By Moyo Ekundayo
“A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.” – Jeff Bezos In organisations, a brand is synonymous with the name, design, symbol, or any other features that distinguish a firm's products or services from those of its competitors and creates a unique identity in the minds of customers. Succinctly and saliently stretching it further, it could be amplified in the company’s logo, mission statement, visual presence, and customer service, with the intent and purpose of creating a value and competitive edge. Frankly speaking, branding is seemingly a matter of the perception etched in the minds of customers.
In affirming this notion, Walter Landor, renowned brand designer, opined that “products are made in a factory but brands are created in the mind.” This author concurs with this statement in toto!
In politics and governance, branding could be certainly complex and complicated. In the context and content of leadership praxis, pattern and paradigm, followers view leaders based on their approaches or styles. However, in most cases, followers arrive at a convergence or confluence depending on the lens utilised in viewing leaders. Hence, leaders are classified in leadership research or practice as strategic, servant, transformational, transactional, inclusive, laissez-faire, ethical, exemplary, autocratic, etc.
BAO’s begining
“You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” – Henry Ford Reminiscing the epochal event of 16th October 2022, in the land of honour, it will be precisely 3 years that His Excellency, Mr. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO) has been in the saddle as the Governor of Ekiti State of Nigeria. This write-up will endeavour to appraise and assess the administration of Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, popularly referred to by his teeming admirers and adherents as BAO. Ab initio, BAO at his inauguration, at the historic Ekiti Parapo Pavilion, Ado Ekiti, as the Governor stated inter alia: “My vision is for Ekiti State to be a land of prosperity, opportunity, peace and progress …. For this vision to be actualised we need to focus on a roadmap to get there.” The famous American legendary founder of Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford, has a word for Oyebanji in his avowed trajectory towards the ‘shared prosperity’ mantra of his administration. It is ingrained in the innate mien of Ford
that “you can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” In line with this, like the
English man is wont and wired to state that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Has
BAO’s administration been living up to its billing in this trajectory? How far has he been
seen or perceived by the teeming Ekitikete as making his word his bond taking cognizance of his social contract with the people at his inauguration to justify the mandate bequeathed to him at the poll of 18th June 2022?
BAO: being better?
It is instructive, at this juncture, going on a memory lane to the outset of BAO’s
administration, specifically, October 2022. Perhaps it is going to be a wake-up call to
armchair critics of his brand. It is good to be engaged in robust and rugged critique. However, damning denial and denigrating personality and performance of an incumbent Governor is never a good ethical politicking in any clan, community or country. This author with calm reminiscence recollected the state of infrastructure in Ekiti in his publication in the Nation newspaper as a columnist way back on 13th October 2024. He wrote inter alia: “Moreover, prior to the inauguration of Oyebanji as the governor, mostly all arterial link roads entering and exiting Ekiti via Kwara, Kogi, Osun and Ondo were seemingly impassable …” BAO had to shuttle between Abuja and Ado Ekiti engaging NASS members, notably the Senate Leader, Distinguished Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, and relevant heads of federal agencies to come to the rescue of Ekiti. His government was earnest in renovating, repairing and reconstructing many roads as the case may be. Presently, Ado to Ikere is being reconstructed by the Federal Ministry of Works at a steady pace; Ado to Ijan to Ikare is ongoing, albeit, at a slow pace; awarded by the same Federal Ministry of Works. The incumbent Ekiti State Government, as we speak, has awarded road contracts up to N200 billion! There are 7 such roads awaiting commissioning this month of October 2025 to mark the 3rd anniversary of BAO in Ekiti. In essence, the words of Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon, owner of The Washington Post, is being corroborated: “a brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.” Without gainsaying it, Oyebanji is doing well in accomplishing his government’s 6 Strategic Actionable Pillars as enunciated in his inaugural address. These Pillars are: •Youth Development and Job Creation; •Human Capital Development; • Agriculture and Rural Development; •Infrastructure and Industrialisation; •Arts, Culture and Tourism; and • Governance.
