Gov Dapo Abiodun
By Kunle Somorin
Permit me to share with you the one year score card of Governor Dapo Abiodun in the last 365 days. He has been working noiselessly, yet assiduously to achieve the following sector-by-sector in the Gateway State:
EDUCATION
1. Induction of Principals, VPs: In November of 2019, Prince Dapo Abiodun inducted a total of 82 Principals and 121 Vice Principals to fill the deficit the administration met across secondary schools in the State.
2. Release of Promotion Letters: On 6th September, 2019, Governor Abiodun approved the backlog of teachers’ promotion exercise for 2016/2017, and letters were immediately issued to that effect by the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
3. School Rehabilitation: One of the completed projects of the Dapo Abiodun administration is the rehabilitation of 236 primary schools across all the wards in the State. This is not a shoddy project, as the renovated structures can be seen in the different schools.
4. MAPOLY Resuscitation: As at 29th May, the prestigious and long-existing Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ojere was a walking corpse. The immediate past government led by Senator Ibikunle Amosun, for reasons best known to them, uprooted the established working system of the tertiary institution, making unnecessary claims of the need to convert the school to a university of science and technology – a move that would have cost all academic and non-academic staff of the institution to lose either their jobs or some years of service. However, today, MAPOLY is back on her feet, with a good number of employed staff, matriculated students, robust IGR and an overall working system; thanks for Governor Dapo Abiodun who intervened.
5. TASCE Revival: Another needless mission of abandonment embarked upon by the Amosun-led administration was the Tai Solarin College of Education. In less than two months in office, Governor Dapo Abiodun set up a visitation panel to make reformatory recommendations on the situation of the school. Fast forward to November, 2019, Governor Dapo Abiodun inaugurated a 12-member Governing Council chaired by Chief Yemi Adefulu, and today, TASCE is starting to return to its old glory, having held its first combined convocation ceremony in December.
6. DigiClass on State Television: As the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic, all schools remain shut, to curb the community spread of the virus amongst pupils and students. Having in mind, however, that pupils and secondary school students have the tendency of derailing academically due to the distance from school, Governor Dapo Abiodun directed the Ogun State Television, OGTV to commence televised classes to reach the target students. According to the Governor, the medium was chosen so that a larger audience can be reached even to the grassroots, since viewing does not require paid subscription.
HEALTH
7. PHC Rehabilitation: Like he did to public schools in all wards of the State, Governor Abiodun ensured that primary health centres across all 236 wards were rehabilitated. According to the Governor, this project is essential because PHCs are the closest and most easily accessible to the people.
8. Hospitals’ Equipping: The current administration of Prince Dapo Abiodun, in filling the deficit in medical equipment, saw to the delivery of needed medical equipment to the State Hospital in Ijaiye, Abeokuta. This happened even as the Government rehabilitated the Ilaro General Hospital in Ogun West.
9. Medical Staff Recruitment: In September, Governor Abiodun approved the recruitment of resident doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals in various cadres into the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu.
10. Medical Outreach: On 4th September, Governor Abiodun flagged off a medical outreach in Ilishan-Remo to reach the whole of the State, offering free medical examination including free eye glasses, immunisation, and BP checks. This followed the Hepatitis outreach, flagged off at a PHC in Sango on 28th July and currently ongoing across the State, offering free hepatitis tests, counselling and vaccination.
11. COVID-19 Isolation Centres: Ogun State hosts three COVID-19 Treatment and Isolation Centres single-handedly set up by the State Government of Prince Dapo Abiodun. They are located in Ikenne, Sagamu, and Iberekodo in Abeokuta. The total bed capacity of all 5 Treatment and Isolation Centres in the State (as at 15th May, 2020), including those donated by private individuals and corporate organisation, is over 300.
12. COVID-19 Drive-Through & Walk-In Testing Centre: In a bid to increase the testing capacity of the State, the Dapo Abiodun-led administration set up a testing centre in Ota. The centre, which is equipped with a specially designed protective glass box to be used by medical personnel collecting samples, allows suspected patients drive their cars in or simply walk in and get tested, with results getting ready in no time.
13. COVID-19 Molecular Lab: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ogun State had to send collected samples of suspected cases to Lagos and Osun for testing and this took quite some time for results to be ready. The State Government, led by prince Dapo Abiodun quickly moved into action by setting up in the OOUTH, Sagamu, the first Molecular Laboratory solely funded by a state in Nigeria.
