the system.

The police also have a responsibility to exercise restraint when dealing with elderly citizens. While law enforcement must maintain public order, the response to peaceful protests should always be proportionate and sensitive, particularly when dealing with senior citizens.

The best solution to pension disputes is dialogue, transparency and a clear commitment to resolving outstanding obligations.

For Oyo State, however, the lesson is also clear.
We should not forget the past.

We should not pretend that every administration has produced the same results.

We should not allow partisan politics to make us deny what our own people are experiencing.

Governor Seyi Makinde deserves applause for the areas in which his administration has improved the relationship between government and workers and contributed to relative labour peace in the state. That applause should not be interpreted as blind loyalty. Rather, it is an acknowledgement that leadership should be judged by its record.

The people of Oyo State deserve leaders who can be praised when they succeed and challenged when they fail.

The Yoruba people also deserve political leaders who will speak with one voice when the welfare of their people is threatened, rather than speaking only when political interests are involved.

Nigeria needs less hypocrisy and more honesty.

We need less propaganda and more performance.
We need less political name-calling and more accountability.

Above all, we need leaders who understand that government is about the people.

The Lagos pensioners’ protest should therefore not only generate sympathy; it should generate reflection.

For Oyo State, it should remind us of where we are coming from and why we must appreciate every genuine improvement in workers’ and pensioners’ welfare.
Governor Seyi Makinde is not perfect, but where he has done well, let us have the courage to say so.
Let us praise him without apology where praise is deserved.

Let us criticise him constructively where criticism is necessary.

Let us never allow party politics to make us blind to facts.

And let us remember that history will eventually judge every government—not by the slogans it shouted, but by the lives it improved.

Lagos pensioners’ tears should become a lesson for Nigeria, while Oyo’s relative labour peace should remind us that responsible governance deserves recognition.

Where praise is due, let praise be given. Governor Seyi Makinde deserves his.