Tobi Soniyi
A former speaker of the House of Representatives and governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party in Ogun State, Dimeji Bankole has pledged a new dawn for the people of Ogun State.
Speaking in Ota, Ogun State, while flagging off his campaign, Bankole said his government would not tamper with funds meant for the development of local government areas in the state.
Bankole, who gave an assurance that his government would create mass employment for thousands of graduates who could not find gainful employment after they left school, noted that that there was a correlation between high unemployment and rising crimes rate.
He said he consulted widely before joining the race for Ogun State governor.
According to him, one thing that everyone keeps complaining about is lack of jobs and opportunities for their children. My party is formed to address that challenge.
He said:”Ogun people are not interested in where the governor comes from, they want to know if he has the capacity to create jobs for the children who remain idle even after graduating from higher institutions. That is what our party promises: jobs, jobs, jobs for everyone.”
The former speaker warned that except the high level of unemployment is addressed creatively, the security of the country would be under threat. In this wise, Bankole said that projects in each local government area of the state would be handled by people from the council area.
This, he said, would ensure that projects are completed on schedule while creating jobs for the host community.
The former speaker who was with his running mate, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Oduwole was received by the Chairman of the party in the state, Chief Wale Egunleti and other party leaders in the state.
He however, lamented the condition of roads in Ogun West Senatorial district, promising to fix the roads in order to maximize the economic gains of the area.
He said he was contesting for the governorship seat in order to fix the problem of unemployment in the state, pledging “to ensure every project executed is done with complete local contents.
“We are not thugs.ADP is a party with one agenda: mass employment . It is the party that will allow local government to handle projects . We will not betray you .When we say ADP, we mean one destiny. What we observe is that the people of the state are asking for one thing, that is employment .
“We will ensure local government funds go directly to the council to construct roads, take care of health sector . We will ensure complete local content. People within the vicinity of the local government will benefit from the council.”
“We need to be productive for the growth of our nation, our local governments must receive appropriate funds for them to carry out their major responsibilities.
“It is when the local government areas have the funds to perform that we can begin to talk about economy complexity.
“For Ogun state, Ado-odo/Ota and Ifo local governments are meant to take advantage of the seventh largest economy in Africa which is Lagos State, likewise, having access to Seme, Accra and the Western region”.