14. COVID-19 Mobile Lab: In April 2020, the State Government launched Africa’s first COVID-19 Mobile Laboratory. With the capacity to run 400 tests a day, the Lab is contained in a 40ft container, in the intended 250-bed hospital in Abeokuta, the State Capital.
15. 250-Bed Hospital ICU: It would be recalled that the immediate past administration led by Senator Ibikunle Amosun claimed to have spent a staggering 7billion Naira on the intended 250-bed hospital in Abeokuta, even as the hospital remained uncompleted and with uninstalled medical equipment. However, in a bid to increase the handling capacity of the State, Governor Abiodun has made sure that ICU floor of the hospital has been completed. The floor has 18 available beds, 8 of which are high dependency and 10, ICU.
16. 300% Hazard Allowance Increment: In order to compensate health workers in Ogun State for the daily sacrifice they make during the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Dapo Abiodun has increased their hazard allowance by 300%.
17. Life Insurance for Health Workers: The Ogun State Government has enrolled over 8,000 health worker for life insurance, which is essential to secure the frontline health workers against the risks of their jobs especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
EASE OF DOING BUSINESS & SOCIAL INTERVENTION
18. Oko’Wo Dapo Loan Programme: Launched on 5th September 2019, the social empowerment programme initiated by the Dapo Abiodun administration and named the Oko’Wo Dapo Loan Program has so far benefited over 2,000 women, as a means to economic empowerment and increased productivity for collective development.
19. Investments: Early this year (January), Governor Abiodun together with his Lagos State counterpart, His Excellency Babajide Sanwoolu and other governors, was in London with President Muhammadu Buhari to meet with many potential UK investors and reached viable agreements across sectors including power, health, agriculture, education, security and infrastructure.
20. World Bank OGSTEP Facility: Facilitated by Governor Dapo Abiodun, the Ogun State Government has received US $250million credit from the World Bank towards the financing of the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP). The objective of the project is to improve the status of the State on the Ease of Doing Business index, through the strengthening of its agriculture value chains, developing skills and fortifying its business environment. These measures are set to increase the role played by the private sector in the State’s economy, in line with the Abiodun-led administration’s Public- Private Partnership initiative (PPP).
21. COVID-19 Relief Package Distribution: Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ogun State, the Abiodun-led administration has embarked on an aggressive distribution of palliatives to the poor, vulnerable and elderly on the one hand, and the youth across all 20 LGAs in the State. The first phase of the distribution reached about 300,000 individuals across the State, while the second reached about 80,000, translating to around 400,000 targeted individual. The relief package distribution to the poor and vulnerable youths has reached about 20,000 youths.
22.Home Grown School Feeding Programme: The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, has disclosed that it will continue the home grown school feeding program despite the stay-at-home directive. According to the FG, it is necessary that the program continues, so that the mental and physical development of school pupils will not be stopped at any time. Governor Dapo Abiodun has facilitated the inclusion of Ogun State in the social intervention program, with over 60,000 Primary 1-3 pupils set to benefit across all 20 LGAs in the State.
23. One-Stop Shops: In line with his promise to provide an overall enabling environment for businesses and investors in Nigeria, the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun has set up agencies that serve as one-stop shops for investors in the State and ensure that all intersectorial agreements meet global best practices. These agencies include: the Investment and Facilitation Promotion Agency, the Business Environment Council and the Public-Private Partnership Office.
EMPLOYMENT & EMPLOYMENT GENERATION
24. Ogun Job Portal: One of the highly lauded technological initiatives of the Prince Dapo Abiodun administration is the setting up of an online platform where unemployed persons or business owners, seeking career advancement, register their profiles towards getting the desired result. The platform has so far yielded a good number of employments to mostly the youths in Ogun State, while it continues to be useful to the Government to further understand the rate of employment and underemployment, providing a better approach to tackling the issue.
25. 1,500 Teachers Employed: The Ogun State Government had earlier announced that it would be recruiting 1,500 teachers to the public schools across the 20 LGAs in the State. Using the Ogun Job Portal, more than the targeted number of applicants applied for the job by opening profiles on the site, personally receiving updates and invites to tests and interviews. However, as the world battles the global COVID-19 health scourge, the recruitment process has been put on hold, but will resume once things return to normal.
