In the field of Chemistry, a catalyst is a substance or entity that speeds up a chemical reaction, process or change without being consumed or permanently altered in the process. Catalysts work by lowering the activation energy required for a reaction to occur, allowing the reaction to proceed faster and more efficiently.
In social parlance, catalysts often refer to individuals or organizations that drive social change, examples of which are activists, community leaders, visionary political leaders and non-profit organizations.
Without mincing words, Honourable Festus Akingbaso fits into the description of a catalyst in the proper sense of the word. As the lawmaker representing Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency at the Green Chamber and Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Aviation, Honourable Akingbaso, affectionately known as Fessywest, has taken on the mantle of a Nehemiah. His Midas touch has turned every sector in the constituency to gold: From Agriculture, to Education, to Social Welfare, to Human Capital Development, and you name them, Fessywest’s footprints are imprinted everywhere, thus making him popular with the people.
“Hanani, one of my kinsmen, came with certain men from Judah, and I asked them about the surviving Jews who had escaped exile, and about Jerusalem.
“And they said to me, ‘The remnant there in the province who escaped exile are in great trouble and reproach; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its [fortified] gates are destroyed by fire.’
“When I heard this, I sat down and wept and mourned for days….” The above excerpts were the direct statements of the biblical Nehemiah, a patriotic citizen who was moved by the reports of the precarious situation his people were– his countrymen exiled and the walls of his countryhome razed down.
As with all catalysts in the chronicles of humanity, Nehemiah did not just sob and brood over the situation of his people, he swung into action. He spoke emphatically in the succeeding chapter thus: “Then I said to them, You see the bad situation we are in–how Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a disgrace.” I make bold to say that this is the orientation Fessywest brought into the service of his people.
The people of Idanre has for long been in the wilderness of neglect in the hands of the federal government. The hues and cries of the past for the establishment of a federal institution in the ancient town have repeatedly fallen on deaf ears of successive governments, despite being a strategic hub for revenue generation for the government since the days of the defunct Western Region.
However, after the apocalyptic darkness of the night comes the dazzling light of dawn. Hope is now springing forth for the people as a bill seeking to establish a Federal Information and Communication Technology Institute in Idanre has scaled through second reading in the House of Representatives– based on the authority of a March 12 report– courtesy of the illustrious Nehemiah of the Idanre kingdom.
This indelible adventure is one of the necessary transits on the road to changing the ugly narrative which has held sway for years, and spotlighting Idanre for global cognizance. By this timely move, Akingbaso, in the similitude of Nehemiah, is saying to his people: “Come, let us build a Federal Institute of Information and Communication Technology in Idanre, that we may no longer be a disgrace.”
As the people bask in the euphoria of the moment, they should be categorically apprised that it is not yet Uhuru. Accordingly, more pressures should be mounted on the appropriate quarters to ensure that this groundbreaking initiative does not end up being a pipe dream. Meanwhile for the umpteenth time, the Nehemiah cum catalyst should be given his flowers.
