Osun 2026: Like father, like son

Among the Yoruba, there is an age-old wisdom: the child who mirrors his father’s courage, compassion, and calling is hailed as “omo oko”, the true son. But the one who lacks these virtues is dismissed as “omo ale”. The proverb is not about bloodlines alone; it is about character. As they say, “omo ti ekun ba bi, ekun ni yio jo” — the cub of a tiger must grow to roar.

In Osun’s unfolding political story, Kunle Rasheed Adegoke (KRad) is stepping forward as the true omo oko. He bears the unmistakable traits of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, compassion for the people, courage in the face of challenges, and a restless hunger to transform society. This is not mimicry; it is inheritance of spirit.

Compassion as a Compass

President Tinubu declared an emergency on food security in 2023, not as a political stunt but as a national duty. He rolled out policies to tackle hunger head-on because he understood that poverty bows only when food is abundant. “Bi ebi ba kuro ninu ise, ise buse.”

In much the same way, KRad has made agriculture the centerpiece of his vision for Osun. Unlike Governor Ademola Adeleke, whose government has largely danced around the real economic issues, KRad is offering a clear, data-driven, people-centered blueprint. Adeleke has had nearly four years, yet Osun’s fertile lands remain underutilized, its farmers abandoned, and its youth left without a structured future in agriculture or industry. Where Adeleke entertains, KRad plans. Where Adeleke consumes, KRad builds.

Tinubu’s Model, KRad’s Mirror

Tinubu’s agricultural strides are now visible:

• ₦100 billion National Agricultural Development Fund.
• Millions of bags of fertilizer distributed to farmers.
• Expansion of staple crop cultivation.
• Brazil-inspired reforms in mechanization, livestock, and irrigation.
• Agro-Industrial Processing Zones to integrate production with processing and export.

By Q4 2024, agriculture’s share of GDP ticked upward, a signal of stabilization. Tinubu has not solved it all, but he has laid a foundation.

KRad mirrors this template with Osun’s peculiar advantage, vast arable land. His agricultural revolution is not theoretical. He has already commissioned a technical team that is touring the length and breadth of Osun, cataloguing every potential, soil types, water resources, idle land, crop clusters, and livestock corridors. This report will not gather dust; it will form the working manual of governance, ready for implementation from day one.

While Adeleke basks in fleeting applause, KRad is building a dossier of Osun’s future. That difference is leadership.

The Blueprint for Osun

KRad’s agricultural masterplan goes beyond subsistence:

• Reviving heritage crops: cocoa, yam, cassava, and oil palm through improved seedlings and modern techniques.
• Expanding maize, rice, and vegetable farming to ensure Osun feeds itself and exports to neighbours.
• Establishing Agro-Industrial Parks in key farming belts, with silos, processing plants, and quality assurance labs.
• Developing poultry, fisheries, and livestock through feed mills, veterinary services, and hatcheries.
• Providing credit, climate-smart training, and mechanization support for smallholder farmers.
• Building farm-to-market roads and rural electrification projects to connect villages to markets.

This is not a dream on paper. It is a strategy rooted in global best practices, sharpened by KRad’s personal exposure in the United States and inspired by Tinubu’s Brazil breakthroughs.

Nigeria at the Crossroads

Nigeria is a land overflowing with blessings, fertile soil, rich minerals, and resilient people. The tragedy has never been the absence of resources; it has been the absence of leaders who can turn vision into reality. Imagine if Tinubu’s agricultural programmes were replicated faithfully across the 36 states. By now, Nigeria would be counted proudly among the prosperous nations of the world. Instead, years of wasted opportunities and leadership without foresight have kept us shackled.

We cannot afford to delay any longer. The time to entrust power to leaders who have vision, and the boldness to implement that vision, is now. A little further delay could be dangerous, not only for Osun but for Nigeria as a whole. Hunger does not wait. Poverty does not pause. Development delayed is development denied.

A Tale of Two Futures

In Adeleke’s Osun, the story is stagnation dressed in fanfare. Salaries are paid, but without growth; roads are patched, but without strategy; agriculture remains an afterthought. The state trudges along, dependent on federal allocations, unable to unlock its own wealth.

In KRad’s Osun, the future is deliberate, assured and transformative. Arable land becomes wealth. Youth find jobs in mechanized farms, processing zones, and export hubs. Farmers enjoy structured markets. Investors see returns in agro-business. The economy grows beyond allocations, and Osun reclaims its pride as a land of prosperity.

Like Father, Like Son

The parallels are unmistakable. Tinubu at the centre, reshaping Nigeria’s agriculture with courage and reform. KRad in Osun, ready to echo that same passion with localized precision. The cub is roaring already.

Osun must now choose between a government of short-term showmanship and one of long-term substance. Between an Adeleke who dances while hunger spreads, and a KRad who rolls up his sleeves to cultivate prosperity. Between entertainment and enterprise.

2026 will not just be another election, it will be a referendum on Osun’s future and Nigeria’s direction. And in that choice, the people will see clearly: like father, like son.

Osun cannot eat dance steps; Osun deserves bread on the table. Leadership is not about entertainment; it is about enterprise.

Our farmers need tractors, not theatrics. Our youths need jobs, not jokes.

Osun must rise from dependency to productivity. The time is now. Delay is dangerous.

With KRad, we will cultivate prosperity, not poverty.

2026 is not just an election, it is Osun’s turning point.

Tooki is a founder/editor, communication strategist and public relations expert. He can be reached via [email protected]