In a country where leaders’ main pastime is to loot public treasury, and create a huge profile of debt and failed infrastructure, the government of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola of Osun State of Nigeria is said to be a difference. The author, Kayode Oladeji believes that the governor, despite the plethora of opposing camp that want him out of power, he has been able to run his administration in an environment devoid of rancor and acrimony.

Simply entitled Art of Response, the book chronicles the exemplary leadership of Governor Oyinlola. And as a seasoned journalist, Oladeji is intrigued by the strengths of his boss in the midst of adversaries. He admires his leadership qualities and his good disposition to the people.

The book is a compilation of articles in response to matters to Osun State PDP-led government and the and the tale of antics by the opposition. And one of the qualities highlighted in the 19 chapters of the book is to separate the chaffs from the grains in the management of affairs of state.

Aside mirroring the life and times of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, better known as the Prince of Okuku, the author in Chapter Two spotlights programmes of the administration in the areas of investment drive, culture and tourism promotion, infrastructure development, education among many others.
The author relates Oyinlola’s belief that the house of Oduduwa (Osun) could be rescued for it to take its pride of place in the nation’s scheme of things.

This is especially against the backdrop of the fact that Yoruba race is a sophisticated one, largely due to its high literacy level, which makes it easy to govern and difficult to enslave. This chapter also pays tribute to some Pan Africanists and eminent statesmen such as Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, former Abia State Governor who has taken the gauntlet in freeing his people, the Igbos from what he terms ‘the subsisting marginalisation’ in the unity of the Nigerian nation.

Chapters 4 and 5 are central both mirror the quest for Yoruba race to speak with one voice. The author informs the reader that “funny enough politics and not economy, has been the basis of division among Yoruba people, and its top players seem to be at sea on how this could be corrected”. The basis according to the author has been the classification of the Yoruba people into progressives and conservatives by some of the leading voices of the race. A pattern that is linked to late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the Orator Samuel Ladoke Akintola. The author enjoins Yoruba people to “think” especially along the line of camaraderie being espoused by Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola of Osun State for the unity of Yoruba race.

In Chapter thirteen, a catalogue of culture revolution embarked upon by Oyinlola is presented. In the treatment of this issue, the author bemoans erosion of many cultures and values of the people, particularly the blacks, with the advent of western education. “In some instances the languages have been lost, dialect corrupted, vestige of historical relics, artifacts and archival materials which help to serve as a link between the past and the present with a view to forming the shape of tomorrow, erased”.

Owing to this sour development, the author observes that the Osun State Government has taken the task of ensuring that not only the maintenance of status quo is guaranteed but that all the lost cultural items are recovered so as to afford the unborn generations the opportunity of having a glimpse into the past. It is now possible for the younger people to know the history of Ile-Ife, which is believed to be the cradle of the Yoruba race and other blacks in the state. Suffice it to say that the yearly Osogbo festival, which attracts people from all walks of life, has been listed on the UNESCO world heritage site. UNESCO’S Center for Black Culture and International understanding has equally been located in Osogbo, the state capital.

In fact, the governor was in Sydney, Australia where he took delivery of over 10, 000 archival materials for the Center for Black Culture and International Understanding, among other historical monuments which dot and adorn the nooks and corners of the state. Similar trip we have also been taken to China for partnership in industrialization of Osun State.

In chapter 17, the author poses an important and fundamental question: Opposition or opportunism? The question becomes fundamental in view of the way and manner politicians who lose elections in Nigeria bath an eyelid over any carrot(s) for Government of National Unity (GNU).

However, reading the last Chapter, How not to rate a nation, one striking part is the issue of patriotism. The book could pass for a good piece on the current re-branding efforts by the Federal Government of Nigeria. The author calls on the mass media, musicians, stand up comedians etc. to ply their trade with an aim to always paint Nigeria in good light. The Chapter also recognizes Nigerians who are making waves, in their various fields across the world.

The book, no doubt is a satire for Nigerian’s leaders who had completely lost all sense of fairness and commitment to the common good of the people. It poses a challenge on leaders who never believed in rule of law and sovereign will of the people.

Kayode Oladeji has been able to display his journalism profession in good measure in his book Art of Response, laced with rich culture of telling stories in proverbs for the benefits of his reader. The book will be of immerse help to aspiring journalists who want to learn the art of writing. It is well packaged in terms of cover and prints save for some typographical errors.