A sane mind reflects every moment and day on whether the social contract advocated by Thomas Hobbes (1651), the great philosopher of the ancient time, has been breached. This represents the plight to comport oneself as a law – abiding citizen, and as a result, deserves the sole prerogative rights to protection, provision and purity of rites, as a reward for his servitude to the territorial integrity of the land.
As every partnership agreement are parties to it, so the government and the citizens form the contractual agreement to the Hobbesian law of social contact. According to him, the contract is everlasting and monumental, so long the popular sovereign government respects the sanctity of the contract, and, thereby, provide the necessities for the citizenry.
These necessities, according to the Utilitarian School of Thought such as Jean Jacque Rousseau, should be directed towards absolute maximization of pleasure and minimization of various forms of pains. This is utmostly grounded on the principle of state of nature that an “average human being desire maximum pleasure and look for all possible ways to avert all forms of pains”.
Without much ado, one can unequivocally state that the Abiola Ajimobi led government in Oyo State, through its transportation initiative dubbed “Ajumose Shuttle” has provided a new lease of life to noble citizens, who submitted their will to the sovereignty of Oyo State sometimes ago to form the syndicate of the said social contract.
When the idea of mass transit was conceived by the Abiola Ajimobi-led administration, it had the intention of reducing the transportation problem of millions of people in the State. The initiative, which effectively checked the nimieties of commercial drivers who before then were fond of introducing ridiculous fares at any slightest opportunity.
The buses, painted in golden yellow and wine, being the newly introduced official colour of the Oyo State government, were sent to all nooks and crannies of the state, while the government also took a unique step by making the buses free for all students in the state — from both public and private schools.
Since the Transportation Scheme was launched in 2013, residents in the state, irrespective of political faith, queue in large numbers, waiting for the arrival of the “Ajumose Shuttles” at their designated bus stops.
The residents, only pay highly subsidized fare which forced the commercial drivers in the state who had been milking passengers dry by introducing prohibitive fare to reduce their fares. Even, in the face of prevailing fuel scarcity, festive periods , torrential rain, scorching of the sun, little or no impact of this is being felt.
It is important to note that the “Ajumose Shuttle”, a revolution in the transportation sector has also provided direct economic relief to citizens in the form of fare reduction, ease of transportation, employment opportunities, IGR and reduction in environmental hazard from pollution from use of over-age buses.
Obviously, the socialist -inclined project that has provided succour to the distressed constitutes the record- making legacy for Governor Abiola Ajimobi. This worthy legacy commended Ajimobi’s APC to the electorates, who in turn, voted massively for him to break the second term hex and become the first governor to be re-elected in the annals of history.
By Idowu Ayodele.