26. Absorption of ASCON Entrants: Former Governor Ibikunle Amosun, in the twilight of his administration, claimed to have employed about 2,000 ASCON entrants – without actually entering their files into the civil service record. Unlike how Senator Amosun acted vindictively when he assumed office in 2011, Goevernor Dapo Abiodun absorbed all entrants into the State Civil Service and paid the backlog of all salaries owed them. This was indeed the humane thing to do, especially when there was the easy but heartless option of letting them go – without pay, like Amosun in 2011.
27. Reinstatement of Unjustly Sacked Labour Leaders: In 2017, Former Governor Ibikunle Amosun sacked the State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Akeem Ambali, his Deputy, Comrade Dare Ilekoya, the Deputy Director in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mr Olusoji Majekodunmi and 13 others for trumped up allegations of misconduct. Fast forward to 5th October, 2019 on World Teachers Day, Governor Dapo Abiodun reinstated all 16 workers, who are mostly teachers, stressing that teachers are the bedrock of society.
AGRICULTURE & YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
28. Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP): Governor Dapo Abiodun has facilitated the crediting of 3,500 farmers drawn across all 20 LGAs with N700Million. The Governor disclosed this when he flagged off the 2020 Planting Season, while distributing fertilisers and other inputs to the beneficiaries of the Ogun State ABP. The Programme involves 7 commodities, including cassava and rice. The Government is also providing technical expertise and assistance to the farmers, with world-class agric tutors handling training and consultancy.
29. Ogun Broiler Project: The Ogun Broiler Project is being carried out in phases. In the first phase, 54,000 beneficiaries were each empowered with 1,000 day-old broiler chicks. Each beneficiary made an average profit of N130, 000 every six weeks of production. Oer 9,000 youths have now registered with the State Ministry of Agriculture for the second phase of the Project. The aim is to produce over 110,000kgs of broiler meat in six weeks, and each beneficiary will make an average profit of N180,000 per six weeks of production. This Project has proven to provide employment for the youth, while ensuring food security without reliance on foreign poultry products mostly ridden with preservatives and other chemicals.
30. Rice Intervention: Governor Dapo Abiodun, who had always stressed the importance of food security to the welfare of the people, has given support, through the State Ministry of Agriculture to rice farmers across the State. One of the farmlands provided by the State Government is the 120,000 hectare rice farm in Sowunmi Village along the Ofada/Mokoloki axis of the State. The Joint Ogun State and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Value Chain Project is already ongoing across 8 LGAs of the State, including Obafemi-Owode, Yewa North & South, Ijebu North & East, Ifo, Odeda and Odogbolu.
SECURITY
31. Ogun State Security Trust Fund (OGSTF): In August 2019, Governor Dapo Abiodun launched the reinvigorated OGSTF. The Governor set up an oversight Committee to source for, receive and manage donations from the private sector, of funds and equipment for crime prevention. The Committee also mobilises these funds and resources for the training and retraining of security personnel. Already, within less than a year since Governor Abiodun signed the 2019 State Security Trust Fund Bill (as amended) into law, the OGSTF has made remarkable achievements that have strengthened the security architecture of the State and significant donations have been received from the private sector such as the 25 fully equipped operational vehicles donated by the Dangote Group on 8th May, 2020.
32. Donation of Patrol Vehicles & Motorbikes: In September 2019, the Abiodun-led Ogun State Government, through the OGSTF, donated 100 patrol vehicles and 200 motorcycles to the Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Police. The donations were gladly received by the Inspector General of police, Mohammed Adamu, who was in the State for the purpose. The Government on 28th April, 2020 again donated 15 additional operational vehicles and 91 motorbikes to security agencies in the State. The Nigerian Army got 2 vehicles, the NSCDC got 2, the DSS got 2, the NIS got 1, and the Police got an additional 5. Of the motorcycles, the Police received 69, while the QRS got 10, TRACE 10, and the NSCDC 2.
33. Handling COVID-19 Lockdown Security Unrest: The April donation of additional operational vehicles and motorbikes to numerous security agencies was a fulfilment of Governor Dapo Abiodun’s promise to provide material and logistic support to further strengthen the security architecture of the State. The Governor had made this promise in a 12th April statement which was released after the Ogun State Police Command made arrests of 150 suspects in connection with the security unrest that erupted within the Agbado Ijaiye, Sango, Ijoko and Ifo axis, when the State began enforcing the FG-directed COVID-19 lockdown. The Governor emphasised that in his usual manner of not condoning crime from any quarters, he immediately directed the Command and other relevant agencies to promptly move with full force against the criminals.
