IROKOISM
IROKOISM
“There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come”- Jean Jacques Rousseau.
Irokoism, an emergent progressive political ideology that is derived from the vision, mission, governance posture and policy direction of Dr Olusegun Mimiko is no doubt matured to come to the fore of intellectual discourse. Irokoism, properly situated is a general political philosophy advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform. A broader picture of Irokoism will essentially evince it as a political ideology that advocates or favours social, political and economic reforms or changes and which also represents a commitment to the rule of law, with governance of the people, by the people and for the people as the means to the greatest good of the greatest number.
The emergent Irokoism just like Awoism, Marxism, Nkrumaism e.t.c is a set of ideas that constitutes the goals, expectations, and actions that Dr Olusegun Mimiko and the believers in his political brand considers sacrosanct in the deployment of political power for societal development. It is an explicit system of thought and a comprehensive vision that is already applied to governance and politics with a plethora of positive results. Irokoism as a variant of progressivism is undoubtedly in line with the core values that promote an egalitarian society therefore rating it higher than other ideologies such as conservatism, liberalism, libertarianism, socialism, communism etc. Thus, any political platform that would make any meaningful headway must brandish progressive ideas and ideals as contained in Irokonism to convince the very discerning citizenry that they possess the required attributes for best practices of progressive politics in governance.
As shown in the last three and a half years of Dr Olusegun Mimiko’s Labour Party government in Ondo State; Irokoism is a distinctive ideological framework that is predicated on using existing communal structures as the building blocks of governmental action. It scaffolds a government that is selfless, transparent, forthright and committed to the generation of wealth for the good of all. It advocates a clime in which every citizen is taken as a critical stakeholder in the policy making process while government only serves as a catalyst of development and is committed to the deployment of resources for the overall development of the society. Irokoism is an all-inclusive platform for individual well-being, corporate harmony and progressive politics. Furthermore, a core belief of Irokoism is liberalized, private-sector driven economy that will never at a point shy away from the obligation of government, especially in an underdeveloped economy like Nigeria’s in the quest to intervene responsibly as a social obligation in direct employment, free/subsidized social services like health and education, social housing, soft credit and other poverty-reduction mechanism that will ensure that the weakest in society is given the opportunity to develop and actualize his/her potentials.
The content of Irokoism as an ideological prism is inexhaustible. In Ondo State for instance where Irokoism has been in operation since February 2009, its deployment focus lays in the 12-point developmental agenda labeled ‘A CARING HEART’as well as its attendant success stories.
Certainly, it was not until the emergence of the first Labour Party (LP) government in Nigeria under the leadership of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko as Governor of Ondo State that the first stirrings of a meaningful progressive politics became visible in governance after a pretty long lull. From the onset, the LP recognised the fact that they had a challenge and that history beckoned on the party as the first LP government in Nigeria to prove to Nigerians that they represent the true value of social democracy, and that they can actually stand for progressive politics, not progressive politics by propaganda or deceit, but progressive politics in action. For Mimiko and his party members driven by Irokoism therefore, it was important to redefine the underpinning ideology of progressive politics such that a responsible and responsive government makes wise choices on behalf of the citizenry, the weapon of choice being creative thinking which gives a breath of fresh air to programmes and initiatives that would eventually impact positively and pragmatically on the entire populace and put Ondo state on an irreversible path of greatness.
Another vista of Irokoism is the successful 3i-initiative community development programme that is designed to mainstream development in rural communities through the participatory inclusion of local institutional authority structures. The 3i-programme has successfully executed more than 600 projects, ranging from hospitals, school blocks, town halls, bridges and boreholes in the last three and a half years, thus emplacing this bottom-up strategy as a preferable option of development in sub-Saharan Africa.
Apart from Irokoism's firm commitment that health is wealth as demonstrated in the unprecedented intervention in the health sector which has ultimately turned around the lives of the people and also won laurels for the state; the ideology has catalysed infrastructural rebirth in Ondo State in a manner never imagined. The average man on the street has seen the shrink in the disconnect between the government and the people while the Labour sector has cause to smile. Irokoism just like Awoism sees Education as a very crucial sector that any progressive minded political class must consciously turn around so as to break the jinx of generational ignorance and poverty.
In less than four years, Irokoism has taken Ondo State to the front row of political communities in Nigeria and beyond with the numerous home-grown policies and frameworks that are unprecedented in Nigeria nay Africa’s quest for development and good governance. The truth is that if a leader has performed creditably well and has recorded victory after putting himself forward for re-election; the electoral success is the sure incentive that will definitely make him perform better.
The next four years shall surely transform Ondo State to another level in governance and administration. Since 2009, Irokoism has been used to lay the foundation of an undiluted legacy that is people centered and the next four years shall surely see a manifest development of the land and her people.
This piece on IROKOISM is an extract from an on-going purely detached academic project on the emergent political ideology of Dr Olusegun Mimiko.
