By Mashood Oderinde
When the current Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Isiaka Ajimobi, was elected Senator to represent Oyo South Senatorial District on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy in 2003, he came to the senate with an intimidating track record from the private sector and distinguished himself in the senate. When he resumed as governor at the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, on May 29, 2011, he added his experience in the senate and Oyo State has been the better for it. In Nigeria, good governance is a scarce commodity; it has always been in short supply. You do not need to be an expert or a rocket scientist to know. But Ajumobi , through a visionary, purpose-driven and people-oriented leadership, has given governance a breath of fresh air.
Administering a state like Oyo, which was the political capital of the old Western region and had the late Sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, as Premier, is not an easy task, as Ajimobi himself admitted. However, in spite of all the inherent challenges, which include the state’s large landmass and decaying infrastructure, Governor Ajimobi has made great progress and is gradually repositioning Oyo state by modernising the state, while also proudly protecting its ancient heritage.
Governor Ajimobi, a prudent financial wizard, who spent over 25 years in the private sector, upon assuming office in his first term on May 29, 2011, knew that the state needed to be redeveloped with a reformist mindset in order to remove the toga of antiquity and to also provide a conducive environment for businesses to operate in the state. To realise this objective, the governor developed and launched an urban renewal programme, meant to modernise major cities in the state such as Ibadan, Oyo, Ogbomosho, etc.
Part of the urban renewal plan included the relocation of markets and street traders from the streets in Oyo state to new markets built or reconstructed by the administration. This decisive action ensured that the state, particularly its capital city, Ibadan, looked cleaner, brighter and safe from all forms of dangers associated with street trading. Furthermore, traffic flow has improved tremendously.
Governor Ajimobi’s achievements in road infrastructure are unprecedented in the state history. In addition, some of the bridges, which collapsed during the August 2011 flood disaster, have been re-constructed. One of the reconstructed bridges, which have since been commissioned, is the Awolowo/Bodija/Secretariat Bridge. Other road projects done or ongoing by the Ajimobi administration are the Flyover Bridge at Mokola, Ibadan; motor garages at Temidire on Ibadan-Ife Road and Podo and the 110-kilometre Ibadan Circular Road.
The Ajimobi administration is at present dualising two major roads in Ibadan, the Ibadan Interchange-Challenge-New Garage-Interchange Road and the Onireke-Jericho-Eleyele-Dugbe Road, with spurs to Aleshinloye as well as entry roads to Oyo, Ogbomoso and Iseyin. These are aside the Ijokodo to Apete and associated bridge works; Ikoyi Express Junction to Taki Palace to Ogbomoso Grammar School Roads, which are in the works.
But it is not only in the area of road infrastructure that the Ajimobi administration is excelling. The state government is also catering for the needs of Oyo state indigenes through the provision of essential social services and welfare packages such as the employment of over 20,000 youths under the Youth Employment Scheme of Oyo State (YES-O), the purchase and distribution of 1,000 units of tricycles christened “Keke Ajumose” and the provision of “Ajumose” Buses to transport workers to and from their offices free of charge. The governor also recently acceded to the request of the Nigerian Union of teachers (NUT) in the state by re-appointing teachers as Education Secretaries for the 33 Local Government Universal Basic Education Authorities. As a people-oriented Governor, Ajimobi has disbursed N356m with no interest to traders in the state. The government has equally resuscitated the Asejire Waterworks which had been abandoned by previous administrations in the last 17 years, thus confirming the general feeling that he is a listening governor.
The Ajimobi government has also provided free health services to more than 300,000 people through the free health mission programme. In its quest to make the health facilities functional, the state government procured and distributed equipment to 42 public health facilities spread across the state. The governor has also approved the increase of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) of health workers in the State to demonstrate its commitment to the welfare of its workers. Despite his landmark achievements, Governor Ajimobi, has not flaunted his impressive achievements in the media. The governor prefers to go about quietly with his transformation of Oyo state.
But Ajimobi’s giant strides have not gone unnoticed, especially by the people of Oyo State, the beneficiaries of his good governance. They rewarded him in equal measure by voting him in for a second term, a feat no civilian governor of the state has achieved since 1979, when the country returned to democratic governance. Breaking this “so called jinx” of one-tenure by previous civilian governors of Oyo State has not only cemented his place in the state’s history, but has also proved how popular Governor Ajimobi is across the state.
Alongside his very competent team, Governor Ajimobi has, within the space of over six years, changed Oyo state from a sleepy ancient territory to a bubbling state, providing a suitable environment for businesses, while also catering to the needs of her citizens. Governor Ajimobi’s foray into the politics of Oyo State has redefined and realigned the politics of Oyo State in a breathtaking and progressive manner. The aroma of his legacies will hang in the air long after he leaves office as governor.
Mashood Oderinde wrote from Ibadan
