Abiodun Unsettling Opposition in Ogun State   

Femi Ogbonnikan

Notwithstanding the virulence of the attacks of the opposition in Ogun State against Governor Dapo Abiodun, support for his administration has continued to grow in leaps and bounds. In the same way, people’s endorsement of his re-election bid has built up to a flood tide. As Carrie Chapman Catt, an American Activist, who fought for Woman Suffrage in America in the early 20th, rightly quipped, “When a just cause reaches a flood tide, whatever comes its way must fall before its overwhelming power.” Whatever gang-up against governor Abiodun cannot but fall like a pack of cards.

Since May 2019 when Governor Abiodun assumed the mantle of leadership on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the media has been inundated with one campaign of calumny or the other. But his exercise of infinite patience and forbearance under all circumstances makes him a shining star among his political rivals. 

Once again, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recently roused the rabble, accusing the governor of mismanaging public funds leading to unprecedented infrastructural decay across the 20 local government area of the state. In its feeble attempt to make political capital out of the recent protest by the non-teaching staff of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, over alleged non-payment of their salaries, monthly contributory deductions, and other entitlements, the party accused the state government of being insensitive to the plight of the workers and pensioners. It also applauded the renewed anti-graft war initiative of Nigeria Financial Intelligent Unit-NFIU, urging the agency to beam its searchlight on the Abiodun administration.

 A statement signed by the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Ogun State, Asiwaju Akinloye Bankole, reads in part: “In the spirit of public accountability and probity, it is indeed patriotic to lend support and encourage genuine efforts aimed at ensuring public sanity. It is in the light of this, the Ogun State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, with all excitement, appreciates the renewed anti-graft war initiative of Nigeria Financial Intelligent Unit-NFIU, as launched on States and Local Government administrations in Nigeria recently.

“The NFIU, just as all other public facilities owes the good people of Ogun State a duty to make its findings public immediately for the people to truly know the financial position of the State and details of all clandestine deals surrounding the finances of the 20 LGs since the inception of Prince Dapo Abiodun and his rudderless APC government in Ogun State.”

What a laughable accusation or outright disinformation! And by the way, who is afraid of the anti-graft agency? In the first place, since Governor Abiodun assumed office in 2019, his administration has been running open, transparent, and accountable governance in the state. It is equally on record that he inherited a near-zero treasury from his immediate past predecessor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun. As a matter of fact, he had to go the extra mile to raise funds to pay the June 2019 salary of the state workers in his first month in office. Interestingly, Hon Akinlade Abdulkabir, the running mate to Adebutu, as a key member of the past administration, is well acquainted with the state of the state before the exit of Amosun as the governor. He is free to speak up now and challenge the fact if he has contrary evidence.         

In addition to the paucity of funds that confronted the administration at its inception, there were also several uncompleted projects left behind for it to grapple with. Yet, despite the limitation of resources available at his disposal coupled with the exigency of the time as occasioned by the devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the entire human race, nay Nigeria’s fragile economy, the Governor took up the challenge in his stride and worked assiduously to complete all abandoned road projects across the state, including the flyovers in Abeokuta, Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu-Igbo, Sagamu, and Sango-Ota, among others.

As someone who believes in the dignity of labour and respect for senior citizens, Governor Abiodun made regular payments of workers’ salaries and gratuities of pensioners a top priority of his government. So far, over N70 billion has been released for the payment of inherited gratuity arrears since he assumed office in 2019, while the administration has also increased the quarterly payment to defray outstanding gratuities from N500m to N600m.

Upon all this, the governor has consistently assured that he would continue to put the welfare of the people, especially the senior citizens at the centre of his developmental agenda without necessarily neglecting the infrastructural facilities that are needed to boast the industrial capacity of the state. As of today, the economy of Ogun is on a sustainable path having achieved over N70 billion in Internally Generated Revenue between the months of January and September last fiscal year. This significant feat can be attributed to the quality reforms such as the Ogun State Land and Revenue Management System; Judicial reforms; tax reforms and all other public financial management reforms initiated and implemented by his administration.

With the dawn of a new year, optimism is high that things would be better in the months ahead, especially with the sharp focus on digital initiatives and infrastructural development that will make the state both economically and financially viable. It is in order to engender ownership of the process that the state has adopted openness and direct engagement of the citizen as a way of ensuring fiscal discipline. In this regard, the administration has gone the extra mile to institute the State Fiscal Responsibility Law 2020 to streamline the activities of the various agencies to ensure public accountability as well as effective implementation of ideas and policies of government to uplift the economy.

