05/10/2026
BEFORE THE POLITICS: MEET BOYE ADEGOKE, THE MAN WHOSE RECORD BEGAN YEARS AGO
By Adefila Ayobami, Ile-Ife
In Ile-Ife, we understand one thing very well: time reveals a person's true record.
Campaign posters will come and go. Banners will be mounted and eventually removed. Promises will be made, speeches delivered, and political seasons will pass.
But what remains is the impact a person has made on the lives of ordinary people.
That is why the story of Prince Boye Adegoke deserves attention beyond the politics of 2027.
A record that predates politics. Go back to 2016—ten years ago.
According to accounts of his community interventions, Boye Adegoke provided school uniforms for 3,000 children across Ife East.
He also organised and sponsored Inter-House Sports competitions for three primary schools: LA Primary School, Ilode; St. Gabriel Primary School, Orilonise, Moore; and St. Philip Primary School for Special Needs, Iloro, Ile-Ife.
To some people, a school uniform may seem like a small thing. But ask a parent struggling to feed a family, pay school fees, and meet other household responsibilities.
That uniform can mean one less burden. Ask the child who receives it.
It can mean confidence. It can mean dignity. It can mean walking into the classroom feeling like every other child. And when the beneficiary is a child living with special needs, inclusion becomes even more important.
Beyond Campaign Season. This is where the conversation becomes interesting. Political seasons often bring renewed attention to communities. Suddenly, everybody remembers the youths, the elderly, teachers, traders, students and vulnerable families.
But ordinary people have a simple question: “Where were you before the election?”
That question should not be dismissed. It is a legitimate question in any democracy.
For Boye Adegoke, the accounts of his interventions in 2016 place some of his community activities years before the present political contest. That history is worth documenting and, where necessary, independently verifying.
Because politics should not be judged by slogans alone, records matter.
Let the People Ask the Questions. As the conversation around representation in Ife East continues, perhaps the people should ask more practical questions.
What has each aspirant done before seeking office?
Who benefited from those interventions?
Can the claims be verified?
What ideas does each person have for education, youth development, community infrastructure and economic opportunity?
And, most importantly, what can realistically be delivered?
These are more useful questions than who has the biggest billboard or the loudest supporters.
Ife people are politically conscious. We know the difference between campaign excitement and lasting community impact.
We also know that public office is not an award. It is a responsibility.
The People Remember. For the ordinary person in Ilode, a parent in Moore, a teacher in Iloro or a young person looking for an opportunity, politics is not an abstract game. It is about the road they use.
It is about the school their children attend. It is about whether opportunities exist for young people.
It is about whether vulnerable members of the community are remembered.
That is why every political aspirant should be examined through both record and plans.
The story surrounding Boye Adegoke's reported interventions from 2016 is therefore worth placing in the public conversation not as a substitute for scrutiny, but as part of the record that citizens can examine.
Let Your Vote Follow the Evidence. As 2027 approaches, the people of Ife East should not allow political noise to drown out the issues that matter.
Ask questions.
Check the records.
Listen to competing voices.
Separate verified achievements from campaign claims.
Examine the plans, the people behind them and the evidence that those plans can actually be delivered. And when the time comes to vote, let your decision be your own based on the facts you have examined, the issues that matter to you and the future you want for your community.
No poster should vote for you.
No crowd should vote for you.
No political slogan should think for you.
Your PVC is your voice. Use it thoughtfully.
Ife deserves representatives who understand that public office is a responsibility to the people, not merely a prize to be won.
So, before we ask what any candidate will do tomorrow, let us ask what the record says about yesterday.
Because in the end, the people, not the posters, will live with the consequences of their choices.
Adefila Ayobami
Ile-Ife
