Gov Abiodun Delivering Dividends of Democracy
Femi Ogbonnikan
The time has come for governments at all levels to begin to take a comprehensive audit of their performances in the last three years and give the electorate real value for their votes. As it is well known, one of the banes of good governance in Nigeria is the lack of basic social capital. That is the trust and confidence that exist between the government and the people. For most parts, there is a huge deficit of public trust for the leadership in power due to the experience of disappointing expectations and unfulfilled electoral promises. But as they say, “a people deserve the kind of government they get.”
Thus, the wise people of Ogun State must have seen the hope of a better tomorrow in the candidacy of Prince Dapo Abiodun before they overwhelmingly voted for him in the 2019 election even in the face of the vehement opposition of his predecessor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun. And since he assumed the mantle of leadership on May 29, 2019, he has kept an abiding faith with his electoral promise to change the narrative and rebuild the confidence of the hitherto disillusioned state workforce as well as distrusting populace.
In spite of the antics of his political adversaries, he has continued to blaze the trail in the delivery of dividends of democracy. Abiodun is doing so to the chagrin and disappointment of his detractors who are bent on slowing down the hands of the clock. Under his leadership, Ogun has continued to witness unprecedented development in the areas of the economy, infrastructure, housing, healthcare service delivery, agriculture, education, and youth empowerment, among others. With the onset of another session of politics and the attendant campaign of calumny, there is no better time than now to take a sincere review of the performance of the governor in the last three years of his administration vis-à-vis the resources available in an era of COVID-19 pandemic. That is the very least minimum a responsible, responsive and accountable government could do to justify the mandate of the people and also earn the trust of the electorate who will decide on who they want as the governor in the coming 2023 general elections.
Putting the cards on the table, no one can be blind to the remarkable transformation that has happened to road network infrastructures dotting the vast landscape in the state. These include Ijebu-Ode-Mojoda-Epe Road, reconstruction of Siun-Sagamu, the newly commissioned 14Km Ijebu-Ode-Mojoda-Epe toll road, ongoing construction work on the 24km Ikenne-Ilishan-Ago Iwoye Road, Raypower, Navy-Osi-Ikola roads (Ado-Odo/Ota LGA), Fajol-Ajegunle-America Junction-Alogi road and American Junction-Unity Estate road, which cut across Abeokuta South and Odeda Local Government Areas.
Others are Ejirin-Mobalufon- Oluwalogbon road (Ijebu-Ode LGA) and Ilaro-Owode road (Yewa South LGA), Joju road (Ado-Odo/Ota LGA), Lantoro-Elite-Idi-Aba road (Abeokuta South LGA), beautification of NNPC Mega Station road (Abeokuta South LGA), Somorin-Kemta-Idi Aba Road (Odeda LGA), Imasayi-Igan Okoto-Ayetoro Road (Yewa North LGA), sectional rehabilitation of Papalanto-Ilaro road (Ewekoro LGA), the asphalting of Lafenwa-Rounder road (Abeokuta North LGA), palliative works along Sango junction-Ojuore road (Ado-Odo/Ota LGA) and the construction of City Gate monument at Sagamu Interchange (Obafemi-Owode LGA).
Work is also steadily progressing on the construction of Journalists’ Estate, Arepo (Obafemi Owode LGA), the internal road linking Ifo General Hospital, renovation of Ifo Fire Station, rehabilitation of both Olowomore-Sanni, Olowomore-Brewery roads (both in Abeokuta North LGA) and a 2.1 kilometres Lantoro/Idi-Aba road, in Abeokuta South Local Government Area, Abeokuta. As an administration that believes in an inclusive approach to governance, every effort is made to ensure that no community in the three Senatorial Districts is left out in the distribution of these projects and without compromising the standard of the work done.
Indeed, so impressed was President Muhammadu Buhari with the quality of these infrastructures that he declared the roads and the housing estate at Kobape (Abeokuta) world-class projects during his recent official visit to the state to inaugurate some landmark achievements of the administration.
Most important of them all is the Agro Cargo Airport which has become a reference point among the enduring legacies of the present administration. The Cargo Airport is set to be delivered in November this year as scheduled, while the intermodal bus transport system is about to berth in the state. To underscore the priority accorded the project, the Governor has given assurance that it would be completed before the end of this fiscal year.
He gave the assurance in his speech in Ijebu-Ode during the recent meeting of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Ogun East senatorial district. According to him, the construction of the airport, which commenced in March 2022, would probably be the fastest constructed airport on the continent. For that reason, the project has continued to draw accolades from concerned stakeholders in the agro-allied industries for the anticipated dawn of a new era.
When completed, it will advance the agriculture value-chain in the state, which is very crucial as a choice of location for the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone Programme (SAPZ) by the Africa Development Bank (AfDB). It will also boost employment generation, and as well enhance self-sufficiency in revenue generation. According to projection, the cargo international airport would provide no fewer than 25,000 jobs for the people of the state. “The impact of the agro cargo airport will affect positive effects on hotels and warehouses being constructed in the area. Nigeria Customs and the Nigerian Air Force are coming there. We estimate that in the first eighteen (18) months, we will create a minimum of twenty-five thousand jobs in that airport,” Abiodun said.
