For four days last week, Governor Abiola Ajimobi toured the 11 local government areas that make up Ibadan where he presented his score card to the people in the past three-and-a-half years. BISI OLADELE, who covered the tours, writes that Ajimobi’s achievements will silence critics of his policies and programmes.
For residents and visitors to Oyo State, particularly from January, 2012, the state has been galvanised into a society where orderliness, civility and modernity reign.
The achievements of Ajimobi-led administration were perceptible in all parts of Ibadan, the state capital and in other major towns such as Iseyin, Ogbomoso and Oyo.
Interestingly, Ibadan, which has the highest population in the state, is where the governor has stiff opposition. This is despite the state capital being the highest beneficiary of significant projects by the administration.
As modern cities emerge amid peace and security, critics of the projects and Ajimobi’s leadership style increased, even as the government explains to the people why the projects were undertaken.
Last week, the governor and his team took their enlightenment campaign to all communities in Ibadan to address residents on the reason for the policies and projects.
The four-day tour followed the success of those to Oke-Ogun, Oyo and Ogbomoso the previous week where the governor did the same.
Ajimobi began with a programme for commercial drivers at an event centre along Ibadan-Lagos Expressway, Soka Ibadan on Tuesday.
At the meeting, the governor, whose arrival threw the huge crowd of drivers into jubilation, hailed them for conducting themselves within the ambit of the law and totally shunning violence since the inception of his administration.
Governor Ajimobi told the cheering crowd that when he inherited a society some of whose features included violence, thuggery and brigandage, his pledge was to enthrone peace and harmony as well as create an atmosphere where business and other lawful activities will thrive.
Deploring the situation where commercial drivers had constituted themselves as a menace to the society, the governor commended the drivers for support his administration by stopping violent activities within the state’s branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
He specifically praised them for being calm even when he deplored modern buses to major routes which commuters board at subsidised prices.
The governor pledged to gradually do away with rickety buses by assisting drivers to purchase new buses.
“As you co-operate with us, we plan to reward you with assistance. Whenever you look back and compare our administration, you will always say that ours is better. But please, don’t give in to deceit,” Ajimobi said.
The governor urged them to continue to support his administration as he makes efforts to ensure that the state regains its glorious position.
Earlier, the Chairman of the union, Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde (aka Fele), expressed joy for the governor’s presence at the event, saying it showed the respect the governor accords commercial drivers in the state.
“We are happy to have the governor here. This is unprecedented in the history of our union.
“Peace has returned to the state under Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s administration.
Ajimobi has brought the change we want-peace and security. Ibadan was one of the dirtiest; roads were bad and narrow but the Ajimobi administration has improved all of that. We urge you not to rest on your oars, sir. And we also promise to do our business peacefully,” he said.
At Sasa in Akinyele Local Government, the governor had a meeting with traditional rulers, market traders, artisans, politicians, commercial drivers, religious and community leaders during which he explained his policies and programmes as well as the reasons behind them.
The leader of Orogun community, Mr. A. Ogunsola praised the governor for fulfilling his electoral promises. He, however, urged the governor to improve water supply to the area and renovate the Orogun Link Road.
Other community leaders who spoke also praised Governor Ajimobi for his achievements, stressing that his accomplishment would speak for him.
The Oniroko of Iroko, Chief Abioye Olasunkanmi, who spoke on behalf of traditional rulers in the local government, requested inclusion of more chiefs in the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, citing historical reasons.
Chief Olasunkanmi praised Ajimobi for his monumental achievements, saying as a retired teacher, he had not witnessed recruitment of 5,300 teachers on one occasion, with new recruits sourced from their localities.
Devoid of any campaign colouration, the traditional ruler said Ajimobi’s achievements were already speaking for him for the 2015 elections.
He said the current administration has particularly made the welfare of teachers a priority, adding that Ajimobi’s infrastructural development as well as the urban renewal policy is unparalleled. He urged him not to relent.
Chief Olasunkanmi also pledged the support of traditional rulers and their subjects in the local government for Ajimobi as he lifts the fortunes of the state.
Responding, the governor said he had succeeded in sustaining the rich history of the “firsts” established by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo by undertaking projects that are first of their kind in the history of the state.
According to him, his administration adopted the principle underlining the Abraham Maslow’s human needs pyramid which stipulates that physiological needs are the very basic that should be met first.
