Ondo state made significant progress in the passing week as Governor Aiyedatiwa deftly combined governance with politics. Truly, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen must have envisioned the likes of Governor Aiyedatiwa in his Capability Approach. The office of the Governor is not an end in itself but what the occupier makes out of it. Sen agrees that freedom to achieve wellbeing must be understood in terms of people with capabilities. Governor Aiyedatiwa has shown so much greatness.
The Governor moved to the NUT House at Oda Road to commission the Shopping Complex built by the teachers under the leadership of Comrade Amoko. There, Governor Aiyedatiwa announced the recruitment of two thousand teachers to fill up the obvious vacancies in primary and secondary schools in the state. Being a former teacher, the Governor reiterated his commitment to the welfare of teachers in the state.
The courtesy visit of the Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria to the Governor of Ondo State during the week elicited the Governor’s desire to invest in human capital development in driving the economy. While tasking healthcare professionals to make judicious use of numerous technologies in offering values, he appreciated them for selfless services they render to humanity always. Chiefly, he commended them for eradicating Covid-19 pandemic.
Security of lives and properties remains the primary purpose of government. Aware of the magnitude of hope reposed in him, Governor Aiyedatiwa engaged the delegation led by AIG Asabi Abiodun, Zone 17 Akure who presented a white-paper titled ‘A Proposal for Counter Operations Against Security Challenges in Ekiti and Ondo states’. The Governor promised to assist all security formations in the state to ensure that every citizen is protected without any form of security threat to their lives and properties.
In a bid to enhance food security, Governor Aiyedatiwa vowed to make agriculture enticing by assisting farmers with modern technologies, facilitating access to free interest loans and ensuring constant training of farmers in order to meet up with the demands of the 21st century. Governor Aiyedatiwa made the pledge while being decorated as a Grand Patron by the Ondo State Farmers’ Association at the Cocoa conference Hall during the week.
Rejigging the bureaucracy of the state while emplacing excellent service delivery, Governor Aiyedatiwa inaugurated sixteen Permanent Secretaries and Tutors-General at the Cocoa Conference Hall, Alagbaka. Tasking them to put in their best to serve the people of Ondo State, the Governor emphasized that the appointment which was the first in the series, was done on the basis of seniority and fair spread.
Moreover, the Governor assured that his administration is committed to legacy projects, programmes and policies that will impact positively on the people, bringing good governance to bear in all sectors of the economy, ensuring sustainable development, confronting daunting challenges frontally and maximizing available opportunities to take the state to greater heights.
Connecting rural dwellers, enhancing the ease of access to market by local farmers and opening up opportunities for rural/urban commerce, during the week, the State Executive Council approved the sum of 3.47b naira counterpart fund for the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP).
The construction of feeder roads as captured in the RAAMP will undoubtedly surge the economy of Ondo State especially through agriculture that has been the mainstay of our economy. In another related development, the Executive Council in a bid to achieve its Smart City mission has approved street lighting system which will be solar-powered. This is in a bid to eradicate darkness in Akure and other major cities in Ondo State.
The politics of 2024 took a sweet dimension as Governor Aiyedatiwa officially declared to run and win for the people of Ondo state during the week. While paying a visit to party executives at the APC secretariat, the Governor informed Engr. Ade Adetimehin led executive of his intent to extend his purposeful leadership beyond 2025.
The Governor moved to the Cocoa Conference Hall where elders and leaders of the party were gathered to inform them of his determination to win for the party in 2024. The leaders unanimously endorsed him and offered prayers.
It was a carnival-like declaration at the Gani Fawehinmi House of Assembly Arcade, Igbatoro road, Akure where party faithful gathered in their numbers to celebrate the great accomplishments of Aiyedatiwa within a short period while expressing joyously the need to continue beyond 2025.
Beyond winning for the party and the majority of the people of Ondo state, Governor Aiyedatiwa exemplifies inclusion in nomenclature and actions. Party faithful traced his track records in politics and it has tallied with the ideology of the progressives. It is a notorious fact that Governor Aiyedatiwa does not belong to the category of aspirants who will defect or abandon the party halfway. He has shown resilience, sacrifice, candour and consistency since he joined the Progressives in 2011.
Governor Aiyedatiwa learnt early enough that political aspirations may not be immediate. It is on record that he resisted the temptation to contest against his party even when things didn’t go well with him in the APC. He stood, fought for the party and waited for his time to come. He is trustworthy. He doesn’t belong to the league of those who will tear down the party at the slightest provocation occasioned by failed political ambition. He will never ask if the party sent him to school or not as most aspirants do.
All these qualities give him an edge above others today. At a time when the APC needs stability in the zone of the president, the party cannot afford to gift its lifeline to those who are adept at politics of anything goes. Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa is ever ready to restore hope in the APC and the time is now.
Sunday Olugbenga Abire is Special Assistant on New Media to the Governor of Ondo State
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