One of the leading gubernatorial aspirants in Ondo State, Olusola Oke, has unveiled his plans to transform the state if elected governor.
Oke, on Sunday expresses optimism to picket the All Progressives Congress, APC, ticket for the November 16 election in Ondo State, lamenting that despite abundant natural endowment, the state has remained largely economically handicapped, humanly underdeveloped, educationally static and socially sterile with the majority of the population ravaged by poverty.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, said: “Ondo State is blessed with natural, mineral, agricultural, and abundant human resources, yet, today it is one state in Nigeria that is under the heavy burden of backwardness and poverty.
“We are in deficit in many respects. In the education sector, there is a wide gap, in the health sector, we are lagging. I was myself, a living witness to this recently when I was involved in an auto crash recently and was taken to the Trauma Centre in Ondo. My experience during my short stay there showed that Ondo State is far behind in the health sector. I know that nothing is happening in the road sector, in terms of road network. We can’t boast of any dualized 10km road in this state.
“Because of the gap in development, the unemployment gap is widening every day. Yearly, we produce not less than 15,000 graduates but only three per cent are absorbed because there are no employers.
“At the beginning in this state, there was Ifon ceramics company, there was the Cocoa industry in Ile-Oluji, there was Oluwa glass, t Oil Mill and a host of others that were complementing efforts of government in terms of employment. But all these have become history and new ones aren’t coming up. Our economy today has become a civil service economy.”
But the alumnus of the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) says all hope is not lost for the people of the state insisting that he has bold, strategic and comprehensive plans to reclaim the state from poverty and the economic woes militating against development and progress of the Sunshine state.
“Ondo State needs a leader with vision, direction, and a sense of commitment not coming to fill any gap but to serve the people and what I’m looking for now is legacy because whether we like it or not, Ondo State is a state of war at this moment and we need a dogged fighter with a mission, direction, and vision who will be able to change the narrative.
“I believe that government can open opportunity towards tapping our mineral resources, which will generate employment that will reduce criminality in our society and even generate income for our people. It is sad that the state is in total state of collapse at the moment.
“I had all my education in the rural area, I am a part of the people, I understand their suffering, I had suffered a lot with them, my involvement in the recent accident had nothing to do other than the bad road. So having suffered with them, I believe I am the right man for the job. The next governor of Ondo State must be a determined and focused person who will be ready to do the work.
“My dream and mission for Ondo State is that we cannot continue to wait in the same manner for another four years.
“Unless we change the direction, narrative, and others, we cannot move forward in this state, and I am the right man for the job. We need to take Ondo state to the level of riches and God has given us everything that we need. So it is in our interest for society to grow, for development to be in Ondo State and when all these things happen, we will all be the beneficiaries.
The APC chieftain, who spoke on his chances of picking the party’s ticket for the November 16, 2024, governorship election in the state, considering the array of aspirants including the incumbent governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, said the people of the state have their trust in him and expressed optimism in flying the flag of APC during the poll.
Oke says the former governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, already knew about his aspiration and desire to succeed him in office before his death