Accordingly, Ajimobi said the principle informed his administration priority attention given to issues such as peace and security without which nothing meaningful could be achieved.
Governor Ajimobi said meeting the basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter requires earning an income which explains why his administration employed 20,000 youths into the Youths Empowerment Scheme of Oyo State (YES-O).
He reminded his audiences at the councils that his administration had employed several others into the state civil service, attracted no fewer than 13 investors who had employed residents in their various factories and establishments while capping it with recruitment of 5,300 teachers at once.
Ajimobi emphasised that stomach infrastructure means teaching people how to fish instead of giving them fish. By employing and creating job opportunities for residents, the governor said the act is already having positive multiplier effects on the economy of the state.
At Ibadan North East Local Government Area, the governor told traditional rulers that the amount of capital flow into the state has increased by 697 per cent approximating $3.49 million, up from $500,000 between the first and second quarter of the year.
According to him, the figure has proved wrong allegations from the opposition parties in the state that the state was witnessing capital flight since the inception of the Ajimobi administration.
Governor Ajimobi said he was not quoting from a statistics manufactured by him but a report released recently by the National Bureau of Statistics, a Federal Government institution.
“As revealed in the report, total capital imported into the country stood at $5.8 billion as at the end of the second quarter of 2014, relative to the $3.9 billion recorded in the preceding quarter. Of these, Southwest Nigeria was at the top destination for capital importation in the first half of 2014, with about 98 per cent of total capital imported in the Region.
“This impressive performance located capital importation into Oyo State as having increased by 697 per cent, approximating $3.49 million, up from $500,000 between the first and second quarters of the year.
“Happily, our uninformed and mischievous cynics have again been proved wrong in their assertions that there is capital flight in Oyo State,” the governor said.
Governor Ajimobi said his mission in governance was to redeem the state from the shackle of under-development, even as he urged the people not to be deceived by the antics of deceitful and selfish politicians who are out to discredit the present administration.
He pointed out that his administration has continued to play the politics of development, truth and honesty to establish a veritable platform for performance and good governance.
“I am not a desperate politician who is out to canvass for votes by all means. My mission is to redeem the state from under-development and deceitful politicians,” he said.
In Ona-Ara, Iddo, Oluyole, Lagelu and other councils in the city, the governor explained that driving traders away from the road was for their ultimate benefit as vehicles crushed them during accidents.
He also pointed out that the city could no longer continue with the habit of cholera-prone practices at roadside shops by some traders which is responsible for outbreak of communicable diseases.
As a solution, Ajimobi emphasised that his administration built neighbourhood markets to accommodate those driven away from the road, saying no previous administration did that even though they also drove away traders from the road. Additionally, he said that his administration gave out the shops to the traders at no cost, pointing out that Chief Bola Ige’s administration which built markets did not give out the shops free.
Furthermore, Ajimobi said his administration gave out N20 million to the traders as incentive. This, he said, was aimed at improving the lot of traders.
In the same manner, Ajimobi said his administration embarked on cleanliness of the cities, infrastructural development and the urban renewal project to change the position of the state from the second dirtiest to one of the cleanest. These, he said, aimed at enhancing people’s good health and make the state attractive to investors.
Ajimobi also explained that his administration chose to make the welfare of teachers a top priority because his dream to overhaul the education sector would be a mirage without first making teachers happy. The same, he said, applied to civil servants who have also been enjoying 13th month salary, regular local and foreign training as well as free transportation to and from state secretariat from Mondays to Fridays.
Why would a governor sack those trading on the streets? Why would a governor build neighbourhood markets, give out the shops free and give interest-free loans to traders? Why would a governor convert major roads in four cities to dual carriage ways at the same time? Why did Ajimobi channel resources to urban renewal project, and why would he engage 5,300 teachers at once in the face of dwindling allocation from the Federation Account?
All these and many more were some of the issues the governor explained to the people as he toured Ibadan last week.
Governor Ajimobi was warmly received by teachers, politicians, artisans, women groups and other categories of residents at all the local government areas with pomp and ceremony.
On the governor’ steam were his deputy, Chief Moses Alake-Adeyemo; Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Olalekan Ali; commissioners; members of the National Assembly; Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Chief Akin Oke and political appointees.