INFRASTRUCTURE:
34. Housing: Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration is working assiduously to fill the deficit in housing, while also ensuring that the existing housing units come at an affordable cost.
(A)There is currently a 400-unit workers housing project ongoing in Kemta Idi-Aba, Abeokuta. The first phase of the project, which includes 100 units, will soon be delivered at a discounted rate.
(B) Governor Abiodun has seen to the downward review of the selling price for the 160- unit AAK Degun Estate situated in Laderin, Abeokuta, from N7Million to N5.5Million for the 92 units of 3-bedroom semi-detached flats and from N5Million to N4Million for the 68 units of 2-bedroom apartments.
(C) The State Government has also refunded payments to allottees of the AAK Degun Estate who had earlier made full payments. This, for instance, translates to the refund of N1.5Million to some allottees of the 3-bedroom apartments.
(D)The Government has also relaxed terms and conditions of sale of the units, including the reduction of interest rate from 18% to 6%.
35. Water: At the presentation of the 2020 Appropriation Bill to the State House of Assembly on 3rd December, 2019, Governor Abiodun who disclosed that a sum of N9.823Billion had been earmarked for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, promised that over 70% of the rural populace would have access to potable water supply. On 8th January, 2020, the Governor held an assessment tour of the Ogun State Water Project in Arakanga, Abeokuta North LGA, where a directed a liaison between the State Water Corporation, the OORBDA and the IBEDC for an expedited revival of rural water supply. As at February, both the Arakanga and Ikenne Water Treatment Plants had commenced operations, with potable water being supplied to Abeokuta and 14 other major communities, including Ikenne.
36. Road: On assumption of office, Governor Dapo Abiodun had asked the good people of Ogun State to identify roads across the 236 wards of the State that were in need of immediate attention. As a quick-fix mechanism, the State Government immediately set up the Ogun State Public Works Agency, OGPWA which has since carried out palliative works on the identified roads.
Also, the State Government, through the Ministry of Works, has commenced construction and reconstruction of key roads, including even Federal roads, across the 3 Senatorial Districts to ensure safe travels for its citizenry. These roads include: (A) Ijebu Ode-Epe Expressway; (B) Ota Owode-Idiroko, Ado-Odo/Ota LGA; (C) Bright fashion Baruwa Street, Sagamu, Sagamu LGA; (D) Iberekodo General Hospital Internal Road, Abeokuta North LGA; (E) Ikola/Navy-Osi Ota Road, Ado-Odo/Ota LGA; (F) Raypower Road, Ado-odo/Ota LGA; (G) Hospital Road, Sagamu, Sagamu LGA; (H) State Hospital, Ilaro Internal Road Network, Yewa South; (I) Oru-Awa-Alaporu-Ibadan, Ijebu North LGA; (J) Molipa-Fusigboye-Ojofa Street, Ijebu-Ode LGA; (K) Asafa Oke-Asafa Isale-Ayegun- Ojofa Street, Ijebu-Ode LGA; (L) Obantoko Road (FAJOL-American Junction-Unity Estate-Gbonagun) Phases I-III, Abeokuta South/Odeda LGA; (M) Idi Aba-Elite-Oke Lantoro, Abeokuta South LGA; (N) Ikoritameje-Adenrele/Olose Titun-Vespa, Ifo LGA; (O) Abeokuta-Sagamu Interchange; and (P) Oba Erinwole Dual Carriageway, Sagamu LGA.
YOUTH & SPORTS
37. Marathon Race Hosting: In the 7 months of Governor Abiodun’s administration in 2019, Ogun State hosted two different marathon races, namely: JAC Motors 10km Race, and the Valuejet IAU African Championship, tagged Remo 2019. The winner of the former went home with US $5,000, while the winner of the latter took home $2,000. The Governor had always stressed that Ogun State had all it take to become the sports capital of the Nation because of the large number of athlete indigenes, conducive business- enabling environment, and available resources. Apart from empowering and encouraging the youth through agriculture and social intervention programmes, the Governor opined that sports was also another viable way of reaching the youth populace.
CONCLUSION
Governor Dapo Abiodun has no doubt acquitted himself creditably. He does not make excuses about the economic turbulence imposed on mankind by COVID-19 nor the long litigation that stretched to Supreme Court after his inauguration as Governor. For three months now, the coronavirus pandemic has stopped execution of all capital and non-capital projects, yet the Governor soldiers on.
Kunle Somorin is the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Dapo Abiodun.
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