Segun Ajiboye highlights the achievements of Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) in the last three years, which have rekindled hope about good governance in the Sunshine State.
It is three years since Arakunrin Ouwarotimi Akeredolu took the oath of office as governor of Ondo State. Unarguably, it is has been three years of unprecedented record-breaking achievements in all the sectors.
Akeredolu left no one in doubt of what his plans for the people of the state were, as he hit the ground running from his first day in office when he outlined the programmes of his administration to include job creation, massive infrastructure, provision of functional education, provision of qualitative health and rural development.
Three years into his first term, Akeredolu has given governance a new meaning in the state. The massive construction of roads across the state has no doubt turned Ondo State into a huge construction site.
In three years, the records have shown that the Akeredolu administration has a huge advantage of number of roads constructed over previous administration, starting from 1999.
Akure, the capital of the state is now wearing the look of a true capital city, with the construction of more dual carriage ways. But, the most interesting of the road construction is the interchange bridge in Ore, the industrial hub of the state.
It is, however astounding that all these have been achieved despite the dwindling revenue from the monthly federal allocation.
Many public affairs analysts have tried to do comparative analysis between the Akeredolu administration and the previous administrations. And bearing in mind the volume of money available to all the administrations, particularly starting from 1999, it is not out of place that the Akeredolu administration stands tall among its peers.
More than 100 kilometres of roads have either been repaired or constructed, over 700 public primaries schools renovated, while new buildings have sprung in some areas.
Of particular interests are the new Ore interchange bridge, the dualisation of the Oda road, the Hospital road, the High Court road.
It will be recalled that at the time the administration came on board, the state civil service workers were being owed in arrears of seven months’ salary, while local government workers were owed eight months.
“When he came in, workers were not happy due to backlog of salary arrears. The people were lamenting because their roads were so bad. Schools were in bad shapes. Today, the civil servants are happy, Akeredolu has paid six out of the seven months of the salary arrears he inherited. On top of this, the workers have been paid their salaries every month in the last three years. Something good is happening in the state,” Hon Victor Olabimtan, the governor’s Special Adviser on Political Matters, said.
The next thing on the mind of Akeredolu is to build a strong economic base for Ondo State. Akeredolu is making a very strong challenge for the actualisation of a sea port for the state.
Having grown the state monthly internally generated revenue from a paltry N600, 000 to N2.2 billion, the governor sees the seaport project, dubbed Port Ondo, as the dream project to liberate the state from the shackles of poverty.
The project, which has been described as the state’s fast lane to economic prosperity by Governor Akeredou, is expected to receive the blessing of the Federal Government.
The governor, while addressing a stakeholders meeting on his dream to ensure that Port Ondo is actualised, said with the deepest and longest shoreline in the country, Ondo State is well suited as the nation’s future honey pot.
Addressing the gathering of stakeholders, which include royal fathers, prominent leaders of the affected communities, project consultants and some maritime experts with top government officials, Akeredolu called for concerted efforts all aimed at realising the economic potentials of the Port.
Akeredolu noted that the stakeholders’ meeting is a statutory requirement needed to complete all the strategic conditions for getting a Deep Seaport Licence by Ondo State from the Federal Government.
Highlighting the stages of actualising the deep seaport dream for the state, the governor said the state was making progress at convincing the Federal Government on the project and had spent millions of naira on the required studies undertaken by local and international consultants.
He said the third stage would be the outcomes of the day’s meeting expected to be assurances of conducive working environment for consultants and other technical experts, and pleaded with the stakeholders to key into the project initiative for the prosperity of the Sunshine State to come alive.
Akeredolu is, however, not unaware of the security issues that may arise when the port finally comes on stream. Towards this, the governor is making sure that the locals, particularly the traditional rulers are all carried along.
Another important issue raised by the governor was how to ensure that all those who would be affected by the port are resettled at better locations.
“We are not unaware of the serious challenge the need to resettle the locals who would be affected would pose. We would take into consideration the profession of the people and make sure that they are settled at locations that will ultimately enhance their well-being.”
Port of Ondo, according to Akeredolu is the much-needed key to unlock the socio-economic potential of the areas, as over N500 billion investment inflows will come with the project.
“The deep seaport and the industrial city project will bring a massive inflow of investment into the South of Ondo in general, but more specifically to the affected areas of Ugbo and Mahin,” he said.
The governor went further to describe the Port Ondo project as a tree planted by a generation of elders, under which future generation will find shelter.
“Our dream is to plant a tree that will grow with large branches. The branches will provide shade for generations that will come after us.”
However, while waiting for the Port of Ondo dream to materialise, the governor has successfully showcased the state to the world with the Ore industrial hub already bubbling with various business activities.
At present, five industries – a paper mill, ethanol plant, textile mill, fibre board have sprung, turning the entire Ore axis into a buzz of several economic activities. Already, the local people are beginning to reap the benefits of the industries.
Local cassava farmers are already overstretched in their bids to supply the ethanol plants with their produce. Interestingly, this has opened a door opportunities for farmers from neighbouring states who have thronged the industrial hub daily with their supplies of cassava-laden trailers.
With the state’s internally-generated revenue on the upward spring, Akeredolu is laying a foundation, with a befitting structure for the state’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The new office complex built by the Akeredolu administration for the state IRS is one of the many projects that to be commissioned as part of the activities marking the 3rd year anniversary of the administration in Ondo State.
Unarguably, it is has been three years of unprecedented record-breaking achievements in the state.
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