BAO: brand builder
It is worthy to consider this treatise on brandishing BAO’S brand focusing on the words of Jason Hartman, the founder and CEO of Platinum Properties Investor Network: “your personal brand is a promise to your clients… a promise of quality, consistency, competency, and reliability.” Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO) signed a social contract with Ekitikete on the 16th October 2022. It was to deliver on his 6 Strategic Actionable Pillars. How far has he gone in the trajectory? It is instructive before answering this question to ponder on what the key aspects of a brand are, if indeed Oyebanji is crafting or creating one in the Ekiti politically landscape! In all the 177 Wards of Ekiti, synonymous with the MTN brand, “everywhere you go”, the acronym of Oyebanji’s name: BAO is virtually on all lips! Definitively, and in a distinct manner, Governor Oyebanji, in his uncommon mien is rightfully positioned to clinch the 2nd term ticket of the ruling party, the APC. In the light of the aforementioned, can one objectively infer without mincing words, that BAO is building a brand that has a unique value proposition that possesses identity, differentiation, communication, elements, and value creation? The reality on ground in Ekiti will speak for itself in the coming days.
BAO’S building bonding
It would be recollected, during the 2025 budget process, that he muted to his esteemed Executive Members (Cabinet) that in the 2026 Budget that his administration having passed the mid-term would be focusing on agribusiness, welfare of the people and completing certain critical and core infrastructure. These are the government’s priorities. BAO set his face in similitude to the biblical flint. The output was that there was massive harvest of farm produce in all nooks and crannies of Ekiti. What is the outcome? It was elating and
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gratifying to read that Ekiti State has the lowest food price index in all the states in the southwest of Nigeria in the 3rd quarter of 2025. This is the first time in decades. Food prices in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, used to be the highest in the southwest. Arriving here was not a joke! The state helmsman put together a Food Security Committee comprising of members of his cabinet who brainstormed on the way forwarded headed by the indefatigable and innovative Honourable Commissioner of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Ebenezer Boluwade. This writer is also a member of the committee. More on this another day for other states to glean and learn from. Moreover, there are 7 road projects completed and awaiting commissioning for this 3rd anniversary. In addition, there are 5 General Hospitals completed with a state-of-the-art equipment in Ifaki, Ilawe, Efon Alaaye, Ayede and Okemesi. The ‘Bring The Youths Back Into Agriculture’ programme is working well in Ekiti contributing greatly to the Youth Development and Job Creation Pillar of the dministration. BAO is not paying lip service to Agribusiness. There are Young Farmers’ dormitories already completed in Ikere, Iyemero and Eporo. These agricultural programmes, including numerous cluster farms, are laudable projects spanning the 3 Senatorial Districts of Ekiti State.
In summary, Ekiti DASHBOARD is live! This can be accessed via the link:
www.spms.ek.gov.ng This is first strategic pillar monitoring system in any sub-national in Nigeria. Lagos State Government in partnership with the World Bank sponsored this writer with others in 2014 to the Kerala State of India that has a functioning dashboard depicting all critical projects of that state.
There was opportunity to replicate it in Lagos.
It did not happen for one reason or the other. However, this author shared this laudable idea with Governor Oyebanji.
He gave his nod and today there are up to 722 projects initiated by this administration uploaded with detailed descriptions containing cost, location, pictures, video clips, status, etc.
There are some completed and others ongoing. Going forward, all government interventions – programmes and projects – will be onboarded with feedback mechanism incorporated in the Ekiti Dashboard for Ekitikete anywhere in the world to access and make feedback. The Dashboard is an initiative of the Office of Transformation and Service Delivery (OTSD). It is therefore heartwarming that Ekiti is rated high in transparency among the states in Nigeria and also the safest to live and do business. Indeed, BAO is brandishing his brand worthily walking the talk by doing what he says he will do. The duo of leadership scholars and authors, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, in their legendary treatise, full of research conducted in all continents of the world, pinpointed exemplary leadership on leaders who stand tall with the moniker: “Do What You Say You Will Do (DWYSYWD).” This is the hallmark of exemplary leadership inherent in BAO as he confidently marches forward with great expectation to securing the 2nd term mandate of his party – the All Progressive Congress (APC), in the June 20, 2026, gubernatorial election in Ekiti State.