By Gbenga Olarinoye, Osogbo
Ahead of the Saturday governorship election in Osun State, an elder statesman and Second Republic politician, Chief Abiola Ogundokun has said that Governor Gboyega Oyetola is turning the state into “African Singapore”, through his developmental programmes.
In a statement in Osogbo on Thursday, Oguntokun said that Oyetola’s style of administration was unique making him second to none among all who governed the state since its creation in 1991.
“The option before the people of Osun State in the 16 July governorship election is as clear as daylight. The election is unique in that it is one where the people have just one choice. It is a referendum on “One Party, One Man, One Team, and One Vision. There is nothing else to choose from.
“Osun State has been the Cradle state, the fountainhead of the Yoruba race, of Nigeria, and indeed Africa and the Black World. In current times, it has become the Model State, a blueprint example showcased for replication by other states in Nigeria and Africa. Governor Oyetola is the veritable pilot and visioner in the discharge of this mandate of History.
“For close to four memorable years, the transformation in Osun State has been in top motion, in unstoppable speed. This election is about increasing the acceleration and driving Osun people to their glorious destination. For the first time in the history of governance in Nigeria, a leader has constructively engaged the citizens at the grassroots level, to the extent that the government and the people have been integrated into one single locomotive”.
Oguntokun said that in the first two years of his first tenure, Oyetola worked to raise citizen’s capacity and empowerment at the grassroots level. He added: “Being a leader who seeks to turn challenges to opportunities, he has engaged directly with small scale entrepreneurs and artisans one-on-one at the microlevel through interactive sessions with unions of market women, barbers, welders, carpenters, mechanics, bakers and farmers, among others. And he has followed up with investment capital grant to this class of citizens.
“For the state civil servants, even with the meagre federal allocations, Osun State is one of the few states in Nigeria that comply with minimum wage payment. To further enlist the goodwill of senior and elder citizens, he has committed the government into regular payment of retirement entitlements as Pensions and Gratuities.”
In the health sector, Oguntolun recalled the state subsided health insurance scheme, which he described as unique in Nigeria.
“With the multiplication of Primary Health Care centres, healthcare is now reachable to the elderly, children, womenfolk, and others. Movement across is facilitated with the road infrastructure network that has penetrated the countryside and inner-city settlements in every nook and corner of the state.
“The revolutionary initiatives of the Osun leader has elicited maximum support from Civil Society Organisations and volunteers. In these times of dire security breaches across the country, the mobilised and empowered citizens have ensured that the territory of Osun State is one of the safest in Nigeria”, he further said.
According to Oguntokun, “the evidence is so inexhaustible that “informed watchers have stated that what was envisioned by the United Nations as the Millennium Development Goals may have been surpassed by the Oyetola Development Goals. Little wonder, in just less than a year in office by 2019, the Oyetola revolution facilitated the victory of more Osun APC candidates in both the state and National Assembly elections, thus making APC a super majority in both legislative houses.
“In this second half of the Oyetola leadership, (2022-2026), the social and physical infrastructure in place shall facilitate industrial development strides at supersonic speed. With the structures already anchored in prime sectors as Agriculture, Tourism, and Mining, the state is poised to attract investment and capital investment from across the globe, something that expectedly shall transform Osun State from Third World to First World status, as is the case of the green city of Singapore, as Hong-Kong, and other Asian Tigers.
“For the people, both residents and indigenous people of Osun, there is no choice because it is just one choice. Go out and vote for yourselves, for your children’s future, and for generations yet to come, by voting Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, and for the APC”, he added.
