Osun 2022: PDP No Threat to My Re-election, Says Oyetola

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was no threat to his re-election bid.

Governor Oyetola stated this in Abuja yesterday after submitting his form at the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He said some of the promises he made to the people had been fulfilled to a very large extent in spite of the paucity of funds after being in power for about three years and three months as governor.

The governor said he didn’t see the main opposition party having an extraordinary chance of doing what APC had done in the state.
When asked about the chances of PDP in the forthcoming governorship election in the state, Oyetola insisted that the ruling APC remained the party to beat.

He said: “Well, I can talk about my party the APC, it remains the party to beat anytime, any day. I don’t see them having any extraordinary chance of doing what we are doing. The work and infrastructure that we have done are there for everyone to see. We have also received so many ratings from the people who are to decide in terms of what we have been able to do.”
Oyetola explained that in terms of welfare, his government has been paying the salaries and pensions of the people on a monthly basis since the inception of his administration.

“We have actually supported our people in the areas of agriculture and health schemes for the less privileged and vulnerable. Taking care of the vulnerable using the social register,” he explained.
The governor added that his government had revitalised 320 primary healthcare centres across the state, stressing that the intention was to ensure that the people have access to healthcare by having at least a healthcare centre per ward.

Aside from this, Oyetola noted that all the general hospitals in the state had been fixed, while health insurance schemes to take care of the vulnerable had been set up to ensure no one in the state was denied access to quality health services because he or she does not have money.
Oyetola said his background in the private sector prepared him very well for the job, stressing that rather than lamenting about the paucity of funds, he had to think outside the box.

“First of all, let’s give credit to the Almighty God. Given my background from the private sector, I was well prepared for this job. Running a government is like running an enterprise, the only difference is that one is for profit making while the other is for service. If you get your variables right it will look so easy. That is why I can’t be lamenting about paucity of funds. I only have to look for creative ways of delivering on the mandate given to me by the people.”

The governor said his achievement in the past three years was because he was determined to deliver on the mandate given to him by the people to serve them.

Oyetola said as part of his determination to serve the people, his government set up a micro credit agency that disbursed loans to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

He said: “Again, we are developing a financial hub, we are actually constructing a dry port where freighters can transport their containers. This will also help in decongesting Apapa port. We believe that given all that we have been able to do within the period of time with paucity of funds, if given the privilege, I will continue to improve on what we have done.”