“There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come”- Jean Jacques Rousseau.
Irokoism, an emergent progressive political ideology that is derived from the vision, mission, governance posture and policy direction of Dr Olusegun Mimiko is no doubt matured to come to the fore of intellectual discourse. Irokoism, properly situated is a general political philosophy advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform. A broader picture of Irokoism will essentially evince it as a political ideology that advocates or favours social, political and economic reforms or changes and which also represents a commitment to the rule of law, with governance of the people, by the people and for the people as the means to the greatest good of the greatest number.
The emergent Irokoism just like Awoism, Marxism, Nkrumaism e.t.c is a set of ideas that constitutes the goals, expectations, and actions that Dr Olusegun Mimiko and the believers in his political brand considers sacrosanct in the deployment of political power for societal development. It is an explicit system of thought and a comprehensive vision that is already applied to governance and politics with a plethora of positive results. Irokoism as a variant of progressivism is undoubtedly in line with the core values that promote an egalitarian society therefore rating it higher than other ideologies such as conservatism, liberalism, libertarianism, socialism, communism etc. Thus, any political platform that would make any meaningful headway must brandish progressive ideas and ideals as contained in Irokonism to convince the very discerning citizenry that they possess the required attributes for best practices of progressive politics in governance.
As shown in the last three and a half years of Dr Olusegun Mimiko’s Labour Party government in Ondo State; Irokoism is a distinctive ideological framework that is predicated on using existing communal structures as the building blocks of governmental action. It scaffolds a government that is selfless, transparent, forthright and committed to the generation of wealth for the good of all. It advocates a clime in which every citizen is taken as a critical stakeholder in the policy making process while government only serves as a catalyst of development and is committed to the deployment of resources for the overall development of the society. Irokoism is an all-inclusive platform for individual well-being, corporate harmony and progressive politics. Furthermore, a core belief of Irokoism is liberalized, private-sector driven economy that will never at a point shy away from the obligation of government, especially in an underdeveloped economy like Nigeria’s in the quest to intervene responsibly as a social obligation in direct employment, free/subsidized social services like health and education, social housing, soft credit and other poverty-reduction mechanism that will ensure that the weakest in society is given the opportunity to develop and actualize his/her potentials.
The content of Irokoism as an ideological prism is inexhaustible. In Ondo State for instance where Irokoism has been in operation since February 2009, its deployment focus lays in the 12-point developmental agenda labeled ‘A CARING HEART’as well as its attendant success stories.
Certainly, it was not until the emergence of the first Labour Party (LP) government in Nigeria under the leadership of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko as Governor of Ondo State that the first stirrings of a meaningful progressive politics became visible in governance after a pretty long lull. From the onset, the LP recognised the fact that they had a challenge and that history beckoned on the party as the first LP government in Nigeria to prove to Nigerians that they represent the true value of social democracy, and that they can actually stand for progressive politics, not progressive politics by propaganda or deceit, but progressive politics in action. For Mimiko and his party members driven by Irokoism therefore, it was important to redefine the underpinning ideology of progressive politics such that a responsible and responsive government makes wise choices on behalf of the citizenry, the weapon of choice being creative thinking which gives a breath of fresh air to programmes and initiatives that would eventually impact positively and pragmatically on the entire populace and put Ondo state on an irreversible path of greatness.
Another vista of Irokoism is the successful 3i-initiative community development programme that is designed to mainstream development in rural communities through the participatory inclusion of local institutional authority structures. The 3i-programme has successfully executed more than 600 projects, ranging from hospitals, school blocks, town halls, bridges and boreholes in the last three and a half years, thus emplacing this bottom-up strategy as a preferable option of development in sub-Saharan Africa.
Apart from Irokoism's firm commitment that health is wealth as demonstrated in the unprecedented intervention in the health sector which has ultimately turned around the lives of the people and also won laurels for the state; the ideology has catalysed infrastructural rebirth in Ondo State in a manner never imagined. The average man on the street has seen the shrink in the disconnect between the government and the people while the Labour sector has cause to smile. Irokoism just like Awoism sees Education as a very crucial sector that any progressive minded political class must consciously turn around so as to break the jinx of generational ignorance and poverty.
In less than four years, Irokoism has taken Ondo State to the front row of political communities in Nigeria and beyond with the numerous home-grown policies and frameworks that are unprecedented in Nigeria nay Africa’s quest for development and good governance. The truth is that if a leader has performed creditably well and has recorded victory after putting himself forward for re-election; the electoral success is the sure incentive that will definitely make him perform better.
The next four years shall surely transform Ondo State to another level in governance and administration. Since 2009, Irokoism has been used to lay the foundation of an undiluted legacy that is people centered and the next four years shall surely see a manifest development of the land and her people.
This piece on IROKOISM is an extract from an on-going purely detached academic project on the emergent political ideology of Dr Olusegun Mimiko.
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