While the naysayers are busy plotting and strategizing on how to run down the administration, Governor Abiodun has kept a sharp focus on changing the socio-economic dynamics in the state along with transformation of the infrastructural landscape.

Sometimes, people criticise for cheap mischief-making or to score political points. But facts are facts. When this government came into power, there were only five functional ambulances for the entire 20 Local Government Areas of the state. Within that time and now, the government has purchased 35 additional ambulances, making a total of 40 available for emergency services. It has also rehabilitated Primary Healthcare Centres across the state with the recruitment of more medical perspectives to fill in vacant positions. 

For the education sector, the insinuation is rife that Governor Abiodun has abandoned the 27 Model Schools built by the immediate past administration of former governor Amosun watching them rot away. Only a few gullible can buy into such an allegation, for the discerning minds know that it is part of the antics of the opposition to confuse the electorate. First, from the onset, the idea of Model School was ill- conceived, structurally defective and poorly funded by the immediate past administration as a conduit pipe. It was deliberately designed as white elephant projects to hoodwink the people, which was the reason it was abandoned by the same government that initiated it. The Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, recently said this much, while the Committee headed by a former President Nigerian Society of Engineers, Adekunle Mokunolu, that reviewed projects done between 2009 and 2019 in Ogun State also declared it “structurally defective.”

The question for those vilifying Governor Abiodun for not continuing the idea of model schools is: Should the present government continue with the N27 billion project which was originally meant to serve the selfish political interest of an individual, while neglecting other critical areas that are required to boast the standard of education in the state? The answer is no. 

According to the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Kunle Somorin, with the current rate of inflation in the country, each of the schools will gulp nothing less than N1.05bn to N2bn to complete. 

“The Mokuolu-led Contract/Project Review Committee set up on July 29, 2019, submitted its report in September 2020, and hinted that more than N218.380bn would be needed to complete projects within the period under review,” he stated. This is obviously staggering for an economy that is still struggling to rebounce back after the prolonged effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of funding the wasteful venture, that whopping sum of money could be used to renovate dilapidated schools across the state, which is why the present government has resolved to convert some of the schools into other uses, while also focusing on general rehabilitation of collapsing infrastructures that would serve the overall interest of the students in the state regardless of their social status.

For example, the Tech Hub on Kobape Road on the outskirts of Abeokuta was one of the supposed Model Schools that was moribund for eight (8).years. So also the one in Ikenne that was converted into a 128-bed Isolation and Treatment Centre for COVID-19. With the priority the administration accords the education, several public primary and secondary schools have been constructed, reconstructed and renovated to provide better learning environment in the state.

By opting for a review of the policy idea to meet the need of the greater number of people, Governor Abiodun has once again shown that the object of government should not necessarily be the glory of ruler but the happiness of the common man. Today, apart from ensuring free education for all children in Primary and Junior Secondary Schools and the welfare of teachers, there has been progressive increase in allocation to education up to 20 percent of this year’s budget with a commitment to continually do so till the United Nation Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) benchmark is achieved.

In terms of infrastructure, the present government has surpassed the performance of any past administration in the state.  So far, over 80 major roads and 120 others, totalling 400 kilometers of roads have been either constructed, reconstructed or rehabilitated. This is apart from the International Agro-Cargo Airport located in Ilishan-Remo which continued to receive applause as a standing signature of the administration’s commitment to the industrial transformation of the state. 

It is, however, a bewildering irony that the governorship candidate of the PDP, Oladidupo Adebutu, having seen the clear sign of his imminent defeat in the coming general election, had to resort to cheap blackmail by urging the people to “reject current political office holders in the state indicted for crimes and financial crimes.”

Apparently reacting to Governor Abiodun’s postulation that the Oke-Mosan Governor’s office is not a beer parlour, he wanted to change the applecart by criminalizing those in government.   

Intriguingly, this is the same candidate who has already shared all available positions in the state among his cronies even when they have not been elected. Who is fooling who?     

For the record, Adebutu hails from Iperu-Remo in Ikenne LGA with the current governor. For him to take over the reign of power, it will deny Ogun West the opportunity to produce the next governor. No one with a good sense of just, openness and fairness will allow it to happen.

Besides, Governor Abiodun remains largely unbeatable with the threshold of good governance he has laid in the state. The rising popularity of his candidature is as unsettling for the PDP as well as it is for the ADC and the Labour Party.

Ogbonnikan wrote from Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.