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Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Youths from the 18 Local Government Areas of Ondo State have thrown their weight behind the re-election of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu who is seeking a re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing him as a performer.
The youths said their support for Governor Akeredolu was as a result of his outstanding performances in the last three and half years of administering the state.
The coordinator of the youths, Mr Akinrinsola Odunayo said “Akeredolu is the man to lead Ondo State to her Cannan land for he has given us a reason. Ondo State is currently on the path of transformation and renewal. Akeredolu is building us, and he is giving us a reason to be optimistic about what the future holds.”
Responding, Governor Akeredolu stated that he could not afford to lie to the electorate on his achievements and the actual situation of things in the state under his administration.
He said promises by political opponents to reduce tuition in the state owned tertiary institutions were meant to deceive the people.
Akeredolu said it would be difficult for the state to operate three state universities successfully without increment in tuition.
He said his focus in his second term would be job creation through entrepreneurship, skill acquisition and agriculture.
The Governor said he has already created over 20,000 direct jobs through the various industries operating at the Ore industrial hub.
Governor Akeredolu announced that an investor has paid the first instalment for the moribund OluwaGlass at Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area.
He said he planned to ensure more students take interest in studying agriculture.
According to him, “Very soon, the College of Agriculture will depend less on government funding. They want to focus on cultivating mushroom for export.”
His words “they built universities without getting accreditation for any course. We had a Medical School without a teaching hospital. I am building two teaching hospitals in Akure and Ondo town. We are turning Ondo State to a medical hub.
“We are earning less and doing much. There was a time we earned big but all the money went down the drain. My concern is to move ahead. We will need the best to manage the three universities.
“When I was sworn in as Governor in 2017, the first executive bill I sent to the Ondo State House of Assembly was the establishment of Ondo State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA) to see to the policy of investment promotion, business development and wealth creation in our state.
“Today, through ONDIPA, Ondo has moved from number 34 to number 16 in the ease of doing business in Nigeria. By the grace of Almighty God, the Ore Industrial Park is a creation of ONDIPA under the leadership of Boye Oyewumi,” he said
