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- For any serious government who is interested in the general well being of its citizenry, the first and primary area of concern is how to ensure prudency, accountability, transparency and block leakages as such will enhance good governance. Little wonder the Akeredolu led administration upon assumption of office put in place appropriate legislative frameworks for Public Finance Management system even when the laws had remained outstanding for so long as previous administrations never found it expedient or important. Four key legislations were enacted and signed by the Governor. These are (i) Ondo State Public Finance Management Law, (ii) Ondo State Fiscal Responsibility Law, (iii) Ondo State Public Procurement Law, and (iv) Ondo State Public Audit Law. The efforts of the Governor must have accounted for the inclusion of Ondo State as one of the beneficiaries of the performance ābased grant component of the World Bank-assisted States Fiscal Transparency and Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme recentlyWithin 3 years, Governor Akeredolu has done what many thought was practically impossible.Unprecedented massive infrastructural developments in Ondo State .
- About 150 kilometres of road have been constructed and rehabilitated.
- Construction of Iwalewa Road, Akure.
- Construction of Oba Osupa/NEPA roundabout/Olukayode/Hospital/Alafiatayo as dual carriage way, Akure.
- Construction of Oshinle/Abusoro/ Gaga Community/Oke Ogba community roads, Akur
- Construction of road linking Idanre town to Akure via Ijoka.
- Construction of Court of Appeal/SUBEB/ CBN /Bishopās court dual carriage way.
- Construction of SIB/Eyitayo Jegede/ Alagbaka roads, Akure.
- Construction of Sabomi Road, Ese Odo.
- Construction of Abusoro, Ijoka Road, Akure.
- Construction of Opasorun road, Bajare/Okemayo
- Construction of St. Joseph Road in Idanre.
- Construction of Jubilee – Ugbe Road, Ikare.
- Construction of Ifon Township/Molege āUte/Ipele-Iyere roads
- Construction of Oke Alafia Road, Supare.
- Construction of Ogbomo Ifedara, Ajegunle Streets and Howlet Road, Ifon.
- Construction of Ilara Mokin /Ikota, otherwise known as Gulf C road, Ilara.
- Construction of Ibuji/Isarun township roads in Ifedore Local Government.
- Construction of Virgin road network within GRA to Prison, Owo.
- Construction of internal and access roads within the Ondo State University of Science and Technology (OSUSTECH) Okitipupa.
- Construction of the notorious Oke Alabujoto in Ikare Akoko.
- Rehabilitation of the deadly Iwaro Oka hill.
- Construction of Police road, Ore and Ore Interchange flyover on the Shagamu-Benin Expressway to ease traffic for those traveling from the South-West to the South-East and Abuja.
- Rehabilitation of Sabo Road, Akure.
- Rehabilitation of access roads within the state specialist hospital, Akure.
- Construction and flattening of the dreaded Oke-Alabojuto hill and rehabilitation of Ikare township roads.
- Work is also ongoing on the construction of 50km road linking Araromi seaside, Ondo state to Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State.
- Signed into law, a contributory health insurance scheme which enable all classes of people in the state access to affordable health care services.
- Governor Akeredolu also facilitated the presentation of 40 imaging medical items to the state medical village by the People’s Republic Of China.
- Distribution of medical equipment and consumables worth Six Million Dollars ($6M) among all the hospitals in Ondo State. This was achieved by the administrationās ingenuity leading to partnership with Medshare International.
- Massive Renovation of the various Primary Health Care centres in all the Wards of Ondo State.
- Recruitment of over 500 health personnel including 200 medical doctors
- On Agriculture, the government reactivated the afforestation projects in Ondo State. 10,000 Hectares of the state afforestation projects sited at Omotoso in Okitipupa local government. The projects is worth N20billion and it has employed over 1,000 youths of Ondo state. This is a Public Private Partnership with Weewood, a Chinese company.
- Under Akeredolu, Over N210, 000, 000 have been disbursed to farmers co-operative societies in the state, under the FADAMA Scheme.
- Over 1,000 metrics ton of fertilizers have been distributed to farmers in Ondo state for enhanced farming.
- The Akeredolu’s administration has also mobilized 35,000 farmers for the Anchor Borrowers Scheme.
- Procurement of top quality tractors to aid farmersā productivity.
- Establishment of Igba Otun broiler Scheme where farmers were given 2,000 day-0ld chicks with feed, drug and vaccines.
- Empowerment and training of 0ver 1000 bee-keepers.
- Distribution of of over 100,000 brazilian cashew seedlings and top quality oil palm seedlings to farmers across the state.
- Empowerment and training of about 6,000 youths to become Agripreneurs.
- Huge amount of money given out as soft loans to women, youths and the vulnerable through the State Micro-Credit Agency.
- Digging and resuscitation of over 2,700 boreholes in our rural and urban areas through the āKamomi Aketi Water Schemeā.
- Construction of over 700 blocks of classroom through SUBEB in the 18 LGAs of Ondo State .
- Today, from a horrible inherited less than N800 million monthly chart, Ondo State has recorded sustained growth in its IGR since 2017. As of January 2020, the total IGR of the state was not less than N2 billion.
- Recruitment of over 500 graduates into the State Internal Revenue Service.
- Eventhough Akeredolu never considered prompt payment of workersā salaries as any achievement, the current economic downturn across Nigeria and the globe at large has made it imperative to consider it a huge success. He is simply a better manager of resources.
- Unlike the usual practice and strategy of āwinner takes itā which had characterized our political sphere, worthy of note is that all the political appointments made by Akeredolu for the past 3years are such that cut across ethnic, religious, social and political divides. This is an uncommon feat in the history of the state. Interestingly, the Governor still extends his right hand of fellowship to his haters who are naturally jealous of his accomplishments.
- Since the truncated administration of the late Chief Adekunle Ajasin in 1983, Ondo State under the leadership of Akeredolu again retraced her steps towards industrialization with the establishment of Ondo/Linyi Industrial Hub in Ore. The hub has the following industries with close to 2000 workers:
*Cassava to ethanol factory which produces 300 metric tonnes of ethanol per day;
*The Medium density fibre (MDF) plywood factory;
*The High density fibre board plywood factory;
*Paper production factory
*Win-win Textile Industry
*Dongfeng Trucks Assembly plant
These factories are not only important to the economic drive of Ondo State but Nigeria as a viable investment destination under the Buhari/APC led Federal Government. The Governor is in no doubt an asset to the All Progressive Congress big family and the people of Ondo State. So far, Akeredolu holds all the aces!
Henry Adegbemile Esq.
henryadegbemile@gmail.com