Ogun State Government faces backlash after appointing 1,200 aides, with critics warning of waste, redundancy and misplaced governance priorities
Supporters argue the move is a stroke of genius, insisting that each appointee sustains about ten dependents, spreading stipends and easing hardship across households.
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They claim the initiative will feed families and pump fresh life into local economies.
Yet psychologists and policy analysts caution that not all that glitters is gold. They warn that the strategy may be little more than a short-term sedative, offering bread today but hunger tomorrow.
When tenures end, families who have grown reliant on these stipends may wake up to deprivation, illustrating the old dilemma of giving fish rather than teaching people to fish.
The Ogun State Government also faces questions of efficiency. Governance, experts argue, thrives on clarity, not crowding.
Flooding the system with 1,200 aides risks confusion, redundancy and blurred accountability.
Without defined roles and measurable outcomes, the policy could scatter the blade of governance into blunt fragments that cut nothing.
Critics stress that true empowerment requires sustainable structures, not spectacles. Patronage-based appointments may stir applause, but they rarely strengthen institutions.
Instead of nourishing innovation and ambition, the scheme risks creating what psychologists describe as a “psychology of entitlement,” stifling the very creativity the state needs for long-term growth.
Financial analysts add a stark warning: the funds allocated for these aides could instead build schools, complete abandoned projects, equip hospitals, or fund youth enterprises with a far wider reach.
By robbing Peter to pay Paul, they argue, the state risks solving today’s problem at the expense of tomorrow’s prosperity.
The Ogun State Government may have acted with good intentions, but intentions are not strategy.
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A candle flickering in the wind cannot withstand the storms of economic reality. Ogun deserves policies that multiply bread, not distribute crumbs policies built on rock, not sand.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
