Where is Michel Foucault in Adeleke’s Inaugural Speech as Osun Governor?

Senator Ademola Adeleke was sworn in as Osun state’s sixth Executive Governor on November 27, 2022. Hours have passed. Days have passed. Weeks have passed. But he hasn’t been governor of the state for a month. Opposition parties and individuals continue to express mixed feelings about his ability and capacity to lead the state. Regardless of the criticism that will continue to surround his administration, he will remain governor until 2026, unless the electoral tribunal and courts rule against him. Meanwhile, this piece examines his inaugural speech, with selected views, in relation to the position on power and knowledge of Michel Foucault, a French philosopher, social theorist, and historian of ideas. This is imperative, according to our analyst, as the public continues to perceive his recent executive orders as harsh and uncharacteristic of a new governor from a former opposition political party. What does Foucault say about the types of knowledge and power expressed by Governor Ademola Adeleke in his speech and recent activities?

Adeleke: Today, I stand on the podium of history with a sacred pledge to God and the good people of Osun State that my intellect, passion and strength will be devoted to nothing but the welfare, peace and security of our people.

Foucault: Truth is linked in a circular relation with systems of power which produce and sustain it.

Adeleke: As I accept the mantle of leadership entrusted upon me by the people of our dear State, I am conscious of the enormous challenges and responsibilities ahead of me and will beginning from this hour work day and night with deep sense of purpose to be a servant to you all.

Foucault: The individual, with his identity and characteristics, is the product of a relation of power exercised over bodies, multiplicities, movements, desires, forces.

Adeleke: Under my watch as the Governor of Osun State, I will boldly correct all past injustice, corrupt acts or policies by any previous administration which are against the collective interest of our people.

Foucault: There is no power relation without the correlative constitution of a field of knowledge, nor any knowledge that does not presuppose and constitute at the same time power relations.

Adeleke: Our administration will demonstrate a high sense of urgency, transparency, justice and innovation to tackle and solve the problems of poverty, illiteracy, disease, and poor infrastructure.

Foucault: To change something in the minds of people – that’s the role of an intellectual.

Adeleke: Your Governor will be a people’s Governor. I will be accessible, responsive, consultative and proactive in handling small and big matters of State Governance.

Foucault: To change something in the minds of people – that’s the role of an intellectual.

Adeleke: I know that as a product of the collective will of you my people, there is a heavy weight of history on my shoulders and I accept the urgency of your expectations, the depth of your aspirations and your conviction in me to build a better State.

Foucault: To change something in the minds of people – that’s the role of an intellectual.

Adeleke: All policies that are not favourable to the growth of effective local government administration will be reviewed in accordance with the law.

Foucault: Visibility is a trap.

Adeleke: No form of illegality will be allowed to stand and all acts of impunity committed by the immediate past administration on local government administration will be reversed following due process.

Foucault: We are in the society of the teacher-judge, the doctor-judge, the educator-judge, the social worker-judge.

Adeleke: My Good People of Osun, since you elected me as your Governor on the 16th of July 2022, which the INEC announced on July 17th 2022, the former Governor, Alh Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola maliciously started putting road blocks to make things difficult and almost impossible for the new administration to serve you.

Foucault: We are in the society of the teacher-judge, the doctor-judge, the educator-judge, the social worker-judge.

Adeleke: Mass employment were carried out without budgetary provisions for salary payments for the new employees; even when the state was struggling to pay salaries and deliver other services. Various hurried and criminally backdated Contracts were awarded and again without budgetary provisions.

Foucault: We are in the society of the teacher-judge, the doctor-judge, the educator-judge, the social worker-judge.

Adeleke: Appointments of several Obas were hurriedly done without following due process, just to mention a few.

Foucault: We are in the society of the teacher-judge, the doctor-judge, the educator-judge, the social worker-judge.

Adeleke: All efforts to get the Governor set up a Transition Committee and submit hand-over notes in line with best practices proved abortive.

Foucault: We are in the society of the teacher-judge, the doctor-judge, the educator-judge, the social worker-judge.

Adeleke: It is therefore my desire to ask for your patience and understanding to give my administration a few weeks to review and sort out all the actions and malicious confusions which the immediate past administration has created since July 17th 2022. Those actions were indeed vindictive measures against the people of Osun State for voting them out of office.

Foucault: The judges of normality are present everywhere.

Adeleke: Consequently, I hereby issue the following directives which will be backed up with appropriate Executive orders:

1. Immediate freezing of all government accounts in banks and other financial institutions
2. Immediate establishment of a panel to carry out an inventory and recover all government assets
3. An immediate establishment of a panel to review all appointments and major decisions of the immediate past administration taken after the 17th July, 2022
4. An immediate reversal to the constitutionally recognised name of our state, Osun State. All government insignia, correspondences and signages should henceforth reflect Osun state rather than State of Osun which is unknown to the Nigerian constitution.

Foucault: Power is not an institution and not a structure… it is the name that one attributes to a complex strategical situation in a particular society.