In addition to all this, the project will also open up the state, deepen the development process, and also provide an alternative to the congested Lagos port facilities.
In order to further strengthen the security architecture of the state, the discussion is already ongoing between the Nigerian Air Force and the Ogun State government to establish an Air Force base at the Cargo Airport to complement the law enforcement for the safety of lives and property in the State. As part of the outcome of the discussion with Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao, Chief of Air Staff, the plan has been concluded for the groundbreaking work on the construction of the Air Force Base.
In the same vein, the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has also indicated interest to establish its presence at the cargo airport. This followed the recent visit of Governor Abiodun to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) in his Abuja office where they had a fruitful discussion on how to effectively collaborate on matters of security of investors.
Similarly, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has commended Abiodun on the progress and quality of work already carried out in the Agro Cargo Airport project situated at Ilishan-Remo. The team of Civil Aviation Authority led by a director in the agency, Engr Olugbenga Taiwo, while assessing the quality of work on the project, commended the State government for a job well done, stressing its impact on the citizens through employment generation, wealth creation and industrial growth.
The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, who received the team at Ilishan site, Ikenne Local Government Area of the state, Engr. Ade Akinsanya, explained that the Airport would improve the status of the State on the economic map of the country, assuring that the government would not relent in its infrastructural drive, especially on the project and the network of roads.
Akinsanya expressed optimism that the runway, airflow, laying of asphalt, and control tower would be nearing completion before the onset of the rainy season, while the terminal plaza would commence soon.
The plan is equally underway to set up a Naval Base at the Olokola seaport. Governor Abiodun gave this indication when he received the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Apapa, Lagos, Rear Admiral Yakub Wambai, who recently paid him a courtesy. “Very soon, we will be announcing the commencement of our seaport. To that extent, you will be receiving a letter requesting a full Naval Base in Ogun State and we will do everything to support the establishment of that base. Because if we are creating a port, it is also important for us to ensure that we have a significant naval presence,” he said.
This is in addition to the ongoing dialogue with the federal government on the need to put in place infrastructure in Tongegi Island, Ipokia (Ogun West) to make the residents of the oil-rich Island feel development as Nigerians.
He dropped the hint while informing Wambai of his desire to visit the Island to see things for himself.
“I have discussed with Mr. President the condition of the people on the island when he came here to commission some of our projects. I have also discussed with the National Security Adviser (NSA) and other relevant stakeholders on the need for Nigeria to make a strong presence on the island, especially with the activities of our neighbouring country (Republic of Benin).
“Though the island can only be accessed through the water, I will visit the Island very soon to see things for myself,” he assured.
The healthcare delivery services of the administration cannot also be glossed over. When Governor Abiodun assumed office in 2019, the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, was in deplorable condition due to several years of neglect. It was in a complete state of disrepair, with collapsing structures as well as obsolete equipment. Among others, CT scans, echocardiography machines, MRI, mobile x-ray machines, peak flow meter, spirometry, dialysis machines, C-arm for orthopedic cases, and operating tables, were all dysfunctional as the management had to grapple with the challenge of underfunding and inadequate training, culminating in brain-drain.
So worried was the Governor with the situation he met on ground during his first official inspection of the hospital that he declared: “I don’t see how this place can produce good doctors; we shall go back to the drawing board.”
In his immediate response, therefore, he set up a nine-man committee chaired by Dr. Yemi Onabowale, the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Reddington Hospital, Lagos, to look into both the remote and immediate causes of the challenges facing the hospital.
Upon the submission of the committee’s report, he swiftly swung into action by approving the recruitment of well over 220 medical personnel, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, and nutritionists/dieticians to address the manpower shortage. Between September and December 2020, the management of the institution further got the approval of the state government for the recruitment of 80 medical doctors, 50 nurses, 50 health attendants, 12 consultants, 10 laboratory scientists, 2 physiotherapists, 2 dietitians/nutritionists, a score of clerical officers, accountants, messengers, and other administrative officers to breathe life into the newly refurbished and equipped hospital.
With his goodwill, the effort received a boost with an Eye centre and a stand-alone Prostrate Cancer Care Centre donated by a business mogul, Chief Adebutu Kessington, and Rotary Club District 911, respectively. Of course, like every other sector, healthcare delivery remains a work in progress. But compared with the past, there is a steady improvement in service delivery across the state.
At this time of our national life, security also remains a major concern of all stakeholders. Accordingly, the administration has reactivated OP-MESA and collaborated with other states in the Southwest for the establishment of the Southwest Security Network code-named, ‘Amotekun’. The importance of this initiative cannot be over-emphasized, especially considering the status of Ogun State as the industrial hub of the country as well as its proximity to Lagos, the nation’s economic capital. Against this background, the operation of the OP-MESA has been expanded to deal with ritual killings, cybercrimes, armed banditry, cultism, kidnapping, and oil bunkering. Without a doubt, this has assisted in no small measure to bringing about peace and tranquility across the state.
While toiling day and night to make the state an envy of all, some fractious and tempestuous hell-raisers are busy spreading fake news to smear the good image of the governor to frustrate his re-election bid. They have failed.
Ogbonnikan wrote from Abeokuta, Ogun State
